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Newsletter of the Benfleet Yacht Club

Spring 2019 BYC

Drone photo courtesy of visitor RH

In the Mag: 1 Bird's eye view of Benfleet Yacht Club. 2 Key Dates. Dowsing Room Hire. Clothing. 3 Bosun Keith has a good year. 4 Commodore Paul reports club improvements 6 Cadet mum Diane enjoys Cadet Week 7 Rear Comm Hannah. Cadet events for 2019 8 Sam's sailing success at World RS Champs. 9 Joe sails RS Tera in competition Nicola donates cake sales to Macmillan C R 10 Penny rows the Round Canvey Race 11 Dick thanks the Nore Race team. 12 Andreas & Margit had fun on Kismet at BYC 13 Shakedown cruise to Conyer in 2019

14 Keron goes Dutch. Saves money on mooring 16 Cruiser racing and social sailing in 2019 17 Dinghy racing at BYC in 2019 18 Gary, Nicola & three boys in Zig-Zig Canada 21 Terry watches the coast with the NCI 22 Spindrift goes to Bremerhaven and beyond 24 Edd starts sailing at Benfleet in Khe Sahn 26 Back rill in 70's. Queenborough in 1948 27 Roy has been a member for 60 years. 28 Take care with sunshine at sea. 29 Phil and Dilly visit the Vasa 30 Calendar of events for 2019 32 Crossover. Harbour seal. Creek at low tide

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Visit: www.benfleetyachtclub.org for the latest news. Send articles for next year's newsletter to the editor Phil Bostock, by November 2019. Thanks.

Dowsing Room Hire: Are you looking for a venue for a party? The Dowsing Room, the hall with a bar, is available for members to hire for parties, meetings, and other events. Under the terms of our licence the facilities can only be hired by members. Club events will take priority. The room can be arranged in a variety of ways, whole or in part. The bar is available. You have exclusive use except lunchtime 12 to 3pm. Extra bar staff and cleaning may incur additional cost at an hourly rate. Requests for hire are subject to the approval of the General Committee. The fees are:

Enquiries to Wendy Webster, Assistant Secretary, 01268 752665 or wendywoowebster@talktalk.net

Period Time Charge Afternoon 3pm – 7pm £25

Lunch & Afternoon

12 to 3pm South end of the room only

3pm to 7pm All the room

£50

Afternoon & Evening 3pm – 11pm £75

Weekday Evening 7.30pm – 10.30pm £25

Returnable Deposit £100

£75 Use of kitchen by an outside caterer

Quiz Question: Tides. Each high water is more than twelve hours after the last one. So which day in 2019 has three tides in it?

Answer on the back page.

BYC 2019 Key Dates BYC Burns Night Sat 2 Feb Paper Boat Race Sun 3 Feb Sailing Prizegiving Sat 16 Feb Quiz Night Sat 16 Mar

Spring Work Party Sat 23 & Sun 24 Mar

Jazz Night Sat 30 March Fitting Out Supper Sat 6 Apr Easter Fun Day. Mon 22 Apr Sea Shanty Night Fri 26 Apr BYC At Home Evening Fri 10 May Calais Rally Sat 25 May BYC Nore Race Sun 23 June Nore Race Prizegiving Fri 28 June BYC Round Canvey Race Row & Row/Sail Sat 20 July

Cadet Week Wed 31 July to Sun 4 Aug

Commodores Tea Day. Sun 15 Sept

Autumn Work Party Sat 19 & Sun 20 Oct

Annual Dinner Sat 26 Oct Laying Up Supper Sat 16 Nov Christmas Carols Fri 6 Dec Annual General Meeting Sun 8 Dec Cadet Party & AGM Fri 13 Nov

Benfleet Yacht Club Branded / Personalised Clothing

Benfleet Yacht Club have teamed up with a local company 'Brand Identity Clothing' to supply personalised branded boating clothing to our members.

The company is based in Southend on Sea, immediately opposite Southend Crematorium.

Further details are on the Benfleet Yacht Club website.

Go to the home page and click on the 'Clothing page' link. This has all the details and another link to the BYC area on the Brand Identity website.

Members can select, order and pay for clothing on-line. This can be collected from the club or delivered directly to you.

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Bosun's Report Keith Cushing The mooring teams have had an excellent year in launching and hauling out your boats. We have so far hauled out 90 boats and we have at this present time 190 boats laid up at the Benfleet Yacht Club. The new area south east of the crane has been used for the first time and is completely full of boats. A number of members have made full use of the concrete pad facilities which is good for the club’s finances as with all the other boats laid up. We would appreciate it if members would put their name of their boat on their own trolley. It is very hard for us to locate some trolleys without names on them when the boat is in the water and about to come out and the member is not around at the time. This also applies to road trailers and your tender. There are a number of tenders which do not have names on them or old names which do not apply. At the end of the bankside road we have 35 tenders and only six have names on them, hence the request to please name up your equipment on site. We understand that if you lose your boat or tender without your correct name on it the insurance company is not obligated to pay for your loss. The mooring teams have requested me to mention that as it takes time to haul and launch boats at the club we require all members to report in at least two and a half hours before high water on the day in question. The mooring teams are there to assist you and after all it is your boat being launched or hauled out. The bankside moorings are mainly allocated to deep keel boats but we are allowed to allocate ten

per cent of the total moorings to certain other boats, such as motor boats and drop keel boats. At present we are on maximum quota and if any member falls into this category please apply to the mooring committee to be put on the waiting list. The mooring team wish you all a good sailing season for 2019.

Spring Work Party Sat 23 & Sun 24 March 2019

Autumn Work Party Sat 19 & Sun 20 October 2019

Bosun Keith Cushing

Fresh Blood Required for BYC Entertainments Team. Helen Field As of this year, after many years of stalwart service, most of the club’s Entertainments Team will be standing down. They have done an amazing job, organising and growing events for the club, making the Annual Dinner, Suppers and other events the successes that they are today. Without an Entertainments Committee, the Club will be unable to run events such as the Annual Dinner, Suppers and Burns Night. Having no Committee would also affect the one off events that are run , such as Blues Night, Carols and Mince Pies and even a Christmas Hamper! In truth the Club would have no entertainments at all. This in turn will have a detrimental effect on the bar takings and could have a devastating affect on the Club. Therefore to ensure that this wonderful Club continues to move forward, please, please come forward and offer to take over the Entertainments Team. The current members will be standing on until the latter part of this year but will need new members for a Hand Over. They don’t bite and assure the work is great fun. So if you would like to see the Club entertainments continue in the future, please speak to the Commodore, Helen Field, Alison Scriven or Geoff Cook who will welcome you with open arms.

New BYC Entrance Sign. Commissioned by Rob Scriven and made by Ashley Manning in solid English oak. The magnificent new sign will welcome visitors to the club for many year to come.

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Commodore's Report, Paul Field This is my third and final year as Commodore. It’s hard to believe how quickly the time is passing. It does not seem over four years ago when Geoff Cook, as Commodore, asked me to stand as Vice Commodore with a view to replacing him. It has been a great pleasure again this year working with the current Flag Officers, Officers and General Committee members. Again, our Committee meetings have been constructive, with many issues discussed and resolved. I would like to thank each and every one of them for their support and look forward to working with both the returning plus the new Committee members who will be joining us for 2019.

Over the past 12 months, we have carried out some major works and made many other changes at BYC, all to make the club and its grounds a better place for our members. Just a few to mention: * The project termed as the “Commodores Entrance Road Beautification Programme” is progressing well. I have lost track as to which phase we are currently in. All boats previously stored along the roadside have been relocated to other areas on the site. The entrance road itself has been widened with a “passing strip” along the southern side. We have installed a “Welcome to Benfleet Yacht Club” sign, skilfully crafted from solid oak by Ashley Manning. The next phase is to line the southern side of the road with trees and shrubs. I would personally like to thank everyone involved in this project for their great work. The JCB has certainly earned its keep. * Introduction of “Sailing Club Manager”: a cloud based computer database system for managing membership and boat records, mooring allocations and boat storage, plus managing fees and charges, and printing of invoices etc. The old system was not fit for purpose and likely to fail soon. * Installation of the UPVC double glazed windows to the clubhouse is now complete, and the cladding replacement programme to the upper sections is nearly finalised. * Purchase of two computerised touch-screen tills for our bars, which will help with stock control, accounting and product pricing. The old tills lacked such functions, had no capacity for further products and only allowed one customer to be processed at a time. * Purchase of 16 new trestle tables for use at functions. The old tables were approximately 35 years old and had served us well. * Established a new supplier for BYC branded / personalised clothing which can now be ordered directly on line – see the BYC website for further details. * Continuation of upgrade works to the electrics, both in the clubhouse and around the site. This work is still on-going. The electric hook up boxes around the site are in the process of being changed to the fully integrated units which are commonly found in marinas and campsites etc., and make us compliant with the latest regulations. * Secured 100% grant funding to purchase and install a new low-level pontoon which will assist people launching, recovering and boarding rowing boats, kayaks and tenders etc. Installation will take place in the new year. This is at zero cost to BYC. * Compliance with the new ‘General Data Protection Regulations’ (GDPR). An interesting exercise as none of us were experts in this area. Our new policy can be viewed on the BYC website: making interesting bedtime reading. * For the future, we are currently looking for grant funding to help towards the cost of installing a fully equipped disabled toilet / shower room and wheelchair lift. At the 2017 AGM, our Committee gained approval to go ahead with the integration of a local rowing club; “Southend Coastal Rowing Club”, into Benfleet Yacht Club. This transition went ahead, with 26 members and a variety of eight rowing boats, transferring from the former rowing club to Benfleet Yacht Club. Since then, a further 7 members have joined Benfleet Yacht Club to participate in the sport of rowing. The new section has been named “Benfleet Yacht Club Coastal Rowers”. I would like to advise all BYC members that the club’s rowing boats are available for use by everyone. Penny Lowen, the club’s Rowing Captain, would be happy to arrange training and support to anyone who would like to become involved.

