www.Dabchick.za.net

Some 470 tips.

Owen

Dont be tempted keep those nose’s in your books.

Below is the Log entry from the latest edition.What follows is my opinion, take me on if you so wish.

I cannot agree more with the sentiments expressed in the article. In the Dabchick classes’s defence it should be made clear that a group of parents orchestrated the move of the Optimist and Lasers to another venue even after it had been advertised at Aeolians.This was done without the knowledge of the Dabchick Reps and the Aeolians committee, how it was sanctioned by SAS smacks of collusion and is in my mind a disgrace.The Dabchicks felt they were obliged to honour the Aeolians commitment and proceeded with their event. Granted it may have been another venues turn to host this event, but what happened to consultation and inclusive events ? May sanity return…..

OWEN

This is the article published by Richard Crockett :

Log entry
with Richard Crockett
It came as a jolt from nowhere when news of a serious accident involving Cape Town sailor Lance Burger and an attendant craft at a regatta in Mossel Bay, was received.

Burger is an exceptionally competent sailor who was seriously injured when run down by a powerboat while capsized. From reports received he is lucky to be alive having received critical injuries inflicted by the powerboat’s propellers. It does appear that his buoyancy aid saved him from further critical injuries to his chest and stomach.

This kind of accident is rare, and can happen, as can all manner of incidents when going to sea in a small boat. This does not mean that our sport is unsafe. It is not. On the contrary sailing is an inherently safe sport, but due to its adventurous nature and the fact that it happens on water and not the land, incidents instantly become newsworthy.

I am sure that there will be some sort of enquiry, but the initial lesson learnt is that dinghy sailors should always wear their buoyancy aids. I am sure that all yachties join me in wishing Lance Burger a speedy recovery, while extending their thoughts and prayers to his wife Jennifer and daughters Heidi, Nicola and Alex.

I was appalled just recently to hear that in the Northvaal area their Provincial Championships for the Optimist and Dabchicks were split between two venues. This is utterly insane and detrimental to our sport as our youth classes need to work together to grow the sport. This does not simply split two fleets, but also those families who have kids sailing in both classes.

The Dabchick has produced many a top sailor, especially our ‘more mature’ sailors of today who learnt their sailing in the class long before the Optimist was launched. It’s a truly South African design, and one which has stood us in good stead for over 50 years. SAS, please don’t let this class slide into oblivion. To keep our youth in the sport and to encourage them to become lifetime sailors, they need to learn to have fun in a boat, and that the sport is fun with many opportunities as they grow into it. Instead we teach them to race from the first time they step into a boat which is why the graduation from Optimists to other classes as our youth sailors grow older continues to diminish.

Calling Vaalies, get your Dabbie down to the VLC open, get rid of the exam blues and prep for Nationals. Click for details :-

Open regatta poster (1)

Be there

Owen

The Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis), also known as Dabchick, member of the grebe family of water birds. At 23 to 29 cm in length it is the smallest European member of its family. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range.
Contents [hide]
1 Description
2 Taxonomy
3 Distribution
4 Behaviour
5 References
6 External links
[edit]Description

The Little Grebe is a small water bird with a pointed bill. The adult is unmistakable in summer, predominantly dark above with its rich, rufous colour neck, cheeks and flanks, and bright yellow gape. The rufous is replaced by a dirty brownish grey in non-breeding and juvenile birds.
Juvenile birds have a yellow bill with a small black tip, and black and white streaks on the cheeks and sides of the neck as seen below. This yellow bill darkens as the juveniles age, eventually turning black once in adulthood
In winter, its size, buff plumage, with a darker back and cap, and “powder puff” rear end enable easy identification of this species. The Little Grebe’s breeding call, given singly or in duet, is a trilled repeated weet-weet-weet or wee-wee-wee which sounds like a horse whinnying.
[edit]Taxonomy

There are nine currently-recognized subspecies of Little Grebe, separated principally by size and colouration.[2]
T. r. ruficollis is found from Europe and western Russia south to North Africa.[3]
T. r. iraquensis is found in southeastern Iraq and southwestern Iran.[3]
T. r. capensis is found in Sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and the Indian subcontinent, extending east to Burma.[3]
T. r. poggei is found from southeastern to northeastern Asia, Hainan, Taiwan, Japan, and south Kuril Islands.[3]
T. r. philippensis is found in the northern Philippines.[3]
T. r. cotobato is found on Mindanao.[3]
T. r. tricolor is found from Sulawesi to New Guinea and the Lesser Sundas.[3]
T. r. volcanorum is found from Java to Timor.[3]
T. r. collaris is found from northeastern New Guinea to Bougainville.[3]
[edit]Distribution

This bird breeds in small colonies in heavily vegetated areas of freshwater lakes across Europe, much of Asia down to New Guinea, and most of Africa. Most birds move to more open or coastal waters in winter, but it is only migratory in those parts of its range where the waters freeze. Outside of breeding season, it moves into more open water, occasionally even appearing on the coast in small bays.[1]
[edit]Behaviour

