The NEWSLETTERN ovember 2 0 1 1 - Yateley Offshore Sailing Club

Yateley Offshore Sailing Club
Commodore
Sara Smith’s
Column
www.yosc.org.uk for this Newsletter in colour, from our webmaster, John Weale
Meetings: 1 st Mondays at 8pm, all other Mondays 8.45pm, at Sandhurst Social Club, Wellington Road.
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The NEWSLETTER
November 2011
I will keep it short this month as I know our Editor was keen to publish speeches
from the 20 th Anniversary Dinner. What a splendid evening, I do hope everyone
enjoyed themselves. Those who could not make it were spared the Commodore
telling a very old seafaring joke! I hope you will enjoy the commemorative DVD
that Terry Paynter produced. Thank you again to the Anniversary Committee for
organising an evening to remember.
I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new member, Bod Patricia Carter-
Clemo, I hope you will enjoy sailing with the club Bod and joining in our social
events.
Thirteen boats attended the last rally of the season to Dan Bran, Lymington and
were blessed with a scorching hot weekend, just right for sitting in the sun and
drinks on the pontoon, not so good for sailing but you can’t have it all! It was good
to see our two new members Richard and Allun out on Adat.
Earlier in the month we had an interesting talk from Adam Reay of Lymington
Town Sailing Club on the Commanders of the U-Boats in WW2. Adam had many
pictures but also some archive voice and television clips.
I visited Southampton Boat Show in September, but must admit found it very much
the same as the previous years with an almost identical layout of stands,
particularly as you walk in. I do enjoy the boat shows and somehow always
manage to find something to buy, but would like a change of scene, I had a sense
of déjà vu this year.
We had a good month for advertising the club with a short article in the local
newspaper and adverts in the local free magazines that Chris Darley has been
sending in.
September saw the annual Bramble bank cricket match in the middle of the
Solent. This year the Royal Southern Yacht Club won, beating the Island Sailing
Club from Cowes. The match lasted just 30 minutes before the tide returned, with
more than 150 people watching the match this year. I imagine the players get their
cricket whites wet and sandy!

I wonder if they will start playing cricket on the shingle bank on the western edge of the Needles Channel.
Sailors (in ribs) landed and raised a pennant on this bank last month. The bank was exposed by a
combination of the lowest tides of the year and high atmospheric pressure. This bank is normally underwater
but was estimated to be 4m above sea level and has not been seen this clearly for many years.
I look forward to seeing you at the Skittles night.
Here's to being in a boat with a drink on the rocks
rather than being in the drink with a boat on the rocks"
Sara Smith
Commodore, Yateley Offshore Sailing Club
Changes of personal address, email, telephone numbers, boat details.
Please be sure to keep the Membership Secretary, Ian Skinner, aware of all changes as they occur so that
we do not lose contact with you.
Crewing List (Please inform the Editor if you would like your name added to this list and
say if you do not want your phone number to appear). Sailing Secretary: Vic Crawshaw
Crew:
Peter Mayley 01344 778580 Maggie Vickery 07929 668261
Charles Weager John Weale 01252 873067
Alex Phipps 01252 665368 Michael Dray 01276 514359
Allan Cowan Michael Soul 01252 620586
Peter Bennett 01252 623517 Mike Hopkins 01344 455639
Alan Jones 07903 652504 Sara Smith 07708 403424
Adam & Lynne Bispham 01344 860083 Edi Juon 01256 354840
Paul Dunn 07977 278971 Jane Colson
David Rogers 07814 231731 Michael Major 01252 548991
Richard Fuller 0773 4557525
The YOSC 20 th Anniversary Dinner at The Royal Maritime Club
Portsmouth, 8 th October 2011
Planning started a year ago to
create an event to at least emulate
or surpass the 10 th anniversary
event at The Royal Naval and
Royal Albert Yacht Club in 2001.
Many locations and venues were
considered, some of the favourites
were visited to inspect the facilities
for catering for 60 to 100 people
and typical menus obtained with
prices. The choice of the RMC
was made because of its splendid
meeting room, over 100 rooms for
guests to stay overnight with
breakfast, its location close to the
“Historic Ships”, Spinnaker Tower,
Gunwharf Quays Marina and
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shopping centre, Portsmouth Harbour railway and bus stations, the Gosport Ferry terminal, and the
RMC’s long history dating back to early Victorian times. Lots to do, many ways of getting there
and options to stay on the premises or on board a boat making it a viable weekend.
like to wish John a speedy recovery.
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The Commodore’s Speech
Welcome everybody – past Commodores, past members,
current members, friends and families, it’s wonderful to see so
many of you here tonight.
What a splendid venue, the Royal Maritime Club, very fitting
for our celebration. Like me I imagine you are feeling very full
after that lovely dinner. We hope you found the wine on the
tables a pleasant surprise; I was rather hoping you would drink
it all before I had to stand up and give my speech! ☺
The Anniversary Sub-Committee came up with the table names
which are very apt for our club. I particularly like the ‘Moody’
table, in my mind it sums up a bunch of delinquent teenagers,
slouching over the table scowling at each other!
I would like to send best wishes to club members who were not
able to make it tonight; in particular we are missing Joan, our
Social Secretary and John Evans, on behalf of the club I would
I would firstly like to introduce our Committee for those that may not know them, please would you
each stand up as I read your names, Honorary Secretary Brian Mayhew, Honorary Treasurer Kevin
Morgan, Sailing Secretary Vic Crawshaw, Assistant Social Secretary Jill Mayhew, Vice
Commodore Chris Darley, Librarian Dave Dray, Membership Secretary Ian Skinner, Editor Alan
Bew and Social Secretary Joan Evans (not present). Your committee are working day in, day out,
to help the club run smoothly and they deserve a round of applause as thanks for all their hard work.
I would also like to introduce our past Commodores present tonight. Malcolm Cross, John Weale,
Pauline Hooker, Richard Magnay, Bill Boyd and Graham France. Other Commodores over the
twenty years but not able to attend tonight are Rosemary Bateman, Terry Hurrell and Paul
Moggridge.
The past Commodores have all played a huge part in keeping YOSC a thriving club and retaining
loyal members. They have all helmed the YOSC ship through its ups and downs and through
changing times and have all contributed to the continual improvement of the club.
Malcolm has talked about the formation and history of YOSC, it is an amazing feat that the club is
going strong all these years later. We have many founder members present tonight and I am sure
those of you remember the evening classes and getting together for those first few meetings and
rallies, the enthusiasm you had starting up a new club. I hope we can keep that enthusiasm running
high in the club through existing and new members. What I feel is particularly special about our
club is the long term friendships that have formed over the years and the sense of camaraderie, there
is always someone willing to help another club member out, whether it be at sea, in the marina or in
the club with a bit of advice. One of the great benefits for skippers and crew of being part of our
club is having another member to talk to, working out passage plans and making decisions prior to
leaving port, skippers often discuss what time they are leaving, their thoughts on the weather and
who they have onboard and when sailing in rallies its good to know there are other club members

making the same passage. For new or less experienced boat owners we have a combined wealth of
knowledge within our club which members are always willing to share.
Since the 10th Anniversary dinner YOSC has continued to thrive, we have enjoyed an interesting
mix of social events and speakers and a variety of sailing events.
2009 started with the news that Yateleys our meeting place for 18 years was closing. Yateleys stood
us well, and when it was closing Richard Godden worked relentlessly to save our venue but it
wasn’t to be. The Committee did a good deal of searching and decided upon Sandhurst Social Club
where we have settled in and it now feels like home. Kirk and his bar staff are very welcoming.