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Dinghy Sailing: Our Cadet Week was again a great success with 56 students undergoing training. I would personally like to thank all those who took part in the many roles to make this week the great success that it has become. Following on from Cadet Week, it would be good to see more of these Cadets participating in our Dinghy Races. It is by far the best way to improve their skills and gain confidence. Our dinghy races could do with more support from members. On some occasions there are more people turning out for the race management and safety cover than actual sailors. Cruiser Sailing: Our club’s cruising events were well supported this year, with all participants having a great time. The weather for the Calais Rally was again exceptional. BYC had 15 boats in attendance (6 more than 2017) where once more we retained the Narrow Seas Trophy for the club with the highest number of boats. For those of you that have not visited Calais in recent years, the town, seafront areas, and marina have had a lot of money spent on infrastructure improvements and are much the better for it. The street ‘planting’ and ornamentation is superb. There also seems to be no visible problem now with immigrants. For 2019, each of the cruising events will be organised / hosted by different club members. This arrangement spreads the workload between members. Please give them your support by attending as many events as possible. On the cruiser racing side, I would highly recommend that members compete in some of the Combined Club Cruiser Racing events. These are mainly ‘port to port ‘races finishing at a venue with either a yacht club or pub for an enjoyable evening social. It really is a great way of improving your sailing skills and meeting members from other clubs. See the BYC website for further details. Entertainments: Over the past year, we have held some great events, which have generally been well supported. In particular, was the recent Annual Dinner, which was enjoyed by all with 100 people seated. Unfortunately, we have had to cancel the New Year’s Eve celebration event, as numbers have declined considerably over the years, it is no longer viable to hold it. The small Entertainments Committee put in a lot of hard work throughout the year, so they always appreciate it when our events are well attended.

And finally, this will be my third and final year as Commodore. John Hancock will also be in his third and final year as Vice Commodore. Therefore, in December 2019, our club will be requiring replacements for both the positions of Commodore and Vice Commodore. Despite having written a letter to all members in the past, plus personally asking numerous members who I believe would fit either of these roles, we still do not have anyone willing take over. Both roles are important to ensure that our club thrives and functions properly in the future. Our current Committee members, many of whom have served us well for many years, will not be there forever. I again ask that you consider these important roles and not assume that ‘someone else’ will come forward. It’s your club, and will be your problem, as much as mine if we do not fill these roles. I am sure we would all hate to see the club die due to lack of support and participation. I wish you all a good season for 2019 and hope to meet you either at the club or on the water. Paul Field, Commodore

Deceased Members Boats Over the past couple of years, following the death of members, Benfleet Yacht Club has acquired a number of boats: mainly elderly, poor condition cruising yachts. In these cases, the family of that member have denied any responsibility for that boat, leaving the club with the problem of disposal and accumulated storage charges. This is not an easy situation to resolve and could result in a high cost to the club. Having taken legal advice, in future when a member passes away leaving a boat on the club site or moorings, we will be writing to the Executor or Family Member dealing with the estate of the deceased, to both notify them and register as part of the deceased’s estate, the asset value of the boat and any liabilities / charges that will be incurred whilst the boat is on BYC premises or moorings until either sold or removed. Paul Field, Commodore, on behalf of the General Committee

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Cadet Week 2018 Diane Dyer So here we are again – another Cadet Week. After a week of blisteringly hot sun, day one of cadet week bought high winds – typical! Levels 1, 4 and seamanship ventured out, but the rest of the groups stayed in the slip capsizing, rowing and swimming.

There was lots of raucous laughter – mostly from Ashley Manning and Steve Deal decided not to get wet and opted for shouting instructions from the shore. As usual no one was going hungry – not with Sue in charge…. And the cadet captain Chloe and vice Wil managed to keep order in the mess hall. Day 2. More high winds and heavy rain…you really couldn’t make it up! Everybody descended on the barbecue to fill up with bacon butties, where a record number was sold and demand outweighed supply. So no sailing again today but more fun in the slip with capsize practice, Oppie rowing races and swimming.

Day 3. More rain which, fortunately, dried up in time for launching the dinghies. Still a bit breezy but all cadets got out sailing. Once on the water the carnage began - with the rescue boats needing more rescuing than the cadets. Nicola’s dulcet tones resonated across the airwaves. Paramedic Barbie fortunately patched up dinghies instead of children and we saw the final demise of Digger Dave’s RIB. Day 4. Woo hoo!!…. The bacon butty beauties can finally cook and serve in dry weather!! All was calm ….wait…did I say calm?? Something is bound to go wrong…but no…great weather conditions and some super sailing. And so the final day looms. The beauties spoilt everyone with the optional addition of an egg and the final profit made was £266.50 for the cadet fund. Back to sailing and some perfect weather conditions. Hot with a nice breeze – at least it was on the balcony! All cadets came back safe, sound and smiling and finished off their activities with the traditional jumping in, off the quay head. A barbecue was cooked and served by Sheila and Richard and their team of helpers, and finally we had the awards. Well done to all cadets that participated this year. I am envious of the opportunities that our children have and appreciate the huge amount of work that goes in to make this a successful and fun week. So many people give their valuable time to volunteer even though many no longer have cadets attending. We are truly grateful to everybody that is involved. Same time next year? See you there…BRING ON CADET WEEK 2019!

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Fun on the Water. Hannah Bowen (RCS) & Phil Bostock (S Sec) We have three days planned this year with events that are just right for those new to sailing or rowing whether they are cadets or not. Come along and have fun on the water with others. There will be informal coaching and support boats to give you confidence. Sail you own boat if you have one or use a club dinghy. Rowing boats will be ready to go with instruction.

On Easter Fun Day there will be probably be an Easter egg hunt and all the usual fun on the land - plus 'Fun on the Water'! Monday 22nd April is going to be a Fun Day to remember.

The second 'Fun on the Water' is on Sunday 19 May which is the same day as a dinghy race, Spring Series 4. This gives you a chance to join in a 'proper' race if you want to. Don't worry! The other sailors are pretty friendly and won't hurt you. But they are a keen! Support boats out again to tow you home if it all goes a bit wrong. Come and join in.

The third 'Fun on the Water' is extra special! We have visitors from Thames Estuary Yacht Club sailing to us on the tide and staying over, camping on Saturday 1st June. So we will be sharing the fun on the water and be hosts to our guests. They came last year and enjoyed themselves so much they want to come back in 2019, and it is great to welcome them.

'Stubbers'. But the Saturday before that we have a cadet outing to 'Stubbers'. There they have a great range of activities - some you will know, some will be new to you. Promises to be an excellent day out!

Cadet Week. A few days after the start of the school summer holiday we have Cadet Week. This is a real chance to learn new sailing skills and gain RYA qualifications. Oh, and have fun!

Ideally if you have sailed before and enjoyed it, you should get you own boat. It is getting more difficult for the club to provide dinghies so there will be fewer to borrow, but hopefully enough. There may be a few other changes to catering arrangements but that just adds to the variety.

We need help on and off the water. If families can spend a few hours supporting the other club volunteers it would be most welcome. If the weather is good it should be another Cadet Week to remember.

Ray Day, a real adventure! We go out with the morning tide and sail up and down the Ray, miles off Leigh seafront. Then have a barbeque on the sand and try not to disturb the family of seals that live there. Play games - maybe rounders, then, just a bit tired, sail or be towed home to the club on the evening tide. Memorable!

BYC 2019 Cadet Events HW Paper Boat Race Sun 3 Feb from 10:00 11:43 Sailing Prizegiving Supper Sat 16 Feb 7:30 pm - Spring Work Party Weekend Sat 23 & Sun 24 March - Easter Fun Day / Fun on the Water 1 Mon 22 April from 12:00 15:27

Fun on the Water 2 Sun 19 May from 11:00 13:45 Cadet Outing to Stubbers Sat 25 May - TEYC Visit to BYC / Fun on the Water 3 Sat 1 June from 09:30 12:02

Cadet Week, Day 1 Wed 31 July 12:46 Cadet Week, Day 2 Thu 1 Aug 13:36 Cadet Week, Day 3 Fri 2 Aug 14:24 Cadet Week, Day 4 Sat 3 Aug 15:10 Cadet Week, Day 5 Sun 4 Aug 15:55 Ray Day. Picnic on the Sand Sat 10 August 08:57 Commodore's Tea Day Sun 15 Sept from 10:00 11:57 Interclub Dinghy Team Race Sun 29 Sept 13:42 Autumn Work Party Weekend Sat 19 & Sun 20 Oct - Cadet Party and AGM Fri 13 Dec - Snowflake Trophy Race Wed 26 Dec. Start 11:00 12:21

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RS Feva European and RS Aero World Championships, Weymouth. Sam Blaker In August 2018, my brother Joe and I competed in the RS Feva Europeans and I also competed in the RS Aero Worlds. Dad drove us to Weymouth in a motor-home. The first two days we were there we went out on the water for some practice to get used to the venue and the sailing conditions. The second day we registered and got our boats race ready. The first week I competed in the RS Aero World Championships which was my first event in the class. The winds were high for the whole five days which made racing really difficult and very physical. The final day was no exception with gusts reaching 40knots! The waves were big which meant it was excellent downwind sailing. Overall I finished in 22nd position out of 61 boats which I was very happy with.

