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Welcome to the first Lark e-News!
Over the last few months the Lark Committee has been
actively working on improving the class’s communications.
The cost of producing and posting three issues of Lark
News each year has become prohibitive and reduces the
ability of the class to market itself proactively outside of
the class members. The result is this first issue of Lark
eNews, part of a number of changes to class association
activities in 2009.
Lark News, Class Marketing & Publicity
It has become apparent that as individuals we, the committee, are all spreading our time thinly which means that we
are often unable to put in as much time into class association matters as we would like to. This is particularly true of
marketing where we often have some great ideas but are unable to put them into practice due to other commitments.
With this in mind we have recently employed the services of Strawberry Marketing to take on the larger marketing
activities whilst as a committee we will work on smaller, more manageable projects.
With the recent difficulties in attracting a new Lark News editor the class committee has been forced to review the
existing production of Lark News. The existing format of Lark News will now cease to exist and will be replaced by a
monthly (bi-monthly over winter months) Lark eNews which will be a download in PDF format on the Lark website. We
believe it is important to continue to produce printed publications so we have asked Strawberry Marketing to produce
the Lark Yearbook which will include a year preview and the Annual Lark Review. These productions will continue to be
printed and posted although a PDF will be also be available.
Press releases and publicity outside of the normal class database will be handled by Strawberry Marketing. Over the
years the class has been noted for great publicity and marketing within its own members database but has not been so
successful at marketing to a wider audience.
We will be producing a new class brochure which will become part of a Lark Class Information Pack that can be sent out
to potential members of the class association. This will be administered by Strawberry Marketing, whilst the class
association will be tracking enquiries to help encourage the subsequent purchase and participation in the class.
Strawberry Marketing will also be working to attract new advertising and sponsorship to the class which will help fund
the additional marketing expenditure. With the launch of
the Ovington Lark marketing has become even more
important.
Importantly the Class Committee remains in full control of
marketing expenditure and with the assistance of
Strawberry Marketing will work to achieve a good return
on investment. Regular reviews are scheduled to ensure
that marketing funds are spent wisely.
May/June 2009
Upcoming Events in May/June
23rd May – Barnt Green SC (Midland & North Region) 31st May – Shropshire SC (Midlands & North Region)
6th/7th June – Royal Harwich YC (Belle Isle) 20th/21st June – Medway YC (Belle Isle)
Lark National Championships Brixham Yacht Club
25th-31st July 2009
Enter Online Today
www.larknationals.org
The Larks experienced superb conditions at Rock 2009
Class News
2009 Lark Class Clothing
The official launch of the 2009 Lark Class Clothing range took place at the Dinghy
Sailing Show in early March. The class has teamed up with Crest of a Wave to
produce the T-Shirts by mail order.
The new range of clothing is available to purchase now direct online from Crest of
a Wave – www.crestofawave.com.
The Lark Class gets a rebate for every item sold which is used towards class
association activities such as marketing so please place those orders now!
If you can't find what you want on the Crest of a Wave Website then give them a
call as they have other options available on request.
If your club fleet would like to arrange a bulk purchase with your club burgee on
the right breast then please email a high resolution copy of the logo to Edd
McArdle – [email protected].
Ovington Lark Update
As we go to press the new Ovington Lark prototype is in
production. The hull and deck moulding have been produced
and are awaiting sticking together. It is apparent that the
Ovington Lark will be a significant refinement of the Rondar
Lark. The deck moulding will essentially stay the same but
production boats will sport an improved spinnaker chute
opening, vastly superior self bailers and the hassle of
attaching transom fittings will be a distant memory.
Construction will be closed foam sandwich with the deck
being a 10mm construction which will give it intrinsic strength
without relying on stiffeners. Other classes use this
construction for areas like false floors that are intended to be
stood on. Together with the vacuum construction techniques
used by Ovington and some detail design changes, this will give us an extremely strong and durable Lark hull without
local weaknesses and with the added bonus of consistent hull weights.
