Bass Week 2008 - Questionnaire Feedback
r01) Did you pre-book, take advantage of the discount, and did you receive sufficient information on the event?
r01: didn't pre-book	2	5%
r01: pre-booked with adequate info	39	95%
r02) Priority for entries was given to those booking sailing at the same time as camping this year. Was the event better as a result of this?
r02: Don't know/didn't read it	10	24%
r02: no	10	24%
r02: yes	20	49%
r03) When you arrived on site did you receive sufficient information on the event?
r03: Don't know/didn't read it	5	12%
r03: no	1	2%
r03: yes	35	85%
r03t) Please suggest any additional information you would like to see included in the welcome pack
r03t: All the information was about camping and very little information about the sailing. I know there is a briefing but there just seemed to be a lack of information about the sailing within the pack
r03t: Can't really comment as we are members rather than visitors.
r03t: note on what the orange square was for.
r03t: posters advertising each days events could be livened up - like the old blackboard
r03t: Some info on what is there is locally to visit.
r03t: When you've been the number of times I have, you don't need that much in a welcome pack!
r04) Upon arrival were you happy with the welcome and initial instructions given?
r04: no	1	2%
r04: yes	40	98%
r05) Were the reception cabin opening times adequate?
r05: not required	11	27%
r05: yes	30	73%
r06) The club has recently installed a new security gate to better control access to the site and to help ensure a safe family environment for all.  What do you think of the new gate arrangements?
r06: Improvement	15	37%
r06: no comment	2	5%
r06: not required	3	7%
r06: open at key times	10	24%
r06: open set hours dusk/dawn	8	20%
r06: pain!	3	7%
r06t) General comments on booking/reception
r07) How long did you stay on site?
r07: 9 days	28	68%
r07: weekdays	3	7%
r07: weekends	2	5%
r08) Where did you stay
r08: caravan	6	15%
r08: off site	5	12%
r08: tent	25	61%
r09) Where did you camp?
r09: back field	16	39%
r09: lakeside	12	29%
r09: middle field	6	15%
r10) Did you have sufficient space around your tent?
r10: no	3	7%
r10: yes	31	76%
r11) The camping area by the lake was reserved for family units only this year.  Was this a good idea?
r11: no	8	20%
r11: Yes	24	59%
r12) The site was ruite muddy (and even flooded at times) in some areas this year.  Was your visit curtailed as a result of this?
r12: no	25	61%
r12: Yes	9	22%
r13) Could the club officials have done more to help prevent or minimise the impact of the adverse weather?
r13: no	28	68%
r13: Yes	6	15%
r14) Were you unduly disturbed by noise from adjacent campers?
r14: no	29	71%
r14: yes	5	12%
r15) Were you unduly disturbed by noise from the evening entertainment?
r15: no	33	80%
r15: yes	1	2%
r15t) General comments on camping/caravanning at the regatta.
r15t: Access to tents was not maintained. If an emergency vehicle had to get through it would have been difficult
r15t: Actually camped Fri to Thurs - had to leave to return to work.  Not (officially!) allowing campers to camp with their friends, which is the effect of the family only area has to be a bad move.  Also gives problems with too many big family tents in 1 area.   Also, much better to mix everyone up than have "ghetto" areas!   If you camp close to the club house, you know you'll get some noise at night, but it tends to be "happy" noise so not a bother.
r15t: back feild needs sorting out!  and more showers would be nice but apart from that very good
r15t: Disturbance and noise is to be expected at a regatta week....But by putting potential party goers in the back field will surely upset a larger amount of people. If they are by the lake they upset fewer campers
r15t: entire camp should be more family orientated
r15t: Excellent but significantly increased late night & early morning noise
r15t: Family area became very crowded - not much notice taken of the 3 metre between pitch rule
r15t: good in the frount feild but imovements needed in back feild (mud!!!!!!!!!!!)
