Intro

The Club has one person (1x Laser), two person (1x Comet Versa) and three person (2x Comet Trios) club boats, and you can join the Clubs Dinghy Section to gain access to the dinghies. It is a ‘non-equity fractional ownership’ scheme for access to the boats. As with all clubs, this scheme has some rules and all club members (Dinghy Section or otherwise) acknowledge that these Rules constitute a legally binding contract to regulate the relationship of the members with each other and the Club.

Dinghy Section – how to sail without owning a dinghy yourself

Dinghy Section (DS) Membership entitles you to sail on Club dinghy cruises, to sail the Club boats at Frensham and to hire any of the dinghies on a daily basis (given appropriate skill and experience). It is a non-equity fractional ownership scheme for access to the boats.

The DS fee is payable individually for DS members on an annual basis except for DS members children or dependants under 18. They may use the club boats with a suitably RYA qualified (see DS rule 5) parent or guardian who are DS members provided there is not the demand for spaces from other paid DS members.

There may be occasional events such as the annual Frensham Pond SC 10 hour race where the daily dinghy hire fee to non-DS members is waived. This is discretionary. For all other events the daily dinghy hire fee is payable where non-DS members use club boats.

Non-DS members assisting with club training or running club racing do not need to pay the daily dinghy hire fee at these events.

Dinghy Section Membership

Any Cody Sailing Club member can become a Dinghy Section member which entitles them to use club boats for free on club events, to sail on Club dinghy cruises, to sail the Club boats at Frensham and to hire any of the dinghies on a daily basis (given appropriate skill and experience). To skipper a club boat on inland waters requires RYA Level 2 or better, and to skipper on tidal waters required RYA Seamanship or better.

There are three different types of Dinghy Section membership that can be opted for:

• Dinghy Section Single Adult Membership – Access for one adult to any of the club boats.
• Dinghy Section ‘Single Adult Family’ Membership – Access for one adult and their children to any of the club boats 
• Dinghy Section ‘Two Adult Family’ Membership – Access for two adults and their children to any of the club boats 

Note that all Dinghy Section members and their children where applicable must be named in the membership application and obey club rules when using any boat (see later).

The Dinghy Section fee is payable individually for Dinghy Section members on an annual basis except for Dinghy Section members children or dependants under 18. They may use the club boats with a suitably RYA qualified parent or guardian who are Dinghy Section members provided there is not the demand for spaces from other paid Dinghy Section members.

Use of Club Boats by non-Dinghy Section members

Non-dinghy section members may use the Club dinghies for a sum as the Committee shall from time to time prescribe (currently £20 per day). This shall not be payable if they are supplementing Dinghy Section crews to achieve the Club’s minimum qualification or crewing requirements. Similarly non-DS members assisting with club training or running club racing do not need to pay the daily dinghy hire fee at these events. For all other events the daily dinghy hire fee is payable where non-DS members use club boats. Non Dinghy Section members (whether sailors or non-sailors and whether adults or children) may only be taken on club boats if there is no Dinghy Section member waiting for a boat space at the time. A fee of £20 for the day will be charged which will be waivered if a non Dinghy Section member is invited to make up the numbers in the club boats.

Location

All the club’s four dinghies are kept at Frensham Pond Sailing Club, and can be sailed at any time (subject to FPSC events on the Pond) by Dinghy Sections members on Frensham Pond.

Towing

To sail the clubs dinghies at locations other than the Pond, they will need to be towed using a tow bar on anyone’s vehicle. It is not essential for a Dinghy Club member to have a tow bar on their car; however, if there are insufficient dinghy section members willing to tow/ have a tow bar, there may not be sufficient boat spaces available for all who wish to sail in club boats at a given remote venue, or the club dinghies may be unable to be towed to a given location. Note also that towing a club boat to a venue does not automatically confer ‘user rights’ to the club dinghy. 

Conditions and Rules of Dinghy Section Membership

General: Members of the Dinghy Section may use the Club dinghies, trailers, trolleys, engines, and any other facilities of the Club, entirely at their own risk and impliedly accept:- 

1. The Club will not accept any liability for any damage to or loss of property belonging to members. 

2. The Club will not accept any liability for personal injury arising out of participation in any club events, the use of the Club dinghies, trailers, trolleys, engines, any other facilities of the Club either sustained by members or caused by the said members whether or not such damage or injury could have been attributed to or was occasioned by the neglect, default or negligence of any of them, the Officers, Committee, Trustees or Servants of the Club.

