Dear Club Member,

This week's newsletter comes from the INSC committee as we are about to send out press releases and posters to advertise and inform our sailing community of the first big INSC sailing event!

Bart’s Bash – Sunday 20th September

We will be hosting the annual Bart's Bash charity race in Dublin bay on the 20th of September. This annual event is in memory of the Olympic gold medallist Andrew 'Bart' Simpson, who was tragically killed in May of 2013 when the A.C. 72 catamaran, the Artemis Racing Team where testing and training on, for the Americas cup capsized in San Francisco bay, trapping him under the boat. The charity set up in his honour, promotes and encourages access to sailing for all. An ethos in keeping with our own.

The racing will be for both yachts and dinghies and so we hope that you can come out and support this event and your club’s first big sailing event. There are a number of ways to do this. The first being to sail in the event. In agreement with the INSS the use of the boats on the 20th will be free for this event. You can enter here. You can make a donation to the Bart's Bash Charity if you wish.

We also need volunteers to help out on the day.

• We need people to help on the safety boats. To help lay marks and provide safety cover. You do not need to be able to drive a rib or to have had experience doing this. As each rib will also be manned by an INSS instructor. The safety boat also provides a great vantage point from which to watch the racing and to pick up tips and the skills that are involved in winning races.
• Committee boat work, which involves assisting on the committee boat by recording the times and sail numbers of the boats as they cross the finish line. Again giving a unique and exciting opportunity to watch the start and finish of the racing at very close quarters.

So please send your name, contact details and how you wish to take part in the event and any questions to club@insc.ie or ask about this event next time you are down.

As this is our first big event it will put our name out there, build our club membership and so build the opportunities we will all have to sail in the future. So please give your time for a worthwhile charity event. This is an important event for our club and your help and involvement will make this a great, fun and memorable day on the water.

After all the excitement of the day we have also arranged to use the Royal Irish Yacht Club’s bar, for a celebratory pint or two and for the swooping of some sailing stories. This is a great opportunity to make some new friends and contacts in the wider sailing community.

TV Crew at INSC on 19th September

Leonard will soon be a star of the small screen as he will be filming a program showing the opportunities available for people who have retired on the 19th of September. We hope to get a good turn out to support him and help to show our club at its best. So if you fancy being on the cast list for this, please join us on the day. No stunt work please Leonard! One swim a year is enough proof of your fitness!

Annual Dalkey Island Race – This Saturday 22nd August

This weekend will see the running of the Annual Dalkey Island Race. This will take place in normal club time at no extra cost. The Portsmouth Yardstick handicapping system will be applied to our results, allowing all types of boats to sail together. So if you fancy the Dalkey Island Rock Trophy sitting on your mantel piece join us at 1.30pm for the race briefing.