THE TITAHI BAY TRIBE

Families, patrol teams & crews from our senior & junior club membership have been split into four tribes as the bid to win the tribal war continues! Follow the fun as the tribes battle it out against each other at our monthly tribal days! 

Thank you to those who have already started patrolling at Titahi Bay (and Foxton Beach), as we now head towards the busiest time of the season. As always, if you cannot make one of your patrols, please ensure you find a replacement of similar skills & qualifications, i.e. an IRB Driver should swap with another IRB Driver, & advise your Patrol Captain. If you do not turn up to patrol, you put your team under additional pressure, particularly if it is busy. A Facebook Group has been set up to assist you in finding a replacement; please join if you haven't already.

Lifesaving Committee | welcome to Tayne McMahon, Chloe Crowe, and Eli Jones to the Titahi Bay Surf Life Saving Committee. They are heavily involved in surf lifesaving at Titahi Bay & have been essential to our patrols and training our members. 

Capital Coast Communications Network | this network is now operational & we have received a Tait base radio terminal as well as four Tait handheld radio terminals; thank you to Surf Life Saving New Zealand. We have ordered a number of new waterproof cases which will arrive in January. The network will provide us with considerably greater radio coverage along the Porirua City coastline. A number of training opportunities will be provided, the first of which will be held at Titahi Bay SLSC at 6:00 pm on Friday 22 December. It would be great if as many of you could make it as possible, in particular Patrol Captains and Vice Patrol Captains.

IRB's | As we head towards the busiest time of the year, we would like to remind you of the use of the IRB. As we operate among other water users, we must ensure we operate responsibly, lead by example, & abide by the Greater Wellington Regional Council Navigation and Safety Bylaws. Furthermore, only qualified IRB Drivers (or trainee IRB Drivers under direct supervision) are permitted to operate the IRB. Also, please ensure the you have all the correct equipment in the IRB, you wear the PFDs & helmets that are provided, and you have a radio (in a waterproof case).

Patrol Roster | this has been sent out to all lifeguards. Thanks to all those who have attended their patrols so far. A revised version of the patrol roster will be released onto our website shortly & sent to all lifeguards again.

Lifesaving Development Weekend - Foxton Beach | Titahi Bay lifeguards Brett, Trinity, Chloe, Eli & Danika headed along to the first Foxton patrol to assist the club with their patrols. Foxton SLSC only have a small number of active lifeguards whom are supported each weekend by lifeguards from other Capital Coast clubs. Titahi Bay joined guards from Paekakariki & Otaki & had a great time. We caught up with newly-qualified lifeguard Brett to find out how the team went on the weekend:

Brett Richardson - "Induction was held by Daniel from Foxton SLSC followed by team introductions. There were about five of us 'just qualified' lifeguards. Hollie (PC, Paekakariki) put it to us....'where would you put the flags' so it was great to have supportive interaction right from the word go. Loaded IRB with the beach gear, drove the club 4x4 down and with guidance from our (VPC, Otaki), set up the beach.

It was a hot busy day at the beach. Head count in the water was 76 at one stage. Preventative actions included removing a dead bird from the beach, sending out a mobile patrol in the 4x4 to work out what a large group was doing up the beach and the most important (according to some)....ringing the council to come and un-block the women's public toilet! After patrol, some of the team adjourned to enjoy their own aquatic pleasures. Classic nachos for dinner. A bonus desert of chocolate ice cream was found in a deep dark corner of the freezer. 

Sunday's weather wasn't as hot and the wind & sea conditions were up. A pre patrol swim was informative as to preferred placement of the flags (100m further north from Saturday). Trent (Paekakariki) conducted an IRB training session. This seemed very successful according to the wide eyes and adrenaline fueled description of their outing! Masterful driving by Chloe. It was great to experience another beach other than our own and to learn new conditions and scenarios. I would recommend partaking in the next Foxton Patrol in March if you get the opportunity".

The next Lifesaving Development Weekend at Foxton will be held on Saturday 3 March and Sunday 4 March. Please let Nick or Georgia know if you wish to attend.

If you have any questions regarding surf lifesaving, please contact the relevant member of the Surf Life Saving Committee or your Patrol Captain to discuss.

Regional Guard | will be operating from the surf club over the summer so the club will be open from 11am to 6pm every day. If you use club gear, make sure it is washed and put away correctly.

Lost Property | please try your best to keep all of your belongings with you when at the club but if you do misplace something, a box of lost items can be found in the patrol room.

Working Bees | a big thanks to those who helped out installing the new bar fridge & gave the club a tidy up this month. A date for a January working bee will be confirmed shortly & any help will be greatly appreciated.

Club Cleanliness | the clubhouse has the tendency to get messy with lots of people using it regularly. Please do your bit to keep it tidy by putting your rubbish in the bins provided & cleaning up after yourself. We thank you in advance for your efforts.