Those of us who have been to the Ovington facility have returned highly impressed. Their production facilities are first
class with an emphasis on efficiency to keep costs down and quality high. There is no doubt in our minds that we have
made the right decision in appointing Ovington to be the new class builder.
Whilst the development is a little behind schedule we are hoping that a number of production boats will be on the
water for the National Championships in late July. Further details on how and when orders can be placed for a new
Lark will be posted on the website in the next few weeks.
Any enquiries regarding the Ovington Lark should be made to Chris Biglin at [email protected].
Kappa Mast Trials
As mentioned in the last printed Lark News the class was trialling the modern C-section equivalent, the Selden Kappa
section, over the winter months and at open meetings early this year. Trials have proved conclusively that there is no
noticeable speed advantage in using the Kappa mast over the older C section.
What is noticeable is that the Kappa sports significantly improved fittings which should help improve the spars lifespan.
The fact that most chandleries are out of stock of C section masts highlights quite how quickly, as a class, we get
through them.
At the time of writing there were less than three C section masts remaining in stock at chandleries. This makes for an
easy transition between the mast sections. The class committee has instructed Selden to start production of Lark Kappa
masts immediately. The Kappa mast will be the new class one-design mast section.
Dispensation will be granted to all Kappa mast users until the class rules are ratified later this year. A postal ballot will
be issued in the near future which will include the change of mast section and any rule changes required for the new
Ovington Lark. It should be noted that all existing C-section masts will remain class legal and that there is no
requirement to replace your existing mast. Selden Kappa masts will be available from your normal mast suppliers in the
very near future.
Lark Logo Competition
The Lark Logo competition is still ongoing. We have seen a couple of
entries on sails already this season with a couple more to come. Chris
Biglin’s 2515 “Dark Knight” sported a comedy number for a couple of
events but this is to be replaced with an official entry. Chairman Simon
Cox is sporting a design based on the original Lark News logo and now
the header for this newsletter. Can you do better?
Get your entries over to Chris Biglin ([email protected]) before the
nationals and they will be displayed, discussed and voted on at the AGM.
Second Hand Boats
There is still huge demand for good second hand Larks. If you are considering selling your boat, upgrading to an
Ovington Lark (more on these soon) or your boat just doesn't get the use it deserves then please put it up for sale -
there are buyers out there!
Event Previews
Barnt Green Open Meeting Preview
Round 2 of the inaugural Midlands & North Region circuit takes place on
Saturday 23rd May at Barnt Green SC.
The entry fee is £8 and will include 3 races and the annual singlehanded
race for anybody wanting to join in (spinnakers encouraged!). The first
race will start at 11am.
Bacon butties will be available for anybody arriving early, and lunch will
be available from the galley. We are really hoping for a good turnout -
don't forget this is the second round of the highly competitive Midland
and Northern Travellers Series.
For those that have never been to Barnt Green directions are available on the Lark website under fixtures. The lake is
easily accessible from the motorways and is surrounded by beautiful Worcestershire countryside.
All abilities of Lark sailors are encouraged to attend. As usual there will be plenty of Larkies around happy to give any
advice and tips on rigging and sailing Larks.
Shropshire Open Meeting Preview
The Lark Class makes a welcome return to Shropshire SC after a few years absence. This year the event is the third
event in the inaugural Midlands & North Region Circuit. A full event preview will be posted on the Lark website soon.
Royal Harwich Open Meeting Preview
Open meetings just don't get any more fun than this!
Sailing takes place on the River Orwell, but the real competition starts
ashore for the infamous inter-fleet "It's a knock-out" competition on
Saturday evening. So get practising for the Sumo wresting, giant twister,
croquet, bar boats and giant connect-4 amongst many others and lets
show the N12's and Fireflies that once again The Larks are the all
conquering dinghy class!
