As our calendar develops I have been looking for weekends on which to be able to offer training weekends for those keen to learn either (or both) the deck work on Thames Five and/ or to take command. I had hoped to run a full weekend RYA-type course, and still do, but finding the right weekend when an RYA instructor/ assessor can be available and finding the time to devise the course structure so that, in Captain Aubrey’s famous words ‘we waste not a moment’, is being pushed back by more pressing matters, not least Cumberland Cup and Farr 45 match racing.

 

However, there are two obvious on-the-job training opportunities coming soon.

 

Saturday-Sunday 3^rd- 4^th May. Thames Five is working in co-operation with RCYC for their SB3 Grand Prix. ‘Our’ Gill Smith is PRO, and Brian will drive T5 with Rhyddian and me providing back-up. We could take another person, either a potential skipper or someone to learn the deck work.

 

Saturday 31^st – Sunday 1^st June. RCYC have asked if we could again assist with T5 at their Vice-Admiral’s Cup, a multi-class IRC event. This is the weekend between our own David Diehl regattas 1 and 2. It is not scheduled into our programme, but if any of our group of T5 enthusiasts wished to play we could look on it as a training opportunity. Notwithstanding that it would see me doing four weekends back-to-back I would be prepared to do so if any of our putative drivers wanted to have a go. We could also take a deck-hand or two – or I can inform RCYC that RTYC will provide the drivers if they provide the grunt.

 

Please send either CSO or the Sailing Secretary an email, if you would like me to put either of these weekends into your training programme.

 

CSO.

• Training