'Some of you hardy types will no doubt have sailed throughout the winter, but for me certainly this is an exciting time of year when the diary is brought out to fill in the calendar of WCOA events, the cover comes off the boat, tyres are pumped up and my thighs realise that they have done nothing for six months and object to all the exercise of hiking out again. I was out for the first sail of 2010 only last week on a try a Wanderer day with a prospective owner from Rugby, and getting out on a deserted Poole harbour in a fresh breeze was a great reminder of why we all love wandering, though I am walking around with stiff legs like Douglas Bader this week as a result!

With the clocks going forward we are now only a month away from the first WCOA event of the 2010 season at Burgh St Peter on the Norfolk Broads. All are welcome, the inland waters are very forgiving and I hope to use the event as an opportunity to help boat owners check on their rig set up for the season, get rig tension right, practise throwing in reefs and maybe try some capsize recovery and buoyancy testing, all of which should contribute to making our sailing in 2010 more successful and safe.

Following the successful and well attended AGM at the RYA dinghy show, all eyes are now on the programme for 2010, promising much for cruisers and racers alike. After the May bank holiday season opener in the Broads, June offers racing and cruising on the Alde, hosted by David Pegg, and for intrepid Wanderer cruisers Andy Peter is leading an expeditionary force to Holland for an ambitious cruise on inland waterways, contact Andy for details on likely arrangements and minimum 'competence' requirements.

July sees Andy in action again leading cruisers over the more familiar waters of the Solent from Keyhaven to explore the river Yar, while racers convene at Whitstable YC for the Nationals to see how well Gavin will go in his new Hartley boat, a big change after watching him sail away from us for many years in 'Thistle'. Parkstone YC in Poole harbour also welcomes a Wanderer cruise at the end of July which will probably visit Brownsea island and Wareham with possible trips out to Studland Bay and Old Harry.

August offers two weeks of racing in beautiful Salcombe with the Town and Yacht Club regattas, as well as the West Country cruise, a favourite for regular stops for delicious cream teas wherever possible under the leadership of our cruising secretary David Davies. This year he is basing the cruise on the river Dart.

September has a laid back racing offer at Salcombe and a cruise from Whitstable while October offers racing for the Inland trophy at Bewl and a season closing cruise on the Solent from Calshot.

What a busy year in prospect.

My thanks to all who volunteer to lead and support the programme, and if you fancy inviting Wanderers to your club for a race this season or next year please contact Mike Hamilton our racing secretary and he would be delighted to support you in laying on additional events at new venues for our racing fleet to keep them busy and offer an even more varied programme of venues.

Best wishes for a safe and exciting sailing season in 2010 and I look forward to seeing you on the water at a Wanderer Class Owner Association event, the friendliest class association for the best general purpose sailing dinghy.

Tim

WCOA Chair'

Tim Robertson