r15t: It would be good to dump some sharp sand/chippings in the back field to reduce the mud problems and prevent cars getting stuck
r15t: last year there was a campshop it was good
r15t: More space this year and less grab a spot if you can. I was there for the first weekend and for most of the weekdays  -I fortunately missed the end of the week floods -the back field needs sorting from this respect.
r15t: noisey only on the monday night disco, hey you are only young once!
r15t: people should be able to camp where they want - family area just turned the footy pitch into a car park for 4x4s and estatr
r15t: Stayed off site most of week camped last sat only.Others with us stayed off site due to noise and cost
r15t: the back field was very muddy due to rain but it wasnt helped by cars being driven on it over and over again!
r15t: the red seals unpegged our tents in the nights and threw things inside them and it was a nightmare... we had to move in the end
r15t: Though I had sufficient space adjacent to my campervan (Q10) this was only when an inconsiderate parker had been moved on (I was in the red camper opposite the reception cabin).  As in 2007 I was very close to the car parking area and would have been more satisfied with a space further along the middle field.  Someone has to be where I was but it's not my turn next year please!
r15t: vast improvement on previos years lot more space.
r15t: would be nice for a £ reduction if only having a single person tent
r16) Did you use the outside sinks for washing dishes?
r16: no	11	27%
r16: yes	24	59%
r17) If so, were they aderuate for your needs?
r17: no	2	5%
r17: yes	23	56%
r18) Do you think there are enough water taps on site?
r18: no	2	5%
r18: yes	30	73%
r19) Do you think there are enough WC’s on site (including those in the clubhouse)?
r19: no	5	12%
r19: yes	28	68%
r20) This year the club has introduced a portacabin toilet block behind the club house.  Was this an improvement?
r20: no	4	10%
r20: not used	16	39%
r20: yes	19	46%
r21) Were you happy with the ruality and temperature of the wash & shower facilities?
r21: no	13	32%
r21: not used	2	5%
r21: yes	23	56%
r22) The club works hard to maintain high standards of cleanliness for the clubhouse and grounds.  Were you happy with the levels of cleanliness attained?
r22: no	4	10%
r22: no, but bad weather	6	15%
r22: yes	27	66%
r23) The club were unable to arrange a shop on site for basic provisions this year. Would you make use of such a facility if available in the future?
r23: no	4	10%
r23: no preference	10	24%
r23: yes	21	51%
r24) Did you use the drying facility?
r24: Didn't know there was one	5	12%
r24: no, inadequate	3	7%
r24: not required	25	61%
r24: yes, inadequate	1	2%
r24: yes, ok	3	7%
r25) How much sailing did you do?
r25: incl, sailed all	23	56%
r25: incl, sailed some	10	24%
r25: midweek, sailed all	2	5%
r25: some races	2	5%
r26) If you sail an asymmetric do you think it would be a good idea to have a separate windward/leeward course?
r26: no	6	15%
r26: trial only	6	15%
r26: yes	5	12%
r27) In addition to glassware prizes this year there was pottery, wine and whisky. What type of prize would you prefer?
r27ca: any	28	68%
r27cb: glassware	9	22%
r27cc: pottery	3	7%
r27cd: wine	2	5%
r27ce: whisky	2	5%
r28) This year we allocated helms into gold or silver fleets and awarded some prizes accordingly. Is this considered reasonable?
r29) Do you think the rescue facilities were aderuate?
r29: no	2	5%
r29: not in extreme conditions	4	10%
r29: yes	32	78%
r30) What changes to the fleet starts would you make (If any)?
r30: None	32	78%
r30: Consider grouped starts, even if fleets racing separately. Consider additional buoys behind line to keep line clear for fleet about to start
r30: did not like gp14 s in our slow handicap fleet
r30: in the junior/ ladies race we all start on one start... slower boats get dead air straight away and this makes a big effect in a handicap race.  It could possibly be done as a pursuit race otherwise it isn't fair.