With all this distraction it easy to forget that this is the 6th round of the
2009 Belle Isle series. Five races over the two days, with a 10am briefing
on Saturday morning and the first race scheduled for 11am. Free
camping is available on the club lawn with food and drinks being served in the clubhouse over the entire weekend.
So put on your happy hat and get down to sunny Suffolk on 6th/7th June.
Medway Open Meeting Preview
The Medway Open Meeting takes place on the weekend of 20th
/21st
June. This is the third running of this superb event.
Registration will commence in the regatta office, the library above the MYC offices, from 10:00 hrs on Saturday the
20th June 2009. There will be a series of 5 races. The briefing will take place in the clubhouse at 11:00 hrs. The first race
on Saturday will be at 12:30hrs. The scheduled first race on Sunday will be at 11:00hrs.
Camping is available on the club grounds. The club usually lays on a very good social event in the evening.
More details from Ally Dart – [email protected].
2009 Lark Nationals Preview
Brixham 2009 is shaping up to be a superb event. We already have 30
entries and expect a lot more yet. The professionally run club will ensure
that activities both on and off the water will be first class and the
Nationals Team are hard at work putting the finishing touches to the
social and racing programme.
The Notice of Race is now available to view online.
It's so easy to enter the National Championships. Simply visit the
Nationals website and complete the online entry form. Payment can be
made by PayPal (including Credit Cards) or via cheque.
Enter Online Now - http://www.larkclass.org/nationals/event_entry.php?competition_id=7
Don’t forget the entry fee increases on 28th
June – so don’t delay enter today!
Accommodation
Details of accommodation are available on the Nationals website, but if you are looking to share accommodation it is
worth putting a message on the Discussion Forum - there are always people looking to share a holiday flat.
The updated Lark Nationals 2009 website can be visited at www.larknationals.org.
The year so far…
South Staffs Open Meeting
What a difference a day makes! Saturday saw a contingent of around 14
boats for the training session. Having established some key issues the
fleet took to the water for some practise and observation but the
strength of the wind made it difficult to be objective. So the fleet joined
in (or should I say made up) the club fleet for the afternoon races. Some
video was possible interspersed with some rescuing after a mighty squall
came through!! Although very windy a good day of sailing was had by all,
which was both useful and exciting in the testing conditions.
After a typical Lark evening there were a few tired sailors ready to face
the challenges of the Open Meeting. Bright sunshine greeted the arriving sailors but a total lack of wind. With a very
unpromising weather forecast Bill Bradburn, the OOD, was determined to get the event sailed and the 30 boats arrived
at the start line on time. However, a short postponement was essential but finally the fleet did get away chasing the
wind around the pool! Stuart & Charlotte Norris from Shropshire found the best gust and made the early break before
dropping back to finish 3rd. Unfortunately some of the leaders had failed to see the course change after the
postponement and went to the wrong mark. The others battled the tricky conditions with Mike Senior & Liz Pugh from
South Staffs (noted GP sailors in Dave Young's boat who was away on holiday) pulling through closely followed by Harry
Pynn & Helen Krailing from Waldringfield. The race finished in this order with Stuart and Julia Allen from Northampton,
making up fourth place.
After lunch the wind again proved difficult to predict but the fleet got away first time and again Mike Senior & Liz Pugh
found the position and boat speed to lead the fleet. After the first mark a number gybed and sailed into a hole and by
the time things settled Harry Pynn & Helen Krailing and Hannah Showell & Stuart Hydon from Shustoke were taking the
2nd and 3rd slot. They could make no impression on the leading boat and apart from Justin Jones & Lucy Evans from
South Staffs, who manage to fight back to 4th, the gaps hardly changed within the top ten.
Although the meeting was already won by Mike & Liz, they made the start line for the last race. However, they could
not repeat the previous great starts and this time it was Justin & Lucy who found the best shift early on and led at the
first mark. John & Sue Billington from South Staffs were close behind and these two were never seriously challenged.
Stuart and Julia broke free of the rest to finish 3rd with Hannah and Stuart coming in 4th. The race proved very
frustrating for many with several of the fleet being lapped!
