Little Ship Club Magazine Summer 2017

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

THE LITTLE SHIP CLUB RAISING ITS STANDARD IN CALAIS

MIKE GOLDING OBE Our new president

CRUISING AND RALLIES

Members out on the water

AT THE CLUB

Training, library links, marketing

HONORARY PORT OFFICERS Latest news and contacts

CONTENT LITTLE SHIP CLUB

President: Mike Golding OBE Commodore: Anne Billard Vice commodores: Commercial: Iain Pickard Sail and Power: Jonathan Hague Rear commodores: House: Vacant Marketing: Frank Walters Membership: Hunter Peace Social: Sue Lyons Training: Graham Broadway Hon solicitor: Mark Turvey Hon treasurer: Arlene Keenan Members of the Club committee: Rune Bakken (URNU Liaison), Paul Banks, James Donaldson (Membership), Ray Fox (House), Pete Hampson, Barrie Martin President’s committee: David Roache, Iain Muspratt, Jill Moffatt, Pete Newbury, Don Shackley Honorary life vice presidents: Norman Hummerstone MBE, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Dr Jean Plancke Little Ship Club Ltd, Bell Wharf Lane, Upper Thames Street, London EC4R 3TB Tel: 020 7236 7729 Fax: 020 7236 9100 Internet: www.littleshipclub.co.uk Email: office@littleshipclub.co.uk Directors: The Club Committee Members: All Guaranteeing Members Club secretary: Val Tunmer Hon librarian: Deborah Wheeler HPO liaison officer: Anne Le Verrier Bizzey Hon chaplain: Revd Andrew Wright Hon archivist: Ian Stewart Editorial committee: Brian Humber, Chris Nicholson, Deborah Wheeler Managing editor: Vacant Design and production: Linda Mugridge Tel: 01353 664433 / 07388 902302 linda.mugridge@virginmedia.com Advertising: for advertising enquiries contact the Club office on 020 7236 7729

Copyright: None of the material in this journal may be reproduced without written permission of the Editorial committee.

The Little Ship is published three times a year by the Little Ship Club Limited. Two editions are sent free to members and one edition is published online. Articles appearing in this magazine do not necessarily represent the views of the Little Ship Club or its officers. Charts: No responsibility is accepted by either the contributor or the Club for the accuracy of charts or other sailing directions published.

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LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

CONTENT

COMMODORE’S COLUMN: Welcome to the first online-only edition of the Little Ship magazine ............................................................ 3–4 LETTERS: A letter to the editor .............................................................. 4

NEWS FROM YOUR COMMITTEE: Reports from Club committees and sub committees ...................................................................... 5–7 AT THE CLUB: Recently on social media ........................................... 8–9 AT THE CLUB: Enjoying good company Images of recent social events at the Club ....................................... 10–15 CRUISING: We should have turned left! Hunter Peace reports ........... 16–18 RALLIES: A Calais Virgin Anne Billard reports .................................... 19–21 RALLIES: Des Huitres, Des Croissants… and a baked iPhone2 Graham Broadway reports ............................................................ 22–23 RALLIES: Members out on the water in all weathers Jill Moffatt and Charlie Quayle report .............................................. 24–26 CRUISING: Little Shippers follow in Prince Charlie’s wakes Michael Forbes Smith reports ........................................................ 27–33 RALLIES: Great start to East Coast sailing year Jill Moffatt and Kate Newman report .............................................. 33–35 RACING: The America’s Cup – “there is no second” Caroline Roddis reports ................................................................ 36–38

AT THE CLUB: Barbecue and petanque to celebrate Maldon’s 90th Richard Keen reports ........................................................................ 39 FROM THE ARCHIVES: “M.Y. Sundowner at Dunkirk” Article from the ninth Wartime Pamphlet of the LSC, 1942 ................. 40–41 OBITUARY: Edward Cecil Allcard by Clare Allcard ........................... 42–44

EVENTS: Little Shippers on the water ................................................. 45 HPO NEWS: Say “hello” to your new officers Anne Le Verrier Bizzey reports ............................................................. 46 HPO CONTACT LIST: ......................................................................... 47 Cover photograph by Paul Banks

CORRECTION

Pete Newbury was mistakenly omitted from the list of members of the President’s committee in the Spring edition of the Little Ship.

COMMODORE’S COLUMN

WELCOME TO THE FIRST ONLINE-ONLY EDITION OF THE LITTLE SHIP MAGAZINE! Lots has happened at the Little Ship Club in the past six months.

Commodore Anne Billard shares the highlights and calls on all members to get involved.

I

t has been a very busy six months at Bell Wharf Lane since I took over as Commodore.

In one of my first ‘social’ functions, on 19 May I had the pleasure to host the yearly ‘over 50’s lunch‘ – lunch for those faithful who have been members of the Club for over 50 years. Not only is it incredible to think what the Club offers for so many people to still pay their subs after so many years – but the stories they had to tell! I cannot tell you how fun this lunch was.

We have installed a new president, and were thrilled to have Sir Robin Knox-Johnston in the house on 23 May, literally and figuratively passing the baton to Mike Golding. An evening which saw a full house; the weather gods were with us and allowed us a drink or two on the Thames Path before dinner.

That evening also gave us the opportunity to thank Past Commodore Keith Irons for stepping into the breach when Sir Robin had to retire, and we presented him with a ship’s clock.

June saw many new people come to the Club: organised by Caroline Roddis, the Little Ship Club opened its door for screenings of the America’s Cup. Over 10 evenings, members and non-members alike came in to cheer the Land Rover BAR team in its ‘Bring the Cup Home’ campaign, led by Sir Ben Ainslie. Read Caroline’s piece on pages 36–38.

Thursday 15 June was the Commodore’s Cocktail Party. Meant as an informal drinks party from 6 to 8pm, guests were still milling about on the terrace by 10pm! It was a real thrill to see Mike Golding chatting to past commodores, and it was a pleasure to meet Andrea, his wife. We hope to see them both again soon.

After a couple of years of absence, the Lord Mayor honoured us with a visit on 13 June. Alderman Dr Andrew Parmley and his party were piped in by four Sea Cadets from the Tooting and Balham Unit. A musician himself, Dr Parmley seemed rather pleased with his present of a bosun’s call: he promptly added it to his ceremonial necklace and played a tune. A few weeks later, Dr Parmley was hosting the King and Queen of Spain for a dinner at the Guildhall – I can

“It is your club, run by a small band of incredibly dedicated volunteers.

To make it relevant to all, whatever your passion, whatever you’d like to share with fellow Little Shippers: get involved!”

only imagine they found him as gracious a Lord Mayor as we did.

I hope you enjoy the pictures of all these evenings.

But please remember: those events are for you. Please join us next time!

I had the pleasure to represent the Club at URNU’s annual prize giving party in June: a hugely enjoyable summer evening in good company on the banks of the Thames, enjoying postcard views of Tower Bridge.

In July, HMS Puncher was visiting London during the Summer Deployments for members of London URNU. The Commanding Officer of London URNU, Lt Stephen Dodds RN, invited a couple of us from the Club for lunch at HMS President, followed by a trip up river to the Millenium Bridge, before turning around and taking us all the way past the Thames Barrier.

What a wonderful way to spend a sunny summer Monday afternoon!

It hasn’t all been parties though, and your Committee has been hard at work.

You will have seen the list of members’ discounts Barrie Martin has negotiated. Read Debbie’s ‘Links in your library’ piece on page 6 about Amazon’s Affiliates Programme: it is an easy way to generate revenue for the Club, please sign up! The Membership committee has been organising the Club’s stand at Southampton Boat Show; the Marketing committee has designed a new campaign to be unveiled in September.

You may have noticed already how all our communication channels are starting to look consistent with each other – the result of a push for ‘joined-up thinking’, very dear to RC Membership Frank Walters.

Our online presence is also evolving: you are already aware that our website is being refreshed; and for those perhaps less versed in social media, see pages 8 and 9 for a selection of Little Ship Club tweets.

During the August closure, we were busy maintaining the fabric of the Club: commissioning work indispensable for commercial bookings, and preparing for next year’s projects, which will tremendously improve the working conditions in the kitchen.

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COMMODORE’S COLUMN Whilst those may not be obviously visible, you will no doubt have noticed how fresh the carpets look once deep cleaned, and the doors and windowsills French polished.

We have also been working on installing superfast broadband throughout our premises. Whilst this should have been the easiest of projects in the City of London in the 21st century, it has in fact turned into a closely fought six-month technical bataille royale for the Club committee. Hopefully, victory is in sight though!

We have much to look forward to: at the Club, with the Laying Up and Prize Giving Dinner, Trafalgar Dinner, Whisky Tasting, and a host of hugely interesting talks; on the water, the Thames Trafalgar Race, the Fast Cruises and Frostbite Rally promise fun for those cold, wet and dreary English winter days.

I look forward to seeing you enjoying the results of the work your Committee does. And please join us

Little Ship is your magazine and we welcome all letters, reports, photos and illustrations.

Please send your contributions to commodore@ littleshipclub.co.uk

“I could not be prouder to be the commodore of such an active club ...”

and get involved: for a day, for an hour, to volunteer one skill, to organise one event, to organise one rally … your club needs you!

It is your club, run by a small band of incredibly dedicated volunteers. To make it relevant to all, whatever your passion, whatever you’d like to share with fellow Little Shippers: get involved!

I could not end without thanking all who have contributed to this issue of the Little Ship. They are too many to name, but all duly credited.

Last, and certainly not least, I could not be prouder to be the Commodore of such an active club – sailing in all weathers, in all manner of craft, finding humour even when the best laid plans go awry – even in pain!

Look at the pictures, look at what a motley crew the Little Shippers are, look how they can enjoy themselves!

Rarely has a motto been more appropriate than ours: nobody does Sailing in Good Company better! n Anne Billard, Commodore

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor, I read with great interest Brian Humber’s account of the Fast Cruise series, Winter fast cruises: “It’s the taking part that counts” in Little Ship Spring 2017. I would, however, like to reply to some of the comments he makes.

It is true that before I started to organise them in the autumn of 2010 the starts were east of the forts, in the region of Cambrian Wreck South Cardinal Buoy but by the time I became involved the majority of the Fast Cruise fleet were based in Haslar or Gosport marinas with boats also coming from Bursledon, Beaulieu and occasionally Ocean Village.

With only one boat based in Chichester it seemed right to move the start over Ryde Middle where tides are generally weaker and is mid-way between all participants. Towards the end of my organising the Fast Cruises we even had a boat coming from Lymington to participate so even more reason to move the start westwards.

I always tried to arrange the Fast Cruise to a weekend closest to a neap tide. Unfortunately the moon doesn’t keep a 28-day cycle so sometimes neaps fell midweek and neither the weekend before or after was very suitable but the majority of Fast Cruises were within one or two days of a neap tide.

High Water Portsmouth (and Chichester) occurs very close to 0600 and 1800 GMT with the westbound tide

starting approximately HW -2 and lasting until HW +3 or +3.5. In fact at HW +4 it is still slack over Ryde Middle. Ronhilda should have had no difficulty crossing Chichester bar close to HW and would have the tide all the way to the start; unlike the boats coming from Beaulieu or even Lymington in the last season that I organised.

Very occasionally it was necessary to organise a Fast Cruise near to a spring tide. This only occurred once each year when the destination was the western Solent, either Yarmouth or Lymington. This was because the west-going tide starts around 1100 or 1200 GMT at springs and the following day the east-going tide runs until about 1200 or 1300 GMT to help boats return to their home ports. Admittedly Ronhilda would have struggled on this one occasion each winter. The only other occasion that a Fast Cruise was held on a spring tide was when a past commodore organised a Frostbite rally in Gosport on a spring tide and was instructed to run the Fast Cruise to coincide with the Frostbite rally. This did not only cause problems for Ronhilda but also for all the smaller Fast Cruisers who had to punch their way into Portsmouth Harbour against 4 knots of ebb tide!

Yours sincerely Graham Broadway Past Fast Cruise organiser

For information, news and views from the Little Ship Club go to www.littleshipclub.co.uk and follow us on www.twitter.com/littleshipclub1

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LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

NEWS FROM YOUR COMMITTEE

Members of the Club Committee relaxing after their first meeting, from left to right: Barrie Martin (Members’ Benefits), Rune Bakken (URNU liaison), Frank Walters (Marketing), Iain Pickard (Commercial), Pete Hampson (Digitalisation), Anne Billard (Commodore), Ray Fox (House), Mark Turvey (Legal Adviser), Graham Broadway (Training).

PRODUCTIVE SIX MONTHS FOR OUR CLUB COMMITTEE

The Club

Committee works for you the members, and this section is our way to publicise a little more what we do, our projects, and to ask for help, ideas and suggestions.

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

WHY OUR CLUB IS SUCH A VALUED BRAND

The Little Ship Club has always been more than just a sailing club.

Since its creation more than 90 years ago, it has built on the dream of its founders Claud Worth and Maurice Griffiths to become one of the country’s leading yacht clubs, with a full sailing programme and expert training, open to all.

But that dream looked like coming to an end five years ago with falling membership and training participation.

The Club didn’t promote itself enough, and perhaps found too much comfort in being “the best kept secret”.

If it was to survive it wasn't enough to rely just on its heritage and ambience: the Club needed to promote its accessibility.

So shortly after I joined in 2013, I was asked by the then Commodore Pete Newbury to use my marketing background to carry out some ‘advertising’ to promote the Club.

A small team of members and I developed a marketing strategy to turn things around.

We had to capture all our unique values in an easily recognisable brand.

We started with a new look and feel in the form of an ad campaign based around our training: Raise Your Standard, which we have used at boat shows and in sailing magazines.

This focused approach has helped the folks that work on the LSC’s stand at the two major boat shows deliver a united message – vital as they are a key point of entry for new members.

Today, we are holding a steady ship in turbulent economic times.

We’re bringing together all our channels as the new Marketing and Communications group, making it more efficient and cost effective.

We now have a strong brand that can survive in a digital world.

Our website is going through a major review, both from a visual and functional aspect, the results of which will soon go live, and which will make the site easier to navigate.

We’re also looking at raising our online profile via search engines, such as Google, so the Club’s details will be quicker to find.

The Little Ship magazine has gone through a face lift to give it a feel of high prestige. We are also piloting an online version.

Our social media presence is being further developed through Twitter and Facebook, and members are also encouraged to embrace it whenever possible.

We are always looking for members to help support our brand: we currently have vacancies for a PR director and a content director.

If anyone has some experience in these fields could they please email me asap at marketing@littleshipclub.co.uk.

Frank Walters, Rear Commodore Marketing LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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NEWS FROM YOUR COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

LINKS IN YOUR LIBRARY

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This is the part of the magazine where you would usually expect to find a selection of book reviews.

Since this is an online publication and there are book reviews in other parts of this website, I am going to use this space to explain the reason for book reviews.

They benefit you, they benefit the Club and they benefit the publishers. (And, at this point in time there is a new reason for this explanation.)

For many years now, a number of publishers who specialise in nautical and yachting subjects have sent the Club copies of their new books for review and publication in the Club magazine. In this way the Hon librarian has been able to maintain a stock of the most recent publications in the library.

Nowadays, both the Club and the publishers are increasingly using online means of communication, so many of these reviews often appear first on our website before they are published in the magazine.

At the same time a number of our members only come to the Club occasionally either because they live at some distance or because their precious leisure time is spent actually on the water. So for them it is easier to purchase a book on Amazon than to make several visits to the Club in order to borrow and return books to the library.

In future we hope to turn this to everyone’s advantage. The Club is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the Club to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We have inserted links in the LSC

website so that members can purchase items from Amazon via these special links. If a Club member wishes to purchase a book they have seen reviewed or any other items they can use the link to access the Amazon website via a text or picture link. Use the link on any book review to access the Amazon website and commence shopping.

Please do this and the Club receives income from your purchase(s) in that visit. Furthermore most items on Amazon purchased during the same visit will benefit the Club by an amount varying from 2–10 per cent of the purchase amount.

So go for it. Make your Amazon purchases through the Club Library and book review links and the Club gets an additional source of revenue at no cost to its members.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Christmas is coming so mark your diaries now for the Little Ship Club carol service and dinner on 12 December.

You might like to get in the mood by joining a Whisky tasting evening on 24 October.

Other social events at the Club include: n Trafalgar Dinner – 17 October n Laying Up Supper and prize giving – 7 November n Shanties evening – 28 November n Photographic Competition prize giving – 5 December.