A number of you will remember the splendid 10 th Anniversary dinner at Royal Naval & Royal
Albert Yacht Club. It was just before this that I joined Yateley Offshore. It was with some
trepidation that I turned up at Yateleys, but everyone made me very welcome. Terry Paynter was
the first to come forward and offer me a crewing place and I was hooked, I have sailed many miles
now on different club members boats, learnt a great deal from skippers and other crew, and
importantly enjoyed every moment, I thank the members for sharing their yachts and for the sailing
opportunities they give to members of the club. We are lucky to have a good mix of boat owners
who offer crew a chance to go sailing, and…. we are very lucky to have a good bunch of crew to
help owners sail their boats.
Back to 20 years ago, and how we were in 1991. The average house price was £70,000, a gallon of
petrol was £2.05, bomber jackets were a fashion must have, Freddie Mercury the lead singer of
Queen died, Terry Waite was released from captivity, John Major was Prime Minister and perhaps
most importantly this was the year of Noel’s House Party, based in the fictitious village Crinkley
Bottom, staring Noel Edmonds and Mr Blobby. Have TV shows improved since then? I’m not so
certain, and as for Crinkley Bottoms…I’ll mention no names!!
20 years ago, when the club was forming back in 1991, a Finnish student told fellow computer
scientists about a new networking protocol he had worked out and the very first website went
online. Did any of us even dream of the transformation that this technology would work on the
world?
We regularly use the internet today to aid our sailing by sourcing weather information, tides, boat
prices, boat spares and much more. We have the YOSC website, full of useful information, courtesy
of our webmaster John Weale. Thank you John….The latest addition to the website is the new
Skippers Destination page, you can use it on non-rally weekends to meet up with other members out
on the water.
How did our early Committee communicate so well and manage their affairs? Certainly not by the
quantity of emails we use nowadays, twenty years ago we paid by the minute for internet and email.
No, it was by talking, face to face and on the telephone, and I imagine much more Committee
business was discussed on a Monday night, and I have been reliably informed that people even sent
letters by post! ☺
Technology has changed our methods of navigation enormously with GPS and chart plotters in
everyday use. Gone are the days of spending hours labouring over secondary ports and plotting
EP’s. We know we cannot rely on electronics and we do not underestimate the importance of charts
and record keeping, as technology can let us down, but producing a passage plan via chart plotters
certainly saves time. Stick your plan into SeaPro and it will even tell you the best time to put the
kettle on before you slip the berth!
I would not be without technology to keep up in today’s fast paced world, and without computers I
would not be employed as I am now, but I often yearn for a more simple life.
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My father instilled in me a love of the sea. We would drive to Devon overnight to avoid the traffic,
arriving at about 5am when the camping gaz would come out for a welcome cuppa and bacon
sandwich. Those carefree holidays playing on the beach, eating ice creams, picking limpets in rock
pools for fishing bait and messing about in the Teign estuary on my father’s little boat instilled in
me a lifelong love of the sea. I am moved by the sound of the sea, the smell of the sea and the
power of the wind, waves and tide. However sailing has taught me a huge respect for the sea. When
out cruising, it can be easy to rely on the GPS, not worry too much about plotting a fix on the chart,
making an entry in the log, checking the weather or to wear a lifejacket in rough weather. I would
urge you to keep safety in mind, to set an example to new, perhaps inexperienced members and not
to rely solely on today’s technology.
I received a few email messages from members living too far afield to attend – Max Clark, Vivien
Reed, Hugh Mitchell (who is now living in Salcombe) and Roy Bunyan (living in France) all
replied and sent their best wishes for a pleasant evening.
I also received an email message from Rosemary Myatt/Bateman, and we received a card from
Terry and Chris Hurrell.
A club such as this has many happy, some sad and some funny memories, way too many to relate
and many before my time, however I have been reliably informed that these stories are true! There
is one piece of equipment which seems to feature large in these stories, it is the tender!
One un-named member had a habit of falling out of his tender! One memorable occasion he was
hoisted out of the water by a female member hauling him by the backside of his shorts! Would you
believe the same member managed to fall out of a dinghy again, in the Rance, but this time
accompanied by his wife!
On another occasion one of our members came alongside in a tender, passed the painter to be tied
onto a cleat which was duly carried out. The tender then carried on quite happily as the owner had
omitted to tie the painter to the tender!
Some of our members were also very ingenious; one Summer cruise on the Normandy coast a club
yacht had engine problems. John Weale towed them in and they berthed perfectly with the aid of a
bucket dragging astern to slow their speed – how enterprising.
Turning back to the present and looking to the future, the speakers for next year are almost all
booked and Vic is working on some interesting rallies. Tickets are on sale for the Skittles night in
November and we have the AGM coming up and our Christmas social to look forward to. I would
urge you to help grow the club, talk to your friends, talk to local people, encourage others to join,
spread your enthusiasm about YOSC and encourage younger members. Let’s keep the club fresh,
look for new exciting ways in which to enjoy our sailing and the social side and please offer your
help if at all possible.
I would like to thank everyone who has supported the club over the past 20 years by their
attendance at the rally’s, social events and on Monday evenings.
The 20 th Anniversary sub-committee started planning this event a year ago. I would like to thank
Graham France, Pauline Hooker, Alan Bew and Terry Paynter for all their hard work putting
together a splendid evening.
On your tables you will find a YOSC 20 th Anniversary commemorative DVD as a gift to all
members. Terry Paynter has worked solidly on this very time consuming project, chasing people for
photos, being there with the camera and editing, so that we can all have something special to mark
the occasion, thank you Terry.
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I hope that in the next 20 years, between now and October 2031 Yateley Offshore Sailing Club will
continue to grow and prosper, that many more miles of sailing, fun social events and beer drinking
on a Monday night will continue.
Enjoy the rest of the evening, coffee & mints will be served shortly.
Thank you. (Sara’s speech ends)
Malcolm Cross, the founding Commodore’s Speech
Who would have thought that YOSC would get this far? 20
years!!!
The trouble with anniversaries is that they tend to make us look
back into the past.
We see changes that have taken place – some for the better – some
for worse. But change is inevitable.
Take a look at ourselves, for instance. In the past most of us
fellows had long hair. Now some of us long for hair.
Do you remember the hip joints we used to hang out in. Now
some of us are waiting for hip joints.
How many of us experimented with things like acid. Now most
of us take antacids.
You see, change can be quite radical, or it can be quite simple, but
one thing is for certain – change is inevitable.
But how did it all start. We have to go way back to 1988.
In 1988, I heard that there was a Yachtmaster Theory Course starting in September of that year.
Well, I had done quite a bit of sailing on and off since I was 16, but had never had any formal
tuition. I thought I had better join up on this course to find out how it should be done. Peter
Mayley was the course instructor, so in September of 1989 I went along to Room A1.8 at Yateley
School to find about 25 other keen sailors wanting to learn how it should be done, just like me. The
course was to last something like 26 weeks, so you can imagine, meeting every week with
likeminded individuals, friendships quickly began to be formed.
Unfortunately, in April of 1989 I suffered a yachting accident in the Mediterranean in which I broke
my right leg and ended up being rescued by the U.S. Navy. But that is a different story. This
resulted in me ending up in Frimley Park Hospital. As it takes around three months for a leg break
to heal, I missed quite a number of Monday evening lectures in Room A1.8.
When the evening classes came to an end in June, 1989, because I had missed a large number of the
lectures, I said to Peter Mayley that as I had enjoyed the lectures so much, to complete the course, I
would do it again starting in the September.
The new class was formed to commence in September, 1989, and something like 30 likeminded
enthusiasts turned up at room A1.8 at the Yateley Centre.
