150th Anniversary Celebrations Team Giggle

Spring 2015
Masthead
The magazine of the Royal Dart Yacht Club
150th Anniversary Celebrations
Team Giggle - a success story
2015 Classic Channel Regatta
useFul eMaIl addResses FoR the Rdyc
commodore:
commodore@royaldart.co.uk
Racing secretary:
racingsecretary@royaldart.co.uk
Vice commodore:
vicecommodore@royaldart.co.uk
cruising secretary:
cruisers@royaldart.co.uk
Rear commodore, house:
rearcommodorehouse@royaldart.co.uk
Moorings officer:
moorings@royaldart.co.uk
Rear commodore, sailing:
rearcommodoresailing@royaldart.co.uk
boys in boats section leader:
boysinboats@royaldart.co.uk
hon. secretary:
honsecretary@royaldart.co.uk
ladies afloat section leader:
ladiesafloat@royaldart.co.uk
hon. treasurer:
hontreasurer@royaldart.co.uk
Junior sailing section leader:
juniorsailing@royaldart.co.uk
Front cover:
Junior Sailing - River Dart Cup 2013
Photo: Mike Green
Contents
Arc Trans-Atlantic Cruising Rally
6
Pontoon Ballet
10
Cruising with Children Aboard
14
Taxi to Delhi Airport
16
Being a Master Mariner
18
Lobster and Crab Fishing
20
America’s Cup Pictures
23
The Refurbishment of the Club
23
2015 Classic Channel Regatta
24
The 150th Anniversary Celebrations
26
The Club’s New Website
27
Club Racing
28
The Social Round Up
29
Junior Sailing
30
Cruising
31
Ladies Afloat
32
Boys in Boats
33
Obituaries
34
New Members
35
Book reviews
36
Manoeuvring under power
37
Team Giggle
38
Paul Hodge - Club Bosun
40
Train without strain
40
Henry Bomby
42
The Club's youngsters preparing for the season
Photo: Courtesy of Mike Wynne-Powell
Masthead
Editor: Lynne Maurer
Design: Jonathan Gale at www.epic-design.co.uk
Printing: AC Print Ltd., Paignton
Advertising Manager: Angus McNicol
Pictures: Unless otherwise specified, kindly supplied by
RDYC members. Special thanks to Mike WynnePowell, Mike Green, Mike Goodearl , Clive Bennett,
Ginny Campbell and Waterline Media.
Media pack available on request from office@royaldart.co.uk
Please note: the views expressed in this publication are
those of the individual authors – not the RDYC.
©Royal Dart Yacht Club 2015-04-13
The magazine of the
Royal daRt yacht club
Editor’s note...
Established 1866
adMIRal
His Royal Highness The Prince Philip
The Spring air brings out different things in people and the Yacht Club, like
Duke of Edinburgh KG KT GBE
everywhere else, is emerging from the long Winter and embracing the activities of
PResIdeNt
those bringing life again to the slumbering waters.
Dr Tony Barrell CB
The fabric of the Club itself is bright and vibrant and all the hard work is
FlaG oFFIceRs
commodore: Clive Bennett
Vice commodore: Tony Swainston
Rear commodore (sailing) : John Ellwood
continuing to get the terrace just as clean for visitors to enjoy what is hoped to be a
spectacular sailing season. The hard task of bringing the pontoons back from their
Rear commodore (house): Colin Bower
winter home in Waterhead Creek has been successfully completed, and you can
club oFFIceRs
read just how tricky that is in the article by Brian Essex in this issue.
hon. secretary: Eddie Tomlinson
hon. treasurer: Martin Poole
For those of you who may be thinking of a new hobby to embark on this
hon. legal adviser: Geoffrey Bennett
Spring, Chris Boon’s knowledgeable pointers on catching your own Lobster may
GeNeRal coMMIttee
well whet your appetite, in both senses of the word. However, Tony Swainston’s
Membership secretary: Chris Ensor
social committee chairman: Jane Miller
catering and hospitality officer: Kit Noble
coNtact detaIls
warnings probably should not be ignored .For others, getting their boat in pristine
order is probably beyond their wildest dreams and enough to think about.
This issue is full of the enthusiasm the Club has for the Sailing events
Royal Dart Yacht Club, Priory Street,
Kingswear, Devon TQ6 OAB
Email: office @ royaldart.co.uk
that take place, both competitive and social. Team Giggle, especially, is worthy
of recognition as bridging the gap between the younger Junior Sailors and the
Website: www.royaldart.co.uk
Young Adults who are ready to have the experience of racing in bigger boats
Members-only website page:
competitively. That is something special of which the Club should be proud .
Please note that, following the launch of the
new website, the members-only section can be
reached via the link at the bottom of each page
http://members.royaldart.co.uk This will take
you to the RDYC Groupspaces site, where you
will need to sign in using your email address
and Groupspaces password.
All the contributors show how diverse the membership of The Royal Dart
Yacht Club is and that in itself is unique. Their interest and skills combine with
their love of the water and this can be clearly seen in this Spring edition. So, here
is hoping that the 2015 sailing season favours the Dart sailors with fair winds and
favourable anchorages.
useFul oFFIce NuMbeRs
Melinda Smallwood/
Suzanne Huddart
01803 752496
Sailing Office:
01803 752704
Bar/Restaurant:
01803 752272
Lynne Maurer
Clive Bennett
Commodore, RDYC
Commodore’s
message
Well, where did that year go?
By the time you read this I will have had a year as your Commodore and what a good year it has been for the Club and
for me. A very big thank you to all the many of you who, as volunteers, have contributed to this.
You have recently received the 2014 Annual Report which covered in some detail the past year so now it is time to
look forward to the next.
The first good news is that the team of members helping me is willing to continue. Of course, there will be a few
changes from time to time but broadly speaking it is stable and therefore able to continue with its objectives. In
essence this amounts to providing the services, activities and events, both on and off the water, which will attract
members to make more use of the Club and new members to join it.
The various teams and committees have been very busy during the winter. We have a great sailing programme,
including some new ideas, which kicked off on the 8th April with the first race. Junior Sailing is fully booked again
and the Special Interest Groups are ready to go for another fun season. All we need now is a summer as good as, if not
better than, the last.
I am also conscious that we need to continue to improve the catering offering and to maximise the use of the Club
facilities. We have a new Website or rather, I am told, a ‘Digital Platform’! In any case, it is the important first step in our
plans to raise the profile of the Club. This is something that can be achieved by a lot of people doing a little to help. So,
as you crawl around your boat covering yourself in antifoul, or sit out the last of the winter storms (we hope), perhaps
you will come up with an idea as to how you might help. That would be really appreciated.
Probably, the most satisfying thing about being Commodore is the encouragement I have had from so many of you
for which I am very grateful. A close second is the number of new members who have joined. A very warm welcome
to you all. I look forward to enjoying many happy times with you this summer one the water or just in the sunshine
on the Club’s terrace – the best location on the Dart.
Commodore Clive Bennett
ARC TRANS-ATLANTIC
CRUISING RALLY
Kit Noble, never one to back away from a challenge, explains how he
threw himself wholeheartedly into the trip of a lifetime leaving the familiar
waters of the Dart far, far behind. To ARC or not to ARC? – That was not
really the Question!
R
eactions to my announcement to my family and friends that I was
planning to cross the Atlantic at the end of 2014 came back thick
and fast –“ it’s quicker to fly”- “oh a mid-life crisis”– “why would you want
to do that?” – “won’t you get bored?” – but an ocean crossing had been on
the ‘must do’ tick list and I wanted to do it.
It all started when Club members Des and Chris mentioned to
Penny and me at a New Year’s Day drinks party (yes ,I blame you Mr
and Mrs Batts!) that they were looking for crew to cross the Atlantic and
slightly under the affluence of incohol (Penny had already one ocean
crossing under her belt with Clipper 96) I said that I would do it and,
of course, it was then too late to step down! Nine months later it was
a definite – flights and insurance had been paid for and eleven months
later I was off. So with some trepidation I packed my bags for nearly 6
weeks away crossing the Atlantic from Gran Canaria to Antigua. I was
to join Cloud Nine of Kingswear, an Oyster 46, to sail in the ARC (Atlantic
Race for Cruisers) and take part in a big journey!
I arrived at the Marina at Las Palmas 3 days before the start of
the race on 23 November 2014. The marina was full and there was a
very busy air about the place with provisioning, checking rigs, crew and
mechanics. I met up with the crew of Cloud 9 of Kingswear and was
6
Masthead
an occasional bird and a small yacht! As we tracked westward we started
to lose touch with GMT, putting our watches back an hour 4 times over the
voyage to make sense of sunrise and sunset. It was not the only thing we lost
touch with as we retreated into our own little world with no communication,
no news from home, no one anywhere near us and the only things that
mattered were our speed, poling out the genoa, reducing sail and occasionally
gybing and eating. Days merged into nights, the watch system taking over our
lives, we sometimes had a lie in after having been awake for a great portion of
the night only waking up to lunch and yet another watch!