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

REVIEWS ARE IMPORTANT

If you would like to join the happy band of book reviewers please contact the Hon librarian at librarian@littleshipclub.co.uk. You don’t need to be a writer or specialist, just interested in or have some knowledge of the book's subject. We can give you some guidelines of what you need to include in your report. Reviewers have found this an opportunity to focus and test their knowledge, expand their knowledge and learn more about our favourite sport, well known figures and their exploits.

“Make your Amazon purchases through the Club Library and book review links and the Club gets an additional source of revenue at no cost to its members.”

Deborah Wheeler Hon librarian

Work is just starting to refresh the Club website. The main aim is to make the website structure simpler, making the site easier to use. Steps will be taken to enable external users to find the website more effectively, too. Over the last few years there has been a steady increase in the use of portable devices such as smartphones, iPads and other tablets; upgrades will be included to improve the use of the website from these devices. The new website is expected to be released towards the end of this year.

PLEASE GET IN TOUCH n n n n n n

commodore@littleshipclub.co.uk Marketing Committee: marketing@littleshipclub.co.uk

Training Committee: training@littleshipclub.co.uk

Sail and Power Committee: sailandpower@littleshipclub.co.uk Membership Committee: membership@littleshipclub.co.uk

Social Committee: social@littleshipclub.co.uk

If you are a new member, please get in touch with Paul Banks: paulbanks.123@btinternet.com

NEWS FROM YOUR COMMITTEE TRAINING

NEW TRAINING SEASON AT THE CLUB Since the formation of the Club in 1926 we have taken great pride in the training courses that we offer.

The first formalised training began in 1927 culminating in the Royal Navy asking LSC to teach navigation to newly enlisted officers in the Royal Navy Volunteer Supplementary Reserve (RNVSR) in the 1930s.

TRAINING PROGRAMME

After a break for some sailing in the summer the 90th training season at the Club starts again in September. We have added a new course this year, Practical Weather Forecasting, which was first presented in June to a full house and is being repeated over two Wednesday evenings in September.

RYA Radar416 September 2017

Practical Weather Forecasting, an LSC course 4(two evenings) 27 September and 4 October RYA First Aid (a requirement for a Yachtmaster ticket)428 September 2017

RYA Shorebased Day Skipper42 October 2017 to 23 April 2018 (break from 4 December to 8 January)

RYA Shorebased Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster42 October 2017 to 23 April 2018

(break from 4 December to 8 January)

RYA Ocean Yachtmaster42 October 2017 to 23 April 2018 (break from 4 December to 8 January)

Boat Electrics, an LSC course4(two evenings) 15 and 22 November

Basic Rope Workshop, an LSC course4(three evenings), 17, 24 and 31 January 2018

RYA Shorebased Day Skipper, accelerated course 410 Wednesday evenings starting 7 February 2018 plus five all-day Saturdays RYA Shorebased Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster, accelerated course 410 Wednesday evenings starting 7 February 2018 plus five all-day Saturdays Braided Rope workshop and RYA Diesel4Dates not yet confirmed Short-range radio course (RC Certificate)4Online course

Further details of all courses and bookings are available at http://littleshipclub.co.uk/newtraining/training-overview.

We have also put forms on the Club notice board and on the website so that members can ‘express an interest’ in each short course so that if enough interest is shown we can run additional courses.

Graham Broadway Rear Commodore training

AT THE CLUB

RECENTLY JOINED MEMBERS

Over the last few months three New Members’ bulletins have been issued to members who have joined in the last six months. The aim of the bulletins is to help new members find out and participate in Club events both at the Club and on the water. In addition to these bulletins, there has been a successful new members

sailing weekend in the Solent and a new members’ evening with a presentation of the sailing and boating programme.

We hope that all new members have settled into the Club now but if you need more information about participating in Club events, please email paulbanks.123@btinternet.com.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS Beverley Chittenden John Cornwell Anne Haley Jack Haley Gareth Hawkins Shelley Hawkins Julie Hesketh Mark Iwaszko

Steven Jones Michael Keane Frances Salter Louise Sharp Georgina Tall Alistair Thompson Richard Turnbull James Ward

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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AT THE CLUB

RECENTLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA...

The Little Ship Club is developing its online presence – here is a taste of what’s been happening in recent months.

Barry Russell @BarryRussellEA . 1h Crikey! This isn’t something you see every day – a flotilla of amphibious vehicles entering #CavershamLock. such fun!

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HMS Puncher @HMSPuncher Flying the flag of @littleshipclub1 @Falmouth RNLI 150 celebrations.

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Little Ship Club @littleshipclub1 . May 24 #Legends! @SirRKJ passes the baton to @GoldingMike We’re proud & honoured to be associated with such towering figures of the #sailing world.

Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson Ltd 17 May

Like Page

Thanks to the Little Ship Club magazine for the review of Clyde Cruising Club’s Cruising Scotland which made us smile.

‘If the CCC Sailing Directions are t...

See more

Little Ship Club @littleshipclub1 . Jul 20 Lovely pics from @PaneraiBCW – including the gorgeous Rumpole! Great day for Day at the Races littleshipclub. co.uk/blog/day-races... #classicyacht #sailing

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LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

Publications This lavishly illustrated book has been designed as a companion to the Clyde Cruising Club’s Sailing Directions and covers the Scottish west coast from Clyde to Cape Wrath and all the outlying islands.

It was first written by the late ....

IMRAY.COM

You Retweeted

Sea Cadets – Tooting & Balham at Little Ship Club 13 June This evening four of our Royal Marine Cadets are at the Little Ship Club in Central London to provide a carpet guard for the Lord Mayor of London who is visiting.

AT THE CLUB YachtsandYachting @yandyfeed . May 6 America’s Cup live at the Little Ship Club – @americas cup @littleshipclub1 yachtsandyachting.com/news/195658

graham broadway @gb1791 . Aug 25 @littleshipclub1 LSC fleet departing Goes after 3 days of beer and spare ribs.

Paul Lucas @lucas2_p . Jul 18 Lunch...now a drink in the London sun!! @littleshipclub1 3

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Little Ship Club @littleshipclub1 . Apr 11 We’re 200th to sign the petition backed @SirRKJ by requesting Lobster Pot & Small Craft Safety reform: sign & share!

Petition: Lobster Pots and Small Craft Safety – time ...

We, the undersigned, urge the Minister of State (DEFRA) to improve the way static fishing gear is marked for the safety of all small craft at sea. The current, voluntary, ...

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petition.parliament.uk

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Galen Bristane 4 Little Ship Club 6 June Somerset, Bermuda Attempting to spur Sir Ben on

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graham broadway @gb1791 . Aug 15 @littleshipclub1 Pim leaving Shotley to join NL/B rally at Breskens 1230BST

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Little Ship Club @littleshipclub1 . Aug 15 Members near Portsmouth! Confirmed new aircraft carrier @HMSQniz set to enter Portsmouth @ 0710 TOMO Wed 16 August! royalnavy.mod.uk/news-andlates ...

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Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more stories and pictures from the Little Ship Club and our friends on and off the water.

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LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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AT THE CLUB

ENJOYING GOOD COMPANY

Social functions are a key part of the Little Ship Club; here Commodore Anne Billard shares images of the events she has had the pleasure to host in recent months.

NEW PRESIDENT

On 23 May, we held a very special evening at the Club.

After 20 years as the President of the Little Ship Club, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston had retired and Mike Golding OBE became our President.

As part of the Club’s 80th anniversary celebration, Sir Robin had handed the baton to Keith Irons, who took it on its first leg of a full circumnavigation of the British Isles. In our 90th year, it seemed fitting that this same baton should symbolise the passing of the President’s burgee between two of the most prominent sailors in the UK – if not the world!

A joyous celebration, the evening started with drinks on the sunny terrace, and saw a full house enjoying themselves until late.

OVER 50’S LUNCH

The Over 50’s Lunch, hosted by Commodore Anne Billard, was held at the Club on 19 May. Anne enjoyed the company of Margaret Blake-Dyke, Geoffrey Brown, Norman Hummerstone, Dennis Knight, Peter Knight, Angus Newton, Simon Philips, Philip Whyte and Tony Woellwarth.

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LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

AT THE CLUB COMMODORE’S COCKTAIL PARTY A stalwart in the Club’s calendar, this is an opportunity for members to mingle, for the Commodore to thank the Club’s Officers and for our various associates to enjoy a drink or two at our clubhouse.

This year, we were particularly happy to welcome Mike Golding and his wife Andrea. Another beautiful spring evening by the Thames!

The event took place on 15 June.

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AT THE CLUB LORD MAYOR

I would wager that rarely has the Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of the City of London been so approachable and ready to have fun! Despite wearing a centuries-old ceremonial collar (the Royal Livery Collar of Esses, first worn by Saint Thomas More), Dr Warmley (or ‘Andrew’ as he asked me to address him), gamely put the bosun’s call I had presented him around his neck and played a tune, to the great amusement of all.

I shall treasure my present of coasters bearing the Lord Mayor’s coat of arms as a reminder of this very special evening.

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LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

AT THE CLUB UNIVERSITY ROYAL NAVAL UNIT AFFILIATES DAY The first HMS Puncher was commissioned in 1944 and received her Battle Honour during the Battle of the Atlantic. The current HMS Puncher is affiliated with London University Royal Naval Unit (URNU) who, as you will know, have a close relationship with the Little Ship Club.

Paul Banks, Rune Bakken and I were privileged to be invited to their Affiliates Day last July. After a lovely lunch at HMS President, we spent a sunny Monday afternoon sailing on the river: past the Club to the Millennium Bridge, and then downriver all the way past Greenwich, through the Thames Barrier, before sailing back to the City.

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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AT THE CLUB TRAINING DINNER The Training Dinner saw friends and families of the successful students receive their certificates and prizes from Richard Falk of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA).

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LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

AT THE CLUB “I hope you enjoy the pictures of all these evenings. But please remember: those events are for you. Please join us next time!”

Commodore Anne Billard.

The Club’s training programme starts again in September, see page 7 for details. We also have an interesting variety of talks coming up on our Tuesday Club nights as well as lots of exciting social events for members to enjoy. And then there is sailing – for a summary of our activities on the water go to page 45.

Details of all Club events and activities are available on the website: http://littleshipclub. co.uk/events/all

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CRUISING

Plans to cruise to Orkney succumb to gales in the north. Turning south, the month-long cruise on board Lazy Life clocked up 829M during the sunny (southern) heatwave in June.

Hunter Peace recalls.

WE SHOULD HAVE TURNED LEFT!

T

he plan was to sail to Orkney via the East Coast and return down the Irish Sea, a five-week cruise ending in Plymouth, with a crew change in Mallaig. We left Cowes on 4 June after spending the night on Trinity Landing and an excellent supper at the Island Sailing Club, who were also screening the America’s Cup. A favourable but light wind saw us motor sailing most of the way to Dover to complete the 110M in 16 hours. After a night in Granville Dock and refuelling the next morning we took the tide inside the Goodwin Sands, across the Thames Estuary and up to Long Sand Head, the Medusa and in to the River Orwell for the night at the Royal Harwich Yacht Club marina. A great sail, 73M in 11 hours and a southerly wind and warm sunshine! After a taxi trip into Ipswich the next morning for provisions and a new cordless drill, we saw Ray Fox up the mast again for essential repairs, ably assisted by Richard Taylor and I watching from below. Robert Brewis, our fourth crew member arrived at Woolverstone late afternoon after a cross country hike from Ipswich but he likes walking!

An early start again to take the tide to Lowestoft, rounding Orfordness and past Sizewell, in now a brisker south-westerly, saw us arrive at the Royal

Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club (RNSYC) marina in a little over seven hours for 47M, another good sail, the forecast however was not so good. Our next destination was Peterhead, at 350M and up to 70M offshore, we needed reasonable weather for the next three days. In the event a whole series of gales were forecast to hit the UK for the next week so after two nights enjoying

Above: Lowestoft inhabitants.

Left: Lazy Life at Trinity Landing.

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CRUISING

the excellent facilities of the RNSYC and the Lowestoft inhabitants we turned south and entered the River Deben, still an exciting entrance, and took shelter in the Woodbridge Tide Mill.

Twenty-five years ago I organised a Little Ship Club rally to Woodbridge and a visit to Sutton Hoo when it was just a few bumps in a field. Now under the ownership of the National Trust with new museums, guides and a restaurant it is an excellent outing, as was dinner at The Galley in Woodbridge Town Square, not to be missed.

We had to wait until nearly high water to leave the Tide Mill and hurry down river to ensure we still had sufficient water to cross the Deben Bar on a falling tide and to reach the Walton Backwaters, where we anchored for the night.

Now Tuesday 13 June we headed back to Long Sand Head in a brisk westerly and down to Ramsgate 49M passing the Thames Array wind farm, (pictured right above) can you spot the two abseiling maintenance workers on the tip of the lower blade?

Drinks at the Royal Temple Yacht Club and a really good supper as usual at Bon Appetit, under the arches in Ramsgate, and improving weather helped counter our disappointment at not getting to Orkney this time, having sailed the same route in Pampero in 1994.

We decided to visit Dover Castle and the World War II tunnels used to mastermind the Dunkirk evacuation, if you have not visited already do go as it’s a brilliant day out. We had drinks at the Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club with Dover Dick, a fellow Medusa member, and afterwards dinner at Cullins Yard, well worth trying.

Next morning we motor sailed in a light headwind the 45M to Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne where Robert left us and we recharged our failing tonic supplies. Monday 19 June saw us past Beachy Head and another enormous wind farm under construction off Shoreham en route to the Solent, 70M and 10.75 hours passage.

We passed Cowes after 477M and anchored for the night in the Beaulieu River. The following day to Poole Harbour and the delightful anchorage at Goathorne Point, where I had my one and only swim of the cruise. By now it was seriously hot weather with little wind so the next day was another motor sail to Weymouth where Ray left us and George McNeil joined, instead of at Mallaig!

Top from left: Facilties at the RNSYC; Dover Castle; Thames Array wind farm; wind farm off Shoreham.

Above: Beachy Head.

Above: Lunch at the Royal Dart Yacht Club.

The forecast was SW 3/4 not ideal for our next destination Dartmouth but it turned out to be 5/6.

From Portland Bill we could only make Budleigh Salterton on the port tack and it was seriously bouncy, particularly when we later motored dead up wind and eventually went in to Brixham, 60M in 11.33 hours. The engine, which had hardly missed a beat in the last 20 years, kept coughing, I thought perhaps due to the fuel frothing in the rough sea.

Next morning we checked the fuel filters and fuel lines but could find no contamination or water in the fuel.

We had arranged to meet Michael Hodges, who was joining Lazy Life, and Keith Irons and Ron Gardner for lunch at the Royal Dartmouth Yacht Club so we jumped into a taxi to discover that Silver Tide had electrical problems which had prevented them joining the West Country cruise. After lunch Richard was dragooned to Silver Tide to try and fix the problem but without success.

The engine started the next morning so we decided to run it for an hour or so heading for Salcombe but LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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CRUISING

after a while it started hunting again so we sailed in a light SW wind hoping it would start again to help us pick up a mooring or anchor somewhere in Salcombe.

In 25/30 knots we managed to pick up a mooring buoy opposite the Salcombe Harbour Hotel and retired ashore leaving George in the man creche while we purchased more provisions and spare parts before joining him for a first class dinner in the Victoria Inn. We had planned to go to Newton Ferrers to see an old friend but he was just leaving for London when I phoned so we went on to Fowey with the engine cough getting worse. We successfully moored on one of the river pontoons and arranged for the Fowey lifeboat engineer to investigate the fuel problem but had to wait a day. In deteriorating weather we visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan. We should have taken a taxi as the bus ride was unbelievably tedious only remedied by a really good dinner at the Royal Fowey Yacht Club. The engineer checked the fuel lines and using a vacuum pump drew fuel from the bottom of the fuel tank but no contamination was found in the tank or filters, a real mystery.

The forecast for the next few days was for light W to SW winds so with an unreliable engine we decided to abandon the rest of the cruise and head back to Cowes via Plymouth, Newton Ferrers, and Dartmouth, some 168M in 32 hours largely under sail.

Drinks at the Dartmouth Yacht Club and a fine dinner at The Royal Castle Hotel set us up for a

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LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

Above left: The Man Creche, Salcombe Harbour Hotel – the problem was getting George to leave!

Above (clockwise): Crew members Richard Taylor on board Lazy Life, Ray Fox, George McNeil, Michael Hodges and Robert Brewis.