3. At all times, one crew member (not necessarily the helm) shall be identified as skipper. On club events (cruises, beach days, racing) the skipper shall be nominated by the OOD. On individually-booked events (Frensham pond or elsewhere as a Private Hire), the skipper shall be agreed with the Rear Commodore when the booking is made.

4. The skipper shall be RYA qualified as follows;
   1. On cruises (tidal water) the skipper shall be qualified as a minimum to RYA level 2 plus Seamanship Skills.
   2. On beach days, including camp ‘off the beach sailing’, (tidal water) the skipper shall be RYA level 2 qualified. The skipper may change during the day but is always to be approved by the OOD.
   3. For sailing on non-tidal water, the skipper shall be a minimum RYA level 2 qualified.

5. Dinghy Section members shall inform the Rear Commodore if they wish to use a boat outside of an organised club event. Dinghy Section members may privately hire a DS boat, through the Rear Commodore, provided it is not required for club events and subject to a charge of £20 per day.

6. The provisions of the various rules for different club equipment and activities must be adhered to. All the equipment or activity specific documentation is clearly indicated on the Cody Club website on the Cruise Notes and Dinghy Section Information page.

7. When berthed at Frensham, all removable items shall be padlocked to the boat (including sail bags, rudder, engines, buoyancy aids). The bailers on the Trios should be stored OPEN to drain rain water.

8. It is the responsibility of all club boat users to tell the committee of any damage or non-functioning parts of the club equipment. Any damage or missing equipment is to be reported to the Boson or the Rear Commodore, so that we can maintain the club equipment to a high standard.

9. It is the sole responsibility of the nominated skipper to ensure that all the club equipment being used is fit for purpose. The club maintains the club equipment to a high standard, and aims to provide equipment which is roadworthy and seaworthy. However, it is the responsibility of the skipper to check and accept the equipment as fit for purpose before every use.

10. Buoyancy aids shall be worn at all times by anyone using club boats.

11. The skipper is responsible for the safety of any non-sailors on-board and should take particular care that weather conditions, course and manoeuvres are suitable. All such crew should be briefed that they participate at their own risk.

12. RYA Legal have stated “Below is general advice on the duty which you may owe crew members and/or guests aboard your vessel:

In the absence of, and at times in addition to, contractual relations between those on board a vessel, the skipper/owner of the vessel will owe a duty of care towards the crew and guests on board. Broadly speaking you must take “reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions which you reasonably foresee would be likely to injure your neighbour. In this instance your “neighbour” being crew and guests aboard your vessel and “reasonable care” in this context is a question of fact to be determined by the court. In the event of a breach of an owed duty of care, the ordinary standard being one of “reasonable care,” you may be liable if damage is incurred as a result of your breach of duty and provided there was no intervening event which broke the chain of causation.”

Towing: When planning to tow a dinghy collect the following items from the boat shed or find them stored in the boat.

• Trailer/Road Base
• Lighting board
• Accessories bag (securing straps, bungees, wheel nut spanner, hitch lock)
• Tyre inflator
• Spare tyre
• OOD pack
• Outboard motor, fuel
• Safety aids

Towing Vehicle: The tower must ensure that their vehicle is suitable for towing, in particular having a correctly installed and maintained tow hitch and lighting socket. The tower must ensure that they hold an appropriate driving licence for towing and that the vehicle insurance and any breakdown policy covers towing. The tower, not the club, is liable for any penalties incurred for being non-roadworthy. The tower, not the club, is liable for any driving penalties (inc. speeding) or parking penalties incurred during towing.