There was, however, always time for reading, photography and fishing
and for conversation when we all met at mealtimes.
At midday each day
Des would update us on our position in the fleet and our progress over the last
twenty four hours and we discussed ways of sailing faster! As we went South
and then West, the weather got warmer and flying fish started appearing as our
bow wave disturbed them – a few unlucky ones landing on the deck at night.
A gigantic turtle paid us a visit in the middle of an otherwise empty ocean
and as if by magic large schools of dolphins appeared on various occasions
to brighten the mood of all on board. Although we were a dry boat, this was
champagne sailing with the trade winds pushing us ever westwards to our
destination.
Like the ever changing sky and cloud formations, the sea changed too
– one moment we were in a dead flat benign calm, the next ominous clouds
appeared from nowhere heralding mighty gusts of wind as much as 20 degrees
introduced to my two other shipmates – James and Rachel – both
old friends of the Meehans and sailing companions of theirs of
many years.
By the time I had arrived Chris had fully provisioned the
boat with the main meals for the voyage and everything was in
the freezer waiting for daily consumption - all we had to do was
stock up on dry goods and fresh fruit and vegetables.
Las Palmas was a very social and there were plenty of parties
to attend along with a daily series of lectures on such diverse
subjects as meteorology, weather routeing, provisioning, fishing
etc - I even managed to have my hair cut by a crew member of
another boat who had been at the top in Vidal Sassoon and have it
recorded for prosperity in the December issue of Yachting World!
The start day was soon upon us although delayed by
24 hours and after a last minute scramble to get some sort of
communication sent to loved ones left behind, as we would not be
communicating with them until we arrived in Antigua, we were
off!
Two hundred boats left the Marina on a windy fairly wet day
with a steel band fading into the distance. It was a relaxed start
and we spent the rest of the day jostling with the fleet. This was
the last time we would see most of the participating boats and we
would only cross tack with about six of them throughout the whole
voyage. For the rest of the time it was just us, the sea and the sky,
giving us the opportunity not only to test our sailing capabilities
bit also to disengage from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
As Gran Canaria slipped away over the horizon, it was a
peculiar feeling to realise that the world had become sea and sky,
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YODA5Ad(noElan).indd 1
14/03/2014 10:16
Masthead
7
off the gradient wind. Strangely the worst weather trends tended to
come at night! Just to make it extra difficult.
If this did happen I
would immediately take the autohelm off and have fun surfing up and
down deep troughs – probably a good thing you cannot see everything
about you in conditions such as these! My arms and legs developed
muscles I did not know I had as I braced to take the next large wave and
then turned the wheel as hard as I could to correct the stern as it was
being pushed out! After 3 hours a certain amount of exhaustion sets in
and you are mightily relieved to see the next watch appearing through
the hatch blissfully unaware of any drama having taken place!
We
were lucky that the strongest gusts hardly hit more than 35 knots but
we would often be sailing in 20 -25 knots of wind. This meant our boat
speed would creep up to 10 knots and added to that a knot of current
and we were well on our way to the other side of the ocean. Other
boats ahead of us hit an electrical storm and encountered speeds of over
55 knots of wind – we were lucky!
There was plenty of time also to reflect on life in general and
at home. It’s Thursday – has Penny put the right sort of rubbish out?
(“yes”) How is she coping with running Nonsuch? (“really well and
earning masses of brownie points”), Is she managing to walk the dogs
three times a day?(“of course she is”), Are the builders behaving? (“they
are”), Has she ordered food for Christmas and New Year?(“what do you
think - of course she has”), How are the guests? (“enjoying themselves
8
Masthead
and being looked after brilliantly”). Towards the end of the journey
half of me wanted it all to continue and half of me wanted to get there,
jump on the plane and get home. So 19 days and 2700m nautical miles
later we came in sight of land crossing the finishing line on Saturday 13
December at around 1400 hours. We motored into Rodney Bay Marina
in Antigua accompanied by a Rastafarian with a xylophone in hand, a
basket of tropical fruit, cold beers and rum punches – we had done it!
Later with another drink in hand – cold beer has never tasted so
good - we marvelled at the enormity of the ocean and how easily you
could get swallowed up and disappear making it incredibly difficult
for anyone to find you – but we know that we had done as much as we
could to make this journey as safe as possible. We had meticulously
prepared for the journey – a must for anyone contemplating such a
journey. Des and Chris had spent several weeks preparing the boat
for this trip and professionals from Oyster had checked the rig and
the mechanics. Chris, a Very important Nurse in a previous life, had
a medicine cupboard which was the envy of the fleet. We had food for
the whole journey – supplemented once or twice with freshly caught
fish deal expertly with by the Nonsuch Chef’s hand! All of this was very
comforting when you realised that you were thousands of miles from
anywhere with little or no help apart from the expertise on the boat. A
trip on deck or a slip in the galley and someone could fall overboard,
be knocked out or worse – so lifelines, lifejackets and PLBs (personal
locater beacons) were a must.
Kit’s life’s wish list has one more tick – a great journey – now let’s
start planning the next – Penny where are you?
By Kit Noble
The wind in your sale.
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dedicated local South Hams team to help make it happen.
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07967 555840
01392 455755
mlamb@savills.com
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07807 999406
01548 800462
southhams@savills.com
Pontoon
Ballet
How the Club gets ready for the season. brian essex explains how they
get there by way of a ‘Pontoon Ballet’.
t
he conversion of a grand but rather angular Victorian seaside
residence into the Royal Dart Yacht Club takes place in March each
year with the return of the Club pontoons and the Club Moorings to
their summer positions. It is returned to its ‘non boating’ role in October
each year with the removal of both.
10
Masthead
PoNtooNs
The pontoons are clearly vital to all our boating activities but
because of the exposed position of the Club on the seaward side of the
point we cannot leave the pontoons there in the winter. (As Moorings
Officer, and therefore responsible, I remember nervously looking out at
the pontoon in the dark in late October last year when an early winter
storm had the pontoon rising and falling to an extent that would make
it impossible to stand on).
The same point provides shelter for the ferry landings and the
whole of Kingswear side anchorage and it also gives the club terrace its
superb southerly aspect which we all appreciate so much in the summer.
In the winter, however, we are exposed. So, we have to move them.
Pontoons , buoys ,lazylines ...all have to go! Fortunately, just to the north
of Darthaven we have Waterhead Creek in which the pontoons can safely
stay all winter away from all the stormy blasts (but not the seagulls and
swans). How we get them there and back is what has come to be called
the bi-annual Pontoon Ballet. This Spring’s went something like this!
MaRch 26th 2015
Clearly, we have to be ready on station by April 1st. Waterhead
Creek has two big problems. Across its mouth is the railway bridge
which inevitably imposes itself on the proceedings and the creek is a bit
shallow. The main pontoon has the dinghy ‘toast rack’ on it and it needs
an exact tidal height to get it under the bridge. We also have to have high
water at a time that gives us slack water at the right time of day.
The pontoons are very heavy and must make the journey at slack
water so that we do not threaten any of the boats in Darthaven. So
mid morning high tides are good.
This year we had a dilemma. Suitable heights/times
occurred very early in March (too stormy) or on March 26/27
which was a bit late for the ‘in position’ deadline if we had bad
weather. As it happens we had near perfect weather on the 26th
and all went well.
The Bosun had launched two of the Club’s boats the day
before and brought them over to the Darthaven waiting pontoon
at 7am. The troops arrived at Darthaven at 7.50am and the DHNA
tug arrived at 8.00am.Precision timing. The Bosun organised
the main pontoon tow with some of the troops whilst the other
troops moved the three ‘walk ashore’ pontoons down to the Club.
They also had some trouble with a notorious Club paparazzo
who was duly delivered to the Main Pontoon, which, by now, was
already well on its way in the middle of the river.
Job done? Not quite. Getting the ‘walk ashore’ pontoon
sections assembled is not easy. The bolts that hold it together are
very large requiring very large spanners that are easily dropped
into the river and any movement of the pontoon can catch
unwary fingers. There is then too much pressure washing that
has to take place as the pontoons get dirty and slippery over the
winter and the starboard and end lights have to be moved from
the piles to the pontoons. The pressure washed Island pontoon
was floated down on the ebb to its position and the troops retired
to lunch in the Club House.
MooRINGs
There are 55 moorings available to members all in the
Reach of the river from the Club down to Lighthouse Beach.
During the course of March the Club pays DHNA to replace
our numbered buoys and do any necessary repairs/checks. The
troops then cut the lazy lines to the various required lengths
on the terrace and then they have to be tied in place between
the buoys. That is how it went...we have a great location on a
beautiful stretch of the Dart. We also have the expertise and sheer
competence in things nautical from our Bosun. And we certainly
have the unstinting willingness to help of so many members
which makes light of what is a major annual enterprise. We must
thank them all.