Straight after the Aero Worlds, Joe and I competed in the RS Feva European Championships which was really competitive. All of the sailors were tired as we had no rest between the two

events. The first two days of racing was a qualifying series. This was important as it determined who would be in gold and silver fleet. My helm, Fergus Pye, and I had a really consistent series of results which meant we qualified for the gold fleet. Just like the week before, the winds were high which suited us, and was great fun especially when going high and fast downwind. For the final series we managed to get some incredible results such as an 8th place which meant we finished in 17th place overall which is by far our best result together. Competing in these two events was amazing and it was a holiday that I will never forget. I would also like to thank my Mum and Dad who dedicate all their time driving Joe and me across the country for training and for events. We wouldn’t be able to do it without them. Also a big thanks to my sponsors ‘Sailing Chandlery’ and ‘Gill’ for their continued support throughout the year. Sam

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Have your cake and eat it

A massive Thank You to everyone who baked and ate cake at the October Work Party

Weekend. You helped raise a fabulous £240.00 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Macmillan is there to support people from the moment of diagnosis to whenever they are most needed and it’s great that Benfleet Yacht Club

have helped in their fund raising mission.

Watch the notice board to see who we will be fund raising for in the Spring Work Party Weekend.

Nicola Manning

RS Tera World Championships. Joe Blaker In August 2018 I competed in the RS Tera World Championships down in Weymouth.

Overall there were 81 boats taking part. Because of the number of entries, the race officer put us into 'flights'. This is where you split the fleet into two different colours. At the end everyone would have raced everyone else. The top forty were put in 'Gold' fleet and the bottom forty were in 'Silver' fleet. My results were: 5th, 4th,5th,5th,4th,5th. This gave me 8th place putting me into 'Gold' fleet. The first day the wind speeds were reaching up to twenty knots which was challenging but I still had consistent results but moved down to tenth position. However the wind was not on my side. On the second

day in 'Gold' fleet the wind was 20 knots again and I dropped down to eleventh position.

Unfortunately on the last day we were unable to race as it was too windy, gusting 40 knots! I am happy with my final result and I am hoping to improve next year. "Thank you", to my sponsor Sailing Chandlery that supported me through this event, and to my parents for taking me.

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Rowing at Benfleet Penny Lowen Round Canvey Race 2018. This July saw the eighth Round Canvey Race organised by the club. The usual motley collection of boats decided to take on the challenge with thirteen fixed seat boats, nine sliding seat boats, one sailing/rowing and four surf-skis, which are like canoes. The weather seemed fair and the sun was shining again; it was going to be another glorious day.

All the types of boats competing had successfully undertaken the race before; the crews were excited and we even had four of the eight brand new 'Explore' sliding seat quads donated to British Rowing by investment management company Charles Stanley come down from Ely Rowing Club. But as we all know the weather is a fickle thing and can play little tricks on us. Beautiful conditions in Benfleet Creek became unexpected choppy seas off Canvey Point and the 'Explore' boats started to make heavy going of it. One crew decided to call it a day and beached by Chapman Sands SC, another two took on so much water that they were rescued by our support boats and taken ashore, again by Chapman Sands SC. Three Explore quads – including the

BYC crew – successfully completed the circuit, some in very decent times. And the last Explore quad missed the turning at Holehaven (?!) and ended up past D.P. World. With a lot of the support boats helping the other quads there was not the usual ‘marker’ at the turn – but even so all crews had been fully briefed before the race so should not have got lost. They eventually came ashore at D.P. World with the boat towed back to the Holehaven slip.

Just to add to the day's shenanigans, when another support boat went back up Benfleet creek to meet the crews at Holehaven Tidal barrier, they found it closed with the Environment Agency guys just pulling away in their van. No planned closure was due so after various heated exchanges with the PLA (Apparently as Canvey isn’t in Kent, so according to the PLA chap at Gravesend, they couldn’t help..…..) it was discovered that a planned closure had been due on the night tide.

But England were playing Belgium in the football World Cup that afternoon and the EA lads had decided to do it on the lunchtime tide so they could go and watch the match and drink beer. They eventually came back rather sheepishly to open the barrier. Three boats were held up, but their time was adjusted, and they even got the boost of the tidal surge when the barrier was eventually opened! Your Club Needs You? Without the unsung club members who tirelessly give up their time behind

the scenes to enable such races to run successfully the club would be a very different place. It is always the race winners that get remembered - not the Race Officer who was trying to deal with so many incidents; her assistant who spent over six hours on the radio liaising with all the support crews, PLA and EA; the support boat/PWC crews who were rushed off their feet and out on the water until there wasn’t any water left; the club members who just happened to be around and volunteered to drive around Canvey with a big trailer collecting the boats or take over other roles from the Race Officer to

Wendy and Penny

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Cutty Sark Ynot

free her up - like collating the results. From the bottom of our hearts we give you all a big Thank You. Without you we would not be the friendly club we are. The old saying ‘Many Hands Make Light Labour’ is so true. So, go on then - volunteer, even if it is for just one event. Your Club Needs You. Oh, and the race. The fixed seat boats, the remaining sliding seat boats, sailing boats and surfskis had an excellent race and the course record was broken. It now stands a 1hr 43mins and 36 seconds by a surfski.

Fenn, double Surfski, holds the course record of 01:43:36.

Our Fleet. We have an eclectic mix of fixed seat and sliding seat coastal rowing craft for use by all Benfleet Yacht Club members. 103 EISA Coastal Single Sliding Seat Aqua Jog Training Single Single Sliding Seat Bergashell Technical Single Single Sliding seat Silver Back Fixed Seat Skiff Double + Cox Rozinante Fixed Seat Gig Four + Cox Richard Twyman Coxed Coastal Four Four + Cox Mondego Pair Training Coxed Pair Two + Cox Mondego Single #1 Training Single Single Sliding Seat Mondego Single t#2 Training Single Single Sliding Seat Whistler Technical Single Single Sliding Seat

The facilities at Benfleet YC, with its location, make BYC Coastal Rowers the foremost 'British Rowing' affiliated coastal rowing club on the Essex coast. We row all year round and encourage mem-bers of all fitness levels and ability to have a go. Contact Rowing Captain, Penny Lowen at pennylowen@gmail.com

The sliding seat boats are 'fine boats' not really suitable for our choppy waters so we have coastal racing versions that are more solidly built with more freeboard.

Since 2011 BYC has organised the 'Round Canvey Race' in July - a rowing/sailing/paddling race of 14½ miles. This has attracted crews and boats from all over the country and grows year on year.

Round Canvey Race - Saturday 20th July 2019. First starts around 13:00. HW 15:39

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„You shouldn`t be here“ Andreas & Margit Vogt - The beginning of a charming story and a wonderful friendship with the BYC. And that's how it all started: We took our first steps - ok, nautical miles - on the salt water in the Mediterranean, on Corsica. The boat was called Peter Pan, a Dufour 28ft. and not really a good sailor. But it was cheap - we were three owners and so the costs were manageable. But the winds were either not available or much too much for us beginners. Since both of our hearts beat for England - Margit lived already three years in the Midlands and I was several times on the way in England - we agreed it should be an English boat with bilge keels, stable and reliable, nevertheless good sailing, in short, a Westerly Konsort came very close to our ideal. We spent a holiday in our mini camper, a VW Caddy, looking for a suitable boat. At that time the used boat market was much smaller and more expensive than today, the Internet still in its infancy. Unfortunately we couldn't find a suitable boat and were already on our way home in Dover when we read another advertisement. We thought OK, one last try, and arranged a meeting with a nice couple. We met in Basildon. They said we wouldn't find the way that easy. Actually it was not easy to make our way through a roundabout consisting of another ten roundabouts (you already know which one ;-)) and so we came to Barry - and there stood the boat. We asked for a night of reflection and went for a walk in the evening.

The gate to the club was wide open and there were no surveillance cameras at that time either, so went in. So many boats in there... After a short time an older man came by and we heard the friendly reception (see above). But, as we often found in England, and appreciate it very much, another one came by and asked what we were looking for and if he could help us. Hopefully the English will keep this incredibly nice courtesy even in times of xenophobia! And if he helped us - he said we should come back the next day. A club member wanted to sell his Konsort. Ok, it was love at first sight - Kismet... We decided to leave her at the BYC and just presumed we would be accepted

as club members! There were also some questions raised. How we would get the boat on to the water? There was also a certain curiosity, because who prefers to sit in the mud instead of sailing in the Mediterranean? Crazy Germans...