Although frustrating in many ways, it was an interesting days sailing in beautiful spring weather. The OOD did a great
job to fit in the 3 races and all the fleet made the most of the tricky conditions. Once again the Lark fleet gave terrific
support to South Staffs and let’s hope that the good turnout is a sign of things to come for the rest of the season.
1st 2507 Mike Senior & Liz Pugh, South Staffs SC
2nd 2452 Harry Pynn & Helen Krailing, Waldringfield SC
3rd 2489 Justin Jones & Lucy Evans, South Staffs SC
4th 2301 Stuart & Julia Allen, Northampton SC
5th 2495 Hannah Showell & Stuart Hydon, Shustoke SC
Waldringfield Easter Egg
With Waldringfield bathed in glorious sunshine, the Lark Easter Egg went
right to the wire, in one of the highest scoring and open events in years.
The weekend started with an afternoon of training on Friday giving
everyone the chance for an early season tune up. Many thanks from the
class to Dave Chisholm for his time and endless enthusiasm.
On Saturday, after a short postponement for the light sea breeze to fill
in, the 1st race was started off the club line. Ian and Alyson Videlo
showed just how well they know the river going it alone on the right
hand to bank to disappear into and unassailable lead. Starting late, Nigel Scott and Ruth Johnson spotted their
opportunity and followed the Videlo’s, rounding the windward mark 2nd. Alan Krailing and Edd McArdle lead the rest
of the fleet in from the left and eventually overhauled Nigel and Ruth for 2nd with Harry Pynn and Helen Krailing
coming through for 3rd.
A short 2nd race was won by Alan & Edd with Emma Harris and Joe Hunt snatching 2nd on the line from Matt Stearn
and Antonia Steer.
The last race of the day was led from start to finish by guest Lark helm
Sam Carter crewed by Eluned Jones, with Harry & Helen and Alan & Edd
snapping at their heals in 2nd and 3rd.
Despite similar wind Sunday saw a change in fortunes with different
faces at the front of the fleet. Chris Whitehouse and Ellie Bremer got
away well in race 4 and were never challenged. The new paring of Fran
Gifford and Ally Dart came through for 2nd, a feet they repeated in race
5, with Matt White and Harri Steer in 3rd.
National champions Chris Fish & Beth Condie suddenly burst into life
with a win in race 5 and clearly not content with that went on to win again in final race. Chris & Ellie continued their
form with a 3rd.
A 2nd in race 6 capped off an impressive weekend for Sam & Eluned. In the battle for overall honours Harry and Helen
need 2 boats between themselves and Alan and Edd in the final race. It looked good early on with Alan & Edd a long
way back but a 3rd wasn’t quite enough for them as Alan & Edd eventually came though for 4th to take the open
meeting.
1st Alan Krailing & Edd McArdle 16pts
2nd Harry Pynn & Helen Krailing 17pts
3rd Chris Whitehouse & Ellie Bremer 24pts
4th Chris Fish & Beth Condie 25pts
5th Sam Carter & Eluned Jones 28.5pts
Rock Open Meeting
Armed with the words to "I've got a brand new combine harvester", in
readiness for the Sunday night, 29 Larks travelled to Rock for another
glorious Bank Holiday weekend.
Racing was in the estuary for both of Saturdays races, Emma Harris and
Joe Hunt lead the fleet round the course with Alan & Helen Krailing in
2nd and last years winners Smashie Bennett & Nicola Booth in 3rd.
Dougal Scott & Sophie Mackley made a return to the fleet and showed
excellent pace, they won race 2 convincingly with Alan and Helen second
again and Emma & Joe third. New pairing Francis Gifford & Ally Dart
finished 4th in both races.