The Spring 2015 troops were: Paul Hodge, Roger Baron,
Norman Doidge, Tony Taylor, Mike Brown, Phil Harrison, Tony
Swainston, Mike Green ,Brian Essex
Visit us in-store or
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DartmouthChandleryA5AdMk2(with bleed).indd 1
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Masthead
11
Old folks
visit old
haunts - part 2
chris cooper continues his wonderful watery
blog to inspire armchair sailors.
W
e finally found an exit to the Coast Path. This was new territory
and we followed it south along the same high cliffs we had
skirted the day before. Called in at NCI Portland situated in the old
Coastguard Station (I watch at Froward Point). Not very friendly to
approach as it is surrounded by a high fence with security gate, but the
welcome inside was warm and the view excellent. We wandered on
to a crab sandwich and a pint in the Pulpit Inn, then down to the Bill,
its two lighthouses and Pulpit Rock itself, before taking the East Coast
Path back to Southwell, the small isolated village on the east side of the
Isle. We trekked mostly through a lunar landscape of disused quarries,
with rusty sheerlegs overhanging the water, so placed to let the stone be
taken away by sea. We hit the bus stop with only two minutes to wait
and so back to base after a thoroughly successful outing.
MoNday 14 May
The morning broke fine, but by the time we planned to depart
it had clouded over and started to spit. We were about to pay for three
days of sunshine!
1100 Off pontoon and hoisted sail at the harbour entrance. It was
now raining properly, but with a fairly steady SW f3/4. Olympic
practice was conspicuously absent! Visibility was about 3-4
miles and, conveniently, there was a yacht ahead on the same
course, 120 degrees, heading presumably for the outer end of
the St Albans race, our first waypoint. We made a good 7-8kts,
12
Masthead
with the wind and sea increasing as we came out of the lee of
the Isle of Portland. Steering became tricky, not just because of
the steepness of the seas and occasional breaking crest, but also
trying to tread that fine line of holding a downwind course but
avoiding the jib blanketing.
1305 Gybed onto 060 degrees, having had one or two exciting
moments surfing in the confused seas at the tail of the Race. By
this time we had caught up with the yacht which had left before
us. It was still raining and cold. On the new course it was just
possible to keep the jib full.
1350 Anvil Point abeam. The sea calmed and we sped along with 2½
knots of tide under us. Peveril Ledge followed ten minutes later,
then the familiar profile of Old Harry Rocks, blurred by rain. We
close-hauled up the Poole Entrance Channel, cold rain in our
faces, longing for the first mooring we could find, warmth and
lunch.
1440 Sandbanks Entrance. Dodged the ferry and picked up a buoy
tucked in off the NE corner of Brownsea Island. Fell upon longoverdue lunch and had a good warm-up. Passage average: 8½ kts.
1600 Off and motored along the Upper Wych Channel, which runs
along the north side of Brownsea, in the teeth of a f5/6, plus rain,
finally anchoring in the lee of Shipstal Point, another favorite
spot. No sooner anchored than the rain stopped and the sun
emerged. Tidied up and made all shipshape.
tuesday 15 May
It rained again in the night, but was clear by late breakfast, followed
by sun and cloud, but with a biting f6 from the NNW. Heavy showers
had been threatened, but with one short exception late afternoon we
escaped, watching some major pieces of nastiness pass either side of us.
The cloud formations were amazing.
In the afternoon we dinghied ashore and walked through the RSPB
Arne Nature Reserve of which Shipstal Point forms a part. We watched
returning swallows, but failed to find a post box in the village of Arne,
because it proved to be no more than a scattering of houses. We did
revisit the little 12th C chapel of St Nicholas and were reminded of the
altar cloth embroidered with a ship at each point of the compass, which
had given Sallie the idea for my 60th birthday musical box, hexagonal,
with one of the family’s boats embroidered on each side.
The wind abated at sunset, giving a quiet, but cold, night.
WedNesday 16 May
The wind had turned SW and moderated, with the prospect of sun and
cloud. The Solent beckoned.
1230 Off after a short struggle with a well dug-in, extremely muddy,
anchor. Hoisted jib, intending to go gently southabout Brownsea
through Blood Alley Lake. My assumption that we must draw less
than a large tripper boat proved wrong – as soon as we entered
Blood Alley we touched (and on a falling tide too!) The motor got
us back into deeper water and we took the long route back via the
Upper Wych.
1315 Sail up off the fuel barge on the NW corner of Brownsea.
1325 Sandbanks entrance. We rather hesitantly took the inshore,
Looe, passage, but the depth never dropped below 2.3 metres.
(Our echo-sounder bleeps at 2 metres and we go aground at 0.6)
Ten minutes saw us through. The wind was SSW f3/4 enabling
us, just, to lay the Needles on 090 without the jib blanketing.
The direction was rather fluky however and a determined cloud
hovered constantly over us while to seaward it was frustratingly
sunny.
1400 We lunched in sequence. A wind shift led us to goosewing on
060 towards Hengistbury Head for a spell. We were tempted by
Christchuch Harbour – we had spent a sunny week there, dried
out on the beach, while I painted a previous cat from white to
blue. That had been 35+ years ago when the children were small;
we concluded that everywhere inside would now be crowded
with moored boats and decided to stick to Plan A.
1415
The wind shifted back, so we reverted to our old course, now
heading for N Head Buoy, which marks the inshore passage
between the Shingles and Hurst Castle. We passed it at 1530 and
rounded Hurst Castle twenty minutes later.
1550 Sail down off Yarmouth entrance and on the yellow (visitors)
pontoon shortly after.
My last visit to Yarmouth involved mooring between piles and the
classic scenario of trying to use my crew as a warp, stretching him
between the bow and the pile as I reversed towards the pile astern.
There are now more berths, organised with a combination of long
pontoons and rafting. Understandably, with limited space available
they used to be reluctant to take multihulls in the busy season, so we
have tended to steer clear. This early they were now happy to take us,
but in mid-season space is still at a premium and Monohull Man can be
guaranteed a berth without having to rub shoulders with multihull riffraff. The harbour is well-appointed and the harbour office and facilities
focus on eco-friendliness. Ashore that evening we discovered and had
a slap-up meal at Forresters Restaurant (wifi also available) (Sallie had
recently bought an I-pad and we had eagerly looked forward to regular
access to weather websites and our emails. We knew we needed wifi
hotspots, but assumed they were legion. Hens’ teeth were nearer the
mark. Yarmouth Harbour had one, but at a cost. Pubs also had them,
but often with complex access codes and poor signals. The Royal Dorset
and Royal Channel Islands had them - they only seemed to work in a
far corner of the bar. It was highly frustrating and there were moments
when we were quite glad to be sufficiently senior not to have to face
another fifty years of technological advance.)
By Chris Cooper.
Masthead
13
CRUISING
WITH
CHILDREN
ABOARD
A humorous, but practical, guide to successful life on board where keeping
everyone safe at the same time as keeping them involved can be challenging
and rewarding. Gill duncan is sure he has the answers.
s
ailing with children is tough. End of story. Long periods of boredom,
interspersed with bouts of sea-sickness and occasional fear, no wifi,
precious little power; not what the average child wants to do with their
time. It is also a well-known fact the older a parent becomes the more
“un-cool” they become too! Having lived aboard a boat with children for
12 months on a sailing sabbatical Lisa and I know full well that even with
the allure of sun-drenched beaches, colourful snorkelling expeditions
and all the brightly coloured sit on kayaks, windsurfers, and dinghies
is not enough to stave off boredom and the only solution was a similar
bunch of bored ARC-orphans!
Having returned to cooler climes we were keen to continue to fuel
our sailing addiction and that meant the kids had to buy into it. After 12
months afloat we would not be able to sell long passage-making from
the confines of the confined quarters of a 30 foot IOR cruiser racer. We
had to make it fun for the boys (Cameron 12 and Samuel 9).
Dinghy sailing with other kids forms a major part of their
enjoyment and education. Learning whilst doing is key and dinghy
sailing allows them to do so without getting hurt and dispels any fear
of the sea because the worst that can happen is a capsize and a dousing
in the Dart!
We figured that the best plan was to make sailing exciting and the
14
Masthead
best way to do that was to go racing. A few hours on the water, getting wet,
being part of the crew with a role to play, and surrounded by other people
and boats, going fast(ish) and finishing off with a drink on the terrace
with their pals, the crew, even their parents! This worked out ok-ish.