We had a lot to learn and to discover. On every question we got more than enough advice. Maybe it was good that my English was still so bad at that time and I didn't understand half of it anyway. We were then very happy. We were received super friendly, almost everyone was very helpful and the BYC became a piece of home for us! We had a lot of fun even before sailing. Margit climbed on the crane. We trudged through the mud with our specially prepared wellies and looked for sunken chain links of the buoys, rowed around at night in the creek and had one and then another beer, and funny conversation at the bar. And many were happy when we came - some said when you come, summer approaches - and Sue

called me Rod because of my summer hairstyle, hihi. During this time we had arranged our working life so that we had spring, summer and autumn each for a few weeks to come over and we loved to discover the east and south coast. We've been to France and London. During the working parties I learned more English than in many years at school and the way we worked was, shall we say, very interesting and very relaxed. Many charming conversations and

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contacts developed, especially at the bar and after a few pints when the tongue was looser. We had our experiences with the tides, and the mooring, and casting off from the buoys in the stream. Once I ran over our dinghy. Another time we ran up squarely on a sandbar and, last but not least, our anchor basket just 'kissed' the anchor basket of another boat. But the Westerly Konsort is a very stable and good-natured ship and has always taken us everywhere safely. Over the autumn and winter months Daphne and Peter looked after Kismet. They deserve our big thanks. When we came in spring or summer, the interior was always well ventilated and the batteries charged, and there was a Speckled Hen on the table! It wasn't always easy to get on our boat, but that's another story. Right hanging Peter?! And they became really good friends to us, still meeting and keeping in touch. In 2016 we decided to sail Kismet to the Baltic Sea and had a great and exciting trip with a lot of wind on the nose, night trips and small emergency repairs, which took us all the way to the east of Germany. It was a strange feeling. Here we were one of many with our German flag. In England we always felt like somebody special...

Last year we sold Kismet because an old friend of ours left us his boat, a Liberty Special, an English boat again, especially designed from David Thomas for our old friend! This boat has long been our dream boat. It has a junk rigged sail, small bilge runners with a draught of only 50cm, many great Features and above all, it is trailerable. We can do all the needed work at our home and have already sailed our new boat to Croatia and the North Sea this summer. We also want to come back to England soon - we miss you all very much! A dream of mine is a trip around England - but it will have to wait a little until I am retired.

And now we would like to thank everyone. The time as a member of the BYC always remains unforgettable! Goodbye - cheeeeeeers! Andreas & Margit Vogt

Shakedown Cruise to Queenborough & Conyer Easter 2019: Friday 19 April (HW 13:26, 6.02m) Saturday 20 April (HW 14:07, 6.06m) Sunday 21 April (HW 14:48, 6.02m) Monday 22 April (HW 15:27, 5.89m) With four days free and high tides, it is tempting to go to Queenborough on the Friday and Conyer on the Saturday.

The Kingsferry Bridge usually opens10 past or 20 to the hour. So if we go under by 11:10 or earlier, we should get to buoy #8 by 12:30. Then there are choices. Deep keel boats can go via buoy #6 east to Fowley Spit buoy and back to South Deep; about 3.5NM, 45 mins. Shallow draught boats (<1.5m say) could head across directly to the entrance to Conyer Creek, about half a mile at about 140 degrees.

Either entrance has red & green buoys or withies. Note that you need to go EAST of the East Cardinal Mark just inside the entrance.

Cruiser Captain Ian Burtonshaw has booked Swale Marina at the head of Conyer Creek.

# 8 # 6

140°

Swale Marina

Conyer Marina

Ship Inn

EAST >

Conyer Creek

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Going Dutch Keron Riley During the wonderful summer of 2018 I was moored up near another yacht wearing a red ensign. The skipper came on board for a beer and he later returned the invitation. He lives in Holland and sails with his Dutch wife and daughter. As a matter of principle he uses marinas as little as possible and he was keen to pass on his tips about where one can have a free night. Even though Dutch marinas are cheaper than in England and France the savings can mount up, especially as there is less temptation to go shopping or eat out. The cruising yacht that can sail to Flushing will carry enough food and drink for at least one night although a holding tank or portapotty will be needed on inland waterways. The limiting factor is how long it is before the crew insist on the skipper taking a shower although in some places he might copy the Dutch and go for a swim. Needless to say, there is a caution to this: my Dutch is not good enough to read the regulations I may have inadvertently ignored.

Entering the inland waterways at Flushing [F] the Veersemeer (1) has many islands with stagings for free overnight stays. Usually there are chemical loos and rubbish bins as well. One can spend a week here, although shopping in Veere is now somewhat limited. Leaving the Veersemeer at Zandkreeksluis and going out to sea you lock out at the Roompot (2). Outside the lock is a holding pontoon where I have spent a night. Steps go up to a rubbish bin and a small cafe. If you cross the Oosterschelde to the north you enter the Keeten Mestgat. Going towards Bruinisse [B] to starboard is Crab Creek where I have seen yachts at anchor off St Annaland (3). You have to be careful here as it is tidal. To port at Bruinisse locking into the Grevelingenmeer (4) you will be charged for using the stagings on the islands but I have seen yachts anchored off to avoid these charges. To starboard is the Volkerak. This summer in a strong westerly wind I spent a very peaceful night on the holding staging on the east side of the Krammersluizen (5) in company with a Dutch yacht. On the north side of the Volkerak small yellow buoys act as double yellow lines in a city – no parking. At the other end of the Volkerak going towards Hollands Diep, just north of the lock, yachts were at anchor just outside the channel, and here it is not tidal (6). Going north through the canals there are stagings where one can stay. One example is south of Dordrecht [D] just inside the canal going east from the river (7). The Noordzeekanaal has a wharf just inside the sport lock at Ijmuiden [I] (8) and at Zaandam I have spent the night on a staging just south of the opening bridge (9). East of Amsterdam [A] there is a popular anchorage at Durerdam (10). Another popular anchorage is in the Gouwzee between Monnickendam and Volendam (11). Going into Hoorn there is an anchorage to starboard (12) or you may choose to go into one of several marinas.

Locking through to the IJsselmeer at Enkhuizen there is a very popular anchorage. It is free to anchor on the museum side of the bay opposite the Compagnieshaven marina (13). On the east side of the IJsselmeer [IJ], south of the lock at Lelystad there is a sheltered anchorage by the sluice (14) North of Lelystad and through the lifting Ketelbrug [K] the Ketelmeer is a popular anchorage (15) and along the Randmeer towards Elburg is an anchorage just south of the lock at Roggerbotsluis (16). The channel here is deceptively narrow: just outside the buoys the water just covered the feet of the herons wading there. Both at Den Oever (17) and at Kornwerderzand (18) there are stagings by the lock. Going into the

Spindrift in the Veersemeer

Photo: Alan Wright

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F. Flushing

1. Veersemeer

2. Roompot

3. Crab Creek - St Annaland

B. Bruinisse

4. Grevelingenmeer

5. Krammerssluizen

6. Volkerak Lock

7. South of Dordrecht

D. Dordrecht

I. IJmuiden

8. Sport Lock

A. Amsterdam

9. Zaandam

10. Durerdam

11. Gouwzee

12. Hoorn

13. Compagnieshaven

14. East IJsselmeer

15. Ketelmeer

16. Roggerbotsluis

19. Oost Vlieland

H. Harlingen

L. Leeuwarden

K. Ketelbrug

IJ. IJsselmeer

17. Den Oever

18. Kornwerderzand

20. Dronrijp

21. N of Leeuwarden

22. Lauwersmeer

23. Groningen

DZ. Delfzijl

Waddenzee, I have spent the night at anchor off Oost Vlieland (19). Entering the canal at Harlingen [H] the standing mast route goes through to Delfzijl [DZ] or back down to the IJsselmeer at Lemma I spent a very pleasant night by the bridge at Dronrijp (20), a beautiful little village with an excellent bakery. North of Leeuwarden [L] there are some good bankside places to moor up, (21) although the bridge toll of 7€ is a bit steep and you pay to go alongside in the city.. The canal takes you through the Lauwersmeer (22), the northern equivalent of the Veeresmeer, with stagings and a good anchorage near the lock out into the Waddenzee. Just outside Groningen a few years ago we stayed the night on a staging surrounded by houseboats (23). At various places along these canals are ankerplaats, usually with a sign limiting your stay to 3 nights. Not all banksides are free. A ‘marina’ is a very elastic term involving payment so in Dokkum it includes all the bankside around the town. The Netherlands are a popular destination for BYC members and many enjoy longer trips there by taking advantage of what the Dutch themselves do. I would be delighted to be told of more anchorages and free moorings.