Below left: Lazy Life, from Salcombe Yacht Club.

Below right: Fowey River mooring.

particularly slow sail to Weymouth where George left us. I had arranged for Tim and Gabbie Ryan to join us in Plymouth for a West Country cruise but with the engine problem I reluctantly had to cancel this.

Fortunately, we got back to Island Harbour, Lazy Life’s home berth, sailing most of the way from Fowey but the engine problem still persists and at the time of writing we still have to find the cause.

My thanks to the crew and apologies for not making Orkney but while we were basking in hot sunshine, Orkney and the West Coast of Scotland were enjoying constant gales and temperatures of 13°C so perhaps we made the right decision at Lowestoft after all.

Our final log showed 829M for the month’s cruise. n

RALLIES

A CALAIS VIRGIN Having experienced the friendship and fun of the Calais Rally for the first time, Anne Billard vows never to miss another one. Here our Commodore shares her adventures on board Avventura.

Photographs by Bill Lewis and Paul Banks.

B

efore you wonder if your Commodore has taken leave of her senses, let me give credit where credit is due: these were the words of Maldon Little Ship Club’s Commodore, Sue Woods, as I welcomed her and her crew at the dinner at the Cercle Amical Maritime de Calais last May Bank Holiday.

Not one usually lost for words, on that occasion, I was: standing, microphone in hand, in front of a delighted crowd who had just enjoyed a wonderful dinner. Not a word. In any language. Nothing.

In an accurate display of what the French charmingly call esprit d’escalier, though, allow me to make those words mine, as, like Sue, this was my first time attending the internationally famous Calais Rally I had heard so much about. For one reason or another, I had never been able to attend the rally, started by Norman Hummerstone many – many! – years ago. Believe me, I will not miss another one as long as I am able! Like others, I may come by ferry, I may drive – but I will be there.

Jonathan Hague invited me to join him, Jill Moffatt, Charlie Quayle and Martin Sandford on Avventura.

Having left Ramsgate early on Friday, we reached Calais in the sunshine in the afternoon. Jonathan having taken over the organisation of the weekend, I was given a front row seat to the backstage production.

Since HMS Puncher, in years past the host of the beer call (Calais’ name for a fabulous pontoon party!) could not be with us this year, it took place on Avventura. Thankfully the weather was beautiful, so, to the call of Britt’s foghorn, boatful after boatful congregated on the pontoon – rather than having to hide from the elements down below. Crate after crate appeared from the bowels of the boat (actually, the LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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storage space under my bunk, I believe) soon to disappear down the parched throats of all those hardy sailors.

Although a beer aficionado himself, though, Jonathan proved a more than adept Pimms-maker!

The rally dinner was then at the Cercle Amical Maritime, topped by an omelette norvégienne which the chef took great pleasure in setting alight, to the excitement of all assembled. Everyone there – proprietor, barman, waitresses – welcomed us with open arms, clearly well aware, yet unafraid, of what to expect from our party.

As if that wasn’t enough sustenance, dinner was followed by a few more drinks at the yacht club.

Back on board, I was introduced to ‘Dark and Stormies’ … the end of the evening is ever so slightly hazy … hopefully I didn’t disgrace myself …

On Saturday morning, after a visit to the market for some typically French fare of fromage, pâté and pain, Jill and I had ordered scores of baguettes for the restorative bacon butties; and so on Sunday morning Avventura got organised into a production line which would have put to shame Chaplin’s Modern Times.

While the crew was busy cutting baguettes, splitting,

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LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

Above: Prize giving event with our original organiser of the rally, Norman Hummerstone MBE. Right: Pudding at the Cercle Amical Maritime.

Below: Sailing away.

buttering, reserving, Skipper was cooking bacon … bacon … and more bacon … all efforts eventually coalescing into those renowned bacon butties; again served in glorious sunshine to all – obviously famished by then, and desperately in need of such wonderfully restorative brunch.

Then it was time to congregate in the yacht club, where we were the guests of the Deputy Mayor and Calais Yacht Club, for yet more blanc cassis and amuse-gueules, and the prize giving: those highly anticipated, and closely fought prizes were handed out by Norman, gamely assisted by the maire adjoint.

The welcome of the City of Calais, the Calais Yacht Club, as well as others in the local sailing community is truly heart-warming. Unless of course everybody was so keen to include me in their conversation … for my abilities as a translator!

670 years ago, six Bourgeois were spared by the English king. Since then, the relationship between the peoples both sides of the English Channel – or is it la Manche? – has seen its fair share of ups and downs.

But on the May Bank Holiday, in Calais, the French and English sailing communities have been coming together since Norman Hummerstone MBE decided it should be so.

Promises were made to see each other again next year; plans are afoot for the Chambre de Commerce to organise a showcase of regional products and crafts to be set by the yacht club: it will be so much easier to stock up on maroilles, boulette d’Avesnes, andouilles … if not bêtises de Cambrai or speculoos for those with a sweet tooth if they are available (literally) feet from the boats!

There is talk of the French coming to meet us in Ramsgate and the sail to Calais taking a slightly

RALLIES

competitive edge ‌ many plans, many parties, only one common goal: to nurture the friendship, to ensure that the Calais Rally initiated 70 years ago carries on; tradition respected and kept fresh, rejuvenated, for ever more sailors to enjoy this truly exceptional rally.

Besides the fun, the sun and the new friends, Calais Rally 2017 will remain an extremely special weekend for me. Norman had offered to lend me his own Commodore pin for the length of my tenure, and he chose to hand it to me when he joined Avventura on Saturday morning.

From the very first Commodore of our Club. I treasure it; I treasure its value and all it represents.

Sometimes, there are no words. n

Above: Pontoon party on Avventura.

Right: Not just beer!

Below: Commodore Anne Billard with Maldon Little Ship Club Commodore Susan Woods who took up our invitation to attend social events at the rally (see page 39).

Left below: Did I miss the boat?

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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DES HUITRES, DES CROISSANTS … AND A BAKED IPHONE2 O

Three yachts

spent the last May Bank

Holiday sailing to St Vaast.

Graham Broadway recalls the trip

that was fun for all and gave two Day Skipper students 170M to add to their log books.

Above: Party on board Wolverine.

22

n the same weekend that the east coast fleet were crawling out of their mud holes and heading towards Calais a more select band of three yachts left ports in the Solent for the more refined taste of les Huitres de Calvados of St Vaast. I had chartered a Bavaria 36, Appaloosa, from Hamble Point, Kevin Mulligan was sailing his Elan 450, Wolverine, based in Haslar and Bill Lewis was skippering his Oyster 37, Musyk.

One of the reasons for my charter was to give my Day Skipper students some sailing experience, which included two passages of more than 60 miles and several hours of night sailing. As it happened, only two Day Skipper students, Irini Politi and Simon De Ley, signed up for the trip. I also had Richard Taylor and Don Shackley on board.

The plan was to leave Hamble Point around 1700 on Friday evening to arrive in St Vaast just after the gate opened at about 0830 BST. Unfortunately, I hadn’t sailed for about six months and was feeling a bit rusty, and the charter company had all its boats going out that day so checking over the boat and going through the handover routine took longer than expected, so we didn’t leave the dock until nearly

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

1830, 90 minutes after my planned departure. The wind was also easterly, blowing at about 25 knots, so we hoisted the main with two reefs set and began the beat out to Bembridge Ledge east cardinal buoy.

The charter boat did not appear to point very high with the main reefed right down and it seemed to take an age to reach the forts even with a very big spring tide helping us along. Eventually, we furled the genny and motor sailed to Bembridge Ledge which we didn’t reach until 2215 in the last of the twilight. From Bembridge Ledge it was a beam reach across the channel so we unfurled the genny, shook one reef out of the main and killed the engine. Peace at last!

The crossing was fairly uneventful with an average number of ships mid channel. However, we were treated to a magnificent light show with lightning somewhere over France but too far away to hear any thunder. The sky and clouds were continuously lit up with flashes rolling backwards and forwards. It was as if Bastille Day had come early this year. Apparently, when I was tucked up in my sleeping bag we also had a heavy hail storm. The other watch complained that it was very painful but I slept right through it and it had stopped before I was on watch again.

RALLIES As day broke it was obvious that we were a long way behind schedule and there was a real danger we may not reach St Vaast before the gate closed at 1400 BST. With much reluctance I turned the engine on again and we motor sailed the rest of the way tying up in St Vaast at 1245 BST, just 75 minutes before the gate closed.

The Saturday pontoon party was on Wolverine, a very large party boat with room for everyone in the cockpit. Afterwards, crews split up and went for meals in various restaurants. I cannot remember where we went: maybe the pontoon party was too good! My credit card statement tells me it was Le Channel on the Quai Vauban by the harbour.

After a good night’s sleep on board the crew of Appaloosa found a café on the harbour front where we had coffee and were allowed to eat the croissants bought in the patisserie just along the road. After the leisurely breakfast we moved on to Monsieur Gosselin to purchase food for the lunch time party, again on Wolverine.

Wolverine departed immediately after the party, just before the gate closed. We rested longer and went for dinner at Les Fuchsias, eating in its conservatory.

When we strolled to the restaurant in the early evening it was in bright sunshine, but while we were eating the skies darkened and heavy rain began to fall on the roof. We asked for the bill but as in all French restaurants they are not in any hurry to get rid of you and by the time we had paid the gate to the harbour had opened. This meant a long walk all the way around the harbour in heavy rain and without any waterproof clothing. We arrived back at the boat soaked to the skin.

With the gate open we were free to leave as soon as we were ready and we slipped at around 2245 BST, the rain still falling. As we left the harbour the thunder and lightning began again, but initially it was some way off. The wind had dropped away to nothing so we continued to motor up the Cotentin Peninsula.

About 30 minutes north of Le Gavendest buoy we had lightning right overhead with the thunderclap at the same time. I saw an arc of lightning right over the boat with flashes hitting the sea on either side of us. It was probably two or three miles away, but it was very scary. Richard immediately rushed below and

Above: Marée Basse.

Right: Friends on board Wolverine.

Below: La Tour Tahitou.

put his iPhone, complete with Navionics software, in the oven. After that incident the storm moved away and eventually finished after another hour or two.

The following morning I turned on the oven to reheat some sausages for the crew. Luckily, I removed the baking tray soon after the oven was lit and found an iPhone, slightly crisp around the edges but still raw in the middle!

The wind continued to be very light and so we motored the whole way back to Hamble Point arriving back at 1400 on Monday, having logged 170M over the weekend which the students can add to their log books. n

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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RALLIES

MEMBERS OUT ON THE WATER IN ALL WEATHERS Fast Cruises, offering competitive yet fun racing, get LSC members on the water during the cold winter months.

2016–2017 Series organisers, Jill Moffatt and Charlie Quayle, round up the year.

Courses: Charles Whittam.

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T

he winter Fast Cruises on the Solent are among some of the most popular Little Ship Club rallies. They started when Lynn Griffiths was Rear Commodore Sail and Power, and were originally a simple passage from A to B, with skippers noting the time taken. From these humble beginnings they have evolved into a winter series of six events from October to March. Around 50 members and guests on 10-12 yachts regularly participate in each Fast Cruise, whatever the weather.

We took over the organisation of the Fast Cruises last year from Graham Broadway, who did a tremendous job over a number of years. The Handicap Committee issues participants with both a Club and Progressive handicap, and thanks are due to them for their patience in setting these. Charles Whittam has valiantly continued setting the courses, as well as being the lead member of the Handicap Committee, for which we are all very grateful. Both the handicaps and courses receive much ‘helpful’ input from participants over drinks at the bar after the events.

As ever with winter sailing in the UK, the weather is unpredictable. Fortunately, all of the ‘races’ in the 2016-17 series took place (unlike previous years), although we did experience warm sunshine, heavy hail, strong gusts, no wind and pretty much everything in-between.

October 2016 saw us heading off to Southampton Town Quay where we received a warm welcome from the marina staff once again, along with a magnificent sunset. We aim to vary the venues for the after-sailing activities whenever possible, although our numbers make this something of a challenge. This rally saw us heading off to Kuti’s Brasserie/Indian Restaurant, where we had a splendid ‘eat as much as you like’ Indian buffet.

In November we had a rather frustrating day out on the water, with variable, light airs making it difficult to sail the course. In the conditions, caused by the centre of a low-pressure system over the Solent, most boats could not even reach the first mark and the whole short course fleet had to retire when mist and rain meant the visibility reduced to next to nothing. However, all of us finally managed to make it to the Beaulieu River (many by car) for another excellent dinner at the Royal Southampton’s Gin’s Farm Clubhouse (with no ‘water incidents’ on this occasion). Overnight the heavens opened again and those who were hardy enough to have berthed at Gin’s were lashed overnight by 40 knot gusts and more hail (twice in one day).

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

December saw us sailing two courses and having fun with wind and tides en route to the Folly Inn on the Medina for the traditional Fancy Dress visit. The courses kept us in the central Solent, zig-zagging backwards and forwards so that we were never too far from Cowes. Most people got into the fancy dress spirit, with Nota Bene taking first prize for their appropriately attired ‘cardinals’. Unsurprisingly, those on Solid Air opting for Hawaiian attire were found to be cheating by wearing thermals under their shorts!

In January there was only one course and we all had a cracking sail between the Forts, with some fairly long legs, down to St Helens towards Bembridge. One boat (who shall remain nameless but happened to be race control) was so preoccupied with avoiding an outgoing container ship that she crossed

RALLIES Gold at the end of the rainbow?

Below left: Ronhilda.

Right: Storm Petrel.

Below right: Solid Air.

the Nab channel too early and had to cross it again to round the correct mark, thereby forfeiting her lead in the race, as gleefully noted on the VHF by the following yacht! We were then welcomed for the first time to the historic Royal Naval and Royal Albert Yacht Club in Old Portsmouth, overlooking the Governor’s Green, where we exchanged burgees with Vice Commodore Adrian Saunders. The club has a fascinating history, with displays showing everything from the origins of the use of ‘spinnaker’ to describe a large foresail (allegedly “Sphinx’s Half-Acre”), to the number of Victoria Crosses awarded to club members (an astonishing 16).

It was back to Cowes, very slowly, for the February Fast Cruise, again with one course for the whole fleet.

There was virtually no wind, with a mirror calm sea, and in spite of various attempts to set spinnakers/light sails, some boats had to drop their anchors whilst waiting for the wind to fill to stop themselves sailing backwards at some speed. The warm and sunny weather meant that we actually had lunch mid-race, before the course was shortened and we managed to crawl into Cowes. Because of the early finish, many participants found their way to the Cowes Ale House on Shooter’s Hill, a convenient stagger away from (in fact, right next door to) Tonino’s Italian restaurant where dinner had been organised.

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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RALLIES Left: A Day At The Races and Willow.

Not so Fast Cruise Below: Nota Bene (City Livery Club entry) enjoying lunch during a lull in the February race.

Inevitably, the final Fast Cruise in March made up for the lack of wind in the previous ones and we had a steady 20-25 knots, with gusts of up to c.35 knots. A challenging day was had by all, with some interesting moments, particularly across the main shipping channel on the legs between South Bramble and Calshot NCB! This time we did finally manage to have a pontoon party at Port Hamble Marina, even if it did get a bit chilly. We then thawed out in the winter bar of the Royal Southern with a roaring log fire, before heading in to an excellent three-course dinner with plenty of wine and the prize-giving. Bill Hughes of Musyk very kindly provided a backdrop of photos from the series shown on the large screen during the dinner, which was much enjoyed by all.

After some discussion over the provisional results (with questions ranging from whether putting the engine on to avoid the Bramble Bank constituted an advantage – answer, Yes, otherwise you’d still be there; could sailing the same distance but not round the same marks, count as a valid race result – answer, No, it’s a DNF), we ended up with a very balanced set of results, with most yachts winning at least one race on either Club or Progressive handicap (see below for the list of final results). The crew of Kioni were delighted to have won the Marmalade Cup on Progressive handicap in February (the winner on the

Club handicap was Martyn Graham on Willow) and both boats were awarded an enormous pot of Barrie Martin’s excellent homemade marmalade. Some say… it is so thick that if it was not so tasty it would make excellent anti-fouling. The overall winners this season on both the Club and Progressive Handicaps were Andy and Avril Ormsby on Shearwater, who will be awarded the Wilson Haffenden Cup at the Laying Up Supper in November.

