Sailing, Let the Banter Begin!

Taster session

The semester has begun and so with it a rowdy start to the sailing club. The first event of the year was the taster session which kicked off on the 15th. People interested in joining the club were introduced to the marvellous place which is Bardowie loch and the equally marvellous members of the club. It was a day of sunshine, booze and burgers so was inevitably a success. People were ferried onto to the water to see what it was all about, or for the more adventurous to show off their dry capsizing skills. Sailing being a sport dictated by wind means that at times we spend the same amount of time off the water as we do on. Therefore, it was important to show our equally competitive land sports: ninja and shoe golf. Despite the dangerous nature of shoe golf, with the potential of a poorly executed kick sending your shoe for swim, this was not the main cause for damp attire. It was in fact down to many well aimed water balloons and evil intent. Unfortunately not many were left unscathed.

First social

Following the taster was our slightly calmer social at Dram (this may have been caused by everyone’s fresher’s week induced hangover). The night was spent mingling, drinking and with the occasional downing in an attempt to save the queen. A brief introduction was made to the drinking games held dear to the club with the rules leaving many baffled and slightly drunker. For the first time in sailing club history no-one was keen for viper and most returned to their beds for some much needed sleep except for a couple of brave souls.

Trials: Day 1

Our first serious start to sailing occurred on the 24th with the arrival of trials which is held to determine the teams for SSS events. New members were truly put to the test having to deal with the infamous wind at Bardowie and its tendency to shift by the second. A couple of capsizes did take place with the wind gusting at about 30 knots (not the 40 we were fearing). Crews and helms were changed into and out the boats in quick succession and put under the scrutiny of the race committee. After giving everyone an opportunity to get to grips with the boats, fleet racing commenced after a short lunch break/power nap. All in all it was a successful first day of trials. What followed after could be deemed by some as another success, or by some an absolute mess…It could only be the clubs notorious cheese and wine!

Cheese and wine

‘Cheese and wine’. It might give the impression of a classy event but by the night’s end nobody was left with any misconceptions. With disproportionate quantities of wine to cheese, it should have been pretty clear from the start what kind of night it would be. The game of butter covered baggo being played in the dark for an added touch of danger should’ve also been a pretty obvious indication to new members that this may not have been the night they thought it would be. After all the cheese and most of the wine was consumed, it was off to viper. There we were introduced to the legendary bouncer known as ‘stamp guy’, leaving ink blackened arms in his wake. The morning after you’d have no doubt you’d made it to viper.

Trials: Day 2

Day two of trials saw most showing up slightly less fresh faced with a distinct drop in numbers….did someone say hangover? We somehow managed to squish everyone onto the pontoon for another day of subbing in and out. This time more attention was given to team racing as it is the style of racing that Glasgow compete in most. The intensity picked up as members were given their last chance to battle it out and secure their place on teams. The wind, although less shifty, was a bit gustier. Thankfully capsizes were avoided this time. After a solid day out on the water, boats were taken in derigged and Bardowie was cleaned and locked heralding an end to trials. Now all we can do is hold our breaths and wait till results are announced at the Wednesday social. Good luck to everyone that participated!!!

Cheers lads

Special thanks to our race committee: Greg, Theo, Nicole, Ali and Steven. Another massive thank you has to be given to Sarah and Izzy for hosting the cheese and wine and an apology for any breakages. Thank you also to the people involved in running the events, social and sailing alike. Finally, cheers to everyone that came along to the events and made them such a wonderful time.