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BYC 2019 Yacht Cruiser Racing BYC Sailing Prizegiving Supper Sat 16 February HW

CCS Prizegiving at BYC Sat 9 March -

BYC Spring Work Party Weekend Sat 23 & Sun 24 Mar -

CCS Boatacs Trophy Race (for RNLI) Sat 18 May 13:04

BYC Ladies Race to Stangate (To the Wine & Cheese Party) Sat 15 June 11:57

BYC Yetton Trophy, Stangate to Ray Sun 16 June 12:45

BYC Nore Race. BBQ later. Sun 23 June 05:04

BYC Nore Race Prizegiving Fri 28 June -

CCS Upnor Race Sat 29 June 10:29

CCS Harty Ferry Race Sat 13 July 10:37

CCS Blackwater Race Sat 10 August 08:57

CCS Interclub Cruiser Challenge & Team Race for Southend Town Cup Sat 7 September 07:08

CCS Queenborough Race Sat 21 September 05:11

BYC Autumn Work Party Weekend Sat 19 & Sun 20 Oct -

BYC 2019 Yacht Cruising - Social Sailing Sailing Prizegiving Supper Sat 16 Feb 7:30 pm HW

Spring Work Party Weekend Sat 23 & Sun 24 Mar -

Easter Shakedown Cruise to Queenborough & Conyer Fri 19 April onwards 13:26

Cruise to Chatham Marina Sat 4 May 13:15

Calais Rally Briefing Fri 17 May 8pm -

Calais Rally Say 25 May 05:27

Cruise to Medway Yacht Club Sat 8 June 04:41

Wine & Cheese in Stangate Sat 15 June 11:57

BYC Nore Race. BBQ later. Sun 23 June 05:04

Nore Race Prizegiving Fri 28 June -

Ray Day. Picnic on the Sand Sat 10 August 08:57

Bank Holiday Cruise to Burnham Sat 24 August 06:33

Cruise to Chatham Marina Sat 5 October 05:33

Cruise Planning Evening Fri 18 October - Autumn Work Party Weekend Sat 19 & Sun 20 Oct -

The Leigh buoy has wings

Swin Spitway buoy

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BYC 2019 Dinghy Sailing Sailing Prizegiving Supper Sat 16 February HW Start Formidable February Race Sun 17 February 10:15 09:00 Mad March Race Sun 10 March 14:50 13:20 Spring Work Party Weekend Sat 23 & Sun 24 Mar - 08:00 Spring Series 1 Sun 7 April 14:51 13:20 Spring Series 2 Sun 21 April 14:48 13:20 Spring Series 3 Sun 5 May 13:50 12:20 Spring Series 4 Sun 19 May 13:45 12:15 Spring Series 5 Sun 2 June 12:43 11:15 BYC Nore Race Sun 23 June 05:04 09:20 Kerry Cup - pursuit race Sun 30 June 11:24 09:30 Rear Commodore's Trophy Race Sun 14 July 11:37 10:00 BYC Round Canvey Race Row and Row/Sail Sat 20 July 15:39 13:00

onwards Commodore's Trophy Race Sun 21 July 16:12 14:45 Ray Day - BBQ on the sand Sat 10 August 08:57 - Frye Trophy - Race to the Ray Sun 18 August 15:15 13:15 Vice Commodore's Trophy Race Sun 1 September 14:50 13:20 Commodore's Tea Day Sun 15 September 14:17 - ( P Cotgrove Trophy) Sat 28 September 12:59 - Interclub Team Race Sun 29 September 13:42 - Winter Series 1 Sun 13 October 13:15 11:45 Autumn Work Party Weekend Sat 18 & Sun 20 Oct - 08:00 Winter Series 2 Sun 27 October 11:34 10:00 Winter Series 3 Sun 10 November 11:05 09:30 Winter Series 4 Sun 1 December 15:26 14:00 Winter Series 5 Sun 15 December 13:26 12:00 Icicle & Snowflake Trophy Races Wed 26 December 12:21 11:00 New Year Reviver Race Sun 12 Jan 2020 13:31 12:00

BYC Dinghy Racing Courses

We really need support boat drivers to put their names forward to support these race events.

If you have an RYA powerboat cert then please consider putting your name on the sheet in the club entrance hall. Thank you. If you would like to see how the Race Officer runs a race with a sequence of flags and the hooter then come along on a race day. If you enjoy working with a spreadsheet and would like to help calculating the race results come along. If you are getting better at sailing and fancy some friendly competitive fun then sign on to a race. It is good to start getting your boat ready about an hour before the race start. Start sequence: 5 mins - 1 hoot + 1 flag 4 mins - 1 hoot + 2 flags 1min - 1 hoot + 1 flag GO! - 1 hoot + no flags 'Fast' and 'Slow' handicap boats usually start separately.

For the full rules see the club handbook.

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A small boat, a big lake and a fishing trip to remember. Gary Dean Our summer holiday this year started with a trip from our home in Prince George, British Columbia to the Archipelago of Haida Gwaii, off the West Coast. The unintended, but very happy upshot of this trip was the discovery that our three boys, Nathanael (9), Alexander (7) and Sebastian (2), all LOVED being on the water! I hadn’t sailed much since we emigrated from the UK in 2004, so certain wheels in my head started turning – maybe the time was finally right to have a sailboat in our lives again?

I was working in Smithers, a town four hours drive away, a few weeks later when I first saw her. A colleague took a picture of a small sailboat that he passed on his way to work – a pretty little lift-keeler offered for sale on her trailer for the not too extravagant price of $4,500. I was mildly interested, but initially reluctant as I was keenly aware of the vehement resistance that I was sure to experience from Nicola at the mere mention of buying “another toy” and especially a boat! Nicola is not a 'keen' sailor ever since a Thames estuary dinghy camping trip on lllyfish, my 16ft Kestrel, while we were regular club members.

That trip was blighted by the combination of dragging a folding grapnel anchor at night in significant cargo-ship swells and it remains her 'once bitten' moment.

“She’s perfect!” I was telling Nic on the phone a week later. “A 300lb keel so she will be stable, a reliable Honda outboard, space to sleep four inside – all of us if I sleep in the cockpit – even a little toilet between the forepeak bunks!” “Pleease?” “I won’t stop you if you really want it” came the only slightly curt and interestingly non-combative response, so Zig Zag was ours! Zig Zag is a 1985 C&L built Sandpiper 565. Originally designed for coastal weekend sailing in the English Channel, they are essentially the younger sister-design to the better known Sailfish 18. The design was sold to C&L who built them in Ontario and consequently they have a fairly sizeable fleet on the Great Lakes, but only two here in BC.

My first sail on her was with the previous owners, Brian and Sandy, who very kindly agreed to take me out on Tyhee Lake, close to their home, to show me the ropes. Everything went together fairly easily as we stepped the mast and I noticed that the fittings are definitely more 'Dinghy-esq', rather than large cruiser size, which made me feel immediately at ease. On the water, we motored out from the dock and Sandy wound the keel down the 96 turns of the jack-screw from fully retracted to all they way down, then Brian and I set about putting up the sails. The wind on the lake was variable and a bit flukey, but it was evident that Zig Zag behaved very well under sail. Finding some decent wind, I put her through the normal manoeuvres

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of tack, gybe, hove-to, spin around with the sails pinned-in and she did everything without drama. We beat up the lake and then turned and ran back to the dock where we put the sails down and motored in to tie her up and get the trailer. When Nic and the boys arrived the next day, I managed to leave work at a reasonable time to take them out for a quick sail. Winds were light, in common with most evenings here, so we didn’t have the sails up for very long on this first trip. I briefed Nathanael on what I needed him to do on the foredeck as we motored toward the dock and he discharged his duties admirably, stepping off just as I shifted into reverse and opposite-helmed both the rudder and the motor to bring her stern into the dock.

I noticed that manoeuvring with the rudder in place was a bit of a performance, so after some trial and error, I opted to leave the rudder off and use just the motor when launching and docking. This also avoided the prop taking a bite out of the rudder, something that I discovered is all-too easy under the wrong conditions!! The next day I finished my stint working in Smithers and. as I had booked the following week as holiday, we were off to Red Bluff Provincial Park on Babine Lake. Babine is much more lake than Tyhee, being the longest natural lake in BC and extending 95 miles from its outlet at Fort Babine in the Northwest to the Southerland river in the Southeast. It is also a prime fishing destination for trout, char and during the August/September annual run, Sockeye salmon.

Arriving at Red Bluff late in the darkness, I parked the travel trailer (caravan) in our booked camping spot and, once we were levelled to the point where sleep would be comfortable, I left the truck hitched to the travel trailer for the night and took Nicola’s Sienna minivan with Zig Zag behind down to the boat launch parking lot.

Babine lake resembles a small freshwater sea, complete with salmon and even gulls. I realized that I could launch from Red Bluff and take a couple of months to cruise and explore the entire shoreline with all its bays, beaches, islands and camping sites. Plus, there are the tertiary advantages of no tides to worry about and fresh water to be kinder both to bathers with limited ability to carry fresh water, and also to engine internals. Suddenly, not being close to the ocean didn’t seem to matter to my sailing ambitions!!

The following day, after properly setting-up the caravan, Nathanael and I stepped the mast and launched Zig Zag into the lake. I secured a mooring on the small dock alongside the launch ramp so we were ready to go sailing or fishing whenever we wanted – which meant early the next morning.

At 7am Nathanael and I motored out of the dock and around the bluff which we were reliably informed, was a salmon gathering point. We deployed our lures and trolled up and down at idle. The easily driven hull meant that even at idle, the 5hp Honda was pushing us at just under 2kts.

The salmon, I knew, needed a trolling speed of less than 1kt so it wasn’t surprising that we weren’t catching anything. I noticed that the idle speed seemed high, so after two days with no luck, I took the cover off the little Honda and adjusted the idle screw down to what I felt was the lowest reliable idle speed whilst in gear at the dock. Trolling again the next day, Nathanael, Alexander and I were hitting the magic 1kt speed and immediately we started to get bites. Nathanael landed two and Alexander caught another pair with some help over the next two hours. Alexander was keen to fish, but was put off by this large slimy thing flopping around in the boat until dispatched and placed into the cooler, so I ended-up landing his for him.