The Little Grebe is an excellent swimmer and diver and pursues its fish and aquatic invertebrate prey underwater. It uses the vegetation skilfully as a hiding place.
Like all grebes, it nests at the water’s edge, since its legs are set very far back and it cannot walk well. Usually four to seven eggs are laid. When the adult bird leaves the nest it usually takes care to cover the eggs with weeds. This makes it less likely to be detected by predators.[4] The young leave the nest and can swim soon after hatching, and chicks are often carried on the backs of the swimming adults.[5]
It does not normally interbreed with the larger grebes in the Old World, but a bird in Cornwall mated with a vagrant North American Pied-billed Grebe, producing hybrid young
[edit]References

^ a b BirdLife International (2008). Tachybaptus ruficollis. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 2008-11-01.
^ Ogilvie, Malcolm; Chris Rose (2003). Grebes of the World. Bruce Coleman. ISBN 1-872842-03-8.
^ a b c d e f g h i Clements, James (2007). The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World (6 ed.). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978 0 8014 4501 9.
^ Prokop P & A Trnka (2011). “Why do grebes cover their nests? Laboratory and field tests of two alternative hypotheses”. J. Ethol. 29: 17-22. doi:10.1007/s10164-010-0214-4.
^ Finn, Frank (1905). “Notes on the nesting of the Indian Dabchick”. Bird Notes 4: 10–17.
[edit]External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tachybaptus ruficollis
BTO BirdFacts – Little Grebe
Little Grebe videos, photos & sounds at the Internet Bird Collection
Ageing and sexing (PDF) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta
Grebes of the World by André Konter
Information and Illustration on Little Grebe from A Field Guide to Birds of Armenia
[show]v · d · eGrebes (order: Podicipediformes • family: Podicipedidae)

As usual the annual GP regatta at Boskop was a fantastic affair. Great winds excellent racing and true platteland hospitality was the enjoyed by all.If you havent attended one of these,the event it is well worth attending.The Dabchick class had 11 entries, the wind was a little to much for the new guys but they tried and had a ball.It was great to see Ingrid back after her lay off with a shoulder injury, she took it easy but watch this space. Brother Julian had his nose in the books but I bet was itching to be there, young Helen is in Germany but will be back in the new year.

Click below for the results

Boskop Open 2011

regards

Owen

Hi All,

after a windy but successfull Boskop open regatta, it is clear that the Northvaal Dabbies need some training before the nationals in Hermanus. Our aim is to get more than 10 Fit, Fast, Fabulous DABBIES from North Vaal Region to the Youth Nationals at Hermanus this year to show those Western Cape/Eastern Cape and KZN boats that they are not the only ones challenging for the top of the DABCHICK fleet.

The idea was discussed amoung the Dabbie sailors and the suggestion of training on one day for 2 or 3 weekends running seemed to suit most people, and still allow everyone to study for the exams, which are very important for all of you, so this is how we are proposing to do it!

Excluding this weekend 5-6th November, we have 4 weekends left before the Youth Nationals 11th-17th December 2011. The weekend of the 26th-27th November is the VLC regatta, and we have to support that event, but also use it to the full for training purposes before the nationals.
Aeolians offered us the use of their facilities and a motor boat for youth training on 3 weekends, as long as we pay for petrol for the motorboat. This also gives us the opportunity to utilise the larger expanse of water and hopefully get exposure to stronger, more steady wind and chop as we expect these conditions at Hermanus.

We travel down to Aeolians on Saturday 12th or Sunday 13th November, early, so we can be rigged and on the water by 08h00 and get some quality sailing in until about 16h00 when we pack up and leave the boats safely stored, under cover at Aeolians. ONE DAY training only, the other day is for studying, remember!
We return on 19th or 20th, again early and get anothe full days sailing in before packing up at 15h00 to return to JHB, ready to do some power studying and have the boats available for VLC cup on the next weekend.

VLC cup is compulsory for all those finished with exams, but one day only for those still writing.

We return to Aeolians for an intense weekend of training on the 3rd and 4th, our last weekend before the Nationals.

Tim Gibbons has agreed to structure a training program for these 4 training days, and be there to coach you all. The focus will be Boat handling (Tacking, Gybing, Mark roundings, Starts), Boat speed (Upwind, Reaching, Downwind), Strategy and Tactics (Starts, 1 minute after start, Mark roundings, Finishing), Team racing (Team and match racing rules and situations).

Please let me or Paul know by return email (As soon as you read this) which sessions you can attend and if you need help with transport.

Dates:
12 or 13th Nov – Aeolians
19 or 20th Nov – Aeolians
26 or 27th Nov VLC
3 and 4th Dec – Aeolians

Remember to start your daily fitness training with your goal in mind. Get plenty of sleep, Study extra hard. Write your exams well so you can sail even better at the YOUTH NATIONALS 2011 – HERMANUS!

Remember to get your Nationals entries in before 15 November!!!

Warwick & Orpa Ham

CLICK BELOW

Justin

Should break a few hearts.

Owen

Owen