We are sure you realise what an important role it is for the success of the event you are organising and the Society. These guidelines are intended to assist you with the task and help you avoid the pitfalls that have been discovered by previous managers.
You will need to start thinking about getting a team together approximately two months before the event, with the aim of having a confirmed team plus reserves at least 3 to 4 weeks before the event. For dinghy racing in particular, it is often worth trying to recruit as many people as possible, without going too over the top. People often don't mind swapping around for different races, and they are there as much to see old friends and meet other Old Shirburnians as to sail. In any case you should expect one or two of your team to cry off at the last minute.
Beware: OS rarely reply to the Society Newsletter and only occasionally reply to letters.
The best way to get a team together is possibly by a mailshot followed by telephone calls to chase up and find other members to complete the team. We can supply a list of the most recent active sailors with the most up-to-date phone numbers possible which may be a good start. (Note that this will only be mailed to an account owned and operated by an OSSS member) The response is normally better if you can arrange some sort of social event, such as lunch at the Helyar Arms or dinner in Sherborne.
For matches at Sutton Bingham and Poole, contact Chris Hamon (01935 817372) a couple of weeks before the event to check the final details such as where and when to meet and to find out if help is needed to organise the racing.
The last week is a good time to ring round your team to check they are still coming and tell them the plans and timings for the weekend. It is often helpful if you can put them in contact with each other for sharing transport.
You may need to be involved with organising the races - arranging courses, starting signals etc. with the opposition's team captain. You will be OSSS team captain unless you decided to delegate these responsibilities to someone else, Try to get a copy of the results of the racing and keep a record of who sailed with who and any other 'notable' events for a later report.
For races at Sutton Bingham, the Helyar Arms at East Coker is a convenient place for lunch on a Sunday and the Cross Keys in Sherborne seems to be popular for meeting for lunch before the match on Saturdays. Beware of Mother's Day - the pubs are packed!
For most matches, please send, within a week if possible, to the Sailing Secretary and Nick Ware a report of the event containing a breakdown of the results of each race and any other relevant information. This will go into 'Broad Reach'. Please also tell the Sailing Secretary of any changes in phone numbers and any new 'active' sailors as well as recommendations for team members for future events.
For some events it might be appropriate to send a report to 'Yachts and Yachting'. This shouldn't be more than 100 words and should include -
Try to send this immediately after the weekend to Yachts and Yachting, 196 Eastern Esplanade, Southend-on-Sea SS1 3AB.
Finally and very importantly, please put together a claim for any expenses you have incurred in putting your team together and send the details to the Sailing Secretary. You are likely to have spend a lot of time on the phone, so it is some consolation to reclaim those expenses.
We hope you enjoy the satisfaction of organising the event. Thank you and Good Luck!