On the way home we decided to sail and after installing the rudder and hoisting the sails, we beat against the fluky wind across the lake

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to the other side and then back again. With the boat new to me, I hadn’t really tuned the sails very well so we made little ground up the lake and I decided that prudence being the better part of valour, the motor would be a great addition to the ensemble. With the headsail furled and the motor assisting the angle to the wind, the sheeted-in main provided lots of drive and we made a steady 5kts close hauled all the way back to the dock.

The next day, the whole family came out and we caught another quartet of Sockeye. Nathanael and Nicola catching two simultaneously, Nathanael getting another about an hour later and me landing a fourth before we turned for home in the blustery conditions. With the later start to get everyone ready, we missed the morning 'rush' and the fishing slowed significantly as the afternoon approached – the best salmon fishing is definitely during the early mornings.

Fishing here is strictly licensed for anyone over sixteen years and the limit of Sockeye is four per person per day up to a total of eight per person in your possession before you get back home (even Sebastian gets an allowance if he is fishing)! That means we could have taken forty fish this trip, but we felt that eight total was sufficient to our needs and besides, the freezer in the travel trailer was full, so we didn’t feel too hard done-by!! Salmon season is only open between mid-August and mid-September, so the window to fish them is quite limited. After they spawn, salmon die from exhaustion, washing up on lake beaches and river banks at the end of September through October to feed bears, eagles, wolves and countless other creatures trying desperately to build fat reserves in advance of the coming snow. They are a cornerstone of the food chain in the Pacific region and it’s an incredible feeling when you understand our responsibility to cherish and protect this special resource so that we will be able to harvest from it into the future.

Back on land, Nicola was keen to explore the hiking trails around the Bluff. Taking Rain, our Hungarian Kuvasz dog we all started up and around the Bluff, stopping for a photo overlooking the cliffs and to play on the exposed gravel beaches. This year has seen a very dry spring and summer and the result has been a record wildfire season with nearly 13,000 sq km of forest burned at the time of writing (almost the same area as Northern Ireland or about 10% of England’s area).

While the prevailing winds kept the smoke away from us for the majority of our time in Smithers and Red Bluff, the smoke is clearly visible in the distance in some of the photos and was quite bad back home in Prince George.

Discovering this new favourite spot has left a big impression on me. A fellow-boater described Babine lake as a place that “gets into your blood, makes you think about coming back every year as soon as the snow is gone”. Now that we have a boat, I can certainly see us coming back every year to sail, explore, fish and relax, on and beside this incredible lake, for as long as we can. Gary Dean

GUEST ON BOARD? GET YOUR SPEECH READY ! Sailing Sec.

" THIS IS YOUR LIFEJACKET. PULL THIS CORD TO INFLATE IT. WEAR IT WHEN YOU WANT TO AND WHEN I TELL YOU TO ! WEAR IN ON THE FOREDECK AND IN SMALL BOATS.

DON'T FALL IN ! IF YOU DO FALL IN PULL THE CORD AND FLOAT. NO NEED TO SWIM ANYWHERE. WE WILL COME AND GET YOU. (And you will come and get me if I fall in, won't you?! )

WE WILL THROW THIS HORSESHOE OVER THE BACK AND STEER IN A CIRCLE AROUND YOU. YOU WILL GRAB THE FLOATING YELLOW LINE AND BE PULLED IN. (We have a sugar scoop stern.)

IF WE USE THE ENGINE WE WILL PUT IT OUT OF GEAR AS YOU COME TOWARDS THE BOAT. WE WILL LET THE SAILS FLAP OR PUT THEM AWAY QUICKLY IF POSSIBLE. (We have in-mast furling and roller reefing.) THERE IS A CHANGE OF UNFASHIONABLE CLOTHES BELOW. "

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'Eyes Along The Coast'. The National Coastwatch Institution. Terry Pond What do an ex-naval helicopter engineer, lady doctor, city executive, postman, merchant navy deck officer, builder, social worker, car design engineer and marine surveyor, amongst others, have in common? They are all watch-keepers at the National Coastwatch Institution. It was founded in 1994 by a group of local people in Cornwall as a result of a fishing boat fatality where two men were lost. Two decades ago there were 43 major coastguard stations,160 lighthouses and 30 lightships around our coast, permanently manned. There were also many smaller lookouts manned by auxiliary coastguards when required. With modern technology and communication the professional mariner finds the waters safer. There is however a greater risk to the leisure water user without visual lookouts.

Thus the first manned lookout of NCI was at Bass Point on the Lizard. Celebrating 25 years work, there are now 50 stations manned by 2,000 volunteer watch-keepers. NCI is a uniformed service, managed by a board of trustees and the present lady chairperson is a former Royal Navy officer. There is a line of command from headquarters with training and operational guidelines clearly set out. It is a registered charity, No 1159975, with each station self funding. There is no demand on the public purse. Individual stations are commanded by a Station Manager, responsible to HQ for running the station & training. The words 'SPOT, PLOT, REPORT' are its ethic. People qualify for a Short Range Operators Certificate, with training in VHF and chart work - taking bearings in relation to actual situations and marking these on a chart for situation reference. The NCI badge is a four pointed star, navy blue background with the letters NCI in gold. This is also displayed on its ensign in gold on a navy blue background.

Every station is fully equipped with VHF radio, monitoring local harbour authorities, channels 0 and 16.The NCI direct calling channel is 65.This channel is being used more and more for radio checks and weather reports, and to ease the burden on the coastguard. Channel 16 is essentially a calling and distress channel. The service uses telescopes, telephone, AIS and area charts, and local knowledge, to help in an emergency or routine situation. Members are proud of their

commitment being an essential part of the national Search & Rescue Organisation. Today there is much more public awareness of charity giving. However competition is strong and locally we attend some local supermarkets with our display. We can be spotted in locations by our bright yellow collecting boxes which have the emblem superimposed. Look out for these! Southend Station, of which I am a member, is located just inside the MOD fence at East Beach Shoeburyness. If you are interested in helping please contact the Station Manager at 07941 351995 or 'southend@nci.org.uk' There is also a station at Holehaven; telephone 01268 696971 or email 'holehaven@nci.org.uk'. There are more than fifty stations around the coast. You do not have to have nautical experience, be a sailor or ex matelot. You just have to be keen to help other coastal users, yachtsmen, boaters, bait diggers, walkers or any one who might need assistance. Full training is available.

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easy to do it on one tide. The excellent Sejlerens Marina Guide (free in almost all marinas and chandlers) says the marina in Bremen is in the Europahafen basin but before entering we decided to see how far up the river we could take Spindrift. As we

A 'Knorr' found in the mud largely intact has been preserved and is on display in a museum hall with excellent explanations about the Hanseatic League. Sadly, the main exhibition was closed for reorganisation. Having spent a couple of days in Bremerhaven we locked

out at low water and headed up river to Bremen. This was beyond the ken of my 2006 copy of Brian Navin’s Cruising Guide. There was plenty of interest going upriver and several marinas if you wanted to break the journey, although it is

approached the fixed railway bridge there to starboard, sheltered from the wash of river traffic by a training wall, was a pontoon where we moored up. This was 'Yacht Club Hansastat Bremen.' Club members welcomed us and advised us about the arrangements and where the supermarket was. On the pontoon was a garden shed with an honesty box and, somewhat concealed, the key to the

Rival Roundup 2018 Keron Riley Like many other Rival owners I have sailed my R32 Spindrift several times to the Baltic Sea. So good is the sailing there that some have kept their boat at one of its excellent marinas for years. I found the Hanseatic towns a revelation. Lübeck, Stralsund and Revel (now Tallin) are some of the many that are easily accessible from the sea and still retain a sense of their history. But probably the Hanseatic cities with the strongest trading links with London are outside the Baltic: Hamburg and Bremen.

In 2018 I visited Hansastadt Bremen rather than passing the Weser on the route to Brunsbuttel and the Kiel Canal. Like the Elbe, the Weser is very well buoyed and is best entered taking the flood to Bremerhaven and another flood tide to Bremen. Sailing directly from Vlieland in the Netherlands we arrived at the Alte Weser lighthouse at high water, not the best way of doing it. Waiting for low water at an eastern Frisian Island’s harbour is restricted by the sand bars between them. Wangerooge has a charted depth of 03 between buoys H4 and H6 and Spiekeroog 02 on its bar. But if visiting these islands is part of your cruise itinerary they are best visited west to east and definitely before 21st June when the Nordic holidays start. We luckily had a strong northerly wind to push us over the ebb to Bremerhaven. Bremerhaven was well worth visiting. Going into the Fischereirhafen the lock was open and we quickly had a green light to enter but waited without any idea of how to progress things. I now know that on entering the lock tie up on the port side and you are locked in on the half hour. They lock you out on the hour, or are supposed to. On leaving the lock we turned to port and motored round to a somewhat rough looking pontoon on a canal leading to a swing bridge. This place looked doubtful but we were approached by a chap who told us how to get water and electricity. He took me over to the other side of the swing bridge which had a weight limit: 20t for trucks and 30t for tanks. He was the operator of the bridge that allowed access to the Weser Yacht Club, very smart with beautiful yachts

in box moorings. It had showers and a popular restaurant, although it did not stay open late. 13€ a night I thought very reasonable. There are several other marinas in Bremerhaven but WYC provided a good compromise between the Maritime museum and the shops for provisioning. The town surrounds the docks built when the medieval port of Bremen silted up and is not an architectural gem but the Maritime Museum is well worth spending a day. Apart from old ships in the surrounding dock, the WWII mark XXI submarine was fascinating.

