Managing marine battery power, by Tony Cliff of Capitol Batteries
There is an astonishing range of equipment available today to make life safer, easier and more comfortable on the modern cruising yacht, whether it is electronic aids to navigation and communication or to keep the provisions fresh and make ice for the G+T. The thing they all have in common is the need for adequate power. In this talk, Tony will explain the secret life of batteries and how to ensure they are able to supply your needs afloat.
Summer of 2013, Ed and Frances Maggs sailed north from Essex in their gaff ketch Betty Alan. Hoping for Shetland, they got no further than Orkney. Nothing much happened, save for the re-creation of the Scuttling of the German High Seas fleet (with cardboard and fireworks), and the laying down of a lifetime’s memories of this most mystical and magical of landscapes. The log of their trip won the CA’s Dolphin Cup.
Date: Wednesday 17th of February. Lectures and talks start promptly at 19:00 hrs
From the White Sea to the Black Sea, by Maxine Maters
In the summer of 2013, John Vallentine took his Australian flagged yacht Tainui to Russia. In early June she entered the White Sea and cleared in at Archangel, then followed the Volga and Don Rivers to Ukraine and the Black Sea in a journey lasting four months. His account of the trip won the CA Lacey Trophy for the best blog www.tainui.org.
Expanding Horizons: One Hundred (and eight) Years of Cruising - and other things, by Jeremy Batch
“There is nothing... absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” Appropriately, those words were first published in 1908, the year that the Cruising Association was founded.
Come and join us for this convivial celebration to start off the lecture season in style. Our Master of Ceremonies, Alec Macpherson, has prevailed upon a galaxy of talented members to volunteer their services. As well as the traditional piping in of the haggis, we plan to have a dramatic reading of Tam O' Shanter by members, musical accompaniment, singing and dancing to the bagpipes as well as all the usual toasts.
An alcoholic cruise around the Atlantic, by Roger Kynaston
Roger and Audrey recently completed an 18-month Atlantic circuit. The cruise was a huge success and one of the highlights was a chance to sample different drinks all along the way. There was a not a single location where they weren’t able to sample the local tipple, including such classics as Bajan rum and port from Porto. However, even in such places as Morocco and the Azores, they enjoyed local wine. Of course, the Caribbean itself was dominated by the different rums – some of which were made into terrifying punches.
The Northwest Passage Challenge: two summers in the High Arctic, by Jimmy Cornell
In an attempt to transit the Northwest Passage, in the summer of 2014 Jimmy Cornell sailed his new Aventura on a maiden voyage to Greenland and Arctic Canada. The attempt was abandoned because of unfavourable ice conditions. Undeterred, Jimmy sailed south, transited the Panama Canal, and is making a new attempt this summer to accomplish a transit of the NW Passage, this time from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
The Highlands and Islands of north-west Scotland are regarded by many as one of the world’s most beautiful cruising areas. It is also an area with challenging sailing conditions and a fascinating history and culture. Mike Talbot has kept his boat in the Hebrides for the past four years and has sailed extensively along the coast and through the islands. He will talk about the highs and lows of cruising in this part of the world, its wildlife and the places of interest to be found ashore.
From Pin Mill to Rømø: the cruise of the Drascombe Longboat Badekar, by David Jillings
Badekar’s seven week cruise was intended to reach the Baltic, and to retrace the steps of David’s Viking ancestors who settled in Suffolk from Denmark. Starting with a 40-hour solo crossing of the North Sea, he eventually reached Denmark (although not the Baltic).
Kaiku and her crew have been in the Mediterranean for 10 years now. This talk takes us on a gentle meander around the Cyclades, through the Corinth Canal to the Ionian with a look at both ancient Greek history in Delos, Delphi and Olympia, and some of the smaller Greek out-of-the-way harbours. We all know that the Mediterranean in summer is usually hot and sunny, and has almost no tides, so we will look at some of the equipment that makes for a happy lifestyle there and touch on some of the skills painfully learned.