As the course progressed, it was learned that among the course members, three of them were boat
owners. Robert Hughes had a part share in a Southerly 105, David Seward had a part share in a
Beneteau 405, and David Hawley owned an Albin Vega 27.
When it came to Easter of 1990, after chatting to the three owners, I suggested to Peter Mayley that
we should organise a cross channel trip so that we could put into practise much of what Peter was
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trying to teach us. Peter told me if I was prepared to organise the trip, he would be happy to come
along with us.
So it was arranged. We had three yachts at out disposal, and soon had crews signed up to make it
all happen. The plan was to depart on the evening of Wednesday, 9 th May for an overnight passage
to Cherbourg. Then on to St. Peter Port, and returning by late afternoon of Sunday, 13 th May.
book that had ever been published was somehow
planning that went into that trip. Remember, we were all quite inexperienced. I don’t think any of
us had ever done a cross channel trip before. Every single pilot book ever published was obtained
and we spent ages pondering over them and tidal atlases working out passage plans galore.
Well, the gods that look after seafaring folk certainly looked very kindly upon us. The weather was
just about perfect for that a trip. Winds in the right direction for all three legs, and just the right
strength. The whole trip was a dream for us all.
When the Yachtmaster course ended, in June, 1990, I suggested to everyone in the class that we
continue coming along to the Yateley Centre bar on a Monday evening at around 9p.m. so that we
could meet the new intake for the Yachtmaster course. This we did, and quite a number of us
regularly turned up.
Then we get to early 1991. Because of the success of the cross-channel trip of the previous year, I
was asked if I was going to organise another for this year. Among the new Yachtmaster course
students, were quite a few yacht owners, so talking to them soon created a great deal of enthusiasm.
To everybody’s delight, we ended up with 7 yachts at our disposal. So a similar trip was organised
to Cherbourg, St. Peter Port and back in May, 1991.
On that trip the yachts we had at our disposal were:-
Tristar, the Southerly 105 and Ritanne, the Beneteau 405 from last year,
Plus:-
Kulina, a Beneteau 29, Scooby Doo an Etap 30, Pristina a Beneteau 375, Adagio a Westerly
Centaur, and Morella a Moody 36.
On that trip, 29 of us had another superb trip with near perfect weather and sailing.
As you can imagine, by this time friendships were beginning to flourish.
In May of that year. 1991, Peter Mayley announced that he was giving up the Yachtmaster Theory
evening class at the end of that year’s course. This came as a big disappointment to all of us
because the evening class on a Monday evening had been the focal point of so many of us meeting
up to arrange sailing trips, and to generally enjoy each other’s company.
I discussed this with various members of the group how best to continue enjoying the company of
each other, and to best keep in touch with everybody.
The only way we could solve this problem was to form our own sailing club. I got from Peter
Mayley a data base of every one who had attended his evening classes over the previous few years.
This gave me something like 150 names and addresses of possible interested parties.
I decided the best way to go about things would be to write to everyone suggesting that we start our
own sailing club and inviting them all to an inaugural meeting on 9 th September, 1991 in room
A1.8 at the Yateley Comprehensive school.
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On this date, no less than 66 people turned up. In addition, I received 15 letters or phone calls from
people who could not attend the meeting, but wanted to be kept informed of what was decided. The
response was outstanding, and the enthusiasm displayed was overwhelming. Jackie, my wife, who
had no interest whatever in sailing had volunteered to come to the meeting take minutes of the
meeting. When it came to electing a committee, the position of Secretary was proposed. On asking
for a volunteer, no one seemed particularly interest in taking the job on. Someone then suggested
“what about the lady in pink” referring to my wife. Jackie turned to me and said that she would do
it.
At that inaugural meeting, a committee was formed, flag officers elected, and the general format of
the club was suggested, and agreed. Within the first couple of months of the formation of the club,
membership had reached 75. It had far surpassed all of our expectations.
So, from those humble beginnings, the club has now lasted for 20 years. In my opinion, there are
two reasons why the Yateley Offshore Sailing Club has survived, and prospered where other clubs
have failed. Firstly, the decision right from the beginning to meet regularly every Monday. This
gives this club the continuity of contact that has proved so important. When you look at the rather
amazing fact that on the informal Monday nights, it is the norm, rather than the exception to have as
many as 20 to 25 members turning up. This represents nearly 30% of our total membership
attending. I think you will agree that this is quite exceptional.
The second reason for the club’s success must surely be the excellent Web Site that the club boasts.
This is thanks to the hard work and skills that have been put into the formation and maintenance of
the site by John Weale. The professional way that this site has been created and presented portrays
the club as a very well run and organised club. It has also been instrumental in bringing in a regular
stream of new members which is essential for continued success of our club.
I close with offering a toast to the ongoing success of our club, until our next milestone. To the
Yateley Offshore Sailing Club. Cheers.
(Malcolm Cross’ Speech ends)
20th Anniversary Dinner Photographs
The Official (courtesy of Edi Juon) and selected Members (courtesy of Terry Paynter, Sara Smith, David
Bartram, Alan Bew & Graham France) photographs have been placed on our YOSC Web Site under the
Picture Gallery page in Low Resolution. Should you wish copies of any photos, email myself with the
reference number(s) and I will email those selected in Full Resolution by return.
Terry Paynter terry.paynter@ntlworld.com
From: Cameron Critchfield
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 4:47 PM
To: enquiries@yosc.org.uk
Subject: Solent Rescue update
Many thanks to yourselves for your donations over the past years. We thought you may be interested that
we are currently about to purchase a new lifeboat. This will be officially launched in 2012 and is a very
capable vessel.
If you would like to arrange someday when you are afloat (or just passing), we would be more than happy
to get some exercises/overviews of the 7.9m delta. (Best to make enquiries first, Ed)
Kind regards, Cameron Critchfield, Solent Rescue.
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A day in the life of a Bristol Pilot Cutter
What a marvellous contrast from sailing our usual Bermudan-rigged glass-fibre sloop! Having seen
an advert for sailing trips on Morwenna, & admired traditional-looking gaff cutters from afar,
Donna duly contacted the owners & arranged a single-day charter. With a flyer in the YOSC
newsletter, we soon had a core crew of 6 and only needed to circulate details to some other sailing
friends to fill 3 of the 4 remaining places.
Morwenna will be operating from
Shamrock Quay, Southampton, for
most of the summer this year. For
our trip we were told to turn up at
the marina in time to depart at 1000
hrs. On arrival we were warmly
welcomed by skipper Rob and 1 st
mate Fleur. On climbing aboard it
was interesting to note that, with low
freeboard, the deck was almost level
with the pontoon - making boarding
much easier than we’re used-to with
a modern boat. It then seemed quite
surprising to find a full 7-foot
headroom & spacious interior when
going below.
After we had all arrived at the boat, we were soon drinking coffee in the saloon whilst
listening to the obligatory safety briefing & thanking the weather-gods that we had a nice windy
forecast. Taking in the ambience below-decks, we were impressed with the spaciousness & feeling
of ‘a proper ship’, not to
mention the small charcoal
stove & other homely touches.
There was a heads up
at the bow and a further small
heads cabin aft, 2 sets of
bunks in the forward part of
the boat, the main saloon and
a large skipper’s berth in the
aft quarter. The navigation
table was tucked away behind
the ladder and accessed by
sitting on the quarter-berth - a
bit cramped!
The forecast for the
day was dry & sunny with a
NE breeze up to F5 - perfect.
Our major worry leading up to
the day had been a windless day - not much fun on any sailing boat let alone a heavy gaffer!
Briefing & coffee finished, we were all anxious to start sailing and, luckily, we had the
advantage of an external pontoon making for an easy departure from the marina. Morwenna is fitted
with a Beta 4-cylinder 75hp diesel engine that proved to be a very capable performer giving fussfree
cruising at 1500 rpm.