Towing a club boat: It is the responsibility of the towing driver to assure themselves that the club equipment is roadworthy and fit for purpose. If you consider the equipment to not be roadworthy then do not use it and report your concerns to the Bosun or Rear Commodore. It is the tower’s responsibility to ensure that, before setting off, the trailer is fit for road use, the dinghy is securely strapped down (boats to be positioned correctly on trolleys and tied securely using the painter, towing beam and webbing ratchet straps), the trailer tyres are correctly inflated to the correct pressure and have legal tread, all lights on the lighting board are functioning, and that a legal number plate, supplied by the tower, is securely attached to be lighting board. Do not put the sails in a car boot and then put rudders, tillers or other heavy objects on top, or the sails will become prematurely crumpled, and take care not to damage battens. Also ensure any loose items (e.g. anchor / flare canister / paddles/booms/masts) are secured before refitting the top cover correctly for towing, and don’t over tighten straps and risk damaging the cover and straps.

Rigging, Launching Recovery and Derigging: It is the responsibility of the skipper/helm to assure themselves that the club equipment is seaworthy and fit for purpose. If you consider the equipment to not be seaworthy then do not use it and report your concerns to the OOD, Bosun or Rear Commodore. Any damage / maintenance issues should be fixed if possible (spare shackles, etc. are stored in each boat) otherwise reported to bosun or Rear Commodore

• Self-bailers should be closed before launching or putting boats onto trolleys (to avoid bending the self bailers).
• Ensure the mast head float is attached to the sail and hosted up the mast if required.
• Avoid letting sails flog unnecessarily in the wind e.g. the jib can be furled on the Comet Trios.
• Boats must be washed, including sails
• Self bailers should be left open when the boats are stored (to allow rain water to drain)
• Ensure that the sails are rolled carefully to avoid creasing them. Do not drag the sail (or sheets) over the ground
• Masts must be rigged unless you know that the next event requires the mast to be down.
• Boats covered with either a boom up cover if the mast is up, or the flat trailing cover is the mast is down
• Sails, tiller, rudder, buoyancy aids, etc. to be left secure (using padlock and cable) in the boats while stationed at FSPC.
• Run outboard in fresh water if it has been used in the sea.

Outboard Motor Rules

• Motors shall only be used on cruises, and on Frensham pond (on a safety boat only), and shall not be used on beach days.
• Motors shall not be used on Frensham pond except either:
  1. as a safety boat during RYA instruction and then only by persons with a power boat level 2 qualification
  2. ii) at other times (e.g. racing) only if the user has RYA powerboat level 1 qualification (NB this is a byelaw of Frensham pond)
• Users shall be familiar with the motor’s Owners Manual and comply with its guidance (notably concerning fuelling, fitting to boat, starting, use of gears and safety instructions). New users shall additionally seek informal instruction from experienced users of the motors before using.
• Security lines shall always be attached between motor and boat
• Kill cord shall always be used by the helm. (The RYA preferred method is to wrap the cord round the helm’s thigh and clipped onto itself).
• 2 stoke oil is to be mixed with petrol by the person buying the petrol as soon as possible and before releasing it to other DS members (ratio is 50:1 = 100ml oil in 5l of petrol).
• If used in the sea, outboards must be run in fresh water to remove the salt water.

Use of Cody Outboard Engines.

This note covers the use of either of the two 3.5hp two stroke club outboard engines.

Storage.

Ideally the engine should be stored upright on the bespoke stands in the shed.  The fuel tap and fuel vent should be closed and the engine must be locked with a cable routed via the ground anchor.

If temporarily stored within a dinghy the following points are essential:-

• • Fuel tap off and filler vent closed.
• • Position engine on its side with fuel tap on the top side (this is not essential for a two stroke engine but it eliminates the chance of a fuel leak through the tap).
• • Its is vital that the self draining devices in the floor of the dinghy are OPEN
• • Lock the outboard and if possible cover/hide such that it is not obvious that the boat contains an outboard.

Transport. 

The engines have a metal carrying handle just under the throttle and choke controls, and at the opposite end of the top cover there is a plastic inset/hand-hole to steady the engine whilst mounting on the transom.

Transport by car. To minimise fuel leakage/odour during transportation the fuel tap and vent must be closed and it is recommended that the engine is positioned on its side with fuel tap on the top side (this is not essential for a two stroke engine but it eliminates the chance of a fuel leak through the tap).

Transporting the engine by road in a club dinghy is not permitted – the risk of damage to the boat and or engine is too great.

Starting the engine.

Ensure both transom clamps are tight and that the propeller is lowered into the water.