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showers and toilets on shore. The security gate had the code written on its pontoon side. Mooring fees were 1€ per metre plus 2€50 for electricity per day.. Our mooring was not too far from the city centre and the walk along the river bank took us past Becks Brewery where many people suggested we visit. Crossing over on one of the several bridges brought us to the beer gardens and restaurants overlooking the river. There in their fading glory were the restaurant ships such as the Alexander von Humbolt, her green sails still bent on. The Altstadt or Old City did not disappoint. More than half the city was spared the attention of the RAF during the last war largely, I suspect, because the industrial targets were down river. Round the Marktplatz the Cathedral and Rathaus were left untouched as was the Böttcherstraße with its remarkable 1920s buildings and nearby the very chic working class area (not any more), the Schnoor with its narrow lanes and small houses. One day I took the tram out to the Focke-Museum, passing the elegant pre-1914 houses surrounding the Altstadt and on another day walked through the massive redevelopment of the old docks north of the city to the maritime museum (which I found was closed on a Monday). This was near the Europahafen. Compared to the YC Hansastadt Bremen it was more expensive, further away from the city centre or a good supermarket and surrounded by big modern buildings which I found quite oppressive. 2018 was a good summer to choose to visit anywhere, although for Spindrift the predominant easterlies did not help. The Weser is not a great deal further than the Netherlands and Nordeney is a good staging post. I bought NV charts that are produced in atlas form with tide tables at the back, although these were only for 2018. DE12 covers Wangerooge, the Jade and the Weser so it took 2 atlases to cover the German Frisian Islands and Bremen, at 49€ each including electronic format. Supermarket prices seemed about the same as the UK but their alcohol was much cheaper. For a crew change flying back to Stansted was easy from Bremen airport, just a tram ride from the city.

Bremerhaven

Bremen

Hamburg

Wangerooge

Weser

Elbe Brunsbuttel

Wilhelmshaven

Oldenburg

Jade

Kiel

Can

al

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My Khe-Sahn Edd Mitcham, past member In the early 1960's a friend and I bought an ex-naval gig from the local sea scouts and had the use of the mooring for the rest of that summer. The vessel had been damaged by a speed-boat. In fact, the speedboat had sliced right over the forward port quarter, its propeller destroying that area right down to one strake above the water line. My friend Ali was not at all bothered about this as his main intention was to acquire a swimming and sunbathing base for use when the beach became too crowded. I had been recruited to help with the expense of buying the boat and to be in attendance should anything go wrong, e.g. sinking.

As the summer wore on we spent much time swimming out to the boat and staying aboard till low water then swimming back to shore when we'd had enough of diving, swimming and sunbathing. When the boat took the ground, we'd walk ashore. All of this was ideal for our purpose but I knew that at the end of the summer we would have to move and I also was concerned about the seaworthiness of our boat as in certain conditions water would splash over the side of the damaged area.

I had never owned a boat before and had never intended to. In conversation with certain salty looking characters along the shore I gathered that we would be responsible for any damage our vessel might cause should we be found negligent. Insurance was out of the question - who would insure a vessel afloat in such a condition? By the time we had pondered all these questions the summer was drawing to a close and the Bosun of the sea scouts group offered to tow us anywhere locally within reason. Within walking distance of my home was Benfleet Creek. On enquiring about a certain area of foreshore a number of local characters laid claim to being its owners and had no objection to me berthing a boat there and paying the dues to them. It turned out the land had been leased by the owners, British Rail, but the lessee had disappeared without trace and the land could not be re-leased until the existing lease had expired. "Let go for'ard," cried the Bosun and splash went the mooring line over the side. It was late October, two hours before high water at 7am with a cold south westerly force 4 blowing. The skipper of the sea scout's launch gently eased up to an acceptable speed for us to reach our destination at high water but was also aware of our unseaworthiness. Ali looked quite forlorn, coat hood up over his head and hands thrust deep into pockets. Though an excellent swimmer and of very good physique this was not his time of year, nor was it his scene. Gone were the lazy days of summer, brawny tanned body rippling through the water much to the delight of the female audience on the shore. As we neared our destination the river narrowed revealing frost covered saltings and sea walls. The cold south westerly persisted.

"Over there," I shouted to the Bosun and pointed to four long poles sticking out of the water very close to the shore. He nodded, aimed us at the poles, let go the line and did a U-turn. I steered our boat in between the poles and we both grabbed one as the wash from the launch went by us, splashing up against the bank of the creek. With a farewell wave to us, the Bosun throttled up and was soon under way on the young ebb. As the tide ebbed we settled down, held in place by the poles, onto four railway sleepers staked and lashed down on the mud at the base of the poles. We had arrived. I was ready for work but Ali did not look at all happy. We tied up and made our way to the nearest pub.

We agreed to meet at the boat on Sunday morning. I was there by 9.00 am. with a fire alight and a pot of tar bubbling. A lean-to tent made from a sweep with a tarpaulin draped over it provided shelter in case of heavy rain. I began scraping the bottom. My collie dog barked as Ali arrived at 11.45 dressed as if going to a disco. Polished shoes, designer jeans, the lot. I asked him to hand me the pot of tar and he picked at it disdainfully, burning his hand and dropping the pot. Then he dived up the river bank to avoid becoming engulfed in hot tar.

"Edd." he said, "You are going to make my life a misery with this boat, aren't you? How would you like it if you were sole owner? You can have my share, if you like". "Done," I replied, "Let's go and have a pint - I'll pay."

There was only one condition to my sole ownership of the boat - that she be named Khe Sahn.

This was an air field position in Vietnam, defended by the Americans to the bitter end when they lost it. We had been following events in south east Asia in the media but I was never sure which side Ali supported. As we polished off our beer Ali wished me good luck with Khe Sahn.

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Work began. "Have you got the timber to repair that hole, mate?" "No," I said, looking up to see a stranger on the path. He told me to hold on and disappeared, returning shortly afterwards with a large lump of clinker built wreckage from further up the creek. "You'll find all you need there if you're careful taking it apart," the stranger said. I thanked him but before I got up the bank he was on his way.

"Have you got a mast for that old boat, mate?" said another voice, a few weeks later. "Not yet," I said and was informed by this new stranger that he was going to cut an old one up but would it be OK to dump it here instead? The next time I went down to the site there was the mast laying on-board Khe Sahn. I worked hard all that winter come rain, snow and south westerly winds. "Got any sails for that old boat, mate?" said another stranger on the path. I said I hadn't. "What rig are you going to have then?" "One like that," I said, pointing to a gaff cutter that was gliding gently by, hoping that another gift horse was forthcoming. "Hmmm..." murmured the fellow and strode off shaking his head doubtfully. "Yes, hmmm..." said I, contemplating the possibilities of my heavy tarpaulin sheet on the ground.

By the spring I was ready - bottom scraped off and tarred, topside repaired and painted, mast up with a very crude interpretation of a gaff rig, the jib hanging heavy and useless - its last function being to sheet up a load on

the back of a lorry. The stays on the mast were discarded ones that local yachtsmen did not want. On a planned day, when wind and tide were right, I hauled Khe Sahn off her blocks and out from between the poles. Still on her mooring line, she sat to the south westerly just before high water. I hoisted the main then the jib and cast off. The wind set me on a run

immediately. I sheeted in a touch - Khe Sahn responded, leaning slightly. I counteracted with the tiller, everything creaked and groaned but I was under way. The memory of that feeling has stayed with me to this day. When it's time to go back, I thought, I'll be just like those Mirror dinghies beating up the creek. Well, so I thought. After many attempts, I could not get the boat to come about. When I did, with the help of my eighteen foot sweep, she still would not sail into the wind. Going more and more out to sea I gave up with the sails, dropped them and got into more shallow water using the sweep and rudder against the ebb. I got as near to home as I could, hours later, and left Khe Sahn with a line on anchor. I sloshed my way ashore exhausted, but bitten by the sailing bug. Summer proved to be very interesting. I think I made about every mistake possible on inland tidal waters. I must have been quite a nuisance as well. Thank goodness I had the sense not to go to sea.

Unbeknown to me my antics had been observed by members of the Benfleet Yacht Club on the other side of the creek. One such member I bumped into suggested I went along one club night to consider the possibility of taking up the sport more seriously. This offer was gratefully accepted.

I persevered with the yacht club and learnt much from my fellow members there, which led to me acquiring a twenty foot clinker built, Gunter rigged cutter. One winter, laid up in a mud berth, I spotted Khe Sahn abandoned by the group of youngsters I had sold her to. She was laying in a rill on a part of the marsh that was due to be reclaimed. Day by day the contractors' tipper lorries got closer and closer with their loads until, inevitably, she was covered and gone. The earth moving machine came lumbering, clinking and grinding its way along until it compressed the place where Khe Sahn had lain.

Being a naval gig in her time, when we had an empire and a navy, I like to think of Khe Sahn playing her part in ship to shore duties all around the world.

On her retirement she had carried on assisting sea scouts in boat handling skills and seamanship. Then, of course, she certainly assisted me.