As far as the boat stats are concerned, Morwenna is 45’ on deck & 60’ with the bowsprit,
13’ beam, and a displacement of 28 tons & a draft of 8’. Her description states that she is “capable
of sailing anywhere in any conditions” and, after a day on board we could see no reason to dispute
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that claim. Her rig includes a gaff mainsail with an additional topsail that basically fills in the gap
between the top of the mainsail and the upper part of the mast. The jib is loose-luffed with its foot
attached to a hook on the forward end of the bowsprit. There is also a staysail hanked on the
forestay. We started the day with 2 reefs in the main, a hangover from the previous day’s charter
with a crew of novice sailors. Soon after we passed Ocean Village and were heading down
Southampton Water, we started sailing and soon had the reefs shaken out. With both jib and staysail
pulling, the skipper was happy to set the topsail. By this time we were belting along with a SOG of
up to 8kts in the gusts (admittedly with some tide under us but not much.
One thing that really
surprised us late in the day was
that she could, at the expense of
some boat-speed, be made to
sail fairly close to the wind -
quite impressive for a rig that
reputedly is not at its best
close-hauled.
Throughout the day we
were all willing deck hands
under the expert tutelage of
Fleur. Raising the gaff was our
first challenge, trying to keep
the spar level using the peak &
throat halyards (2 people on
each rope) until the throat
halyard was tight and then the
peak halyard was itself tightened.
Removing the 2 reefs from the mainsail, as mentioned earlier, was not a quick operation.
The boom has a worm gear at the gooseneck and is operated by a large handle. With one person
turning the handle, 2 other crewmembers have to lash each luff-cringle to its wooden mast ring, the
rings having previously been disconnected to enable the sail to wrap around the boom.
When it came to hoisting the large jib from the outer end of the bowsprit, there was a
moment of anxiety amongst the crew wondering who might volunteer to shin along to the end of the
spar to connect the foot. We needn’t have worried because the hook for connecting the foot was
attached to a ring on the bowsprit, with an in-haul and out-haul & hence the connection was safely
made from the bow. As the jib was therefore loose-luffed it was important to get plenty of tension
in the luff and we were shown how to do this using the clever but simple halyard set-up. Come to
think of it, we had a similar arrangement for tensioning our mainsail luff on a previous Bermudanrigged
boat with a block-and-tackle to pull the boom vertically downwards after the halyard had
previously been sweated up by hand (no winches on the mast). On Morwenna there are no winches
at all and so extra mechanical advantage is achieved by the use of block-and-tackle or, as our
skipper called them, handy-billies.
We saw a further use for handy-billies later in the day when, in a freshening breeze, we
needed to harden-up the jib sheet. With a permanently rigged 4:1 stowed along each side-deck, a
rolling-hitch was wound around the jib sheet and the tackle used to haul in the jib sheet. All such
operations seem to need 2 or 3 crewmembers & we were very conscious that sailing this sort of boat
is definitely not suitable for a 2-man crew!
Not long after we had set sail down Southampton Water, Fleur produced bacon rolls all
round with more coffee - a very welcome snack. When it came to lunchtime, we were offered an
opportunity to heave-to for a break but, mindful of missing some decent sailing, we voted to keep
going and eat our packed lunches under way. By this time, we really were under ‘full sail’. As the
skipper gained confidence in his new crew, we could sense him relaxing and taking the opportunity
to enjoy the performance of the boat.
Our trip then took us into the western Solent before tacking back to Osborne Bay. We then
eased into a reach and sailed, at a great speed, all the way back to Southampton on one tack.
10

Before turning the corner into the Itchen we doused all the sails, not a quick job, before
motoring past Ocean Village & back to Shamrock Quay.
After a group photo on the pontoon with Morwenna as a backdrop, the skipper invited us to
join him for a beer in the bar. Surprisingly, we all accepted and enjoyed another hour, or so, of
congenial company before heading home. By this time the rush hour traffic had dispersed and the
run home was easy. Overall, a great day out in good company on a super boat.
Paul Gray
(With apologies from the editor for allowing this report to gather dust since May)
• Wed, 19 Oct 2011
Nord West Buys Najad
Swedish yard is back in business after being bought by a consortium
Swedish yard Najad is back in business after being bought by boat manufacturer Nord West and
yard Orust Yacht Service.
Mikael Gustavsson, former CEO of Najad, said "From the day, when the only way forward was
bankruptcy, we have been working hard to find the perfect owner of Najad. In Nord West there is
good management and excellent craftsmen.
Najad have been labelled a victim of the recession, with Nord West's statement blaming the
bankruptcy on the stark economic crisis after a two-year "vigorous expansion".
During the company's 40-year history over 2,000 yachts have been launched under the Najad and
Maxi brand names.
Their bankruptcy was announced at the start of August this year.
Wed, 19 Oct 2011
Report into Condor Ferry crash released
Officers on the bridge of the Condor fast ferry that collided with a French fishing boat earlier this
year near Les Minquiers reef south of Jersey were not concentrating on their duties and failed to
spot the boat on their radar, the report into the accident has found.
The collision on March 28 this year between the 280ft Condor Vitesse and 30ft fishing boat Les
Marquises left one man, Philippe Lasaulnier, 42, dead, and his two deck hands injured and clinging
to the wreckage of the fishing boat.
Such was the force of the collision - the Condor Vitesse was doing 36.9 knots - that the fishing boat
was sliced in two. The deck hands were not wearing any flotation devices, and were lucky that part
of the wreckage stayed afloat. They were rescued after 25 minutes in the water by the ferry.
Visibility was poor at the time of the collision, with thick fog obscuring the Condor Vitesse's view.
Just four minutes before the two boats collided, the Master of the ferry said they hit a "fog wall".
Despite this, the ferry did not slow down, and nor did it switch on its fog horn. Evidence given to
the French maritime investigation branch, BEAmer, said officers considered the ferry's engines to
be a better warning than the horn and that the horn disturbed the officers on watch.
In the report, BEAmer said not switching on the horn "did not comply with the colregs nor with the
procedures of the company". The weather conditions, BEAmer said, were the "first causal factor"
of the accident.
But it's the "second causal factor" that will sit most uncomfortably for Condor Ferries - the lack of
concentration by officers. In a transcript of the bridge conversation, it's clear that the weather was
not of immediate concern.
Only seconds before the collision were the conditions mentioned, when the Master remarks on the
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thickness of the fog. Twenty seconds later, at 8.42am, the two boats collided.
The atmosphere on the bridge "was not in accordance... with a ferry crossing at high speeds with
almost no visibility", BEAmer reported. The conversations ongoing at the time "harmed the
concentration of the watch".
This was why, BEAmer found, no one noticed the clear blip on the radar screen indicating the
French fishing boat.
One radar, set to six miles, showed the fishing boat for 11 minutes before the collision, and the
Master's radar, set at 0.75 miles, clearly showed the boat for 47 seconds before it got lost in clutter
and the collision took place.
The radar return on the Master's screen "could not be confused with a port buoy," BEAmer said,
and 47 seconds "should have been long enough for the Master to detect it".
BEAmer also said the ferry was travelling at an inappropriate speed considering the conditions, and
that this was an "underlying" cause of the collision an "aggravating factor" for the consequences of
the impact.
"An appropriate speed would have given officers a longer detection notice and reduced [the] force
of impact," the report said.
The behaviour of the French fishermen was also found to be an "underlying cause" of the accident.
The report suggests the skipper, Lesaulnier, was watching his crew work on the aft deck, and not
the radar screen as the Condor Vitesse approached.