The pressure on sheets and lines, even on a 30 foot boat, are significant
and dangerous for small hands but even so the chance to feel they are
playing their part by sitting on the rail and looking out for other boats
and “diving the clew” in light conditions involves them. Knowing others
on other boats helps as they can spend time looking to see where their
friends are and whether they are beating them or not. It is worth noting
that after the sailing on a Saturday morning the last things ours wanted
to do was to head straight off for a Saturday afternoon race! Instead Lisa
and I used those few hours while the kids tacked and gybed back and
forth across the river to set up the boat, do those small jobs that always
need doing and perhaps even read the paper and have a cuppa on our
own on a Saturday morning – bliss. We enjoyed successful Wednesday
night races (aided by often glorious spring/early summer weather) and
even Sunday passage races – including becoming the overall winner of
the Gallon Of Rum race to Brixham. This was even sweeter because,
unusually, Lisa helmed, Cameron trimmed the headsail and spinnaker
and I did the foredeck and heavy lifting! Samuel contented himself with
a bit of everything including a few hours head-down (on the weather
side!) followed by fish and chips and ice-creams in Brixham. I think
that’s the key – sailing mustn’t be for the sake of sailing; it must be for the
overall experience. The kids have very different drivers to us.
Cue the summer holidays – sailing for me must form a part of it.
We also want to get south to better weather. Overseas feels like going
somewhere – a holiday needs to start with a journey. Most cruising boats
can get across the Channel in 12 – 18 hours. Even kids can understand
the need to go cross-Channel to get somewhere new. We touted our
trip relatively early on one of the cruising forums and linked up with
Peter, Sarah and Ryan Blackler who were similarly planning on heading
south. Our boys had all been dunked during the Saturday dinghy sailing
sessions and parents had met on the Club terrace a couple of times but
we knew little more of them than that. By email the date was set. We
met up on the Club pontoon on a Thu night for a cockpit supper and
then with kids in pyjamas and harnesses, with oilskins at the ready, off
we went.
On passage we have no set bedtime for the boys. Their lee-cloths
stay up and they can come and go as they please. Once tired they go to
bed. If they want to join a watch they can, otherwise they are in their
“scratcher” (sleeping bag). We know that we need around 12 hours at 5
knots before we close the coast. Alderney Week (not Alderney itself) is
the goal.
When cruising in company there are many advantages: you have
double the number of eyes scanning the horizon, you can pair the
stronger watchkeeper on one boat with the weaker on the other and vice
versa – this means that your off-watch is proper rest as there is a “watch
consultant” on the other boat, particularly if one has AIS and the other
doesn’t. For the inexperienced it also enables cross-checking of passage
plans. We also try to make it fun by running a VHF pub-quiz (not on Ch
16!). On longer passages we normally do this as a “Sundowners Quiz”
between boats. The boys make up questions to ask each other – but,
note to self, get a VHF speaker in the cockpit as a kids’ pub quiz, coupled
with Chinese whispers makes for an interesting experience!
Niki (our 1970 S&S 30) and Red Fox (the Blackler’s Laser 28)
are evenly-matched in terms of speed and without any major rush
sail-plans can be adjusted to keep pace and in close contact with one
another. A star-filled night and a quiet easy reach had enabled both
boats to cut efficiently across the shipping lanes and once the wind
dropped we were able to charge the batteries with a short spell of motor
sailing. As dawn rose, utterly cloudless, with a very slight sea we found
ourselves exactly where we wanted to be north east of Alderney as the
tide changed and favourable winds whooshed us into Bray Harbour.
By lunchtime the kids were draining the excellent Alderney
showers of every drop of hot water and both crews were looking forward
to a beer / coke at the yacht club as the scheduled weather window
closed and we looked gratefully out over a very lumpy Alderney Race
in the knowledge that Niki and Red Fox were safely tethered fast to
mooring buoys.
Alderney Week is an amazing time for kids. There are activities
aplenty from open air theatre productions to building sand sculptures to
the most fabulous torchlight procession followed by a fireworks display –
the like of which the Health & Safety Executive would have been driven
to apoplexy. Good, old-fashioned, honest (if not a tad terrifying) fun.
There is something for everyone during Alderney week. Cars are few
but the bus (there is only 1) or bikes take beachgoers to quite the most
stunning beaches which make it picture-postcard-perfect at every turn.
Bearing in mind that you cannot find accommodation during Alderney
Week for love nor money a boat is the ideal camper van to enjoy the
festival. In so doing you gain brownie points to trade against the next
leg of the journey to San Malo for a spot of wine-tasting, seafood and
continental charm.
There are scheduled Club cruises through the summer which are
extremely popular. All are very weather dependent and attempting a
cross-Channel passage with young kids is only for the deeply sadistic
or foolhardy. Perhaps there would be interest in having families’ cruises
departing at various points in the summer holidays from the Dart. Our
experience with the gang aboard Red Fox was entirely positive and from
it we have made new friends and people we would equally race with (or
against!) and cruise – most importantly so would our kids; which has to
be the main effort. Happy crew means more happy sailing.
It would be great to build a network of other families who are keen
to cruise together – perhaps using the RDYC Facebook page. Cruising
in company gives confidence to all crewmembers – particularly those
taking baby steps into longer distance sailing with their children.
Rallying is really popular with families as shown by the number that
sail with the ARC grows year on year. You shouldn’t have to cross the
Atlantic to find new sailing friends.
By Gill Duncan
Bio: Gill Duncan is a Royal Marines Officer currently serving in 45
Commando Royal Marines, in Arbroath (NE Scotland). They normally
live in Exeter, keep Niki, their aged but spritely S&S 30, on the Dart. He
has sailed and raced dinghies and yachts from an early age and has 3
trans-Atlantics under his belt. He is married to Lisa, who loved the sea
but never sailed until they met and their 2 boys Cameron and Samuel
dinghy sail at the RDYC. This year they are exiled to Scotland but will
return to the South West in 2016 to take on where they left off.
Masthead
15
Taxi to Delhi Airport
An ‘Out of Boat’ Experience by tony
swainston, proving that there is
life off the water.
M
y wife and I arrived one evening in Delhi in unseasonal and
incessant rain and took the ultra-clean and efficient metro to our
hotel. This entailed a 10 minute walk through puddles and slime at the
other end before arriving at our hotel with damp clothing and muddy
feet.
The rain had continued unabated through the night and the
streets were flooded. No point in wading back to the Metro we would
take a taxi to the airport and stay dry. To hell with poverty we would pay
the £7 fare. When taking a taxi ride in any big Indian city take my advice:
you must select the most battle scarred taxi with a driver who has a
mad gleam in one eye and a twitch in the other. He is a true champion
of the road, feared by others. He has never has and never will give way
to man or vehicle in his lifetime and remains blissfully ignorant of the
Highway Code. This driver’s sole intent is to get you to your destination
no matter what havoc and devastation he inflicts on the local drivers
and pedestrians. Be warned such a journey is not for the faint hearted.
Mr Singh was our driver and he matched the required job
description to a fault. His taxi, yellow and black, had no discernible
shape being full of dents and missing parts. The rear window was held
to its frame by gaffer tape leaving precious little visibility. My wife was
pushed physically, with no thought for her modesty, through the rear
door which did not fully open and our luggage piled on top of her. I
tried explaining to Mr. Singh that we wanted the international terminal
at the airport but he paid no attention whatsoever and uttered not a
word of acknowledgement. Without warning he lurched into the traffic
16
Masthead
with horns blaring and tyres squealing from vehicles behind us. He was
entirely oblivious of this outrage he had committed and proceeded to
swerve across three lanes of solid traffic in search of a quicker route.
Coming across an auto rickshaw ahead full of school children he
manoeuvred to within a gnat’s whisker of its rear bumper and gave
them the full impact of his horn. Veering aggressively from side to side
the distraught rickshaw driver with his terror struck passengers moved
into the inner lane giving us clear passage for the next 50yards. Pleased
with progress so far Mr. Singh turned on the radio at full volume and
we all enjoyed what I would describe as music to snake charm by
accompanied by a demented drummer.
The rain came down harder than ever and the roads were flooded
in large sections but Mr. Singh was not to be distracted by such small
impediments to progress. We cleared one deep section producing
a rooster tail of water the height of the taxi itself. Ahead we saw a
cyclist who was wrapped in a polythene bag to keep himself dry. The
polythene had shrink wrapped itself to his face and he was clearly in
early stages of asphyxiation wobbling uncertainly without the benefit
of either oxygen or adequate visibility. The cyclist was engulfed in wall
of wash as we sped by and I saw him teeter off the road into the bushes.
Having never uttered a single word to us so far Mr. Singh now burst into
rumbustious song in tune with the radio. What he lacked in melodic and
tonal appreciation he made up for in volume.
After 15 minutes Mr. Singh produced from his wallet a photo of a
dashing chap with a red turban and luxurious beard. Speaking not one
word of English it was evident that Mr. Singh was extolling the virtues of
this fine fellow. I had no idea whether this was the much revered leader
of a religious sect of whom no person was fit to kneel at the feet of this
living God or whether it was Mr. Singh’s brother in law from Amritsar.
However with much positive expression, appreciative nodding and
thumbs up I managed to convey my admiration for this person and
I was relieved that Mr. Singh thought my response was adequately
appropriate.
The windows of the taxi were now completely steamed up and
Mr. Singh dived under his dashboard for a cloth in which to clean them.