Open the fuel vent on top of the filler cap.

Open the fuel tap.

Check that the gear is in neutral.

Insert and wear the kill chord.

If starting from cold – use full choke and set the throttle to “start”.

If starting from warm do NOT use the choke – just set throttle to start.

Pull the starter a few times.

Once engine fires return the choke to off very quickly (10seconds) then allow the engine to tick over for approx 1 minute before putting in gear.

Once the engine has started check the tell tale pipe to ensure there is a steady trickle of water.

Stopping the engine.

In an emergency just pull the kill chord to stop the engine.

For general stopping select neutral, pull the kill chord and then shut off the fuel tap and cap vent.  Ensure cap vent is closed before raising/tipping the engine.

When stopping the engine prior to removal and transport (or during flushing see below) – select neutral, close the fuel vent, shut the fuel tap and allow the engine to idle for a couple of minutes until the engine stops – the fuel from the float chamber should now be mostly consumed and therefore presents less chance of fuel seepage during transport.

Flushing the engine.  

If the engine has been used in salt water and is not to be used the next day, it is essential that the engine cooling system is flushed through with clean water.

Ensure engine is in neutral.  Put the propeller in a fresh water flushing tank  – start the engine and run on tick-over for a couple of minutes – the fresh water should be observed trickling out from the telltale outlet pipe.   A standard bucket is only just big enough – if used it must be full and topped up to the brim whilst flushing is in progress.

Advice on general use of the engines.

Generally you should not use the club outboards unless you have been briefed on their operation and safe use.  If unsure ask – boat skippers, OODs, or any of our trained dinghy instructors should be able to provide a briefing.

Mounting the outboard.   The engines have safety lines attached to them.  If mounting the engine whilst afloat it is recommended that it is a two man operation to get the engine INTO the boat, and once IN the boat that the safety line is attached to boat BEFORE the engine is lifted over and onto the transom.

Always WEAR the kill chord.  The official advice is to attach the kill chord to your leg but in a dinghy this may not always be possible but it MUST be attached to you somewhere.

Ensure you have fuel (correctly mixed with oil).  Secure the filler can within the boat.  NEVER refuel whilst the engine is running – ideally refuel ashore before you run out afloat.  Always check fuel level before crossing a shipping lane.

Check that the small toolkit for the outboard is stowed on the dinghy – as well as basic tools this should contain spare shear pins and a spare kill chord.

Ensure all lines, halyards and sheets are securely stowed onboard and not trailing in the water ready to foul the prop. The painter should not be long enough to reach the prop but check to make sure it hasn’t been extended.

If you are involved in a man overboard rescue – NEVER allow the running engine (even if in neutral) to come close to a casualty in the water – PULL the kill chord and paddle if you can’t keep the back of the boat away from a casualty.  Similarly if you are standing by or assisting another capsized boat keep propeller well clear of people in the water and be very alert to keep any lines in the water away from the propeller.

When outboards are used to propel dinghies do not try to steer with both the engine swivel and the dinghy tiller – for the regular “get you home when the wind has dropped” journeys or towing other dinghies it is best to lock the outboard in the straight ahead position and use the dinghy rudder to steer.  If you need to reverse or do some slow close quarter manoeuvring it is recommended that you very carefully position the dinghy rudder such that it can’t foul the propeller or remove the dinghy rudder altogether.

Do NOT use the main sail and the engine – if you gybe or tack the mainsheet/horse will foul the engine tiller, the kill chord or your steering hand.

With the both Trio engine mounting and the engine cooling telltale being on the starboard side it is not easy to continuously watch to ensure a steady flow of coolant – please make a point of regularly checking the cooling water flow especially if you motor through weed/scum etc.

If the exhaust note regularly makes a hollow “grunting” sound, use the crew to trim the boat further aft –to ensure the propeller and exhaust remain in the water.

When sailing with the engine tilted up, fold the handle and swivel the motor to present the least chance of mainsheet tangle.  Be aware that the mainsheet WILL catch on the engine and this is most likely to happen when gybing or when tacking without sheeting in.

When sailing with the motor up it may be necessary to trim the boat slightly nose heavy to ensure the outboard leg doesn’t drag in the water.