Many a cruising
yachtsman begins the sailing life in their tender years, racing dinghies or on
the family boat. It’s not always the easiest of pastimes to start from scratch
in adult life, but that is just what Anne Noon did. In just a few years, she
has gone from novice to navigator and from classroom to the South
China Sea. In this talk she will share the highs and lows of the
voyage and her experience of cruising around the world from the glittering
waters of the Swedish Archipelago to the beautiful Falmouth Estuary and further
afield in the Philippines
and the South China Sea.
In 2005, Juliet and
her husband embarked on an Atlantic circuit with their children (then aged 6
and 8). They gave up their careers, sold their house and many of their possessions,
and said goodbye to family and friends. Juliet’s talk is an overview of their
year away; the joys and challenges of sailing, life as a family in a confined
space, the ARC, home education, unexpectedly good fishing, and photographs of
some ‘on’ and ‘off’ the beaten track places, including Antigua, Grenada, the
still erupting Montserrat, and the incredible Tobago Cays.
23rd October 2009 is a day that the Chandlers and their family will never forget. While sailing in the idyllic Seychelles archipelago, their yacht Lynn Rival was attacked and seized by Somali pirates. Six hellish days later they were forced to abandon ship near the Somali coast and were taken inland for a further 382 days of captivity. During this time the gangsters sought to extort money from their family, friends and anyone else who took an interest.
Talk by Hans Jakob Valderhaug, CA Member, HLR for Oslo and Regional Editor.
Hans is a Regional Editor, our HLR
for Oslo and someone who works tirelessly in Norway on behalf of the yachting
fraternity. Hans and his wife Eli have agreed to come over to London specially
to give this talk. They have sailed extensively on the Norwegian coast and in
2010 re-visited Spitzbergen. The lecture will be full of interest and
information for those familiar with Norway or planning a cruise.
Wednesday 30 March: Piracy and cruising: an extra March lecture by Jimmy Cornell
Recent incidents of piracy involving yachts are causing great concern among cruising sailors: not just about the threat of piracy itself, but of the safety of cruising generally. In an unscheduled talk to conclude our spring lectures, Jimmy Cornell will address the question of the safety situation and how much should one worry about it.
Following his talk, Sir Robin will award prizes to this year’s log competition winners. Tickets are £15 (Members and Members guests) and £20 (Non-members) and include a buffet supper.
Getting there and why the Vikings had the sails they did. The Arctic, Lofotens and the North: a new (family?) experience, mountain scrambling, communications, history. Dealing with leaking main tank in the North Sea; and what electrolysis did. Leaving boats over winter: how to interpret a new law in another language. Being boarded. Planning and replanning. Costings with a new dimension.
A fee is payable in advance or at the door for lectures:
Individual lecture tickets: Members £4.00; Non-members £7.00
Season tickets available - contact Secretariat for details
Last year Simon gave an account of his exciting return trip across the Atlantic. This year’s talk is about his trip to Denmark on his new 43’ Hallberg-Rassy going through the Inland Waterways of Belgium, and Holland. The passage included a visit to the Frisian Islands and the shallow, winding River Eider via the Kiel Canal, visiting along the way Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels and numerous towns along the Standing Mast Route in Holland.
A fee is payable in advance or at the door for lectures:
Individual lecture tickets: Members £4.00; Non-members £7.00
In the summer of 2010, CA members Graham and Kirsty took three months off work to sail their Sadler 32 Pixie from Gosport to Orkney via Cape Wrath, returning to Largs via the Caledonian and Crinan Canals. They will present their insights into the highs and lows of sailing this unique cruising ground, and will discuss the preparation that they undertook, their voyage and the lessons they learned. Yachting Monthly photographer, Graham, captured the highlights of their trip on camera - so expect some awe-inspiring images of this fabulous landscape that lies on your doorstep.