This cloth could be classified as having universal application. It had
been previously been used for wiping off oil from dipsticks, removing
blood and flesh from fenders, and the odd blast of mucus from a sudden
sneeze. The effect on the windscreen was unsurprising; a film of gore
and grease was spread liberally to the extent that vision was impaired to
an even greater extent than before. We rounded an island and perceived
deep water ahead. Mr. Singh slammed to a halt and blaring his horn
reversed backwards into the traffic behind. Mr Singh never once looked
behind, content in the knowledge that all vehicles would take prompt
action to save their undoubted annihilation, which indeed they did. We
then made for the safety of shallow water and despite the odd backfire
and steam billowing from the protesting engine reached comparative
safety and stuttered onwards.
Traffic lights in Delhi turn red for a long time. There is an
illuminated digital read out which shows how long the red light has
before it goes green. Mr. Singh we observed was content to wait 30
seconds but no longer. At one major junction the timer showed two
minutes wait. Mr. Singh without hesitation moved expertly into the
oncoming lane of traffic and negotiated his way to the front of the
queue oblivious of the flashing headlamps of approaching vehicles.
With exquisite timing he cut savagely in front of the lead vehicle as the
lights changed and was off and away ahead of the pack. I am astonished
at Indian drivers. They carry out openly aggressive manoeuvres that
would cause even the most gentle of British drivers to achieve a state of
uncontrollable road rage. Yet Indian drivers are unmoved, they show no
signs of annoyance and merely accept the situation with patience and
understanding. I guess this is because all of them drive without a trace
of compassion for other road users so it would be hypocritical of them
to take offence at the similar actions of others.
After the longest 45 minutes of our collective existence we reach
the airport. Thank goodness! Mr. Singh had known our destination all
along, but obviously believed his silence added to the memorability of
the experience we had endured. I only had the equivalent of a £10 note
and guess what? Mr. Singh had no change. Indeed Mr. Singh has never
knowingly had change for years. I gave him the note. It was great value,
the unwanted journey of a lifetime, rejoicing that we had emerged free
and unscathed, and our lives ahead of us once again. Mr Singh shook
my hand warmly as we departed and I in turn asked him to give my kind
regards to his brother in law in Amritsar. As I walked into the airport I
felt some discomfort and feeling the seat of my trousers thought that
I had succumbed to a bout of incontinence. Co-incidentally my wife
complained of the same condition and we surmised that the flood
water had forced its way through the rusted floor of the taxi and soaked
the seats which then transferred its dampness to ourselves.
Our flight to Heathrow was delayed because of the late arrival of
the crew caused in turn by the severe traffic conditions. No doubt their
meagrely remunerated driver was personally liable for the cost of repairs
of damage to the bus and took no risks as a consequence. Remind me to
give British Airways Mr. Singh’s telephone number.
My trousers dried out somewhere over Uzbekistan!
By Tony Swainston
Masthead
17
Being a Master Mariner
Club member Captain Roly boydon has long been alternating between
the familiar waters of the River Dart and deeper waters of various Oceans.
F
Photos: By Roly Mignot
18
Masthead
rom Tankers to Tugs, there is a tale to be told. Since 2001 he
has chosen British waters and worked from Esso Fawley in
Southampton. The tugs are big boys’ toys. ‘Alone, alone, all, all alone,
Alone on a wide wide sea!’ No, apologies . That is the Ancient Mariner.
Roly is so much younger and in this article he is going to explain his role
as Master of the ‘state of the art’ Norwegian tugs that most people would
think twice about before attempting to bring it along side. On the other
hand, I can think of many Boys in Boats who would probably rather like
to have a go! I have to admit that I did force him to dress up in his uniform
when I first met him and pretend to be the Captain of a Cruise Ship for
a scheme of work at school. The children were horrified as he told them
about burying bodies at sea and putting the last stitch through the nose!
I have been at sea since I was seventeen and took my Master’s
ticket in 1985. At present I am a Tug Master at the Port of Southampton
working for Solent Towage . These Tugs are seventy tons bollard pull
and are used primarily for pushing and pulling tankers onto and off their
berths at Esso Fawley. Passive is to be in attendance over the more
dangerous areas of the pilotage but active is a far more complicated
affair. Active escorting is when the specially designed and certified tug
meets the inbound tanker at the Pilot station. Once the Pilot is on board
, the tug connects to the stern with a five hundred tonne breaking strain
rope and follows the tanker in about one hundred metres off.
The design of the tug allows it to act as both a brake and a rudder.
It can be dragged sideways at ten knots to create maximum braking
effect or can go over to port or starboard at about 45 degrees to the track
to produce steering forces of up to 130 t.f. To enable the tug to do this ,
the design draught is in excess of seven metres with a very large skeg or
keel under. Once the tanker closes the berth the second, third or fourth
tug , depending on size of tanker, approach and berthing is achieved in
the normal way. There are smaller tugs which are involved in carrying
mooring lines to shore. These are used as tugs for the Coastal fleet on to
the smaller berths.
On the bridge is somewhere I very much like to be. It is exciting
and surely must be one of the biggest boys’ toys in the world. The skill
involved, though, cannot be downplayed. Just to steer a straight line is
difficult , being rather like rear wheel steering or pushing a shopping
trolley. There is a bell on the bridge wing and it is considered, when
coming alongside , unnecessary to cause it to ring. Gently does it should
be the order of the day. However, this is a contact sport and I have been
known to make that bell ring!
Being a Master is a highly responsible position mostly because of
the dangers that are ever present in the environment in which the crew
work. It is important that each crew member at any given time must
know exactly what they are doing . I cannot imagine doing anything
else, really. Each day is different. I have had the opportunity to tow
an oil rig platform in the North Sea, which was quite an experience.
Even in Southampton we have been out in some fairly heavy weather,
waves crashing over the bow as high as the bridge. I do not get seasick,
thankfully. Do I get scared? I would say that I am respectful of the sea;
you would be a fool not to be. There are often times when the weather
is too bad for ships to come in or there are problems with ships on their
berths. We have to be ready at a moment’s notice. The variety of the job,
in these circumstances, stops it being arduous. So, I am lucky to be able
to combine my skills with something I really enjoy. Not many people
can do that. And when push comes to shove, I think I am quite good at
manoeuvring now.
By Roly Boydon
Introduction By Lynne Maurer
Wollen Michelmore
SOLICITORS
The South Devon Law Firm
How can we help you?
Dartmouth • Torquay • Newton Abbot • Paignton
www.wollenmichelmore.co.uk
T: 01803 832191
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Michelmore LLP is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority - SRA No 565599
Masthead
19
“Tis the voice of the Lobster: I heard him
declare. You have baked me too brown, I
must sugar my hair.” Lewis Carroll (probably a Vegetarian)
LOBSTER AND CRAB FISHING
chris boon shares the whys and wherefores of wrestling with crustaceans
legally and humanely.
I
ntroduction by Tony Swainston: The Dart boasts many great
fishermen who brave the elements to bring fish to our tables. Such a
man is my good friend Chris Boon, the writer of this article, although
braving the elements is stretching the truth somewhat. Indeed the
slightest lop at the mouth of the river will send him scurrying back
for shelter. The costs of his boat, marina fees, fuel etc. measured
against the numbers of lobster and crab caught in a season would be
more affordably and sensibly spent dining regularly at The Seahorse
restaurant in Dartmouth.
So readers, be warned, this article is only for those to which the
following criteria applies:
Your enthusiasm is undiminished in the face of ever decreasing results.
Your financial acumen is highly suspect.
Your partner wants you out of the house as much as possible
You are undismayed at having to share your meagre spoils with
undeserved pals who mock your endeavours.
20
Masthead
So read on but don’t say you haven't been warned. For clarification
I have added a few words in italics.
lobsteR aNd cRab FIshING
One of the pleasures in life is cooking and eating a fresh lobster,
but for added satisfaction, why not catch it yourself.
This is a guide to catching lobster and crab in the waters
immediately outside the entrance to the River Dart using two or three
pots.
The first thing to say is it will require a bit of investment (somewhat
of an understatement), patience and an understanding of the local and
national regulations regarding catching shellfish in Devon waters.
You, as an individual, can fish, but the important factor is not to
tread on the toes of the local commercial fisherman who do this for a
living (and God help you if you do)!
the Rules aNd ReGulatIoNs
Any fish you catch is for personal use and should not be sold. You
need a commercial fishing licence to sell, apart from which, you are
taking fish from someone who is making a living.
In Devon waters size restrictions apply to both lobster and brown
crab. The carapace on a lobster (from the back of the eye socket to the
start of the tail) should be a minimum of 90 millimetres. Anything
under this, the fish must be returned. With crab, the size as measured
across the shell should be 160 ml for a cock (male) crab, and 140 ml
for a hen (female) crab. Again, anything under this , must be returned.
Spider crabs may also be caught and their minimum size for retention
is 120mm for females and 130mm for males, measured from the back of
the eye socket.