The Fast Cruises are a great way to get out on the water over the winter, when many owners would otherwise lay up their boats. They offer a gentle introduction to competitive round-the-cans sailing in a fun club environment, for crew and novice racing skipper alike, with a number chartering for the weekend. They also offer experience of all types of weather conditions – often four seasons in one day!

The races are all keenly contested and the number and variety of yachts taking part mean that a lot of Club members, especially the newer ones, have been able to make plenty of useful contacts for further sailing. This is what the Little Ship Club is all about. n

FINAL RESULTS: LSC FAST CRUISE SERIES 2016–2017 OVERALL RESULTS LSC HANDICAP

PLACE 1 2 3

PLACE 1 2 3

BOAT Shearwater Finesse Windhover

BOAT Shearwater Windhover Musyk

INDIVIDUAL RACE RESULTS

OCT 2016

NOV 2016

DEC 2016

JAN 2017

LSC HANDICAP

Wolverine

Finesse

Solid Air

A Day At The Races

PROGRESSIVE HANDICAP

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PROGRESSIVE HANDICAP

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

Windhover

Shearwater

Musyk

A Day At The Races

FEB 2017

MAR 2017

Willow

Shearwater

(MARMALADE CUP)

Kioni

Storm Petrel

CRUISING

LITTLE SHIPPERS FOLLOW IN PRINCE CHARLIE’S WAKES

The twin themes of Barra and Bonnie Prince

Charlie made for an enjoyable and instructive trip in the Western Isles from 2 to 17 June for Club members retracing Bonnie Prince Charlie’s 1746 voyages. And then there’s the sub-plot of the cruise ...

Michael Forbes Smith reports.

I

t didn’t start out as a sentimental nostalgic pilgrimage. Last autumn, my old friend and sailing companion Angus Annan (also the Little Ship Club’s HPO for Loch Lomond) brought to my notice the next St Kilda Race, in June 2017, so I immediately called Richard Robb of Clan Charters to reserve Clan, the 41 foot Dufour Gib-Sea that we had chartered for the Club’s 2014 West Coast Rally.

However, as the year-end approached, we discovered that the race would not be run again until at least 2018. So what to do? Two possibilities sprung to mind. First, to visit the island of Barra where my favourite film, ‘Whisky Galore’ – that wonderful 1948 Ealing Studios production – was filmed almost entirely on location. And, giving a much broader perspective, to retrace the voyages of Bonnie Prince Charlie as he sought to evade “the Elector’s” forces in 1746, following the catastrophic defeat at Culloden on 16 April of that year.

As an incurable romantic and “drinking Jacobite”, the first book I bought with my own (pocket) money back in 1964 was Eric Linklater’s The Prince in the Heather – how evocative can a book title be? As you can see (picture above), it has been well-thumbed. However, what the title does not hint at are the sea voyages the Prince undertook between 26 April and 9 July 1746 – 18 in all, including six night passages, in filthy weather, totalling 283M by my own calculation, all in open boats of up to eight oars and, presumably, a square sail when the wind permitted, with no navigational aids save the skill and experience of the boatmen, in particular Donald MacLeod, almost 70 years old at the time.

On the evening of 26 April, with the Elector’s men hard on their heels, they set off for the Outer Isles from Loch nan Uamh in Morar where the Prince had landed on 25 July 1745 and from where he finally left for France on 19 September 1746 – a cairn marks the approximate spot.

The unorthodox pilots for the cruise – Eric Linklater’s ‘The Prince in the Heather’ and Hamish Haswell-Smith’s ‘The Scottish Islands’, resting on one of the three charts annotated with Prince Charle’s passages.

It is worth quoting Linklater on the conditions in which they sailed. “It was against Donald’s advice that they put to sea, for the old man foretold a gale of wind. … But the Prince was stubborn. … By the time they had rowed out … into the Sound of Arisaig he regretted his decision; for the wind increased until a violent gale was blowing, with thunder, lightning, and heavy rain to add to their discomfort. Now the Prince demanded to be put ashore again. ‘For’, said he, ‘I had rather face cannon and muskets than be drowned in such a storm as this.’ But to turn back was impossible, for the shore of the Sound of Arisaig is dangerous ground, foul with reefs and half-tide rocks and broken water in which the boat would certainly have been lost. Their only hope was to find sea-room. ‘Is it not as good for us to be drowned in clean water,’ said Donald, ‘as to be dashed to pieces on a rock and drowned too?’”

So on they went, running before the gale, fortunately blowing from the south-east. Their 55M passage could not have taken them longer than 14–15 hours, for they departed “at nightfall” and sighted LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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Above left: The sea lock at Crinan filling up.

Above right: The real adventure begins; Chris in the bows as we leave the Crinan sea lock.

Left: As close as we dared to the Gulf of Corryvreckan in the Sound of Luing – white horses in the Gulf and troubled waters in the Sound.

“felt a jerk – and looked down to see the top of my finger hanging off.

Oh dear! ”

28

the Long Island ‘at peep of day’ – not much after five in the morning in late April in these latitudes.

‘The Prince in the Heather’ became our somewhat unorthodox ‘pilot‘ for the cruise.

My first intention had been to follow the Prince’s route more or less exactly. But two necessities of passage planning precluded this. First, our boat was based at Kip Marina at the head of the Clyde estuary.

We had well over 100M to sail before reaching the Prince’s waters, thus cutting down the time available to follow every stage of his journeys. And I was anxious to complete the longest passages at the beginning of our fortnight’s cruise, so that whatever the weather, we would not get storm-bound facing a major crossing under time pressure on the way home: a prescient decision, as it turned out. The answer was to reverse the Prince’s routes, get to the south of the Long Island (as the Uists, Benbecula, Harris and Lewis are collectively known) and then work up the coast; a short hop to Skye and back down the mainland coast of Morar to Crinan. As it happened, if we managed to get out of the Crinan Canal on our first day (Saturday 3 June), slack water at the Corrievreckan – reputedly the third largest whirlpool in the world at its worst, but a significant short-cut – was at 0740, ideal timing on a long, nearly 90M passage to Castlebay in Barra.

And so, we assembled at Kip Marina on Friday 2 June. I had spent the previous night with Angus at his Stirling home and his wife Beth drove us over in the afternoon and selflessly did the pre-cruise shopping with her husband while I took over the boat from Richard. Robin Young – who had crewed with me on the 2016 Channel Islands rally and was to skipper the boat on the long passages to gain his yachtmaster passage miles – and Chris Smart joined us in time for supper at the Inverkip Hotel. You should try the cannon balls of Stornoway black pudding and MacSween Haggis, rolled in oatmeal with pepper sauce. The first of many sublime Scottish delicacies! Then an early night, given the early start needed next morning.

We slipped Kip at 0335. It was raw and cold and windless, so we hardly appreciated the beauties of the Kyles of Bute. We motored round to Ardrishaig, the entrance to the Crinan Canal, just as the Sea Lock opened at 0915. So far so good – it takes at least six hours to get through, and we needed to be through

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

the sea lock at Crinan before it closed finally at 1700.

More haste less speed, perhaps. At any rate, at lock 4, I noticed a mooring line had got caught on a stanchion just as the sluice had been opened and water was flooding into the lock. I tried to release it, felt a jerk – and looked down to see the top of my finger hanging off. Oh dear! The lock keepers could not have been kinder. We had, of course, first to get the boat out of the lock. Chris proved a dab hand with a bandage, and I was then able to take Clan out and onto the nearest canal-side pontoon. To my embarrassment an ambulance had been ordered, and then began the sub-plot of the cruise: the skipper’s visits to local A&Es throughout the Inner Hebrides.

But first, a quick visit, via Lochgilphead A&E, to Glasgow Royal Infirmary to have it stitched up.

Meanwhile, Robin had taken over and took Clan through the canal to the inner sea lock at Crinan, where the team had supper at Crinan Hotel. It’s 96 miles from Glasgow to Crinan, but I managed to get back on the boat by taxi at 0130 on 4 June, my birthday, minus the top of a finger! I must tell you one funny story. As I was being stitched up under local anaesthetic, the nurse sitting by my head asked, was I “the round the world single-handed yachtsman?” “Not as such” I replied; “we were on our way to Barra.” “Oh, that’s where my father’s from” said she. And so a hilarious hour was passed while I lay on the operating table – her auntie and uncle, it transpired, had been “extras” in ‘Whisky Galore’.

When I returned to Crinan, Clan was, of course, still inside the canal’s sea lock. It didn’t open until 0915, so we could only observe the white waters of the Corrievreckan in full flood as we sped past, up the Sound of Luing, with the force of the tide behind us and then round to pass down the southern side of Mull. There we finally found just

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enough wind to sail on a broad reach and on, passing Iona where we had anchored so blissfully three years before, to Gott Bay in Tiree where we anchored for the night and had a major feast on board. Good holding there; we felt secure. Next morning, we up-anchored at 0830, found again just enough northerly wind (and thus chilly!) to sail on the 40-odd nautical miles, through a rising sea though, to Castlebay, Barra.

Much has changed since even the most recent Hebridean pilot was published: the remarks about Barra are an example. They imply that it is quite possible to anchor between Kisimul Castle and the town pier – but in reality, not if you draw 1.8m. All the guidance seems to talk about a previous generation of yachting when a 30 foot boat was enormous. And none of the pilots, including Reeds, mentioned the brand new pontoon – only three weeks old but planned for years we were told – to the west of the town. It will become the breakwater for a small marina to be built this winter. But it served us extremely well. On the 2014 LSC rally around Mull I never heard a West Highland accent; only incomers.

But in Barra the lilt of the Isles was all around us, save for the pontoon manager, from the north of England, a lovely man!

It’s a five minute walk into ‘downtown’ Barra, and it has hardly changed since 1948. Sadly, we arrived on the afternoon of the funeral of the poor lassie murdered in Manchester. By the time we had berthed the funeral mass and interment on Vatersay were over and the wake was in full Hebridean swing in the Castlebay Hotel. We decided it would not be appropriate to intrude and so went on to the other main hotel, next to the church – which features as a Presbyterian Kirk in the film (Barra has always remained Catholic – I doubt if any Scottish

Top: Angus and Robin on the pontoon bridge at Barra.

Above: Kisimul Castle, with the hint of a rainbow and the bows of the lifeboat.

“We may not have shared his discomforts, but we certainly shared his weather.”

Presbyterian kirk would have agreed to be featured as a Catholic one had the tables been turned, not at least in 1948). And so we ate, and drank, and awaited our final crew member Paul Banks, another old friend who had joined Angus and me for the Turkey rally in 2012 – but that’s another story.

Because Caledonian MacBrayne ferries had adjusted their sailings to ensure the funeral party arrived on time, his afternoon sailing was cancelled.

He finally arrived on the relief ferry to no welcome at all as everyone was fast asleep at 0330 – I still don’t know how he found the boat!

The next morning, before finally getting onto the Prince’s trail, we were taken over to Kisimul Castle, on its islet, restored by the 25th MacNeil of Barra – the (American) successor of the ‘Pirates of the Minch’. Well worth a visit. And then we beat up the Sea of the Hebrides to Lochboisdale on South Uist where another new and comfortable little marina not yet featured in the pilots awaited us. At the entrance of the loch we passed the Islet of Calvay with its ruined castle where our Prince lay shivering and hungry 270 years and 359 days before us. We ate onboard, very jolly too. And next morning we took on 65 litres of fuel – from jerrycans delivered through a cunning no-return siphon pipe!

According to Eric Linklater, tracing the Prince’s “coastwise voyaging” through the first half of June 1746 “is not unlike mapping the course of a waterbeetle; but now their erratic passages … were, so far from being aimless, quite certainly dictated by news of the enemy’s dispositions.” Moreover, “they ran [again] into foul weather. June is commonly a mild and sunlit month in the Outer Hebrides, but wherever he went the Prince was likely to meet fugitive’s weather: wind and rain that is, which added to his discomfort but impeded pursuit.” At one point they were forced to find refuge in Acairseil Falaich “no better than a cleft in the rock, but for a whole day, while the gale continued, it gave them shelter from the enemy.”

We may not have shared his discomforts, but we certainly shared his weather. The forecast was for a force 8 gale in a couple of days, but on Wednesday 7 June we beat northwards along the coast, viewing the various spots where the Prince went ashore. He stayed for three weeks in Glen Corrodale, snuggled, though bare and barren, between the watchful slopes LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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Above: The sunset on Loch Keiravagh, looking west (QED!).

Above right: Loch Keiravagh looking east towards Skye.

of Ben Hecla and Ben More, where no roads or tracks gave easy approach to the Elector’s (or the MacLeod militia’s) men. We made our own stop opposite Glen Corrodale, heaving to in order to have a more civilized lunch, drifting back 1.5M southwards with the tide during our hour and a half break. Looking at the forecast again persuaded us that to continue northward to Harris and Rodel would be foolhardy.

A hard decision, as I had been hoping to see St Clement’s Church there with its medieval tomb of Rory Mor MacLeod of MacLeod, complete with carving of a birlinn – the oldest depiction of the galley of the Western Isles, like a Viking longship, but with a rudder.

Instead, we anchored in the reassuring fastness of Loch Keiravagh (Chearabhaigh) on Benbecula, immediately north of the island of Wiay where the Prince landed more than once. It’s a lovely spot, quite deserted and completely sheltered. Except – there was a big fish farm with an automatic feeding machine just round the corner we discovered, which burst into its wheezing duties every half hour until evening when it fortunately switched itself off for the night. Next morning the gale was expected “soon” so, with the wind on the nose and rising, we motored the 32M to Loch Harport in Skye in just five and a half hours (thank goodness for a

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Right: Summer weather in the Outer Hebrides; Michael with his back to Glen Corrodale where the Prince “skulked” for three weeks.

Left: Robin steers while Paul snaps on Loch Keiravagh.

Left below: Talisker distillery …. and Right below … the “Talisker” or sloping rock at the entrance to Loch Harport.

powerful engine!). The Prince, now in his Betty Burke servant wench’s disguise, took a day and night, setting out from Loch Uskavagh, just north of our overnight refuge. They made for Waternish Point, and then, rowing desperately against tide and a gale of wind when accosted by militiamen, on to Kilbride Point on the Trotternish Peninsula, on 28–29 June 1746.

There was method in our madness. First shelter.

Then the joys of the Old Inn in Carbost – we can all recommend their haggis strudel. And finally, of course, Talisker Distillery, where I bought two bottles for the Club whisky tasting in October. As we moored to a distillery buoy, we had the most magnificent view of the Cuillins. The next morning they were invisible. The gale had moderated, however, so we motored out, round the Talisker, or “Sloping Rock” by which the Norsemen identified the entrance of Loch Harport, and into Loch Scavaig, where miraculously the clouds were whipped away and the Cuillins reappeared in all their awe-inspiring splendour. The Prince, of course, had to walk past them, all the way from Trotternish, via Portree and the Isle of Raasay, to Elgol from where he set off for Mallaig overnight on 4–5 July 1746. We anchored for lunch just off Camasunary’s white sands, and then motored past

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Elgol on our way round to Armadale and our crew change the next morning.

At Armadale we picked up one of Isle of Skye Yachts’ mooring buoys, in time to get ashore on Lord MacDonald’s old pier, opposite the ferry terminal on the other side of the bay, and walk along to Ardvasar – where Angus had stayed in the hotel some years ago! After another very pleasant dinner we walked back, watching the evening light bathing the mainland coast in ethereal pastel tones – an enchanted moment. We had planned for a lay day on Saturday 10 June, while effecting our crew change. I had also telephoned ahead from Barra (the telephone box is still where it was in 1948!) to the MacKinnon Memorial Hospital A&E at Broadford, to make sure I could get my wounds dressed and reviewed. But first we took on water and fuel, provided in another excellent if unorthodox fashion

by Isle of Skye Yachts. The water came to us while on the buoy through a half-mile hosepipe uncoiled from the pier, while fuel was provided from the company tender, which had a dinky little fuel pump in her bilge! And they took us ashore, or returned us, I can’t remember which, as a bonus. I liked the Entwistles; their charter yachts (some owned, some managed) looked in excellent repair – I’d certainly recommend them for a Western Isles bareboat charter cruise.

It’s a 20 minute taxi-ride to Broadford. Angus came along to get in stores while I was received like royalty – straight in to A&E, no messing, and seen by a mountaineer-ess from Newcastle doubling as the duty nurse; not quite healed enough to get the stitches out, but all well, she opined. Our faithful taxi driver dropped us back at the ferry terminal.