At the speed the Condor Vitesse was approaching, the report said a two or three-minute break in
monitoring the radar is all it would have taken to miss the radar blip of the ferry.
Chillingly, BEAmer also reports what was happening in the final moments on board the fishing
boat. Out of the fog, one of the deck hands "suddenly heard an engine noise very close" and alerted
his colleague, who shouted at Lesaulnier: "Full astern, full astern!"
BEAmer said the same deckhand wanted to race for the bridge but recoiled when he saw the ferry
appear very fast out of the fog on a collision course, with the word 'Condor' clearly visible on the
hull.
Condor Ferries have said a number of steps would be taken as a result of the accident, including the
random listening of bridge recordings and the setting up of a three-day training course focussing on
the event and bridge procedures.
It's not clear whether any legal action will result from the findings.
NO NO NO, No it's the Dan Bran event.
No No No, No I was warned time and again by our resident weather guru, the weather in October is
always atrocious you will get gales and it will be a washout, it always is. You will see. Not so this
year I confidently predicted. "You are wrong" my weather man asserted (and he knows about
these things so I am told) but I thought there was a good chance on the law of averages for once to
have a successful rally, and wasn't it just that? An Indian Summer no less (well, almost) shirt
sleeve order and a bumper turn out of thirteen boats, with 36 club members and one dog taking
part, in fact the best turn out of the year.
Dan Bran was a legendary character in Lymington during the first half of the 20
12
th century, he was a
boat builder, starting in a shed in 1910 building the 12ft Lymington Pram dinghy and then the 14ft
and later designed and built the Lymington Scow all of which were raced enthusiastically in the
area. He never made plans, but drew dirt lines on the floor and kept any measurements in his head.
(Obviously didn't have to get the boats measured by the RYA) He was a regular patron of the
Mayflower Hotel and renowned for his drinking capacity (Could have become a YOSC member
then?) He was also known to fire a shotgun across the bows of "intruders" on the river and once
fired both barrels into the wheelhouse of the Southern Railways Lymington/Yarmouth ferry
complaining that the paddle steamer's wash caused his dinghies to break from their moorings.
The intention was to combine a trip to Newtown Creek on the Thursday and Poole on the Friday
running into the Dan Bran event on the Saturday to give a four day sail for those with time on their
hands, however we didn't have any takers for the first part, although I believe some boats were

about in the Solent for those first two days making the most of the beautiful weather before turning
up at the Dan Bran Pontoon.
Information gleaned from the Crew of Adat, when they fell out of the pub at closing time on the
Friday evening it was discovered that two of them had never done any night sailing, so Terry, never
one to shirk a challenge, assembled them to action stations and set off into the night. Whether sails
were actually hoisted has been too difficult to ascertain, however as there was unlikely to have been
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any wind, you can relax, dear reader, Adat's reputation almost certainly remains intact. They
arrived at the Dan Bran Pontoon about 0400 I am led to believe.
Rather later, about 12 hours or so, your Sailing Secretary, under the command of Captain Trevor on
Miranda, also arrived to find the Pontoon chock-a-block with YOSC boats, a brilliant turnout of 11
rafted up in four groups (actually might have been five, but who's counting?) so break out the big
YOSC battle flag and long pendant and hoist in the rigging lest any outsiders were not aware of
who we are. Roving Mood arriving about this time to complete the 13 boats total. Guests of Clive
and Denise on Roving Mood were Lynn Davis and Richard Herbert.
Richard on seeing the big YOSC pendant and flag flying so proudly was totally overcome with awe
and now must have a set to fly from Alia. Maybe this could start a trend and we could all have a
set, although I suppose it might then undervalue the importance of being event leader and I won't
get any more volunteers.
Terry, in passing, (Oh dear, Ed) informed me (so Terry is OK, that’s good) that it had been shorts
order on Adat, but nobody had told Alex, who was without this important item of apparel, and
clearly felt somewhat of an outcast so managed to roll up his trouser legs above the knee and,
lacking a hat as well (another important item of apparel) managed to knot a handkerchief to cover
the offending pate. Adat's crew now in uniform state and ready for the muster, all was well. Must
be a moral here, next time Alex should ignore the weather guru and impending doom. Maybe Adat
could sport a stripy deckchair or two on the foredeck next year?
Returned to Miranda to find Trevor breaking out the beer, so leapt aboard with renewed vigour and
we were soon joined by Robert Hughes, so he and I spent a splendid 40 minutes boring the pants off
the rest of the crew whilst we nattered about his trip to Holland. Since I had been there also it was
good to share experiences about areas we both know pretty well. I look forward to reading the
second part of his journey which, I think, appears elsewhere in this issue. (It does).
Time flies, as they say, and it was soon 1800 and all were gathering around Dreamcatcher 2 where
we had been invited to partake of drinks and nibbles, thanks to Kevin and Mary for this. It was a
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great start to the evening and the hot sausages went down very well before trooping off to the
Mayflower Hotel where dinner was arranged and enjoyed, later finishing with a nightcap in the
Lymington Town YC.
Morning arrived rather sooner than some of us might have wished, but after a leisurely breakfast we
set off for the Hamble about 0930. Wind in the usual place, but only about 5 kts so tried a couple of
tacks across the Solent and gave up when it dropped to under 3kts and we lost steerage. Motored on
from there, however Constance nearby, also motoring, found wind up by Cowes and I understand
had a good sail from there into Portsmouth. Well done Pauline.
Altogether it was a very successful weekend and finale to the summer programme, My thanks go to
Kevin for arranging the event and I will have to twist the secret out of him how he managed
persuade so many of you to join in. I have really enjoyed taking part in many of the events this year
and am now thinking about 2012
Victor Crawshaw
Sailing Secretary
The Best Laid Plans………The Following Year (part 2, final)
Because of the
strategic nature of the
river crossing it has
been fought over many
times, and
consequently
Maastricht is a rampart
city, with its
fortifications dating from
1229. Granted
medieval rights under
the joint rule of the
duke of Brabant and
the Prince Bishop of
Liege, it has been ruled
by the Spanish, the
Dutch, the French, the
Dutch again, then the
French again, and
finally the Dutch for the
third time. It was during
the first French foray
that the famous musketeer d’Artagnan was killed here, and subsequently immortalised in
Alexandre Dumas novel “The Three Musketeers” some 200 years later.
Like most Dutch cities Maastricht is compact with the centre being easily explored on foot. One of
the largest open markets I have seen is held in the Market every Friday, with other smaller markets
on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and Beach Volleyball at the weekends. Every conceivable kind of
shopping is available from department stores to designer boutiques with many well known British
names – Carole is absolutely in her element.
Maastricht is rich in history and particularly ecclesiastical treasures with many beautiful churches
and basilicas throughout the city, dating from 10
15
th century – in fact there are 52 churches – one for
every week of the year. One of the gothic churches from the 13 th century which had fallen into
disrepair has recently been converted into a huge book store and library with a small coffee shop
where the alter used to be – a very peaceful setting.

Whilst here we only met one other English boat owner (another Broom), saying that this was the
third time he had cruised the Belgium canals to Maastricht, without any problems over red diesel –
so maybe we would have been OK. We have thoroughly enjoyed Maastricht and are now well
rested so after nine days it is time to move on.
Of course of our planned
day of departure turned
out to be a very rainy day,
so departure from
Maastricht was delayed
until the Saturday
morning. We retraced our
steps back to Maasbracht
up the Juliana canal and
through the two 40 foot
drop locks. Of course at
the first lock we tied up to
the wrong floating bollard,
but luckily we were behind
a barge who let us know
what we were doing
wrong, otherwise the boat
would have been left
hanging in the air, and we
had to pay out quite a bit
of rope before it started to move downwards with the boat.