I will never forget my Khe Sahn.

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I went to see Edd Mitcham in his studio at Bickenacre. He hasn't sailed in many years but has fond memories of his time at the club. Boats are still a source of inspiration for his art and he was kind enough to let me photograph some excellent pictures and sketches for the newsletter.

'Back Rill'. Edd's boat is in the foreground with the club ship and the large concrete boat New Freedom in the background. This dates the scene to around 1974 or so. The nearest you now get to this view is from the back gate near the bonfire heap.

Queenborough 1948. Phil Bostock My father, Jim, came home from the war in autumn 1945 and joined my mother who was living with his mother in Sheerness. I was born the following summer. My father's family had moved to Sheerness from Stoke on Trent in the depression of the 1930's when the only work around for his father was in the military dockyard. Before that the family had worked for the Wedgewood pottery. My mother, Gwladys Irene, drove ambulances on Sheppey in the war with her friend Connie. They were both short, five feet and not much. She had to sit on a cushion to see over the steering wheel. She recounted how, on a training exercise they had to 'rescue' a tall policemen feigning injury. They couldn't move him. After a bit of theatrical moaning with eyes shut he opened them, paused, and said, "Christ. Midgets!" He then picked up the stretcher with his good arm, the other supposedly broken, threw it in the back of the ambulance and lay on it. Mum said that it made it worse that they bashed his head when they closed the doors! My father trained at the Royal College of Art before the war. At the start of the war he was set to painting camouflage schemes but soon joined the Durham Light Infantry. He had never been to Durham! After time in North Africa, where he painted a mural in a staff canteen, he trained in signals, went through Egypt and ended the war in Turkey. It must have been a relief to get back to civvies and his art. This wood engraving must have been one of the first he did after the war. Later he got a job as lecturer at Ealing College of Art and probably used this wood engraving in his portfolio of work. He said that Queenborough was made undesirable by the glue factory where they boiled up old bones. The smell was disgusting. The glue factory closed and the town is now much improved. The harbour dockside has been upgraded since then. It is so strange that we ended up living where we do and sailing to Queenborough for recreation.

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Not your normal type of member! Roy Hart I joined BYC in 1959 and have been a member ever since, but not your normal type of member. My first craft was an 18ft canvas canoe with a meths stove between my legs and a 12 bore shotgun or fishing rod. Then a Benfleet One Design, a 12ft Mank which capsized quite often, a Flying Fifteen (Flirty Four), 10 ton cutter rigged Hyacinth, a Morgan Giles 30ft, Janue 41ft, Barracuda 45ft, a 12m Victory, Memory 19 Greensleeves and rowing skiffs. The Old Gaffers Association presented me with the 2015 Cape Horn Trophy for seamanship at the Boat Show at Excel. I won this for a trip to San Malo and back to Burnham in my 19ft Greensleeves. It was rough at times. The trophy was the original belaying pin from Capt Cook's collier, Endeavour, obtained originally from the Australian Government. Well over 10,000 sea miles and I still love the Nore Race and the Club. Roy

Roy's first yacht, Hyacinth. Painting by Vic Ellis 1972

Roy lent the painting of Hyacinth to an exhibition of paintings by Vic Ellis. Also at the exhibition were two paintings by Vic Ellis owned by BYC that are presented as trophies for the race to Harty ferry. They can normally be seen on display in the club bar. "Hyacinth was the first yacht I owned. Our first trip was at the end of February 1970. It was successful. We hit a snow storm off Southend pier and made Ostend 2pm the next day. We left two days later and made the evening tide up the creek to the yacht club. The crew was a friend from work. It was his second trip aboard Hyacinth. We are still friends."

Greensleeves finishing the 2018 Nore Race

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The chart shows that the maximum daily UV levels are usually in June, as you would expect, but the levels may stay above 50% of maximum through most of the summer sailing season. UV is also stronger on the water as it reflects back from the surface and there is generally less cloud away from land.

Sunscreen lotions, also known as sun-block, can protect the face and arms. They are given an SPF number, a 'Sun Protection Factor', typically SPF 15, 30 or 50. This means, for example, that a standard layer of SPF 15 would reduce the UV reaching the skin down to 1/15th of the incident radiation. So the three specs of sun cream would block 93%, 97% and 98% of the UV respectively. The 'standard layer' works out as about 1/3 of a teaspoonful on your face, which is about what most people would use anyway.

The active ingredients can be a whole load of different organic compounds in an emulsion of oil and water. They work by absorbing the incoming UV energy and turning it into infra-red heat energy. Also present may be a very fine suspension of zinc or titanium oxide. Zinc oxide is particularly useful in sunscreens for children as it's very safe. A sailing friend of mine used lots of zinc ointment 'Sudocrem' as it was cheap and effective, if a bit oily.

Usually advice is given to re-apply the creams after a few hours as it might have rubbed off. The ingredients might also degrade after a couple of years and the tubes usually have a 'use by' date.

Sunglasses are the most obvious protection for the eyes. People who wear glasses can specify a self darkening feature. The glass is 'photochromic' and has a small amount of silver chloride (Ag-Cl) added. Ultraviolet light breaks this into metal silver and chlorine very quickly. The silver forms dark particles which block the light. This reaction is reversible so, when the glasses are in the dark, silver combines with chlorine and the lens becomes transparent again.

Simplest of all is to wear a wide brimmed hat and a long sleeved shirt. With your dark glasses and glistening skin from the sun lotion you will not only look great and be right 'on-trend', but stay healthy for longer as well!

Protect yourself from the sun at sea. Sailing Sec. Sailors know they are more likely to suffer from exposure to strong sunlight than in many other sports, professions and leisure activities. To sail the boat they are outside for many hours so they have to be protected.

The main problem is ultra violet light. It has higher energy than visible light. It can damage the cells of the skin giving first sunburn, wrinkly, saggy skin and then, over a longer time, skin cancers. It can also affect the pupils of the eyes, with prolonged exposure over years fogging the clear lens to give cataracts.

Sun hat and glasses.

Relative daily maximum UV levels through the year.

DEFRA 2006

100%

50%

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

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Visiting the Vasa. Phil Bostock In Stockholm, on 10th August 1628, the sailing warship the Vasa left the dock where it had been built and sailed past the King's palace firing a cannon salute as she passed by as was the custom. It had been built to the King's requirements and carried 60 cannon on two decks. The three masts stood 75 metres high and carried just four sails from the possible ten. The stern castle rose five storeys above the water line and gleamed with highly decorated statues designed to impress.

In thirty minutes she had covered about 1500 metres when a light wind made her heel to port alarmingly. The first row of gun ports were just a metre above the waterline and open following the gun salute. The ship quickly took on water, and in five minutes sank, settling upright in thirty metres of water. She sat on the bottom with her sails up and flags flying well above the water. It was later reported that about thirty people had drowned although many were rescued by small boats after climbing into the rigging. The top masts were later removed to hide the vessel. It was a disaster! A fiasco! King Gustav II Adolf also had lands in Prussia and was away fighting a long war with his cousin in Poland to control the ports in the southern Baltic. He had given changing orders to built the most impressive ship ever, but it was too tall, too narrow and had insufficient ballast. His courtiers knew there were problems but it seems they had no way to tell him the truth. There was an angry exchange of letters. He never returned.

And so the ship sat on the bottom for over three hundred years until it was rediscovered and, after a lot of effort, was raised, the timbers and other items preserved, and a museum built over a dry dock to hold it. It is the only example of such a ship from this period as all others have been broken up over time.

I first visited the Vasa museum in Stockholm in 2010 with Keron Riley. I joined him in Stockholm in the marina just a few hundred metres away and we sailed later on Spindrift through the Åland Islands to Helsinki in Finland. A truly memorable trip which started with a most memorable visit to the Vasa. This year my wife and I flew back to Stockholm for a short city break.

First impressions when you enter the museum? It is enormous! A huge wooden boat sits before you, said to be 95% complete with just a few replacement parts. All but three cannon had been removed a few years after the sinking but most of the wood had been preserved by settling into mud and oxygen poor water. There are no tides or strong currents in the channels around the islands that make up the city. The stern castle is fantastically ornate with carved wooden statues of Roman centurion, mythical beasts, shields and angels, once brightly coloured and gilded. A central motif was the King's family emblem, a bundle of sticks, like a sheaf of wheat, with a vase-like shape giving the origin of the name Vasa. There are also a lot of smaller items and personal effects showing what a simple and hard life the ordinary seamen and women faced. From the skeletons and skulls of the crew, faces have been reconstructed, staring at us through the centuries and reminding us of their tragedy.

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Easter Fun

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Shoal. Keep south.

Buoys 17 and 22 repositioned

More withies ! Deepest water outside of bends

Crossover

Answer to the quiz question:

On Sunday 27th October 2019 British Summer Time will end at 02:00. The day gains an extra hour so there is just time for an extra tide!

High water will be at 00:11, 11:34 and 23:57

Harbour seal at rest. About 10% of all harbour seals in England are found in the Thames Estuary. This one is resting on the bank by the Hole as the tide comes in. Grey seals look very similar to our eyes but they are larger, have a longer, flatter nose and less pronounced forehead and are mostly found on the outer sandbanks in the estuary. Harbour seals are smaller, have a more stubby nose and more forehead. A small group of them live in the Ray and many more in the Estuary and Medway.

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