Robin and Chris were well on their way to Mallaig by then and Ray Long soon joined us after his scenic train journey up from Glasgow – he much recommends it. The only downside to mooring in Armadale Bay is its propensity to swell. The forecast was looking increasingly grim once more, with

force 9 forecast in the Minch overnight on Monday, and the sea was already grumbling. At that point I learned from the Entwistles that there is yet another new marina in Mallaig. Had I known, of course, all the hassle of the ferry crossings could have been avoided – mea culpa, Robin, Chris and Ray! We nipped over in the evening and had a much more comfortable night than we would have had, had we stayed in Armadale. It’s a perfectly decent little marina, with helpful staff. But Mallaig is not the place to sojourn for long (again echoing the travels of our Prince in 1746).

I had hoped to put our nose into Loch Nevis, where the Prince had yet another narrow escape from militiamen on 9 July 1746 before taking to the hills again for the next two months. But the weather was closing in. We decided to make a run for Tobermory – a much more congenial place to be stormbound! A lumpy sea, temperature down to 10°C (it never got above 12°C for the rest of the trip), with the wind on the nose and still rising at around force 5 when we rounded the point and the kaleidoscope of Tobermory’s multi-coloured harbour front came into view. But we made the 54M without difficulty in seven hours, arriving at the welcoming marina, where we had berthed three years before, at 1530.

What I really like about Tobermory is that they manage to do tourism without tat! And the Mishnish Hotel bar is something else. By midnight, we could hear what we had avoided – it was very reassuring to be tucked up safely while the gale raged above us. Our enforced lay day on Monday 12 June was turned to good account, however. I paid a quick visit by local bus (a lovely trip, but for the mist and rain completely obscuring the view) to the brand new Mull and Iona Community Hospital A&E at Craignure. Yet again I was whipped straight in and treated as though I were Bonnie Prince Charlie himself – everyone loved the idea behind our trip by the way (like all true or adopted

Above left: Loch Scavaig, the Cuillins and Canasunary Bay – Camasunary fishing lodge is the white dot on the right of the bay.

Above: Evening light bathes the mainland coast; seen from the Ardvasar Hotel, by Armadale.

Below: Armadale Bay, Skye; Lord MacDonald’s pier on the left.

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Top: Cheers! The snug in the Mishnish Bar. Above: Looking across to Jura from the Crinan sea lock in the evening light.

“All in all, it was a novel voyage, one way or another!”

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highlanders, incurably wistfully romantic). I then had the opportunity of visiting Duart Castle – the castle on the Black Rock (Dubh Ard), ancestral home of the MacLeans, lovingly restored by the current chief’s great-grandfather – while my faithful crew enjoyed the sights, shops and hostelries of Tobermory.

From then on, it has to be said, the weather was unkind – no gales, but rain, Scotch Mist, cloud. The Scots word is “dreich”, and my goodness, was it dreich! I felt particularly sorry for Ray, who joined us just as we left the best of the weather behind. On 13 June we motored in drizzle and poor visibility down the sound of Mull to Loch Aline, anchoring there for lunch onboard. We decided to anchor in Easdale for the night, just north of the Sound of Luing, hoping to see the abandoned slate works, now submerged in a series of lochans. But again, to my mind, the pilots available all seem to be from an earlier era and the chartlets unreliable. As we began to con the boat round the beacon on its mid-bay rock, it became clear there was no swinging room – our keel brushed a rock momentarily as we extricated ourselves gingerly, and made our disgruntled way back into open water, cold and miserable. The obvious way ahead was through the narrow sound between Seil and Luing – but we saw a power cable, marked on the chart but with no indication of its height. We could probably have got underneath it, but discretion was the better part of valour, so we turned instead into the Sound of Luing. There at least we had the good fortune of a following tide – we were soon racing through the disturbed waters at 9 knots despite a contrary wind.

The plan had been to have a last night anchored in highland solitude and so, rather than go into the marina at Craobh Haven, we slipped into the snug little anchorage just south of it, sheltered by a

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couple of islets, in Bagh an Tigh-Stoir. We had a most convivial evening, helped by our dwindling supplies of Talisker.

Despite Ray’s protestations that he enjoyed the scenery, by my lights we didn’t see much of it from then on. Wednesday produced one small gleam of brightness. We up-anchored at 1000, to catch the tide once more, and made surprising speeds as we whistled through the tidal gate of Dorus Mor into Crinan Bay and, after a short wait, through the sea lock and into the canal basin by 1330. That was good timing from my perspective, as it allowed me to order a taxi and disappear back to the Mid-Argyll A&E at Lochgilphead (another new hospital). My taxi driver was a gem; we had an amazing crack on the way, he knew all the hospital staff so I was soon ensconced in the waiting room and seen by a sympathetic nurse. He returned to pick me up and took me to the Co-op to stock up on a few necessities to see us through our last few days and back to the boat. There, as in Skye, the evening light turned the outlines of Jura and the nearer headlands into magical dream-like wraiths. A magnificent seafood repast at the Crinan Hotel rounded off the day.

From then the weather let us down completely.

After a brightish start, the rain came on – and on, and on. All the lock gates are manually opened and closed by crews – so everyone but the skipper (claiming the privileges of the injured) got soaked through. But we got to Ardrishaig, and had a scratch supper onboard (no-one fancied traipsing through the rain!). Friday 16 June, our last day, was spent in visibility never much above 1–2 miles, cold and wet. And then we were back ‘home’ in time to savour the culinary delights of the Inverkip Hotel yet again.

All in all, it was a novel voyage, one way or another! We sailed a total of 443M, though sadly the majority under power, including almost all of the last week. But it was an instructive and enjoyable trip, with its twin themes of Barra and Bonnie Prince Charlie. Eric Linklater says of the Prince’s wanderings on the Long Island: “in the main, memories coalesce of a remarkably attractive young man: sturdy and resilient, uncommonly equable in face of dire misfortune and fearful discomfort, and delightfully at his ease with the rough honesty of Ned Burke or the oaken worth of Donald MacLeod.” His closing peroration is as poignant as it is uplifting: “That Bonnie Prince Charlie brought sorrow and ruin to the Highlands is incontestable; and yet, by a not uncommon paradox, he enriched them beyond measure by a story that lives, and probably will, among the great stories of the world. …the devotion he inspired is the greater part of the story, and the blackened years of Highland desolation are still lighted by the memory of such men and women as [he names 15] and Flora MacDonald in her grave and steadfast beauty. …

Charles was the candle who lighted the bonfire, but they were the timber that filled a dark sky with their splendid ardour.” n

RALLIES West Mersea sunset.

Club members enjoyed the West Mersea Rally from 29 April to 1 May. Organised by John Davison, HPO, and Jonathan Hague, Rear Commodore Sail and Power, the traditional start to the East Coast rally season, delivered on fine food, great company and a magnificent sunset.

Jill Moffatt and Kate Newman report.

GREAT START TO EAST COAST SAILING YEAR

T

he early May Bank Holiday weekend saw the annual Little Ship Club pilgrimage to West Mersea. This is the traditional opener of the East Coast rally season and in our opinion is one of the highlights of the Club’s sailing calendar, particularly for foodies and lovers of fresh seafood.

The rally is promoted as offering fine dining, great company and a seafood and bubbles Sunday breakfast – plus the best sunset in Britain. It certainly lived up to this impressive billing!

THE PASSAGE

Due to it being close to a Spring tide we needed to make an early start out of Ramsgate at 0600 on Saturday morning. Of those boats that initially planned to attend the rally by sea, only two managed to sail or motor sail to West Mersea – Avventura from Ramsgate and Ramoth from Ipswich. Given their size, the location of their home ports and the strong winds forecast for the Sunday morning, other Little Ship Club skippers ended up taking the sensible decision to drive round instead.

A highlight of this passage from Ramsgate is always navigation of the shifting sands of the Thames Estuary.

Crossing the SW Sunk was completed successfully with 1.4m under the keel, and the Swin Spitway with just 0.8m to spare – a large margin by East Coast sailors’ reckoning and par for the course, but a bit concerning for some of us South Coasters!

When we arrived at West Mersea, it was just after HW springs so the harbourmaster took the precaution of allocating Avventura a berth on the outer moorings at the entrance to the harbour – a decision that was justified by the proximity of the mud bank behind us, which only became visible at low tide the next morning! Sadly, there was no sign of Sammy the seal who is regularly seen at the end of the town pontoon joining the children in the fun of crabbing. Apparently it might have been a bit too early in the season for him!

EATING, DRINKING AND SOCIALISING

West Mersea HPO John Davison was on hand from late afternoon in the West Mersea Yacht Club (WMYC) bar to welcome rally attendees, only leaving his post for a short while to change into more formal attire for dinner.

We then all gathered in the bar at 1900 for pre-dinner drinks and were given a very warm welcome to the LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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RALLIES Left: WMYC Commodore Michael Wheeler and LSC Commodore Anne Billard exchange club burgees.

Below: Spectacular sunset.

club by the WMYC Commodore Michael Wheeler, Vice Commodore Alan Jones and various members of their Club committee who joined us for the drinks.

John and Jonathan Hague had arranged for a special barrel of beer, ‘Hoodwink’ from Maldon Ales, to be set up behind the bar – the challenge being to drink the barrel dry by the end of the weekend!

We then went upstairs for dinner in the Long Room, which offers a splendid panoramic view over the harbour and surrounding countryside. After an official welcome to the Club from Michael Wheeler, both club commodores – Michael Wheeler for the WMYC and Anne Billard for the LSC – formally exchanged club burgees.

Twenty-five LSC members sat down to a delicious starter of scallops with cauliflower and parsley dressing, followed by a main of braised shoulder of lamb, crispy sweetbreads, pommes Anna, broad bean pea and lettuce with lamb jus, with a dessert of Tonka bean pannacotta, pistachio biscotti and macerated raspberries.

John Davison excelled himself again by laying on yet another spectacular sunset for the enjoyment of the diners. After dinner we all retired to the bar again, some to continue with the ‘barrel challenge’, others just to enjoy a digestif or two. John had arranged for a late launch to take those on the

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moorings back to their boats, so we all changed back into our waterproofs for the return journey and sped down the pontoon for the last departure at 2230.

On Sunday, it was time for a seafood breakfast at the Company Shed. Having looked at the weather, Ramoth chose to miss the breakfast and opted for an early return to Ipswich. The crew of Avventura made the return trip ashore on the West Mersea Club launch, YC1, just in time to reach the island before the depth of water became insufficient to allow the launch to come alongside the pontoon. We were helpfully informed by the boatman as we hurriedly boarded the launch, “We only have five minutes if we are going to be able to make the pontoon in time!”. Phew – we made it! We wouldn’t have wanted to miss the seafood breakfast! Indeed, it was fascinating to see the significant mud banks in the harbour en route as they made us even more appreciative of the challenges of following the narrow channel to the landing pontoon.

We all then gathered at 1000 at the famous Company Shed for the special seafood breakfast, accompanied by wine, juice, bubbly and baguettes.

Platters piled high with crab claws, prawns, shrimps and mussels were passed down the long tables along with side plates of oysters, smoked mackerel, smoked salmon and cockles. We were joined by Mary Wickenden, who drove up from London early especially (the fame of these breakfasts having spread amongst Club members) as well as guest Vivien Ryser, Treasurer of the RNSA East Coast Branch, former LSC member and long-standing friend of the club. Local residents, and former club HPOs, Shelagh and David Curry also dropped in to say hello whilst out walking their new cockapoo, Stanley (and also joined us later at the WMYC).

Those not in a hurry to return home or to yachts then re-assembled once more in the bar and the sunny garden of the WMYC for lunchtime drinks and to resume the ‘beer barrel challenge’.

NAVIGATING THE WEATHER

The initial plan at the start of the weekend had been for Avventura to return to Ramsgate mid-afternoon on Sunday, but a check of the updated weather forecast suggested that Monday would be better since the winds were expected to abate, so the decision was made to stay at West Mersea on the Sunday.

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Some of the crew elected to enjoy the afternoon sunshine and stroll beside the beach and into the village, with others remaining at the bar where they successfully completed the ‘beer barrel’ challenge, before we all went to the Coast Inn for an early evening meal – fortunately only a short stagger away!

John had in the meantime been busy liaising with WMYC who very kindly agreed to provide another late launch to deliver us back to the boat. We duly re-convened in the WMYC bar yet again before heading out for the 2030 launch. John remained in the bar, postponing his planned evening curry with friends to ensure our safe departure (or perhaps just to make sure that we had all finally left the premises?).

Inevitably Monday dawned windy, however confident that this would abate as forecast, Avventura set sail at 0900 which was low water, so that we would be on a rising tide leaving the Nass and for when we reached the shallow channels. Needless to say, the forecast changed and the wind did not abate but in fact increased to the top end of force 6, hitting us with gusts of up to 36 knots at times! The wind direction also did not behave as advertised and, instead of backing to what would have been a very helpful easterly, remained firmly in the south and therefore on the nose. After furling the genoa and reefing the main, Avventura ploughed resolutely into a force 7 wind and the cross-tides for what turned into a very wet and bumpy 10-hour return trip to Ramsgate.

Thanks are due to Jonathan and John for organising the rally and especially to John for all of his activities as HPO arranging everything on the ground locally.

We know that he is definitely looking forward enthusiastically to doing it all again next year! n

Above: Flying the WMYC burgee.

Right: View from WMYC. Below: West Mersea.

ATTENDEES:

Dinner: Anne Billard, Jonathan Hague, Ron Gardner, Paul Kelly, Jill Moffatt, Kate Newman, Charles Quayle (Avventura); Mike and Valerie Birch; Anne and Tim Bizzey; Sue Cossell and Richard Keen; Pete, Nicky and Oliver Hampson; Greg and Lydia Hirst, Kay Yuil (Ramoth); Iain Muspratt, Paul Banks, Michael Smith, John Strode; John Davison; Nick Pargeter.

Breakfast: Anne Billard, Jonathan Hague, Ron Gardner, Paul Kelly, Jill Moffatt, Kate Newman, Charles Quayle (Avventura); Anne and Tim Bizzey; Pete and Nicky Hampson; Celia and Anthony Mason; Iain Muspratt, Paul Banks, Michael Smith, John Strode; Mary Wickenden; John Davison; guest Vivien Ryser.

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RACING America’s Cup yachts: how they are today, and inset, how they used to be.

THE AMERICA’S CUP – “THERE IS NO SECOND” This year LSC members and the public enjoyed live screenings of the America’s Cup at the Club.

Caroline Roddis recalls the 2017 contest and outlines the history of this event and its

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iconic trophy.

D

id you know that the America’s Cup has a London connection? The iconic trophy was made by Garrard & Co, the jewellery company that was originally based on Threadneedle Street and which was also entrusted with care of the Crown Jewels until 2007.

You’d think, being British made, the trophy – originally called the £100 Cup – would bring some luck to the home side, but ever since the inaugural race round the Isle of Wight in 1851 it has never been won by a British side. That’s 166 years of hurt.

That first race was instead won by the yacht America, from which the trophy takes its now famous nickname. (Really, it’s ‘freedom fries’ all over again).

Despite 35 subsequent races, the cup has largely stayed stateside ever since.

That’s not to say that Britain’s silver cabinet remains completely empty. Sir Thomas Lipton, sailing enthusiast-cum-tea baron, was awarded a special cup for “the best of all losers” after his

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numerous failed attempts to win the trophy with yachts Shamrock I, II, III, IV and V. At least we excel at something.

Yet Lipton wasn’t the only magnate throwing money at the quest for the ‘auld mug’, as the cup is also known, and the race has long been associated with wealthy men who bring both vital funding and colourful personalities to the race. Nowadays the entry fee for the race alone is $2,000,000, and the total cost for acquiring the latest technology, kit and sailing talent is often over 50 times that.

Although there have been many, many rule changes over the years, the basics of the America’s Cup race are still the same: a yacht club, usually representing its own country, must challenge the club that currently holds the trophy to a race. Now that there are several competing nations, however, this is slightly more complicated than you’d think, as the following extract from the New Zealand Herald shows:

RACING “In the moments leading up to and immediately following Team New Zealand’s victory in Bermuda in June, Mair (Commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron) found himself in a James Bond-style covert mission – hidden on a luxury yacht, ignoring his mobile phone and hardly daring to talk to anyone for fear of accidentally receiving a challenge from the wrong suitor… Crew stood on guard, ordered to kick packages or envelopes overboard if they were thrown aboard.”

(The New Zealand team had already pledged to accept an Italian challenge before they won – not least because the Italians had heavily supported them in their 2017 campaign).