After the second lock we returned to the old course of the River Maas, and a water park at Herten,
a suburb of the larger nearby city of Roermond where we decided to stay for at least a couple of
days. Here we were joined by John and Linda, an American couple who had just bought a boat, to
tour the inland waterways of Europe for the next seven months before returning to the States. We
whiled away a couple of very pleasant evenings with them swapping cruising stories and
accompanied by copious amounts of red wine. They didn’t speak either Dutch or French and I
think were glad to have some English speaking company.
We hopped on a bus to visit Roermond, which, according to the local tourist office is trying to
compete with Maastricht for tourism. Apart of the usual array of shops and boutiques in the city
centre, it had a vast designer outlet on the edge of the central town, with every conceivable make
that you can think of. The third phase of it is still under construction, and when completed will be
massive. The highlight of the visit was the 12 o’clock carillon which rang out from the town hall for
about 10 minutes and with the most wonderful display of moving figures on the top of the bell
tower. The city also had a wonderful cathedral dating from the 14 th century.
On Wednesday morning we moved again up the River Maas deciding to have a longer day and
making our way to the Mookerplas, a series of inland lakes, where we would stay for a couple of
days before going to Nijmengen. The marina in the Mookerplas was in a beautiful setting, and in
spite of the inclement weather we managed to walk around the principal lake – some 6 to7
kilometres. Other than that there was not much there, so on Friday we made the short trip of a
couple of hours to Nijmegen, which is on the Dutch part of the Rhine (the Waal).
Nijmegen is famous for one of the bridges of the Battle of Arnhem, and the visitors’ harbour which
is very small is in the shadow of the bridge itself. Nijmegen claims to be the oldest city in the
Netherlands having been first established by the Romans, but today boasts a multitude of designer
shops and boutiques to meet all tastes. We had managed to moor directly behind the fire boat,
and on Saturday the local fire boat crew came down to try out some new floatation equipment –
they looked like a couple of Michelin men floating around – I am not sure how much fire fighting or
saving of lives they would be able to do in these suits.
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We are only allowed two nights in the visitors’ harbour, so Sunday saw us move off up the Rhine
and the Pannerdenschcanal to Arnhem, where we planned to spend a few days. Again very wet
and windy weather, though we managed to find a lull when berthing – fortunately no locks or low
bridges.
Arnhem is of
course
famous for
the “Bridge
Too Far”, the
only bridge
across the
Rhine and the
Meuse that
was not
captured
during the
Battle of
Arnhem, and
as a result
was said to
have
prolonged the
2 nd World War
in Europe by
a further six
months.
Whilst in
Nijmegen and talking about the bridges Carole mentioned that her uncle who had been in the Army
Air Corps, had died at Arnhem, and that wouldn’t it be nice if we were able to find his grave.
Enquiries at the VVV (Tourist Office) led us on Tuesday to go to Oosterbeek some 15 minutes from
the centre of Arnhem, to the Airborne Museum, and the War Cemetery where all the British
soldiers that had died at the Battle of Arnhem were buried – a total of 1,485.
At the cemetery there was a register of all who were buried and where they were located, and we
easily found the grave – her uncle being buried between a knighted Lieutenant Colonel and an
unknown soldier. We believe she is the first member of her family to have visited the grave since
his death, and therefore was a memorable and special day, which was complemented by a superb
Michelin class three course meal in the local marina restaurant – to our great surprise. If we were
this way again, we would certainly return to this very small marina, if only for the food.
Thursday morning saw us leave for our trip up the Gelderse Ijssel, a tributary of the Rhine that
flows into the Ijsselmeer, with our first stop planned at Doesburg, one of seven Hanseatic towns in
this part of Holland dating from the 14 th century. It only took us an hour and a half helped by a very
useful 2 to 3 knot river flow in our favour. Doesburg is famous for its mustard, so a visit to the
mustard museum along with suitable purchases of the product was a must. I am not normally a
fan of mustard, but this one is not too hot – a cross between English and French mustard and quite
palatable. Doesburg was also famous for a local biscuit – very expensive for just a dozen of them.
We could have had three packets of chocolate bourbons for the same price.
Friday was a rainy day, so we made our way up river for the short trip to Zupthen, another
Hanseatic town. Zupthen is larger than Doesburg and has more to offer, this town being famous
for bread making. On Saturday we woke to grey skies and drizzle, but decided to make our way to
Kampen, the most northerly of the Hanseatic towns, some 40 miles away at the confluence of the
Gelerse Ijssel and the Ketelmeer. .
We had left early and so arrived just before lunch, which was lucky as the visitors harbour had
been reserved for a flotilla of large wooden sailing boats (at least 15 men on each) for a special
event that weekend to celebrate the building of the “Kogge”, later combined with much shanty
17

singing and loud bands. During the Middle Ages, Kampen’s prosperity had grown in part due to
the “Kogge” (cock-boat), which was the first ship that made it possible to transport goods by sea.
A replica had been built recently, and launched in 1998 is now a tourist attraction.
Although it continued to drizzle all day and all night, we awoke on Sunday morning to clear blue
skies and 30 degrees heat, and even higher on Monday. BBQ’s and lazing on the boat became
the order of the day. However, Wednesday morning we woke to grey skies and drizzle again, but
decided to make our way to Meppel in the province of Drenthe. Fortunately the rain stopped in
time for the one bridge which we had to drop our top for, and were berthed by lunchtime. By the
evening, the skies had cleared again so went back to barbequing for our evening meal.
From Meppel we had originally planned to go to Groningen, but with many locks and lifting bridges
we decided that we would not have long enough there, before needing to make our way back in
time for the end of July. Instead we opted for cruising the northern part of the Overijssel and part
of Friesland instead. Our first stop just a couple of hours from Meppel was Giethoorn, set in the
middle of the De Wieden nature reserve. We found an excellent berth in the large municipal
harbour just off the main canal, in an idyllic setting, and after an initial look round the village
decided that we would stay for at least 2-3 days before moving on.
The characteristic features of the elongated village are many small canals, typical high bridges and
thatched farmhouses. The picturesque setting and natural beauty account for the nickname of
“Green Venice” with which it has been given. It is an absolutely beautiful place, stretching over 3-4
kilometres, and can be visited by boat, bicycle or just walking along the canal-side footpaths. We
took the dinghy round the canals, which have their own one way system (absolutely essential), as
they were littered with punts, canoeists, rowers, as well as hired whisper boats and tour boats – a
bit like the M25 on a Friday evening. Carole admits that so far, this is the best place she has been
to in Holland both this year and last, and compares very favourably with Dartmouth (her favourite
place in the World after Bermuda) – so it must be good.
We ended up spending four idyllic days here just walking alongside the canals and all the pretty
farmhouses, the last day of which also meant that there will now be a blue card (? Ed?) waiting for
me when we get back to Blighty, including a small pay rise from Mr Osbourne. Monday morning
saw us depart for Ossenzijl and the De Weerribben national park and the JH De Kluft camp site
and boating centre, where we decided to put in for the night. A beautiful evening and again
another BBQ was the order of the day. The following morning we set off early to leave the
OverIjssel behind to go into Friesland.
In many respects Overijssel is more attractive as
the canals are tree- lined and one does not really
see the flatness of the countryside, whereas
Friesland although just as attractive has many
open wide spaces but fewer trees. By lunchtime
we had managed to reach Sneek after one lock
and seven lifting bridges, all of which were
automatic except for one which required us to
deposit €2 into a clog on the end of a fishing line
as we passed the bridge-keeper.