r30: None but as a novice I cannot compare
r30: None i think the seperate asymmetric cource would be good idea even if its just one race
r30: not many - but a standard set of assumptions used for all classes to avoid confusion
r30: not to move marks with out telling the fleet ie lasers (ed Thomas) sorry
r30: Seperate start for GP14,s
r30: Was happy that Mirrors had their own fleet.  Joint start difficult due to luffing up but generally acceptable.
r30t) General comments on Sailing:
r30t: As part of the slow handicap fleet it seems that we get all the waifs and strays and so have a bigger fleet thanany other. Also as a streaker sailer we have quite a good turn out most years average of 9 boats and yet we never get a class start.
r30t: Bass week T shirts
r30t: Bit of a hiccup with the Mirrors/Toppers. Better to maintain separate finishes. Would also prefer separate starts but appreciate it depends on number of boats.
r30t: challenging for a first timer but enjoyable and well organised
r30t: Excellent.
r30t: excellent
r30t: Handicaps should not be adjusted for pursuit races.
r30t: I love Bass Week just as it is even when the weather is less than ideal.
r30t: I love sailing at Bass!
r30t: I thought the rescue crew appeared very unprofessional at times eg. several rescue boats raffted together chatting and messing around.
r30t: I would prefer the Mirror and Topper fleets should remain separate.
r30t: It would be good to have the course on a boat away from the start line, maybe two boats with the course on
r30t: loved bass week and i am coming again next year...
r30t: More reaches and less runs if possible.
r30t: more wind
r30t: more wind and sun required :)
r30t: Novice sailor so difficult to comment
r30t: Rescue facilities need better control.
r30t: sailing was well organised and the courses were good, there seamed to be a lot of starts perhaps some of the classes could be condensed with other starts to cut down the amout of time waiting for your turn.
r30t: shouldn't have such a long wait inbetween races
r30t: The sailing was excellent as always, although considering there were a lot of postponements the postponement flag was not always raised!. I am not quite sure how it is determined who is in the silver and gold fleets. There certainly seemed fewer prizes that in previouos years where the 1st thrid of the fleet were given prizes
r30t: This was my first experience of medium handicap (Vareo) -I found it great to be out of the madding crowd.
r30t: We didn't know that there was a silver fleet in the RS200s until we failed to get prizes for our 3rd place results (the boat behind us got the prizes).
r30t: Well organised and enjoyable despite the vagaries of the wind and frustrations tthey cause.
r31) Do you think there was enough children's entertainment?
r31: no	1	2%
r31: not relavant	18	44%
r31: yes	19	46%
r32) Do you think there was enough evening entertainment?
r32: no	1	2%
r32: too much	1	2%
r32: yes	33	80%
r33) Were you happy with the start and finish times for the entertainment?
r33: about right	15	37%
r33: no	2	5%
r33: yes	18	44%
r34) Were you happy with the bar opening and closure times?
r34: about right	11	27%
r34: no	4	10%
r34: yes	20	49%
r35) Do you have any ideas for alternative entertainment?
r35t) General comments on entertainment & bar:
r35t1: bar staff were friendy and efficient
r35t1: cheaper stella! or a good basis of argument for why it is 30p more than rest of the pints
r35t1: Disco Steve does a fantastic job
r35t1: Excellent
r35t1: Glad to see you got some Jennings in !
r35t1: Not bad
r35t1: realy good a bit later wouldn't hurt
r35t1: The bar closed too early, and so did some of the entertainment. On many occasions the bar was full of people very happy to carry on drinking. Surely this generates more revenue for the club and keeps the guests happy and makes them feel welcome. ON some occassions the excuse was that there was no-one to run the bar. Again in the past there has been a bar commitee where people take turns to do a shift. You are never gonna get volunteers but if asked people will help out. The bar can generate thousands of pounds a night but its not going to if theres no-one behind it, and its shut.  Phil Smith and I organised the occassional boat race when discos had closed early just to keep our guests happy. It worked. Bass week up until recently used to be a haven from the "nannied" state.
