Jun. 20, 2009 - Marcita in Round the Island Race

With a crew that had never sailed her before and without the local knowledge so crucial for a successful RTI, Marcita came a very creditable 10th in the Classic Racing Yacht class. She would have done even better if not for a lenghty untwisting of the spinnaker when rounding St Catherine's Point

Mar. 9, 2009 - Marcita is Going on Tour

From April 25th, member Brian Gascoigne is off on a two month adventure. Think a less lachrimose Ellen Macarthur with facial hair and fabulous french food in place of freeze dried curries and you're getting there.

The main aim is to be part of La Semaine du Golfe, a week long classic boat festival which fills the Golfe du Morbihan. He's taking three weeks to get there and then a leisurely 4 weeks to get back.

If you fancy some Breton with your Buchanan you can join him (?150-250 per week) or bareboat charter her (?675) while she's over there.

Details of the programme here: http://www.classicsailingclub.com/html/marcita_cruise_2009.html

Keep track of the trip on his blog

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/marcita/

To book a place just email Ian

Mar. 9, 2009 - Sunday Times Article

David Mills and Family came on a two day trip with us at the end of last season. The weather was atrocious but they still managed to enjoy themselves.

Read the whole article here

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/water_sports/article5857786.ece

Mar. 4, 2009 - Classic Boat Article

Click here to see the article

http://www.classicsailingclub.com/images/CB%20247%20BS%20Classic%20Club.pdf

Feb. 10, 2009 - Myfanwy has been Collared - some cluds have a wooden lining

I haven't got a photo yet but we are very pleased to say that Myfanwy is all repaired and waiting at Suffolk Yacht Harbour to be re-launched for the new season.

Jonathan Dyke's team have done a fabulous job as have Rig Magic who rigged the new wooden mast.

The aluminium mast she had was the original from 1967. The only aluminium alternative was a modern style which would have looked very out of place. The insurers kindly consented to a wooden replacement which goes perfectly with the existing wooden boom.

Jan. 20, 2009 - Welcome to new members from Excel 09

We were invited to Excel again by Classic Boat to share their stand on the Classic Boat feature area. We had a great week meeting many new members. It was particularly nice to be visited by so many existing members. There were lots of new ideas hatched for the coming year so watch this space.

Dec. 17, 2008 - Every One But The Welsh Girl

The east coast fleet minus the injured Myfanwy sail in company on the Orwell.

This shot was taken by Ray Little for the Classic Boat article appearing in the January issue.

Sep. 14, 2008 - Night Wind and Plover off Ramsholt Quay

No matter how many times I go I never tire of visiting the Deben and the Ramsholt Arms.

This time we took a walk up the the Church on the hill which must be one of the most peaceful and beautiful spots you can find on the east coast.

Aug. 26, 2008 - Orford Kippers

Member Mark Scott joined us on the August Bank Holiday trip to the Ore, you can see his photo diary of the trip on his website at;

http://www.grove-cottages.com/index.php?page=id62

.

Jul. 26, 2008 - Sometimes we get Good Weather

After the Parade of Sail on Saturday morning in Cowes, we decided to take advantage of the weather to begin Caressa's return trip to Pin Mill.

For once I was sailing East from Cowes with the wind behind me. We set the spinaker, put the kettle on and broke out the hammock.

The sun went down and we sailed on into the night. As we passed Beachy head we saw a massive globe sitting on the cliff, illuminated from one side. It looked like one of the giant golf balls on the moor at Fylingdales, perhaps a new addition to our early warning systems? Then it slowly took off and rose into the sky and the penny dropped, it was the moon.  

The sun performed a similar act in the morning giving us a re-wind of the sunset as we meandered on past Dungeness. Then in the flat water we saw a fin, then another. We sailed towards them and were joined for a few minutes by two, then three porpoises.

Magical.

Sailing can be gruesome or it can be sublime, but to experience the special moments you have to be out there....................

see

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw9MhQ-u_vc

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWowneLoc64

Jul. 20, 2008 - Sailing with the Big Boats

My literary skills just can't do justice to the spectacle of Mariquita, Mariette and Tuiga. The article in September's Classic Boat goes someway to giving a sense of how fabulous it was to sail with these magnificent craft at this years BCYC Regatta.

I was particularly chuffed to get the chance to go aboard Mariquita which I remember when she was a houseboat in her mud berth in Pin Mill. Cinderella has gone to the Ball.  