If the lobster has eggs (berries) under the tail, this is a pregnant
female and should be returned and allowed to spawn. This is future
stock. A berried crab must also be returned to the sea unharmed. Also
if the lobster has a small “V” cut in the tail, this signifies it is a breeding
female and should be returned. Some large male lobsters may also be
“V” notched. This is breeding stock.
Another byelaw particular to Devon waters is that ‘parlour pots
‘should have an escape hatch, which measures 84 ml by 46 ml. This can
be fitted by the supplier of the pot if buying locally. This allows undersize
fish, unwanted shore and other crabs to escape. (Phew! Don’t roll your
eyes, you really have to know this stuff or risk being put in prison for life)
Very important is keeping out of the way of the commercial
fishermen. You will see their buoys (dahns). Under that buoy are likely to
be a dozen or so pots, sometimes many more, stretching many meters,
and if you drop your pot on top of that string of pots, it is reasonable to
assume yours will be moved.
There are primarily two types of pot , a ‘parlour pot’ and an
‘inkwell’. The former is more suited to catching lobster as it has a soft
entry and the works for crabs, albeit you can catch both species in
either pot. You can buy these on the internet or locally, on the Miglo
industrial estate behind Sainsbury’s in Paignton. Each pot should have
a marker buoy, and a weighted rope to make sure no rope is floating
on the surface, as this is a hazard to your own boat as well as others.
Again, these can be purchased from the same place as your pot. (Wear
old clothes when hauling pots, my immaculate set of Mustos are now
permanently stained with the slime and detritus of the sea bed. Better
still get the Skipper to do the hauling himself).
baIt
Crabs like fresh bait, whilst lobsters are not so fussy. If you see
any of the bait lorries delivering to the Kingswear quayside, it’s usually
gurnard. You can, of course ,catch your own bait such as mackerel, but
using this as bait is likely to attract unwanted visitors such as huss and
conger eel, and putting your hand into an inkwell pot with five feet of
writhing Conger is not for the faint hearted (this task is usually given
to a friend, on the basis he’ll not want to come again)! Where to buy
it? Brixham fish quay. Buy it in quantity, and freeze it in manageable
packs i.e. enough to bait your pots each trip out. You cannot buy on the
market, but need to talk to the fish traders.
WheRe aNd WheN to FIsh.
Lobstermen would die before they divulged the location of their
pots and I am no different. There is lots of room for all, either go left or
right out of the river and there is a rocky shore line. This is ideal lobster
and crab territory, but you do need to get close in, so this is not the
place for your nicely polished Moody, but more suited to a dory. (More
specifically turn right at the river mouth, motor 500 yards and look for
Inkwell pot (left), Parlour pot (right)
Chris’s three white buoys close to the shore).
Do not place your pots in the navigation channels. They become
a danger to other boats and can be removed by the Harbour Master (and
enrage RDYC sailors)(and us rowers)!
You do not have to fish close to the shore but the further off you
go, if you are fishing a single pot, there is a higher risk of losing it due to
tide and storms bearing in mind you do need to leave it undisturbed for
three to four days.
From experience you can fish April through to September with
reasonable success (reasonable success in Chris’s case sounds like a
great overstatement to me).
cooKING
OK, so you have caught your fish. There are many recipes for both
lobster and crab, but you usually have to kill them humanely first.
In the absence of a commercial restaurant stunner, the best
domestic approach is to put them into the freezer for half an hour, and
then drop into boiling water, cooking as required.
saFety
As you will be probably be fishing alone (friends on board think
they have a right to a share of the catch) you will be leaning over the side
of your boat to bring in your pot, so a life jacket is essential. A radio and
inshore flare pack are also important as is a kill cord when travelling to
and from your pots. Remember to check weather and tide conditions.
haPPy FIshING
Conversely, you could always go to the local fishmonger to buy
your lobster and save yourself a lot of time and trouble... you’ll get a lot
of lobster for the cost of a pot!!!
stoP PRess
Just before to going to print, notification of a significant change to
the regulations was received.
“All non- commercial fishermen will require a Category 2 Permit
from the D&SIFCA, this will cost £20 for two years. The permit holder
will be able to use five pots which are fitted with tags; the tags are
supplied by the D&SIFCA. There is a daily catch restriction of two
lobsters and five crabs (you should be so lucky). Store potting of the
catch is not permitted.”
This Byelaw is expected to come into force during the year. To be
up-to-date, visit www.devonandsevernifca.gov.uk
Masthead
21
A voice from the past
A personal view of Ivy Carus-Wilson who was to become the wife of the
famous boat designer, Francis Morgan Giles.
PaRt tWo : FaMous VIsItoRs to daRtMouth ReGatta
hen Ivy Carus Wilson wrote in her pre WW1 diary that she had
been late for the 'at home' at the RDY Club House because she
had been out watching ”The Sixes”, she was talking about a group of six
metre boats which were romping through the south west coast regattas,
feted like film stars. Her own husband-to-be Francis Morgan Giles was
there along with Captain Dixon, Algernon Maudslay, Thomas Glen
Coats and George Martin in his Norwegian built Enjar.
These racing six metre yachts had been built to the new
International Rule and their crews were great friends unless locked
in competition. As a “sporting little class” they had caught the public
imagination: when they came into harbour everyone thronged to see
the “Sixes” just as people turn out to see the Red Arrows today. Some
owners had a six metre built every year to keep pace with developments
in design so there was always something new to catch the eye.
At Dartmouth Ivy says Ouananiche was the winner in light airs
whereas poor Enjar lagged behind - and was later castigated in the press
for promising so much, while achieving so little. George Martin, a Royal
Dart member since 1899, protested this was because he had specifically
requested a heavy weather design from Mylne but people replied that
the point of racing was to win, which he had not!
All these men became internationally famous: Algernon
Maudslay had won two Gold medals in the 1900 Olympics and Thomas
Glen-Coats had helmed his self-designed 12 metre Hera to gold in the
1908 games with his mentor Alfred Mylne as crew. George, who had
been taught to sail by the Brixham fishermen as a boy, won the One Ton
Cup in 1912 in a borrowed 6 metre Bunty while Francis Morgan Giles
was crew to Algernon’s helm when they won the same competition in
1913 in Cremona. He was known at the time as a cutting edge designer
as well as a fierce competitor.
This group of friends were hands-on sailors first and foremost.
Once, at the Royal South Western Yacht Club, they drew lots to race
each other in W.E.C. dinghies. Captain Dixon had Myosotis, Ivy’s boat,
which must have very exciting for her. For years , he had been one of the
prominent figures on the Solent, famous for his fantastic success in the
“little boats.” George Martin, who was over 6 foot 7, won that dinghy race
which must have been a sight to see. Morgan Giles said he preferred
small boats because he felt it was more a question of sailing skill than
being one of a crowd.
George himself was perhaps a cruising rather than a racing man
but later in the 1920s he came into his own, organising and winning
the first Fastnet Race in Jolie Brise and being voted first Commodore
after proposing the formation of the “Ocean Racing Club” ( now RORC)
at the after-race dinner. Designers Morgan Giles and Glen-Coats have
their place in history firmly established although Dixon and Algernon
Maudslay have faded somewhat from popular memory. However , we
can catch a glimpse from Ivy’s diary how ,in the pre-war years ,small
boat racing was giving great pleasure to competitors and spectators
alike – a tradition which the Royal Dart upholds to this day!
By Historian Clare McComb.
W
Sale plan of Cremona
Jonquil 6 M-R
One Ton Cup
George Martin
Morgan Giles
Images reproduced from the Morgan Giles family album
22
Masthead
America’s Cup pictures a
grateful addition to the walls
of the newly painted Club.
M
ark Beattie has very kindly gifted three magnificent signed prints
of the America’s Cup Race which were displayed at his family
home, Riversea, in Kingswear. He believes his Father bought them in
the early eighties and feels sure that only too pleased for the Club to
give them a new home.
For those who may not know, ‘Boo’ Beattie (Commander Ian
Anthony Beattie RN) and his wife Ann moved to Kingswear in 1978. He
had served in the Royal Navy from 1938 until 1966 and was at BRNC
until 1942 when he passed out as Chief Cadet Captain. He subsequently
taught ballistics there, so his move down here was unsurprising.
He became involved with the Club and played a leading role
with Junior Sailing in the 1980s. His own yacht Ginable (short for gin
and bitter lemon), Mark admits, was more often used for jaunts up to
Dittisham for lunch than sailing out of the mouth of the river. He and his
Mother got “seasick watching Howard’s Way”.
Obviously well- known and well-liked in the village a bizarre
claim to fame which any family would be proud of is that he “held the
speed record on the Thames for a while after delivering a tardy Richard
Dimbleby to Central London in his MTB, to cover the Royal Wedding for
the BBC.” His mobility scooter , known as Bluebird, certainly must have
slowed him down a bit, but according to Mark, he managed to cause
havoc with that, too.