Once the admin is out of the way, other teams can pile in. As there can only be one official contender for the cup, since 1970 there has been a preceding series of races which decides which team can mount the actual challenge. Since the 1980s this has been sponsored by Louis Vuitton, but it’s so subtle you’d hardly notice...

The fact that the America’s Cup is contested by just two teams, in a winner-takes-all scenario, is a great part of its attraction. The event’s mantra, “there is no second”, is said to come from a remark by Queen Victoria.

Watching from the finish line in 1851 she is said to have asked who came second, to which came the immortal reply: “ah, Your Majesty, there is no second”.

In recent years the other aspect which has made the contest thrilling is the teams’ (to some controversial) use of foiling catamarans, which makes the race faster, more exciting and more accessible to non-sailors. This year it even seemed like Britain was finally in with a chance of winning – having pulled off a stunning victory for the Americans in 2013, surely Ben Ainslie could do the same for his home nation?

It was in an optimistic mood that we arranged to screen the weekday races at the Little Ship Club. This was made possible by the hard work and support of many club members, and particular thanks must go to Hunter Peace, Barrie Martin and new member Paul Marks, who very kindly lent us both AV equipment and expertise from his company Project 11.

Typically, the first scheduled screening was cancelled due to strong winds in Bermuda, but we nevertheless had great fun welcoming new people into the bar and showing them round the Club. It also gave us a chance to do a dress rehearsal before any real racing took place!

The next weeks saw a slow but steady stream of people watching the play-off rounds. Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) had started in a strong position, carrying over two points from its victory in the Louis Vuitton series, but struggled to get much traction against the other teams: Oracle Team USA, Emirates Team New Zealand, Groupama Team France, Artemis Racing and SoftBank Team Japan.

BAR gained just four points in the round robins, in which teams took turns to race each other, but advanced to the challenger playoffs in third place thanks to its earlier bonus. France, meanwhile, was knocked out, which must have at least given some

satisfaction to Vendee Globe’s ‘best of all losers’ Alex Thompson.

While Oracle, as cup holders, took some time off, the remaining four teams battled it out to become challenger. BAR’s third place ranking fated it to face off against second place holders Emirates Team New Zealand, who had performed very strongly in the round robins. Yet things got off to a pretty dismal start for different reasons: BAR experienced a camber arm failure on leg two of their first race and ended up forfeiting both matches that day. NZ 2: UK 0.

The next day was no less dramatic. Facing strong winds that eventually caused damage to all contestants’ boats, Team New Zealand achieved a convincing win in the first race before disaster struck in the second.

Hemmed in by BAR before the start line, New Zealand lost control while bearing away and dramatically pitchpoled, resulting in them being unable to right their boat and ultimately forfeiting the race.

The last day of racing between the two teams saw an air of muted resignation permeate through the Little Ship Club’s screening room. It was clear that New Zealand had the superior boat and, despite BAR winning a second race, that evening saw the kiwis cement two more decisive victories and go through to the next round. NZ 5: UK 0. It wasn’t just the fact that they were cycling rather than grinding to maintain hydraulic pressure; the New Zealand boat was also spades ahead in innovation, not to mention a force to be reckoned with under the command of dynamic 26 year old skipper Peter Burling.

Despite the wounded national pride, proceedings had been greatly enlivened by our unofficial yet expert commentator Mike, a member of the public who had joined us on most race days and graciously allowed us to pepper him with questions while watching his native New Zealand!

The kiwis, of course, went on to beat Artemis in the semi final and challenge Oracle for the America’s Cup. While it wasn’t feasible to open the Club for the weekend races we did screen the final Monday night’s action, in which all New Zealand needed to do was win one more

Below: The America’s Cup.

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

37

RACING

Photograph by kind permission of Jesús Renedo.

38

race to secure the trophy and wipe away memories of their dramatic reversal of fortune in 2013.

The atmosphere was electric as a packed room, with a decidedly kiwi flavour, watched New Zealand secure this victory. Most of the spectators were members of the public who had seen the screenings advertised on the website and social media – well done to the office and the marketing committee for making this happen! There was much cheering, hugging and drinking of champagne after Burling’s team crossed the finish line, and it felt wonderful that the Little Ship Club had enabled everyone to gather together for this event.

My favourite moment of the whole 2017 America’s Cup was watching Team New Zealand on the ‘podium’ being presented with special Louis Vuitton bags to mark their achievement. Clearly amused by such a brazen attempt at brand promotion, most of the sailors simply tossed their bags into the cheering crowd. It seemed to sum up the underlying spirit of the event, if not sailing in general, and it was just another reason why the America’s Cup couldn’t have gone to a more deserving team.

So what’s next for the ‘auld mug’? Now it’s in kiwi hands the plans for biennial racing have been thrown out of the porthole and it seems like the contest will instead take place in early 2021, potentially in foiling monohulls rather than catamarans. Either way it’s bound to be another exciting contest, not to mention a chance for BAR to prove their mettle – Club trip, anyone? n LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

AT THE CLUB LSC members join in with Maldon Little Ship Club’s 90th anniversary celebration.

Richard Keen

BARBECUE AND PETANQUE TO CELEBRATE MALDON’S 90TH I reports.

n the late Spring of 1927, the East Coast branch of the LSC decided to separate from the club in London and, as a result, Maldon Little Ship Club (MLSC) was formed just a few months after the foundation of the LSC in November 1926.

As with all separations, the two organisations went their separate ways and it was not until the end of the first decade of the new millennium that, by chance, an opportunity arose for the two clubs to come together and share a joint weekend at Brightlingsea in the convivial surroundings of the Colne Yacht Club.

Since then, the association has gone from strength to strength, with at least one on the water event a year being jointly organised. In May this year the LSC extended an invitation to MLSC to join with us and the RNSA at our dinner and other associated events at the Calais Rally. Susan Woods – the MLSC Commodore – together with her husband Peter, plus Kevin Knox – their Rear Commodore – his wife Lauren and their daughter Jasmin, sailed their respective yachts over to take part. The weekend was a great success and enjoyed by all (see photograph on page 21).

Discussions for our annual joint weekend get together were, by then, already under way between Sue Cossell and Kevin Knox, when it was suggested

by Kevin that the LSC might like to join in the MLSC’s 90th anniversary celebrations at the Royal Harwich Yacht Club on the River Orwell where a barbecue for their members had been arranged. The invitation was enthusiastically accepted and the weekend of 1–2 July went into the sailing diary.

It might be recalled that the weather was still being kind to us at the beginning of July and it was therefore in sunny and pleasantly breezy conditions that four LSC boats arrived at Woolverstone on the Orwell.

The afternoon’s entertainment comprised of a petanque competition on the raised lawn area (underarm bowling only allowed – no lobbing!) between teams chosen from each of the boats attending. To be honest, the final outcome and eventual winners was –

Above left: Paul Kelly, a lady member of MLSC and Pete Hampson going for a killer 'bowl'!

Above right:Pete' with his son Alex awaiting judgement on his efforts by Susan Woods (MLSC Commodore) on her knees with her back to the camera measuring distances, as the match judge, and with her husband Peter standing guard in case of disputes!

Below: Richard Keen, John De Witt, Sylvia Chesters, Paul Kelly and Lindsey Gill.

to the writer – somewhat ‘lost’ in the convivial atmosphere, but a thoroughly enjoyable and amusing time was had by competitors and spectators alike.

The catering staff at the Royal Harwich laid on a wonderful barbecue with ample quantities provided for the visitors, the evening finally breaking up into groups migrating onto individual boats for nightcaps that, in some cases, continued into the small hours.

During the night a brisk NW wind came in making the hammerhead berths ‘lively’ to say the least, and several skippers, followed by reluctant crew, were seen scurrying around in the dark armed with additional fenders and mooring warps. The breezy conditions continued late into a bright and sunny morning, with strong coffee and/or a ‘hair of the dog’ being consumed on the RHYC lawn by a number of the visitors. Eventually, the party broke up with the visiting yachts and motor cruisers leaving for their home ports by the early afternoon.

It was a privilege and a pleasure to be invited to join with MLSC at their 90th anniversary event and served to confirm the close association which has evolved between the two clubs after very many years apart.

We extend our thanks for a delightful weekend to the Commodore and members of MLSC. n LSC yachts in attendance: Britt, Greenwitch, Pim, Silver Pearl.

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

39

FROM THE ARCHIVES

“

The new film from Christopher Nolan telling the story of Operation Dynamo and the evacuation of Dunkirk was released last summer. It may therefore interest members to read this article taken from the ninth Wartime Pamphlet of the Little Ship Club, edited by A E Scrace and published in Spring 1942.

This original piece was originally a yarn given at an LSC meeting in St Stephen’s Tavern by C H Lightoller, a Lancastrian who, prior to his service with the Royal Navy in the First World War, was the most senior member of

M.Y. SUNDOWNER AT DUNKIRK

crew to survive the Titanic.

A Motor Cruiser 59-ft. overall, 12-ft. beam, 5-ft. draft, 26 tons regd., 32 tons gross, 72-h.p., 6-cylinder Gleniffer Diesel, giving a speed of 10 knots.

From a yarn given by C.H. Lightoller at St. Stephen’s Tavern

40

My eldest son, F. Roger Lightoller, and I with one Sea Scout (Gerald Ashwell) took Sundowner out of her winter quarters at Cubitts Yacht Basin, Chiswick, on May 31st, 1940, at 11 a.m. and proceeded according to instructions towards Southend, where we arrived at midnight. The first of about 40 boats that had mustered at Westminster.

At 3.15 a.m. on June 1st we left Southend in company with five others. Arriving off Ramsgate, I asked for orders and was instructed “Proceed to Dunkirk for further orders.” As my charts were somewhat antiquated, I asked if I could scrounge one a little more up to date, and on entering the harbour was presented with a set complete with Secret Sailing Instructions, giving – as I expected – route, buoys, channels, etc.

We left Ramsgate at 10 a.m. by the route laid down and halfway across avoided a floating mine by a narrow margin. Having no fire-arms of any description – and not even a tin hat – we had to leave the matter of its destruction to someone better equipped. A few minutes later we had our first introduction to enemy aircraft, three fighters flying high. Before they could be offensive, a British Destroyer – Worcester, I think – overhauled us and drove them off. At 2.25 p.m. we sighted and closed the 25-ft. Motor Cruiser Westerly, broken down and badly on fire. As the crew of two (plus three naval ratings she had picked up in Dunkirk) wished to abandon ship – and quickly – I went alongside and took them aboard, thereby giving them the additional pleasure of once again facing the hell they had just left.

We made the fairway buoy to the Roads shortly after the sinking of a French transport with severe loss of life. Steaming through the wreckage, and other things, we entered the Roads.

For some time past we had been subject to sporadic bombing and machine-gun fire, but as the Sundowner is exceptionally and extremely quick on her helm, by LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

Poster promoting Christopher Nolan’s film, Dunkirk.

waiting till the last moment and then putting the helm hard over – my son at the wheel – we easily avoided every attack, though sometimes we were nearly lifted out of the water.

It had been my intention to go right on to the Beaches, where my second son, 2nd Lieut. R. Trevor Lightoller, had been evacuated some 48 hours previously. But those of the Westerly informed me that the troops were all away from there, so I headed up for Dunkirk Piers.

By now dive bombers seemed to be forever dropping out of the clouds of enemy aircraft overhead. Within half a mile of the pierheads a two-funnelled transport had overhauled us on a converging course and was just passing us to port when two salvoes were dropped in quick succession right along her port side. For a few moments she was completely hidden in smoke and I certainly thought they had got her. But she reappeared out of the smoke gaily steaming on and heading for the piers which she entered just ahead of us.

The difficulty of taking troops on board from the quay high above us was obvious, so I went alongside a destroyer (Worcester again, I think) where they were already embarking. I got hold of her captain and told him (with a certain degree of optimism) that I could take a hundred (though the most I had ever had on board was 21). He, after consultation with the military C.O., said “Go ahead. Take all you can.”

I may say here that before leaving Cubitt’s Yacht Basin we had worked all night stripping her down of

FROM THE ARCHIVES everything movable, masts included, that would tend to lighten her and make for more room.

Roger, as previously arranged, packed the troops in down below – and I’ll say he did the packing to some purpose. On deck I detailed one naval rating to tally the troops aboard. At 50 I called below, “How are you getting on?“ receiving the cheery reply, “Oh, plenty of room yet.” At 75 he admitted they were getting just a bit cramped – all equipment and arms were being left on deck – so I told him to let it go at that and pack them on deck (having passed the word for every man to lie down and not move, the same applied on deck).

By the time we had 50 on deck I could feel her getting distinctly tender, so took no more. Actually we had exactly 130 on board including we three Sandowners and five from Westerly.

During the whole embarkation we had quite a lot of attention from enemy planes, but derived an amazing degree of comfort from the bark of the Worcester’s A.A. gun overhead.

Casting off and backing out we again entered the Roads, where it was continuous and unmitigated hell.

The troops were just splendid, and of their own initiative detailed look-outs ahead, astern and abeam for inquisitive planes, as my attention was pretty well occupied watching the course and passing word to Roger at the wheel. Any time an aircraft seemed inclined to try its hand on us one of the look-outs would call out quietly, “Look out for this bloke, Skipper,” at the same time pointing. One bomber that had been particularly offensive itself came under the notice of one of our fighters and suddenly plunged vertically, hitting the sea at some 400 m.p.h., about 50 yards astern. It was a sight never to be forgotten – so were many others, for that matter. Incidentally it was the one and only time that any man on board ever raised his voice above a conversational tone, but as that big black bomber hit the “deck” they all raised an echoing cheer.

My youngest son, Pilot-Officer H. B. Lightoller (lost on the very day war broke out, in the first raid on Wilhelmshaven) flew a Blenheim, and had at different times given me a whole lot of useful information about attack, defence and evasive tactics (at which I learned later he was particularly good), and I attribute in a great measure our success in getting across without a single casualty to his unwittingly help.

On one occasion an enemy machine came up astern at about 100 ft. with the obvious intention of raking our decks. He came down in a nice gliding dive, but I knew that he must elevate some 10 or 15 degrees before his guns would bear (I really wasn’t worrying much about bombs). Calling my son at the wheel to “Stand by,” I waited till as near as I could judge he was just on the point of pulling up, then “Hard-a-port.”

(She will turn 180 degrees in exactly her own length.)

This, of course, threw his aim off completely. He banked and tried again. Then “Hard-a-starboard“ with the same result. After a third attempt he gave us up in disgust. Incidentally, he was a sitter if I had had a machine-gun of any sort and, funny enough, though the troops had rifles and ammunition, everyone was

Screenshots from Dunkirk, by Warner Bros, featuring Harry Styles (top) and Kenneth Branagh ( above).

apparently too interested in the manoeuvre to think of using them. Altogether, there were three that a machine gun would have put paid to.

Not least of our difficulties was contending with the wash of fast craft, such as destroyers and transports. In every instance I had to stop, take the way off the ship and head the wash otherwise our successful little cruise would have ended in a bathe. The effect of the consequent plunging on the troops down below, in a stinking atmosphere with all ports and skylights closed, can well be imagined. They were literally packed like proverbial sardines – even one in the bath and another perched on the w.c., so that all the poor devils could do was just sit and be sick.

Arriving off Ramsgate I was first told to “lie off.” I told the authorities that I had 130 men on board (not that they believed me) and that I was more likely to lie on my beam ends as anything. I was then told to “come in.” Whilst entering, the men started to get to their feet and Sundowner promptly heeled over to a terrific angle. With the help of Roger’s bellowing roar from the wheelhouse we got them down again and told them to stay down or they’d be in the “drink.” I got her alongside a trawler at the quay and made fast.

After I had got rid of those on deck I gave the order “Come up from below,“ and look on the official’s face was certainly amusing to behold as troops vomited up through the forward and after companionways. As a stoker P.O., helping them over the trawler’s bulwarks put it, “God’s truth, mate! Where did you put them?”

He might well ask.

My intention had been to clear up the mess, get a couple of hours’ sleep – we had had none for two nights – and push off again. We might as well have pushed off right away, for no sooner had we piped down than a boat under our bows caught fire, and so ended all thoughts of sleep. Furthermore, to our disappointment, we learnt that for the slower boats the authorities had decided to “call it a day.” Later, with my son in command, Sundowner hoisted the White Ensign and the Admiralty took her over.

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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OBITUARY

EDWARD CECIL ALLCARD 1914 – 2017 Wretched news.