Sneek is one of eleven Friesian towns and
regarded as the boating capital of Friesland. The
focal point is the Waterpoort gate, claimed to be
the only one of its kind in the Netherlands. The
main attraction for me was the national model rail
museum, which boasts more than one thousand
engines and rolling stock, the work of a single
collector, together a number of extensive working
layouts. Sneek is also our point of return, as from
here we will begin our way back to Portsmouth,
and is also the furthest north that we have taken
the boat – over 53ºN, and still as far east as Maastricht 5º40´E.
18

Friday morning saw us leave Sneek for Stavoren on the eastern coast of the Ijsselmeer. Bright
sunshine for the first hour enabled us to have the top open, but then soon clouded over. No locks
and only a few lifting bridges for which we did not have to wait at all, we were berthed in Marina
Stavoren by midday. Stavoren is very small with little to offer, except for two excellent marinas
with all facilities, lots of fish shops and restaurants. This was our chance to have a maintenance
weekend for the boat and also ourselves (washing, ironing, etc).
The following Monday we left early for Hoorn on the western side of the Ijsselmeer, and for the first
time in weeks we were able to do our normal 18-19 knots over open water. We were berthed in
the very attractive inner harbour in Hoorn before 11 o’clock. Hoorn is the regional capital of West
Friesland dating back to the beginning of the 14 th century, with the historical city centre and
harbour keeping the memory of the past alive. It also has much to offer in the way of shopping,
museums and walks.
Our plan to leave on Wednesday was thwarted by bad weather, so we stayed for an extra day.
Thursday morning was a little better – less wind, but still drizzling, so we left early to make our way
down into the Nordzee canal, and through the canals on the western side of Amsterdam. There
are 14 lifting bridges to negotiate as well as two locks and it normally takes at least a couple of
hours – we were very lucky to get through the whole lot in just over an hour, as the bridges were all
lifted for us just as we came up to them. Unfortunately sail boats have to take this route in convoy
at night as the two rail bridges we were able to get under, are only lifted in the early hours of the
morning.
The weather had cleared for a short period of time as we went through the Amsterdam canals and
then worsened. We made for the Aarlsmmer, a large inland lake south of Amsterdam, where we
had decided to spend the night anyway. By the time we berthed onto the reporting pontoon at one
of the jachthavens, it was gusting 6-7. It continued to rain for the rest of the day, with increasing
gale force winds of 8-9. Friday morning we woke to clear blue skies and a light breeze. We left
early, never having got off the boat and seen anything of the marina let alone Aarlsmeer itself.
However we were grateful to be tied up for the night on a decent mooring.
Friday took us down the Rijn-Schiecanal to The Hague. A beautiful day and by lunchtime we had
reached Leidschendam which is just 4 kilometres from the centre of The Hague, and so decided to
use a canalside mooring for a few days and to bus into the city. This turned out to be a good
decision as the only suitable mooring in The Hague is a private jachthaven some distance from the
centre, so would have had to bus in anyway. Whilst The Hague is the political capital of the
Netherlands, it is also home to almost all the international organisations in fields of peace and
justice, notably the International Court of Justice. It also houses the Peace Palace and the Eternal
Flame of Peace, the Academy for International Law, and Europol’s Head Office.
The city has many museums, parks and places of interest, as well as excellent shopping centres,
including a Selfridges, restaurants and even a Chinatown. It provided a great opportunity to misuse
Carole’s credit card. The seaside resort of Scheveningen is just three kilometres away, but
unfortunately does not provide any access to the inland waters. By the time we had returned to the
boat it was raining again, and this continued throughout the next 36 hours.
Monday morning saw us depart for Dordrecht in pouring rain, with 22 lifting bridges to negotiate
just to get to Rotterdam. At the second bridge we were advised it was broken and would have to
wait at least an hour or more. One Dutchman in a 28 foot boat had moored in such a way that
there was just insufficient space for us to park either in front or behind him. He was most unhappy
when we asked him to move in the pouring rain, but Carole’s alternative suggestion of tying up
alongside persuaded him to do so.
However, five minutes after parking we got the green light for the bridge which was now working
again. The Dutchman looked pretty disgusted as we moved off. We then made good progress
through the remaining bridges and sluice into the Maas River, through the centre of Rotterdam and
eventually berthed in the Royal Dutch Sailing Club marina in the centre of Dordrecht by 2.30pm.
Dordrecht was the first city in Holland having been bestowed its city rights in 1220. There are over
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one thousand monuments and items of interest in Dordrecht, with the city walk taking you past
quite a few of these. In addition there is also a large shopping centre –a further opportunity for
retail therapy – hopefully Carole will be cured soon.
I was woken in the middle of the night by our carbon monoxide alarm going off. The instructions
for turning off were at home, and it took me nearly ten minutes before I could stop the b….y thing
ringing, basically by taking the battery out. Of course, Carole was fast asleep and didn’t hear a
thing. I had no idea what caused it, but there had been a funny smell around the boat earlier,
which persuaded me to have another look at our technical problem with one of the Jabsco toilets.
We had not used it since the beginning of the holiday, but somehow I managed to cure it, or so I
thought. We set the alarm again – no problem - until the early hours of the following morning when
the damn thing went off again. It is clear that whatever is in the toilet system is generating a
considerable amount of carbon monoxide. However, the smell has now gone, the alarm has not
rung again, though we still have the toilet problem.
The next day we met the original Captain Birds Eye, the rather stocky German owner of a 48 foot
sail boat moored next to us earlier, complete with a full white beard and a cap that his wife
informed us he had been wearing before they had married, some 60 years previously. He was
fascinated that we had come so far from our home port having last year sailed from Bremen to
Portsmouth, and did we know the green lightship restaurant in which he had eaten. This was Mary
Mouse in Haslar of course – what a small world!
Thursday morning saw us depart for Willemstaad for a night stop before making our way to
Breskens on Friday, and hopefully a channel crossing on Saturday for our return home.
Unfortunately the wind increased on Friday afternoon and the forecast for Saturday was not good.
By Sunday morning we had F5 to 7 and I knew the ride round the headland and down the Belgian
coast would be uncomfortable, so Sunday was spent waiting for the weather window of Monday
morning. At 4 o’clock that afternoon the wind dropped, and everything calmed down.
We slipped at 6 a.m. Monday morning with our first potential stop at Nieuwpoort. Conditions were
good – a gentle breeze and the seas no more than 0.5 metres. As we came up to Nieuwpoort we
decided to continue to Dunkerque, and then on to Calais, Sangatte and Cap Griz Nez. The sea
conditions had become a little lumpy on the French side of the Channel, but with only an hour to go
to Dover, it was an easy crossing.
As we reached the English side, the seas flattened, and as it was only 10.30 am, we decided to
turn for Eastbourne. We reached the lock just before 1.30pm and were tied up shortly afterwards.
However, the last hour had dragged quite considerably and we were glad to be back in Blighty. 8
½ hours motoring without a break is quite tiring as you tend to be sitting the whole time and,
because you are not moving about much, become quite stiff. Rather than stay on another day,
Tuesday saw us have a leisurely departure back to our home berth in Portsmouth, leaving just
before midday and being tied up by four in the afternoon.
We then spent nearly four days tidying up the boat, both inside and out. We had not been able to
wash her whilst in Holland as visitors are not allowed to use drinking water for washing purposes
(as in many marinas there is only a single water point), so a good wash and mid season polish was
much needed. We finally left on Sunday 31 st July, though Carole was very reluctant to go back
home as the weather for the next few days looked very promising – I have not come across this
one before.
And so for the statistics. We spent 12 weeks and 3 days on board, and without an argument –
(that’s easy to achieve – you just say “Yes dear” and “No dear” as necessary). We covered 954
miles in 120 engine hours, using an average of 3.6 litres per mile – yes that’s around 3,600 litres of
diesel. And for next year – well we have now done quite a bit of Holland, so I think it may be back
to the Channel Islands and the West Country.