Mariquita returns to the dock and is cheered by her adversaries

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xJsKpeIl5wg

Also Peter Kirchem took some great photos of the Saturday Parade of Sail

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Peterkirchem/CowesClassics

Jun. 29, 2008 - Childs Play

The Peters family took Caressa for the weekend of the barge match and everybody had a go at helming.

see http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Pud0KHjOBKs

We had an amazing weekend on Caressa and thanks to you the whole family are now really keen on doing lots more sailing. We got home more relaxed than we have been for a long time, though still bobbing a little. Kay said it was one of the best weekends
she has had and a great way to celebrate her birthday.
You tailored the weekend really well to suit the needs of the kids and
gave them a real adventure to remember and they were delighted to see
themselves on the website. It was also good to be able to develop my
very rusty sailing skills with your support and the knowledge that we
were in such competent hands.
We will always remember the river Orwell for barges, knee deep mud and
hysterical laughter (..er..screaming)!

It was a real pleasure sailing with you and a privilege to sail such a
gorgeous yacht.

Martin Peters

Jun. 28, 2008 - Barge (don't call it a Race) Match 2008

Saturday morning's start from Pin Mill saw perfect conditions. Barges may have been the articulated lorries of their time but with a stiff breeze on the beam and all their canvas aloft, they are a magnificent sight.

This is May tacking back up the river towards the finish line at Pin Mill

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NAu8WEHhjoU

Jun. 23, 2008 - Myfanwy Dismasted

Oh dear, a collision on the Deben this weekend has put Myfanwy out of action for a few weeks. She'll need a new mast and some remedial work to the damage on her starboard side.

The other boat involved was called Fram (could that be pronounced with a silent F?). So give it a wide berth if you should come across it. We're not sure if the skipper is tall enough to see over the sprayhood and dodgers.

Jun. 15, 2008 - Classic Day Out

We had lots of members down to Pin Mill for their Classic Day Out on Caressa.

If you still haven't been able to take advantages of yours give us a call on 0870 300 1066 for dates.

May. 29, 2008 - Sunrise in the Thames Estuary

Our delayed departure from St Katherines finally took place on Wednesday. We left on the ebb and darkenss fell as we left the river.

At first you are confronted by a confusing array of lights as all the various channels converge at the mouth and none seem to be the one's you want. However we were going up the most westerly so we just kept to post and finally the channel becomes more obvious. We had a fresh southerly which slowly died away leaving the sea smooth and level.

The featureless ocean belies what goes on below so you can never relax, so easily can you stray into the shallows and onto the hard unforgiving sandbanks. On a calm flood there's an element of safety but imagine going aground on a rough ebb tide, it makes me shudder. If you can't imagine it read Magic of the Swatchways!

Finally we saw the sunrise, got over Gunfleet, I relaxed and went for some sleep happy we were now all but home. I slept like a log (being sawn) and was wakened as we came up to PinMill, what great crew mates.

May. 23, 2008 - Caressa Went to Town

We left Pin Mill at 0700 hours on the last of the ebb to take us out of the river. We went past Pye End at slack water and we were a couple of hours into the flood when we hit Gunfleet Sands. When I say hit, it was more of a scrape with the guage on 2.1m (Caressa's draft) for a few nervous minutes.

Safely over we navigated our way through the channels and the swatchways and into London River.

We got as far as the QEII bridge before the tide turned against us. There's nowhere really to stop and get ashore around there so we just kept going. We could have picked up a mooring and spent the night aboard but Gerry was keen to get ashore. We just kept going and going till we couldn't get any further.

We tied up alongside Butlers Wharf at 21.30 and went ashore for supper at Pont de la Tour. After some great food and dreadful service, for which refused to pay, we returned to find we were being told to move on. Having been ashore Gerry was now happy to sleep on a mooring which we found right outside St Katharine's Dock.

Next morning we had until 1700 before we could lock in so we took a trip down the river. We had a cooked breakfast on deck in the sun moored off Canary Wharf then we picke dup a mooring off the majestic Royal Hospital in Greenwich.

Andy Smith, a member and qualified London guide, who lives in Greenwich was on the shore waiting to give us a guided tour of the painted Hall, the Chapel an the Trafalgar.

We puzzled how to get ashore from the mooring. We reckoned while rowing the inflatable to the shore the tide would take us about half mile upstream so we didn't immediately jump at that solution.

Luckily there was a rib buzzing about. We hailed them and asked them for a lift. They were hapopy to oblige and they came back at 1500 to take us back to the boat. That was service.

May. 11, 2008 - Observer Article

Kate Kellaway from the Observer came sailing with her family.

Read her story here.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/may/11/familyholidays.sailingholidays

May. 10, 2008 - Sunset from the Ramsholt Arms on the Deben

May. 10, 2008 - All Out on the Deben

We had all five boats out together for the first time this season. We took them round to the Deben and had the most idylic weekend. The weather was perfect with sun splitting a clear blue sky. We rafted four of the boats together just up river from the Ramsholt Arms, explored a few creeks in the dinghy and a few of the braver souls dived in. It was bracing and very refreshing! Let's hope this weather lasts a bit longer.

On Sunday we sailed further up river and were rewarded with a sighting of the very rarely seen Deben Seal. We got them on video which you can see by clicking this link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5biReIeZ1Qc