Instead of writing the second instalment of Edward's flamboyant life, I am now, sadly but proudly, writing his obituary. My husband died in the palliative care unit of Andorra’s hospital on the 28 July 2017, 49 years and a day since we left the UK together on the adventure of a lifetime – which turned into a lifetime of adventure.

Clare Allcard

Above: Edward, a ‘wild mariner’ Right: Temptress creaming along.

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E

dward was born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey on 31 October 1914. He grew up on the water, learned to sail aged six and was given his first sailing dinghy aged 12, which he usually sailed alone.

Even as a child, Edward was very comfortable in his own company often taking long walks in the woods with only his two dogs Roy and Spark for company.

After school at Liphook, Eton and Chillon College, Switzerland, he went as an apprentice to the dockyards of Glasgow, where he sailed most weekends and where he qualified as a naval architect.

On 1 June 1937 he joined the Little Ship Club.

Later Edward became a member of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects and, at the time of his death, was the longest standing member in the 157-year history of that venerable institution.

In 1939 Edward completed his first extended single-handed voyage from Scotland to Norway and back in the gaff yawl, Dawn Patrol, bought as a derelict, restored, sailed and then sold at a profit.

This was to be the pattern of his life. When I met him, Edward had already ‘rescued’ 14 wooden boats.

Edward made his return landfall in Scotland 17 days before the outbreak of World War II. He spent the war travelling the country testing and inspecting air sea rescue craft and narrowly escaping death three times, twice arriving at hotels that had been flattened the previous night. The third time, when in London, he was not so lucky. He was blown up and spent three months in hospital successfully fighting to save his leg. It was then that he first grew his beard.

At war’s end Edward had had enough. He wanted to “cast off the insidious chains of civilisation”, be master of his own fate, to explore our planet’s secret places and follow his own particular star.

A quiet but steely determination throughout his life meant that Edward virtually never deflected from his final objectives. Resolved to sail alone to America, he almost sank one boat, Content, in the Bay of Biscay, before setting out in 1949, in his next one,

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

the 34ft gaff-rigged yawl, Temptress, to make his first solo transatlantic crossing. With no self-steering gear he arrived in New York 80 days later. He recounted the tale in ‘Single-Handed Passage’.

It was near New York that Edward spotted another derelict, Wanderer, and fell instantly in love. This was surely the perfect boat to circumnavigate the globe.

36ft long, built in 1911, he bought her for $250, towed her up river, hauled her out under a tree and, in 1950, set off back to the UK in Temptress. What a voyage! And how well he described it in ‘Temptress Returns’. It’s all there: dismasting in hurricane force winds, broken bones, towering seas – and a beautiful young stowaway at the finish! He also, almost incidentally, became the first person to sail singlehanded both ways across the Atlantic.

In the following year, 1951, he was made an honorary life member of the Little Ship Club, the Clyde Cruising Club and the Cruising Association.

Back in the UK he spruced up Temptress and sold her. To get back to Wanderer, he sailed as paid skipper aboard the yacht Catania crossing the Atlantic once more, this time with her owner, Norman Fowler (rumoured to have recently murdered his rich lover).

Always one for a challenge was Edward.

Hard work on Wanderer brought her back to England where, in 1956, Edward re-met and then married his first wife, Michele. Sadly, they turned out to be incompatible.

A year later he set out on a very leisurely solo circumnavigation, earning a precarious living on the way. However, not in Wanderer. At the insistence of Eric Hiscock, Edward had changed the name of his 45-year-old boat to Sea Wanderer.

In the Canaries he met the Norwegian yachtsman, Peter Tangvald. Both single-handing, they each wanted to reach Antigua for Christmas so – as one does – they made a race of it. The local yacht club supervised the start, and the prize? One dollar. On 20 November 1957 they embarked on the first ever eastwest single-handed transatlantic race. Peter won.

Once there, Edward joined the Nicholson’s pioneering charter business. He loved it – and the rolls of dollar bills he saved for the onward voyage.

OBITUARY

Kitty replenished, in 1961 he set out to sail some 9,000 miles non-stop to Montevideo in Uruguay. It took him 100 days. On arrival, unready to face his fellow human beings, Edward actually stayed aboard a couple more days before going ashore. The tale of this part of his life appears in Edward’s third book, ‘Voyage Alone’.

On the other side of the River Plate in Buenos Aires, Edward was involved, as front seat passenger, in a serious car accident that scalped him and kept him grounded for more than a year. Finally, in 1966, with Sea Wanderer duly strengthened for the Roaring Forties, he set out to achieve his latest dream. He’d read Lucas Bridge’s book, ‘The Uttermost Part of the Earth’ and was determined to spend a winter in Tierra del Fuego.

Edward’s most recent book, ‘Solo Around Cape Horn and Beyond’, published by Imperator Publishing, came out in 2016. It tells of his year-long, ground-breaking cruise from Montevideo to Valparaiso in Chile, of surviving a four-day, humdinger of a Cape Horner, rounding the Cape in glassy calm but with the Little Ship Club burgee at the masthead and then, after many adventures in the uninhabited Patagonian Channels, arriving in Valparaiso to be greeted by the large German-Chilean Harseim contingent of his family.

In 1967 he left Valparaiso for the Pacific crossing.

Tipped upside down by a rogue wave, all his crockery was smashed but he carried on to the Tuamotu Archipelago, Tahiti and Tonga with a quick inspection of Minerva Reef on the way.

Arriving in Auckland, New Zealand he heard that his father had been killed in a car accident and that his mother was fading fast. Hauling Sea Wanderer out, he caught a plane back to the UK. Solo circumnavigations being pretty rare in those days, he was interviewed by the Sunday Express.

Asked if he ever got lonely, Edward, aged 53, replied, “No, but it would be good to meet a woman with the same interests to come along too.” Aged 21, and in the middle of a psychiatric crisis, I read the article and wrote to him, saying I couldn’t actually sail or cook but thought his way of life sounded perfect. He answered. We met.

Edward had found the long flight from New

Above: Restoring century old wheel of New Zealand ferry.

Above: Happy Birthday!

Right: Edward and Clare joyriding in the Funicamp cable-car.

Right below: Cape Horn bearing north.

Zealand to UK incredibly tedious so had bought a Land Rover, had it converted by Dormobile and was ready to set off to Singapore. He just needed a co-driver.

On 27 July 1968 we set out together to drive overland to Singapore. In Iran we got confused in the desert – Edward had spotted a dotted caravan trail on the map and thought it would be fun to get off the only road and follow it. In the mountains of Afghanistan he fought off bandits. In India we transported fodder for a wily Indian immigration officer’s cows. It took us five months and many more adventures before we arrived in Singapore. We flew into Auckland on New Year’s Eve. We spent over a year in New Zealand where our daughter, Kate, was born in 1969. In 1970, still determined to complete his solo circumnavigation, Edward again set out this time for Singapore. But the wind changed and so we spent six months in Portuguese (East) Timor while he waited for it to change back again. From there he sailed on alone to Singapore arriving, to my great joy, on Kate’s first LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

43

OBITUARY birthday. After a good haul out he was off once more.

Next stop Mombasa, Kenya.

Edward expected to arrive in the first half of September. Kate, aged 18 months, and I went on ahead to stay with my brother and his numerous family in Nairobi.

September came and went; no Edward. October ditto and still no Edward. I was getting pretty anxious. (He refused to carry a ship-to-shore radio.)

By November, I feared he was lost at sea yet I could hardly call for a blanket search of the Indian Ocean.

Finally, on 12 December 1970 I received a cable, “Delete Mombasa substitute Seychelles come soonest have found love nest.” I burst into tears of relief.

The wind had again changed – and he had fallen in love with the Seychelles. We spent the next two years there working on his next dream: to build a replica of Columbus’ caravel, La Niña.

Then, in a sudden fit of pragmatism, Edward decided to complete his solo-circumnavigation before laying the caravel’s keel. In 1973 he set out for Antigua, spent a couple of months in Durban repairing damage to Sea Wanderer and taking time out for us to get married.

Edward arrived in Antigua after calling in on his great friend Peter Tangvald in French Guiana.

Edward had completed what was then considered the most protracted solo circumnavigation ever.

In 1974 Edward sold Sea Wanderer and for the same money bought the worm-eaten, 69ft ex Baltic trader, Johanne Regina, built in Denmark in 1929. A ‘dream ship’, she was exactly the same dimensions as the proposed caravel, already built and incredibly beautiful. And at last we were together as a family.

Over the next 12 years we cruised the world looking for good boatyards – and were never bored.

Our many adventures up until we returned to the Seychelles: fish poisoning, being rammed and almost sunk in the Bay of Biscay, raided by Italian Mafia, captured by South Yemeni Communists and thrown in jail for spying, are all recorded in my book ‘A Gypsy Life’, recently re-released as a companion to Edward’s ‘Solo’.

In all we spent eight years cruising the Indian Ocean including time on a desert island, a 70nm tow to rescue Tim Severin’s Sinbad Project off Indonesia and fending off attacks by pirates, until finally, in 1984, we decided to head back to Europe.

Left: Edward.

Below: Family in the Seychelles.

Stopping in Turkey for engine repairs we stayed a year, finding the Turks enchanting. But, before leaving Singapore, led on by a serendipitous advertisement on a scrap of newspaper wrapped around a loaf of bread, we had bought a tiny plot of land, between France and Spain, in the Pyrenean mountains of Andorra, and had had a house built. It was waiting for us.

Mooring in southern Spain, we drove up to our new home in 1986. Not that Edward became a landlubber. For the next 20 years he lived aboard for nine months of the year, constantly restoring Johanne while I commuted each week. Come winter he came up to ski.

In 1991, Thomas Tangvald, aged 15, came to live with us after his father and little sister died, shipwrecked on the reef in Bonaire, Dutch Antilles.

(His mother had been shot dead by pirates in the Sulu Sea when he was three and his step-mother fell overboard and drowned in the Atlantic when he was seven. In 2014 Thomas himself disappeared at sea.)

In 2006 we sold Johanne to a Catalan sail-training NGO. Aged 92, Edward finally swallowed the anchor and hung up his skis. One day in 2009 he turned to me. “You know, I feel very guilty that I never wrote up my Cape Horn adventures.”

“Well, why not start now?” I replied And so, aged 95, he began to write his fourth book, ‘Solo Around Cape Horn and Beyond’.

In the past two years Edward’s quality of life diminished drastically. Still able to go for short walks, he could no longer read books or understand films – people spoke too fast. He was miserably bored. He wanted out. On the 28 July 2017, Edward cast off his moorings and left peacefully on his last voyage – alone. n “Edward Allcard was our oldest Honorary member, having joined on 1 June 1937. His wife Clare invited me to meet them earlier this year, when I went skiing in Andorra, and it was with great sadness that I heard that Edward had died, aged 102, in July.

I sincerely hope that Clare will carry on writing about Edward’s life in the forthcoming editions in the Little Ship. Here she writes a very personal obituary of the extraordinary man whose life she shared for over 50 years”.

Anne Billard, Commodore

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LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

EVENTS

LITTLE SHIPPERS ON THE WATER With the 2017 sailing season underway here’s a round up of events taking place on the water in the coming months.

SEPTEMBER

THAMES TRAFALGAR RACE 20174SATURDAY 30 SEPTEMBER 0800 TO SUNDAY 1 OCTOBER 1700 This two-day stage race gives sailors an opportunity to tackle the fickle tides and winds of the River Thames, starting from Blackwall Reach, near Greenwich and finishing at Erith Yacht Club on day one. After a dinner on Saturday night paying respect to Horatio Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar, stage two sees the race return upriver to Greenwich.

Hosted jointly by Little Ship Club and Erith Yacht Club, please register your interest in entering by emailing thamesracing@littleshipclub.co.uk and you will receive first notification and a chance to enter.

Yachts are able to berth at Limehouse Basin for the weekend before until the weekend after the race at a special discounted berthing rate.

OCTOBER

FROSTBITE RALLY AND FAST CRUISE 14SATURDAY 14 OCTOBER

We are continuing our tradition of holding the south coast end of season dinner at one of the premier Cowes yacht clubs. It wil be held at the Isle of Wight clubhouse of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (formerly the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club). In addition to marking the end of the traditional sailing season we will also have the first Fast Cruise of the 2017-18 winter season.

END OF SEASON, EAST COAST – BURNHAM ON CROUCH4SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER 1800

Moorings will be arranged in Burnham Yacht Harbour where there will be a pontoon party and dinner will be at The Oyster Smack Inn.

SKIPPER AND CREW SERVICE

For all your skipper and crew requirements please use the Skippers and Crew forum on the Club website.

Or email your requests to:

skippersandcrew@ littleshipclub.co.uk

ON THE WATER For any queries, suggestions or offers of help with any of the Club’s on-the-water activities please email:

sailandpower@ littleshipclub.co.uk

NOVEMBER

CARIBBEAN RALLY4WEDNESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 0900 TO SUNDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2100

Itinerary for this 10-day cruise will be optional. You can follow the group or strike out on your own. We will start and finish in Road Town, the capital of Tortola. In between we hope to visit Cooper Island, Virgin Gorda Island, Marina Cay, Cane Garden Bay, Great Harbour and The Bight. Easy. It will be gentle sailing for those who want to chill. For those who prefer more of a thrill, there will be the opportunity to visit the more distant islands in the area.

FAST CRUISE 24SATURDAY 11 NOVEMBER 1100 Further details will be available on the Club website.

DECEMBER

FAST CRUISE 34SATURDAY 2 DECEMBER 0700

Visit to the Folly Inn at Whippingham, on the Medina between Cowes and Newport for the traditional Fast Cruise fancy dress contest, with music and obligatory dancing on the tables!

JANUARY TO MARCH

FAST CRUISE 44SATURDAY 20 JANUARY 1100 Further details will be available on the Club website.

FAST CRUISE 54SATURDAY 17 FEBRUARY 1100

Fast Cruise to Southampton Town Quay, where berths have been reserved. Following the fun on the water we’ll be heading to Kuti’s Brasserie/Indian Restaurant for a set hot buffet meal (as much as you can eat) in their upstairs banquet room.

FAST CRUISE 64SATURDAY 24 MARCH 1100

Final Fast Cruise of the 2017-18 series and prize-giving dinner.

All sailing activities as well as social events are listed on the website: http://littleshipclub.co.uk/events/all LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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HPO NEWS

SAY “HELLO” TO YOUR NEW OFFICERS In 2017 the Club gained HPOs in more locations around the world. HPO liaison officer Anne Le Verrier Bizzey introduces HPOs in Singapore, Switzerland, Bermuda and the Caledonian Canal.

Clockwise from above: Jonathan Le Fevre, HPO Lake Geneva, Switzerland

Michael Salter, HPO Caledonian Canal.

Galen Brislane, HPO Bermuda.

Daniel Whittington, HPO Singapore.

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During this year I have appointed some new Honorary Port Officers in the most wonderful locations with the hope that members, when they are winging their way to holiday destinations or sailing the blue seas, might call to say “Hello”.

All these HPOs scattered around the world are eager to meet and offer hospitality or assistance and I urge all LSC members to please make an effort to remember them when you are out and about. They are a very important part of our Club and need to be included in our activities whenever possible.

Those of you travelling to the Far East, will now have the opportunity to call on Daniel Whittington, HPO Singapore and club member. I am sure Daniel will only be too pleased to meet and maybe take you out on his yacht if you have time available. Singapore is a wonderful destination, very modern and interesting and makes a good break on those longdistance flights and journeys.

Should you be holidaying in Switzerland or touring the Alps, on one of Europe’s biggest lakes you will have the opportunity to meet Jonathan Le Fevre, HPO Lake Geneva and Club member – who is also an active member of Société Nautique Rollaise (SNR) – one of the oldest sailing clubs in Switzerland (1880) which races every Wednesday during the summer months. The club is also in the middle of wine making country and 60 per cent of the members are in the wine making industry, so plenty to do and see in this area be it touring, sailing or sampling the many wines of the area.

Closer to home and up in the north of England, there is the wonderful location of the Caledonian Canal: many members travel through, taking the canal to either eastwards or westwards around the UK. Michael Salter, HPO Caledonian Canal and Club member, has a swinging mooring and a possible transit stop if you are passing through this fantastic route – needs prior notice please.

LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

Over the Atlantic, in the western hemisphere towards the USA, is the fantastic destination of Bermuda where the America’s Cup teams have been fighting it out this year. Our American cousins, the Corinthians, visit Bermuda frequently and I am hoping Galen will meet some LSC or Corinthian members. Galen Brislane, HPO Bermuda and a club member is a frequent visitor to the Club in London, and looks forward to welcoming members in his wonderful location.