Sunday’s races were also sailed in the estuary but with more water and more breeze the racing was close and hotly
contested. Alan & Helen managed to take an early lead and hold it to the end but were never comfortable with Jane
Alexander & Steve Graham sailing a fantastic race. Emma & Joe were a
comfortable third. In race 4 Will Croxford & Chris Warburton continued a
great weekend by leading the fleet round for much of the race
eventually succumbing to Alan & Helen and on the final beat to Emma &
Joe and Smashie & Nicola.
Sunday night saw the eagerly anticipated return of Padstow’s own
Johnny Cowling who, assisted by the fleets boat names and the unique
musical talents of Mark Ampleford and Father Ted, had us all in stitches.
On Monday the swell finally subsided enough for the fleet to tackle the Doom Bar and head out to sea. With a force 4
and a metre and a half swell it was Rock at its best. Nigel Scott & Paul Gardner sailed off to the right hand side and into
an unassailable lead. Second place for Emma & Joe ensured 2nd overall but a third for Alan & Helen was enough to
take the event. Not to be outdone by brother Nigel, Dougal & Sophie took their second win in race 6 after a close race
with Smashie & Nicola. Nigel & Paul capped off a fantastic day with third.
The Lark fleet would like to thank Rock Sailing Club for their exceptional hospitality and especially to Race Officer,
Martin Hough and family, for making the long trip from Oxfordshire for the weekend. We can't wait until next year!
1st 2464 Alan and Helen Krailing, Waldringfield SC (9pts)
2nd 2311 Emma Harris & Joe Hunt, Waldringfield SC (12pts)
3rd 2484 Dougal Scott & Sophie Mackley, Rock SC (20pts)
4th 2487 Smashie Bennett & Nicola Booth, Staunton Harold SC (21pts)
5th 2465 Will Croxford & Chris Warburton, South Staffs SC (25pts)
Pagham Open Meeting
Unfortunately due to strong winds and very large waves this weekends racing was cancelled. We are hoping that the
event can be rescheduled for a later date. An announcement will be made shortly on the Lark website.
The event was looking to be another well attended event; sadly the announcement was a bit too late for many
participants who had made the long trips from the Midlands and Suffolk.
Remaining 2009 Fixtures
23 May Barnt Green SC Open Meeting (MNR) Bob Suggitt
31 May Shropshire SC Open Meeting (MNR) Stuart Norris
6/7 June Royal Harwich YC Open Meeting (BI09) Helen Krailing 01394 380250
20/21 June Medway YC Open Meeting (BI09) Alison Dart 07870 185008
4/5 July Mayflower SC Open Meeting (BI09) Adrian Smith
12 July West Kirby SC Open Meeting (MNR) Tim Lawrence 01925 730034
25-31 July Brixham YC National Championships Steve Chatten 07971 401152
5/6 September Carsington SC Inland Championships (MNR/BI09) Dan Watson 07919 542361
19/20 September West Lancashire YC 24 Hour Race Mal Postance 01704 530840
3 October Shustoke SC Open Meeting (MNR) Chris Biglin 0121 308 7632
10 October Hayling Island SC Masters Championships Club Office 023 9246 3768
11 October Hayling Island SC Open Meeting (BI09) Club Office 023 9246 3768
31 October Frensham Pond SC Youth Championships Chris Ellis 01256 703402
1 November Frensham Pond SC Open Meeting (BI09) Chris Ellis 01256 703402
21/22 November Northampton SC Winter Championships (BI10) Ian Castle 01933 383254
For full details of future events please visit the Lark Class website – www.larkclass.org
Recommended Links
Lark Class Owners Association – www.larkclass.org
2009 Lark National Championships Official Website – www.larknationals.org
Crest of a Wave – www.crestofawave.com
Ovington Boats – www.ovingtonboats.com
Allen Brothers - www.allenbrothers.co.uk
Next Issue
The next issue of Lark eNews will be released late June. If you have any club news, event previews or other gossip then
please email it to Edd McArdle at [email protected].
Copy date: 22nd June
The Big Picture
Eluned Jones & Nobby enjoying Eluned’s first open meeting as a helm.