The refurbishment of the Club
I
t is not just all things waterborne that require sprucing up for the new
season. Spring Fever has also been at work in the Club and bright new
colours have refreshed the tired looking nooks and crannies. There are
now no more dark shadows to hide in and everyone certainly seems
more cheerful as a result. Unfortunately, the new paint job may well
cause a few problems for those who thought they had got away with
doing anything this year. It may well serve as a reminder that the small
room upstairs needs a lick of paint!
Masthead
23
Announcing the
2015 Classic
Channel Regatta
24
Masthead
The dates of the 6th Biennial Classic Channel Regatta will be July 11 – 18, 2015.
The first weekend at Dartmouth (July 11-13) will incorporate Dartmouth
Classics Weekend.
b
ringing together an international fleet of classic yachts and their
crews for a week of friendly competition and informal social
events, the Classic Channel Regatta has an established reputation for
classic sailing at its very best.
The format and courses will follow the highly successful formula
of previous regattas. There will be two days of racing at Dartmouth
followed by the Classic Channel Race from Dartmouth to Paimpol
in Brittany. After a rest day in Paimpol there will be the Round Brehat
Race, then a passage race to St Peter Port in Guernsey with the regatta
finishing with the Round Sark Race.
Over 50 yachts have already pre-registered for 2015 and the
organizers are expecting a record entry which may well reach their
maximum of 100 yachts. This includes yachts from the UK, France,
Belgium, Holland and Germany, and even one S&S yawl coming up
from Italy.
Yachts are divided into two main classes, Class 1 for those designed
before 1969 and Class 3 for those designed between 1969 and the end
of 1974. Approved production designs and more recent boats of classic
style are also accepted into Class 3.
Racing will be to the JCH Classic Handicap which is free and available
online and there will be both English and French Race Officers on the committee
boats throughout the regatta and a high level of race organization is assured.
For the first time there will be special classes for S&S designed
yachts – a good number of large S&S designs have already pre-registered
and more are expected – and also for the more diminutive, but very
seaworthy and plucky, Twisters.
The regatta is a uniquely enjoyable week of varied ‘gentlemen’s’
racing and informal social events at three of the finest ports in the
Channel – Dartmouth, Paimpol and St Peter Port. The regatta has its
own distinct Westcountry and Breton atmosphere which attracts many
crews to return for each regatta.
The fleet’s arrival into the harbour at Paimpol will be part of the
town’s July 14 Bastille Day celebrations – so a welcome of fireworks and
festivities awaits the arriving crews.
The framed original of the painting in this letterhead (and
attached) commissioned from Paimpolaise marine artist Guy L’Hostis
for the 2015 regatta will be presented at the end of the regatta as the
‘Spirit of the Regatta Trophy’ to the yacht which most successfully
embraces the unique ethos and Corinthian spirit of this very friendly
regatta, described by a previous winner of the trophy as ‘the world’s
most enjoyable classic regatta’.
The organizers have recently set up an association of the regatta’s
participants - called CRAB (for Classic Regatta Anglo-Breton). This
hands ownership of the regatta to the participants and will give them
the power to determine how it is run in the future.
Full information and pre-registration is at the regatta website:
www.classic-channel-regatta.eu
For more information or photos please contact:
Bruce Thorogood
E: bruce@classic-channel-regatta.eu
Tel: 01803-762448
Mob: 07974-678-270
Photos: ww.waterlinemedia.com above: Taken from the top of a mast in the Paimpol lock. left: The Charm of Rhu, designed by Archie Macmillan and built
in the Fife Yard. Launched in 1963 she is thought to be the last racing yacht launched from the famous Fife yard at Fairlie, Scotland before it closed. She was
originally raced in the Clyde eight metre class and has quite a history.
Masthead
25
The 150th Anniversary Celebrations
of The Royal Dart Yacht Club
clive bennett reveals what to expect in 2016 when the Club will be awash
with treasured memories of what has made it the popular and successful
place it is today.
e
arly in 1866 one Henry Studdy, a resident of Kingswear, owner of a
yacht named “Wild Duck” and a 47 ton schooner named “Anita” and
a very keen racer, decided to form a yacht club which within a few years
was to receive the Royal Charter and become the Royal Dart Yacht Club.
The first meeting of the founding committee was held in the
spring of 1866 and, therefore, next year we will be celebrating its 150th
anniversary with a host of special events and activities involving all
sections of the Club and, hopefully all members.
Rozanthe Hine-Haycock has stepped up to the plate to take the
lead in planning and co-ordinating the initiatives. Her family have
been tremendous supporters of the Club for over one hundred years;
her grandfather was a former Commodore and her aunt, Anne HineHaycock, was Honorary Secretary for many years.
There is still much work to be done in organising the detail of
the events, but Rozanthe and her committees have already established
a programme for the May half-term week to include a formal cocktail
party to which our Admiral, HRH Prince Philip, has been invited. During
that week each of the Club sections will be organising something special
for young sailors, not so young sailors and everyone else.
In July there will be a Summer Ball to mark the occasion, the
planning for which is well in hand by the 150th Ball Committee under
26
Masthead
Caroline Boon's leadership.
Gerald Hine-Haycock, a previous editor of Masthead, has agreed
to lead the production of a commemorative edition and will be calling
for help with this from the literary talent amongst you. The current idea
is to have a hardback version describing the Club, its members and
activities past and present.
Our Rear Commodore Sailing, John Ellwood, has also been busy.
Amongst other things he has been in discussion with the Small Sail
Training Ships Association and is expecting confirmation soon that
they will be visiting the River Dart and joining in our celebrations over
the weekend before Regatta.
In 1866 the Racing Instructions were very different. For example,
the races would begin with all the yachts at anchor on the start line, but
one thing seems to remain constant - they were all very competitive!
Indeed, an early minute of a meeting of the General Committee
reveals that a member accused Henry Studdy of arranging the Sailing
Instructions to give him an unfair advantage! Not the sort of thing we
will expect in 2016!
One thing is for sure: whatever we do we will do it well and have a
lot of fun doing so. It is going to be a bumper year.
Introducing the Club’s new website
e
ven our most traditional Members will agree that the world now
expects more information to be immediately available and obtainable
no matter where a person is located. The Club has no alternative,
therefore, but to adopt new technology if it is to sustain the interest of
existing Members and attract the attention of prospective Members in
order to grow. For this reason, in early 2014, a decision was made to invest
significantly in the development of a completely new website.
The existing web site has served us very well. It was ,however
,designed at a time when people only had access to a home computer.
These days the vast majority of communications are now viewed on
mobile phones and tablets or electronic note books. You just have to
travel on a train to see how passengers, young and old, are entirely
absorbed by their mobile phones. The Club’s new website has been
specifically designed to work on mobile phones and tablets, enabling
members to receive easily viewed information no matter where they
are and to be able to directly and immediately respond when necessary.
The Club has been fortunate in having Peter Blackler as a Member.
Peter’s job is in Website Design and it was logical, due his comprehensive
understanding of the Club’s activities, to appoint the Company he works
for, Insignia Creative, to help us develop the new website.
The Website Committee, including Insignia Creative, all agreed
we wanted a fresh, vibrant and professional look to the website. So we
have inserted a great number of photos, phasing in and out, showing
the activities of the Club, to provide movement and colour. The text is
similar to that used in Masthead ,which is modern and easy to read. It is
now simple to navigate from any page into an area of the Club in which
you are interested and, most importantly, you will always be able to see
the latest information on what is happening . So by way of example, if
you want to see the latest sailing results, Club calendar, or see what is on
the menu in the restaurant , the information is easy to find.
The website is scheduled to go live on the 2nd April to coincide
with the Club’s Open meeting and ,of course, for the start of the sailing
season. So please check out this new development by entering
www.royaldart.co.uk into your phone or PC and seeing what a wealth of
information, photos and links there are for your further enjoyment of
the Club. Thanks to Peter Forey for all his help with this.
DART MARINA
YACHT HARBOUR
Contact us on 01803 837161
Contact us now for information
Call 01803 837161
First class location and service
...the marina with a hotel & luxury spa.
www.dartmarinayachtharbour.com
The Yacht Harbour, Dart Marina, Sandquay Road, Dartmouth, Devon TQ6 9PH
CLUB RACING
The start of the season will be stirring those Club members with competitive spirits to shake of the
excesses of the long winter nights so they will be supreme winners in this year’s racing spectacular.
t
he days are at last drawing out and peoples’ thoughts are starting
to turn towards fitting out and getting ready for this year’s sailing
season.
The 2015 Sailing Programme has been put together based on
consensus from members at last seasons review meeting and aims to
build on a successful 2014.
Wednesday Evening racing is split into three series each
comprising of 6, 8 & 8 races starting on the 8th April with the final race
being on 9th September.
As well as the weekend events either hosted or supported by
the Club we have introduced, by popular demand, two Weekend Race
Series to be held on Sunday mornings with a starting time of 10:30
and in the same format as the Wednesday Evening races. These are
six races in May/June and five races in September/October. Our aim is
to provide competitive racing for people who cannot always make a
Wednesday evening and to also extend the season a little when the
conditions can sometimes be the best of the year.