GET IN TOUCH

For any information about the Club’s HPOs please contact Anne, HPO Liaison hpoofficer@littleshipclub.co.uk

Any amendments to personal contact details should be sent directly to Anne and copied to Judy Brown in the Club office, judybrown@ littleshipclub.co.uk in order to keep the database up-to-date.

LITTLE SHIP CLUB HONORARY PORT OFFICERS International country dialling codes follow country name. Home telephone number, (business number in brackets). Last updated 29/8/2017 UNITED KINGDOM +44 SOUTH COAST OF ENGLAND CHICHESTER HARBOUR: Brian Humber, 7 Stockbridge Gardens, Donnington, Chichester PO19 8RL. Mob: 07801 211658 brian_humber@hotmail.com EASTBOURNE: Ewen Summers, Swallows, 6A Denton Road, Eastbourne BN20 7SU. Tel: 01323 735257 Mob: 07785 953734 ewensummers@hotmail.com SHOREHAM: Gordon Line, 12 Riverside Road, Shoreham By Sea, West Sussex BN43 5RB. Tel: 01273 453629 Mob: 07879 025666 gordon.line@talktalk.net RIVER DART: David Clements, Southernhay, High Street, Hinton St George TA17 8SE. Tel: 01460 77214 Mob: 07802 151538 mail@clemhinton.com

WEST MERSEA AND RIVER BLACKWATER: John Davison, 68 High Street, West Mersea, Colchester, Essex, CO5 8JE. Tel: 01206 621843 jhdavison@hotmail.co.uk

SCOTLAND CALEDONIAL CANAL: Michael Salter, Kingdom, Glassel, Banchory, Aberdeen AB31 4BY. Tel: 01330 824191 Mob: 07802 694 812 michael@salterweb.com

LARGS: Charles Harrigan, 2/7, 23 Blackfriars St Merchant City, Glasgow G1 1BL. Tel: 01475 686638 Mob: 07702 555373 charlieharrigan@aol.com

CHERBOURG: Magali Hamon, Port Chantereyne, 50 100 Cherbourg-Octeville, France.

Mob: 687 710 941 magali. hamon@ville-cherbourg.fr

ISLE OF MAN

BRISTOL: Michael Roberts, 4 Beechcroft, Dundry BS41 8LE. Tel: 0117 964 6667 michael.winroberts@gmail.com

Wendy Horn, Dove Cottage, New Road, Laxey IM4 7BQ. Tel: 01624 862000 Mob: 07762 926600 rhinoman@manx.net

BENFLEET: Terry Pond, Flat 4, Estuary Lodge, 230 Eastern Esplanade, Thorpe Bay, SS1 3AE. Tel: 01702 588910 tpond@btinternet.com BRIGHTLINGSEA: Pete Hampson, 27 Great Lawn, Chipping Ongar, Essex CM5 0AA. Tel: 01992 614213 petehampson@gmail.com RIVER CROUCH AND GREECE: Tom Davey, 181 Friern Barnet Lane, London N20 0NN. Tel: 020 8445 2078 pembury@tom davey. reeserve.co.uk RIVER DEBEN: Tony Ratcliffe MBE, Old Bakery Cottage, 29 The Street, Bawdsey, Woodbridge IP12 3AH. Tel: 01394 411461 Mob: 07549 989670 anthonyjratcliffe@hotmail.com CHATHAM: Tracie Lanaghan, Chatham Maritime Marina, Lock Buildings, Leviathan Way, Chatham, ME4 4LP. Tel: 01634 899200 Mob: 07904 546470 t.lanaghan@mdlmarinas.co.uk RIVERS ORWELL, STOUR, ALDE & ORE: Bill Hughes, Timbers, Cliff Rd, Waldringfield, Woodbridge,Suffolk, IP12 4QL. Tel: 01473 736 479 Mob: 07917 797578 bill@livia.org.uk RAMSGATE: Dr Rodney Pell, Minster Court, 23 Tothill Street, Minster, Kent CT12 4AG. Mob: 07771 764169 rodneypell@hotmail.com

FRANCE +33

EAST COAST: Cairns Birrell, The White House, 1 Shore, Anstruther Fife KY10 3DY. Tel: 01333 313492 Mob: 07710 451779 cairns@enpd.co.uk

WEST COAST OF ENGLAND

EAST COAST OF ENGLAND

Ado Tikerpäe, c/o Kalev Jahtklubi MTÜ (Kalev Yacht Club), Pirita tee 17, Tallinn 11911. Tel: 53 010 450 sadam@kjk.ee

ANTIBES: David Lakeman, 26 Montee de la Bourgade, Haute de Cages, Cagnes sur Mer, 06800. Tel: 06792 18076 UK mob: 07528 479770 davidtlakeman@gmail.com

LOCH LOMOND: Angus Annan, Easter Cottage, Blair Logie, Stirling FX9 5PX. Tel: 01259 761281 Mob: 07785 523540 angusannan01@btinternet.com

CHANNEL ISLANDS +44 ALDERNEY: Doug White, Clos Carre Cottage, Les Mouriaux Alderney GY9 3UH. Tel: 1481 824149 Mob: 7781 137875 mail@dougwhite.eu JERSEY: Brian Alderson, 4 Le Clos du Petit Pont, La Rue du Craslin, St Peter JE3 7BU. Tel: 01534 866846 Mob: 07700 866846 brianalderson@mac.com GUERNSEY: St Peter Port David Mitchison, Winchester House, Grand Douit Road, St Sampson, GY2 4WG. Tel: 01481 254478 mitchison@cwgsy.net

NORTHERN EUROPE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND +353 BALTIMORE/WEST CORK/ FASTNET: Dominic O’Flynn, Journeys End, The Cove, Baltimore, County Cork.

Mob: 86 255 9206 dominic.oflynn@gmail.com

MENORCA: Christopher Collman, Apartado 551, Mahon 07701. Mob: 696 43 47 87 collman@infotelecom.es

GREECE +30 ESTONIA +372

FALMOUTH: Rodney Bennett, Cowlands Hill, Cowlands, Truro TR3 6AT Tel: 01872 278950. advice@alexinvest.f9.co.uk

NORTH DEVON COAST: Capt David Ganniclifft, The Old School House, Westleigh, Bideford EX39 4NW. Tel: 01271 861439 david@ganniclifft.eclipse.co.uk

WATERFORD: Gabbie and Tim Ryan, 3 Priory Street, New Ross, County Wexford. Tel: 51 422543 Mob: 86 163 8601 gabriellecryan@hotmail.com

NORTH BRITTANY: Keith Martin, Le Logis 35190, Sant Thaul. Tel: 299 668 228 cormoran35@orange.fr ST-QUAY PORT D’ARMOR: Jean-Michel Gaigne, Director, 22410 Saint-Quay-Portrieux.

Mob: 0682 112524 jmg-port@orange.fr

CORFU & IONIAN SEA: Dimitrios Koutsodontis, Gouvia Marina PO Box 60, 49083 Tzavros, Corfu.

Tel: 2 661 090786 mimisgouvia@yahoo.gr PAROS: Dr Robin Brown, 10 La Vigne Au Chat, 1220 Sauverny, Divonne Les Bains, France. Tel: +33 450 411717 di-robin@fsmail.net

NETHERLANDS +31 AMSTERDAM: Gabe Langerak, Singel 188 – III, 1016 AA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Mob: 645789923 gglangerak@yahoo.co.uk ROTTERDAM–ANTWERP (ALSO BELGIAN PORTS): Hans Buskop, Dr H Colijnlaan 6/167, Rijswijk NL-2283.

Tel: 70 394 41 38 hansbuskop@ziggo.nl

SPAIN +34 LA MANGA: Tony Canham, Treize, Poplar Avenue, Norwich NR4 7LB. Tel: 01603 259813 Mob: 07710 140550 arbitrator@tonycanham.com

SWITZERLAND +34 LAKE GENEVA: Jonathan Le Feuvre, La Grande Vigne, 1183 Bursin, Vaud, Switzerland.

Mob: 78 610 7340 jlefeuvre@me.com

MEDITERRANEAN

BERMUDA +1 441

AUCKLAND: Steve Burrett, PO Box 712 Warkworth, Auckland 941. Tel: 9425 9191 Mob: 21 942 732 jsteveburrett@gmail.com

BERMUDA: Galen BRISLANE, 18 Astwood Road, Paget, DV04, BERMUDA. Mob: 595 0033 galenbrislane@gmail.com

BAY OF ISLANDS: Sarah Fountain, PO Box 292, Mangonui 557. Tel: 9 406 7766 watchman@xtra.co.nz

TURKS & CAICOS Is +1 649 David Blackburn, C/o Micky Shoulak, PO Box 274, Providenciales, T&C Isles.

Mob: 231 4479 mickys@tciway.tc

AMERICAS CANADA +1

TURKEY +90

TORONTO: David W Brisco, 2551 Flannery Drive, Ottawa K1V 9R5. Tel: 613 521 0741 reiver1542@icloud.com

FETHIYE: Stuart Aikman, 2 Karagozler, 18 Ordu Caddesi, Sok No 40, Fethiye, 48300 Mugla. Tel: 252 612 3996 Mob: 535 599 8538 scaikman@hotmail.com

VANCOUVER: Michael D Trundle, #902 Villa Maris, 2222 Bellevue Avenue, West Vancouver, BC V7V 1C7 Tel: 604 926 2925 miketrundle1@gmail.com

LYCIAN COAST: Hasan Kaçmas, Fener Mahallesi 1964 Sokak No9, Alanya Marina, Antalya 7160. Tel: 90 242 323 66 80 hasan@east-med.com

USA +1 (EAST COAST)

IZMIR: Chris Haire, No 9 Ozel IV 6345 Sokak, Bostanli, Izmir.

Tel: 232 334 0944 Mob: 535 339 5501 hairechris@hotmail.com

ICELAND +354 Egill Kolbeinsson, Hjallabraut 64 Hafnarfjördur, 220 Iceland.

Tel: 565 4066 Mob: 898 5181 egill@navi.is

NEW ZEALAND +64

SOUTHEAST ASIA SINGAPORE AND SOUTHEAST REGION +27 SINGAPORE: Daniel Whittington, 1 Jalan Kembangan, #13-12 The Trump, Singapore 4129134.

Tel: 8298 3416 danielwhitters@gmail.com

AFRICA REP OF SOUTH AFRICA +27 KNYSNA: Colin Brown, PO Box 1367, Plettenburg Bay, SA6600. Tel: 44 533 1037 Mob: 84 679 7854 chbbrown@telkomsa.net

MIDDLE EAST YEMEN +967 ADEN: Capt Roy Facey, Tel: 220 3521 Postal address: 8 Main Street, St Mary’s Island, Chatham, Kent ME4 3SF. royafacey@yahoo.co.uk

AUSTRALASIA AUSTRALIA +61

CROSSHAVEN: Wietse Buwalda, Salve Marine, Crosshaven County Cork. Tel: 21 483 709 Mob: 872 601 755 salvemarine@eircom.net

BALEARIC ISLANDS +34 IBIZA: John Cardwell, Apartado 349, San Antoni de Portmany, Ibiza 7820. Tel: 971 34 24 15 johncardwellibiza@yahoo.co.uk

DUN LAOGHAIRE: Ronan Beirne, 5 Doonanore Park, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.

Mob: 862 543 866 ronanmbeirne@gmail.com

MELBOURNE: Graham Cunningham, 2501/26 Southgate Avenue, Southbank, Victoria 3006. Tel: 3 9696 7645 Mob: 412 151 944 graham@paradigmadvisory.com

MALLORCA (NORTH): Ian Foster, Casa Oceania, c/Alcanada 50, Pto Alcudia 7410. Tel: 971 54 69 98 ianandtessa@gmail.com

SYDNEY: Michael Wynter, 23 Gale St, Woolwich Sydney 2110. Mob: 409 833 350 mwynter@mccullough.com.au

GREYSTONES: John Murphy, 34 The Court, Station Road, Killiney, Co. Dublin. Tel: 86 810 1263 Mob: +44(0) 778 740 5675 john.murphy@arkphire.com

MALLORCA (SOUTH): Mark Grzegorczyk, Boya No.45, Arda.Gabriel Roca 27, 07157, Puerto De Andrax. UK mob: 07774 118804 grzego@aol.com

FIJI +679 Bruce Phillips, PO Box 70, Denarau, Fiji.

Tel: 6751 222 Mob: 9998 332 daisychain@connect.com.fj

ANNAPOLIS: Larry Blount, 317 Quail Run Drive, Centreville, Maryland, 21617-2302, USA. Tel: 410 758 3502.

Mob: 410 490 4412 larryblount@verizon.net BOSTON TO CAPE ANN: Ernest Hardy, 47 Bartlett Parkway, Winthrop, Massachusetts MA 02152.

Tel: 617 846 6320 eehardy@comcast.net

USA +1 (WEST COAST) SAN DIEGO: Simon Clark, 22256 Baxter Canyon Road, Vista, CA 92081.

Mob: 760 415 2345 simon@sdfinancial.com SAN FRANCISCO BAY: John C Colver, 250 Beach Road, Belvedere, CA 94920.

Tel: 415 435 4024 Mob: 415 730 6462 rjcyc@aol.com WEST COAST: Capt Robert G Moore USCG (Retd), 27703 94th Ave SW, Vashon, Washington, 98070-8609.

Tel: 206 463 2109 coastwatch@comcast.net HONOLULU: Dr Ed Lott, 275 Makaweli Place, Honolulu, Hawaii 96825. Tel: 808 396 9073 yachtshi@lava.net

FLORIDA & BAHAMAS: David Blackburn c/o C Banack, Banyan Manor, 1001 South Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce FL 34950. mickys@tciway.tc FLORIDA (JACKSONVILLE): Darryl Currie, 4277 St Francis Circle, Jacksonville FL 32210 7305. Tel: 904 777 1972 Mob: 904 735 4639 wildebeest3@yahoo.com GULF OF MAINE: Clint Springer, 98 Cranfield Street, Box 288, New Castle, NH. 038540288. Tel: 603 436 8458 clint_springer@alum.mit.edu NEW JERSEY (SANDY HOOK TO CAPE MAY): Steve Tyler, 54 Bayside Drive, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716.

Tel: 732 291 0963 Mob: 732 673 8631 sat5065@gmail.com NEW YORK (PORT): George Milne, 110 Summit Street, Englewood, NJ 07631.

Tel: 201 567 0579 Mob: 201 960 4491 ghfm26@aol.com

ATLANTIC BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS +1 284 Brian Gandey, PO Box 920, Road Town, Tortola, BVI. Tel:+1 284 494 48 brian@conchcharters.com

CARIBBEAN +1 649 Don Street, Rock Cottage, Glandore, Ireland.

Tel: 353 028 33143 streetiolaire@hotmail.com

ST MAARTEN +1 721 Jane Harrison, Mega Yacht Services, Plaza Del Lago, Airport Rd, Simpson Bay, St Maarten. Tel: 544 4440 harrison@megayachtservice.com

Trinidad & Tobago +1 868 Reg Potter, 50 The Park Glencoe, Port of Spain. Tel: 649 1160 Mob: 775 0285 rgpotter@tstt.net.tt

BRASIL +55

NORTH CAROLINA: James Smart, 153 Riverboat Drive, Washington, N Carolina 27889.

Tel: 252 975 1014 Mob: 252 402 5955 jorob2@suddenlink.net PHILADELPHIA: Bill Thomas, 31 West Old Gulph Road, Gladwyne Clovelly Falls, Pennsylvania PA 19035 3324.

Tel: 610 668 1177 Mob: 610 416 0548 wmpthomas@aol.com

RIO DE JANEIRO: Snr Ricardo de Vasconcellos, Rua Iposeira 1205 Conrado CEP 22610 380, Rio de Janeiro. Tel: 21 2259 9899 Mob: 21 9995 1161 ricardo@rjpropaganda.com CUBA +53 HAVANA: Comm José Escrich, Hemingway International Yacht Club of Cuba, 5ta Ave y 248, Santa Fé, Playa, Cuidad de La Habana. Tel: 7 204 1689 yachtclub@cnih.mh.tur.cu

HPO liaison officer, Anne Le Verrier Bizzey: hpo-officer@littleshipclub.co.uk. Little Ship Club and Honorary Port Officers on the web: www.littleshipclub.co.uk LITTLE SHIP SUMMER 2017

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