r35t1: the speakers for the disco need to be more stable and safer (one fell during kids disco!)
r35t1: we want DJ enterprise (ste blackburn) again as he was one of the best DJs of any party i've been to
r35t1: well done to all for your hard work
r36) Do you think that the cost of the week represents good value for money?:
r36: no	0	0%
r36: yes	39	95%
r37) Did you have cause for complaint this year?:
r37: no	32	78%
r37: yes, dealt with	3	7%
r37: yes, reported	4	10%
r38) Will you be returning to a future Bass Week?:
r38: possibly	2	5%
r38: yes	36	88%
r39) Are you happy to be contacted to discuss any comments further?:
r39: no	4	10%
r39: yes	32	78%
r39t) Any other comments that may be useful to the organisers for the future:
r39t: allow more people to come next year because the limitation on people effected the week it was not as good as the year before (but I know the weather didn't help)
r39t: As above better management of tent postions to allow access for cars is needed.
r39t: As enjoyable as ever.  Congratulations to all involved and thanks for all your hard work to run such a successful event
r39t: could have at least one day/half day of training for young children to have ago or practice sailing even if it was during the sailing, because often children cannot sail during Bass Week because the are not good enough or scared of the other boats so are left just playing in the campsite.
r39t: Ensure the teenagers are not allowed to become paraletic  - put  a supervisor with the safety crew tents to control there swearing and fighting
r39t: how about putting some bike stands near the club house to prevent people from tripping over bikes that have been layed down on the grass.
r39t: I am a Beauty Therapist and would be willing to do mini manicures on the thursday and raise money for the RNLI.
r39t: I understand the reasons for discouraging people who are not sailing or entering a boat, however most people who have come in the past do sail at some point during the week and it seems sad that they were discouraged from coming this year. The site was very quiet and the bar quite empty in the evenings compared to previous years. I think this is a real shame. The Ladies facilities are worse than ever, one toilet was out of action all week and the showers are terrible. You get about 12 seconds of water before you ahve to push the button again. The water is generally cold and the showers really need to be improved. They are much worse than the ones that were replace 2 years ago. Overall a good week
r39t: If you must split fleets into gold and silver, please ensure that it is clear which boats are in which fleets e.g. on the results.
r39t: I'll be back next year but have already booked a cottage up the road due to the camping conditions caused by the weather this year.
r39t: Listen to Steve Kirkpatrick.
r39t: Please investigate the feasibility of improving the drainage in the back field.
r39t: Prior to the week, I spoke to a number of non-sailors (familiar faces from Tynemouth) who used to sail Bass Week regularly, who were upset about being refused entry.
r39t: Some friends were unhappy with what they saw as over-draconian restrictions on entry to the site by non-sailors, and I do sympathise with them. (NB - I agree that priority for camping space should be given to sailors, although the campsite did not seem to be full and I heard (albeit second hand) that non-sailors were turned away despite this).
r39t: spending loads of cash on the floor was a waste of money considering chair and table legs have not had rubber fittings replaced on the bottom. charge more money for caravans. move un-used club member boats off the front.
r39t: Thank you very much for all the hard work you put in.
r39t: The boat park was overcrowed and my boat/trailer were constantly being moved or blocked in by several other boats. Maybe marked bays for each boat with a clear way for access  would help?
r39t: The new admissions policy caused some difficulties, though I'm sure it was ment with good intentions as 2007 was overcrowded in the back field, we need numbers between 2007 and 2008 to create our ideal camping limit and to maximise club profits. We can absorb any number of boat entrants but are limited on camping number whilst we have cars on site and tents continue to grow in there build size.
r39t: the policy of not allowing peolpe to come if they are not sailing effected the week its always has been as much about the people as it is sailing
r39t: we were on pitch 34 which  was spoilt by a strong smell of sewage   will this be rectified??  Bass WK T shirts???  PS didnt sail at ALL due to back injury ,!!