Carole and Robert Hughes
20

The Midweek Getaway- or First impressions
“If you arrive first, make sure there are three trolleys at the head of the walkway.” With
Terry’s words in my head, I found that indeed I was the first of Adat’s crew to arrive at Wicor for the
Midweek Getaway. I also found about half a dozen trolleys already in place.
As this was my first club outing I was puzzled. Was this trolley challenge a tactic to put new
members on edge? Was this some sort of initiation test? Fortunately the rest of the crew arrived
shortly after and stopped me worrying. After a flurry of activity involving dinghies, outboards, a
distinct lack of water and loads of mud, we were all on board. I stepped down into the distinctly
different interior of Adat, and was shown my bunk, which had a secret life as the port saloon seat.
Looking around I took stock of my companions for the trip. Terry was well, Terry. Adam
sported shorts and knobbly knees, despite the cold blustery weather and had trouble remembering
my name. For the whole trip I was referred to as “F****** Dinghy Sailor” or FDS for short.
Edi was Swiss, or was that English, or Russian? Or ?? I gave up. Etched in my mind will
be the moment I woke up to find Edi’s red lycra boxer shorts about a foot from my face, with Edi
wearing them and not much else.
And finally there was Alex. Quiet Alex. Alex that just absorbed drink and remained sober as the
rest of us got louder and sillier.
The run down to Littlehampton, was cold, windy and quite bouncy, but fortunately the rain
held off. That did not prevent the genoa deciding to wrap itself around the forestay, which took us
about an hour to sort out. This fact is not common knowledge and Terry wants to keep it that way,
so .... mum’s the word please. Already in Littlehampton were Elizabeth A and Miranda. We rafted
up next to a deserted yacht.
“Where are all the other club boats?” I asked.
“That’s all of us.” Terry replied. It set me thinking about how the club could be celebrating
it’s 20 th anniversary, with turnouts like this. Maybe I was missing something.
Later three crews trudged up to the seafront and entered the local Harvester restaurant on
a gloomy cold September Tuesday evening, to find of all things, a queue. What was that about?
After a hurried consultation Adat’s crew left. The reason was not the queue but the awful choice of
beer. We walked back along the river to another pub, the Arun View Inn. The highlight of a very
good meal- watching Terry send back his steak to be properly cooked. Something he is famous
for- I’m told. Later on the Harvester crowd joined us for drinks in the pub.
In the morning it was raining and we watched Miranda and Elizabeth A depart early
huddled in their oilies. Adat had opted for plan B. This involved a late get up, full English cooked
breakfast, and light lunch before departing early afternoon. When the sky cleared and the sun
came out just after midday, it was very apparent that plan B was the right option. We had a
glorious sail along to Chichester harbour under a crystal clear sky, and picked up a mooring buoy
off Itchenor, just in time to watch a magnificent sunset. That night we ate on board, watched the
stars and the milky way emerge, before turning in.
The following morning the smell of bacon cooking once again emanated from Adat. We left
for Wicor, without setting foot on land. The sail back was cold but bright and sunny, with a stiff
breeze.
Then it was time to find the car keys- they must be in my bag somewhere, and head home.
Would I do it again? Well many of you will have seen me at the Dan Bran event by the time you
read this so I guess you know the answer.
Richard Fuller
Young Adventurer Completes Round Britain Solo Challenge
In September 2011, 17-year-old Tom Webb achieved his dream of completing the Round Britain
Solo Challenge onboard 'Danera', his beloved 21' Beneteau First 211 sailing yacht. This drop keel
monohull falls within Design Category B, which means it is designed to cope with up to 4 metre
waves and up to Beaufort Scale 8 - ideal for the young adventurer.
"She is a light displacement fast boat that has topped at 13 knots so she is good fun to handle as
well as a safe place in heavier weather," Tom says. "The twin rudders mean that whatever heel
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she's at, she's good for steering. She's always light on the helm and the flat stern allows her to plane
easily. She's so light and small, yet feels like a big boat."
Tom's voyage took 8 weeks and 39 stops, raising funds along the way for RYA Sailability and
Even Keel, charities supporting sailors with disabilities.
Three yachtsmen from the capsized Fastnet Race boat, Rambler, went back to
Ireland to thank the rescue services for saving their lives.
They turned up on Valentia Island in Co Kerry to meet their radio operator saviours in person, the
Irish Times reports. Sixteen of the 21 crew were rescued from the overturned hull, but five had
drifted in the water for up to three hours when co-ordinators at Valentia pointed a dive boat in their
direction. Maurice Curtin, who was on duty at the radio station, explained how instinct had steered
the searchers. "We decided to run a drift line instead of the square search which is the normal
practice," Mr Curtin said. This resulted in the five being plucked from the sea in half an hour.
Running the square search would have taken 1½ hours. "We really appreciate that they have come
back to say thank you to us and to the Irish people.
"This is not a regular occurrence," Mr Curtin said.
Ventnor
These were the conditions at the entrance to Ventnor Harbour on 3 rd September 2011 (Ed)
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And the entrance to the harbour at Ryde on the 2 nd September 2011 (Ed)
FOR SALE
SEAPRO 150 N Lifejacket - Manual Inflation - Brand new, never used and still in original
packing as purchased. £20 each or £75 for the 4 of them. Contact: Robert Hughes on 01276
22014/07729 260918."
A share in the yacht: “Harley Movin'”
An opportunity to buy a share in a Moody
Excel 34
Harley Movin' was built in 2001 and has been
owned by a syndicate of YOSC members since
2003. She is berthed in Gosport Marina.
Features:
Centre Cockpit; Cockpit led control lines;
Sloop rig
Berths: 6 (2 double and 2 single berths in 3
cabins)
LOA: 10.36m Draft 1.7m; Fin Keel
Engine: Volvo MD2030; Sail Drive.
Autohelm; VHF radio with DSC; GPS; AIS; Navtex
Liferaft (4 person); 3 person dinghy; Outboard Engine
23

Available options are a third share at £18,000 or a quarter share at £13,500.
For further information please contact Graham France (01252 671325), Ian Skinner (01276 31241)
or Brian Rose (01252 871329)
“Mygal” JOUET 940 DECK SALOON 1986 Richard Magnay Price £37,000.
“SASHMARAY” FOR SALE AT REDUCED PRICE! Bob Wilson
This fine 31ft yacht is ready to sail away for the reduced asking price of £14,999.00.
(See the fully detailed advertisements in earlier issues of this Newsletter. Owners’ details are in the
YOSC Directory)
Photos and more details can be seen on the YOSC website under ‘articles for sale’.
YOSC Programmes for 2011
YOSC Social Calendar 2011 (V14)
Meetings are on Mondays and start at 8pm at the Sandhurst Social Club
7 th
November
14 th
November
12 th
December
AGM
Skittles night, at SSC as usual
Event: YOSC Christmas Party
YOSC 2011 SAILING PROGRAMME (completed)
YOSC Newsletter December 2011 : The last date for receipt of articles, news,
advertisements, reports of Club Events, etc., which are intended to be included in the next
issue, is 15 th November 2011.
Advertisements: Members may advertise for free, sailing related items under their own
name and not necessarily with any other contact details.
Editor: Alan Bew; to whom reports (with separate photos preferably) of any YOSC
events, stories, cartoons, sailing and social news items should be sent by email
(editor@yosc.org.uk) or disc, or hardcopy, by hand or post. Photos, diagrams, etc are
easier to incorporate if sent as attachments or separate files, and not included in the body
of the text.
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