As things stand there is a risk of someone attending one of our rallies finding himself unable to cope with conditions and being hauled in by the lifeboat, or even drowned. There were three worrying incidents on last season's South Coast rallies alone and an earlier very serious case has been reported.

The problem is mainly one of inexperienced members making Solent crossings in light dinghies and being unable to cope properly with the boisterous wind and wave conditions which quite often arise. There have also been serious incidents involving heavy boats in the past. We cannot afford to ignore or fudge this vital issue any longer, but must take effective action for next season. These are my suggestions; they are easily put into effect:

1 Each rally announcement should be preceded by a simple statement drawing attention to the risks involved, particularly for inexperience people, pointing out that the decision to set sail is solely the responsibility of the skipper and crew concerned, the DCA merely suggesting a venue for members to meet at.

2 The DCA needs to pay more attention to the state of the art regarding heavy weather sailing and safety. (A talk has in fact been arranged for 3 February, 7 for 7.30 pm at the Rose & Crown. The speaker will be a RYA Senior Instructor, but member's contributions, if based on experience, will be very welcome.)

3 Members should also be encouraged to check the stability, buoyancy and reefing- ability of their boats. This could be done at rallies, with experienced members volunteering to give demonstrations and tests. Of course, it would be made clear that reefing underway and righting a capsized boat in ideal conditions is one thing, but trying to do it when you are cold, wet, tired, seasick and being thrown about the boat is something else altogether. There is no reason why these demos and tests should not be entertaining affairs, however.

To sum up, we cannot altogether eliminate the possibility of something disastrous happening, but we can and must reduce the risks and be seen to be acting responsibly.

Len Wingfield