Five pursuit races have been scheduled throughout the year with the
aim of giving non-racers a taster but without the pressure of competitive
starts. These in the same format as last year and will be held on the first
Saturday of the month where they do not clash with other club events.
We hope that this inclusive Programme will give everyone the
opportunity to enjoy competitive and fun racing during 2015.
We look forward to seeing you out on the water.
Mark Ashton
The Social
round up
Jane Miller reports on how good Club
members are at enjoying themselves
under all circumstances.
W
hile many sailing activities cease throughout the winter, social
activities continue monthly to ensure that there is something for
everyone on the social calendar . We are so very fortunate to have David
Rothwell as House Manager, Alastair the chef and Lauren and her team of
bar staff to enhance our social functions. The tailor-made menus for each
occasion have been excellent and the bar staff is always happy to enter
into the spirit of the event.
On 18th October, we again celebrated Nelson’s victory at the
battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Seventy eight members and friends gathered
in black ties (and suits) and posh frocks to enjoy a splendid themed menu
of smoked salmon, sirloin of beef, chocolate torte with poached pears
followed by cheese and, of course, port.
Jake Moores, OBE DL Royal Navy and his wife, Julie, were our
honoured guests – Jake having been a previous commodore of BRNC.
His speech was well received by all. The photos show that a formal event
can also be fun.
Heading towards Christmas, the club hosted a charity christmas
Fayre. The sun was shining on this bright November morning when
volunteers from the RNLI, Friends of Froward Point, Save the Children,
Rowcroft Hospice, Kingswear WI, and Help for Heroes set up their stalls.
Club merchandise was also on offer and many a visitor picked up a
Christmas gift, stocking filler and cards before enjoying the delicious soup
and mulled wine provided in the bar. All the charities benefited greatly
from this event and have asked to return next year – so save the date.
The Club’s christmas Party was very well attended. The musical
entertainment was provided by the ever popular rendition – table by table
– of the 12 days of Christmas. Members feasted on a fantastic Christmas
buffet and then enjoyed Christmas Party Games in the bar which
involved oranges and balloons .
For the New year’s eve Party , revellers were invited to put on
their DJs, bow ties and sparkly numbers for a ‘Strictly Come Dancing’
theme. The food was “absolutely gorgeous, darling” followed by dancing
in the bar area which had been decorated by the House team to represent
the Judges’ panel. The bar staff was ready to judge the dancers putting
their best foot forward to the sounds of Alan Austin’s Disco. At midnight
balloons were released and Auld Lang Syne sung heartily to welcome in
the New Year.
burns’ Night - Residents in Kingswear would have heard the
sound of bagpipes as Ian Clark piped in members to celebrate the Bonnie
Bard of Ayrshire’s birthday. The Burns’ Night celebrations started with a
toast in the newly decorated bar.
a Greek supper - Members dined like Dionysus and Demeter on
olives & Skordalia Dip, Lamb Kleftiko, Greek Thyme & Honey Cake. All this
was accompanied by a little mousiki from the Kaftan King, Demis Roussos!
Copy deadline for Masthead was just before the legendary Mike
Goodearl’s Music Quiz was held on March 27. I can only say that I am
certain it would have been a most excellent evening.
Quiz evenings - The Friday night Quiz evenings have continued
to run successfully throughout the winter. The Quiz now takes place
once a fortnight (please check the club calendar/website for all dates)
allowing members to alternate exercise for the brain with the opportunity
to indulge their appetite at one of the Club’s Friday evening supper of fish
and chips or other popular dishes.
You would be most welcome to come along to the Quiz on a Friday
at 7.30pm – no need to bring a team (as you will be allocated to one when
you arrive) and no need to be a quiz specialist either, as the quiz is for
enjoyment rather than being competitive.
FutuRe socIal eVeNts
The Social Committee is busy planning for the season ahead; some
events already in the pipeline include:
• Blues on the Terrace – 23rd May
• Seafood and Wine evening – 20th June
• Summer Soiree – 25th July
• Commodores’ Cocktails and Regatta Celebrations - August
• James Bond Evening - November
Please do keep an eye on the club calendar via the website for all
forthcoming social functions
In addition, we would welcome and encourage members to take
photos of these events and forward the pictures to the RDYC office – to
show what a wonderful club we belong to.
Finally, I would like to say a huge thank you to the social committee
for all their hard work. If you would like to join the committee or have any
ideas that you think the committee would be interested in, please do not
hesitate to contact the RDYC office.
The Social Committee
Masthead
29
Junior Sailing
As always, the juniors will soon be livening up the proceedings with
laughter and energy and lots of acquiring skills. Wonderful to watch!
t
he Junior Sailing programme 2015 is gathering momentum and
we are preparing for a busy season with many keen and aspiring
young sailors.
The ‘Taster Day’ on April 11th kicks off the season, when all those
who are new to the club and have shown an interest in joining the junior
activity programme get an opportunity to try out the boats and get a
flavour of what is involved.
On April 26th the 13 week programme of Saturday morning
sessions begin. This year over 60 children (aged 9 - 16) will work towards
the RYA accredited training scheme stages 1 – 4. Split into 5 groups the
young sailors learn and practice new skills within a supportive, safe and
fun environment.
The Club and Junior Sailing team are committed to ensuring the
young sailors have the facilities and opportunities to learn and improve
on new skills. The programme is also modified to improve the overall
experience. This year enhancements include opportunities for the
more experienced Group 5 sailors to extend their knowledge sailing J24
keel boats by kind permission of James Crockatt.
The Club has also acquired 3 new Tera boats taking the total fleet
number to 12. These fast, light single-hander dinghies have been a great
success with the Group 2 sailors and this year the RDYC, with the support of
Savills Estate Agents, will also be hosting the RS Tera South West Squad for
the weekend of August 8/9. This is a wonderful opportunity for the young
RDYC sailors as they will receive extra coaching and gain valuable experience
- and hopefully enjoyment - from racing against youngsters from other clubs.
30
Masthead
Experience is key for any sailor wanting to improve and therefore
this year there will also be additional Saturday afternoon sessions in
June & July allowing young sailors in Group 3 or above to benefit from
specific race coaching in Teras and Fevas.
The Saturday morning programme is followed by the ever
popular Junior Sailing Week (July 27th - 31st) which involves 5 days of
action-packed sailing, fun and games at the club culminating in the all
important prize giving and the award of the much fought over Royal
Dart Cup.
We can't stress enough that the Junior Sailing Programme relies
completely on the hard work and dedication of many volunteers (too
many to mention here) both on and off the water and the team are keen
to welcome more helpers - with or without sailing experience. All kind
offers should be directed via the office at the RDYC.
The third part of the Junior Sailing programme is Junior Points
Series held on a number of Tuesday and Thursday evenings in July and
August. Here the young sailors are given the opportunity to put their
new-found skills into practice in a series of friendly races which are
perfect for boosting confidence and honing skills.
This is a busy and popular programme. To log your interest in
future activities and for all enquiries regarding Junior Sailing activities
and dates please contact Suzanne Huddart at admin@royaldart.co.uk
or check the Junior Sailing section on the RDYC website.
Edward & Emma Jones
Junior Sailing Co-ordinators
Cruising
Vernon taylor tempts the sociable
sailors of the Club to take part in this
year’s fun-filled season of activities
and cruises.
t
he RDYC Cruising Section organises cruises and associated events
designed to encourage best practice and increase the knowledge,
skills, experience and confidence of active section members such
that they can cruise with both safety and enjoyment. This season the
Cruising Secretary, Vernon Taylor, is assisted by Rosemary Tomison,
John Miller and Peter Baylis, all yacht owners with extensive knowledge
and experience.
The Cruising Programme normally includes short trips upriver as
well as the more traditional coastal hops to enjoy the hospitality of other
Yacht Clubs such as Brixham and Salcombe. These well attended events
offer the opportunity for non-sailors to join the party by road. We also
offer longer cruises in company which, as well as being more fun than
sailing alone, offers less experienced crew the added confidence of sailing
with the more experienced. West Country cruises to Fowey, Falmouth,
or the Helford River are popular, as well as cross Channel cruises to the
Channel Islands and Brittany. Crew-swapping during day sails is a good
way to see another side of sailing and maybe pick up a few tips.
The Cruising Section's season is scheduled to start in March with a
weekend ashore - the "Winter Weekend" has become an annual section
event and comprises a mix of informative lectures and discussions
combined with social activities. It gives members the opportunity to
meet, exchange ideas and experiences, discuss plans for the season and
take dinner together at the Club.
The first event on the water is to be the inaugural "Scheduled
Meet" .This is a new format which will normally include practical
sessions to facilitate section members to develop their personal skills in
an informal environment.
This will be followed a series of scheduled cruises, with
destinations including the Yealm, Channel Islands/Brittany, Falmouth/
West Country, and Salcombe/Fowey. Other RDYC sections are invited to
participate in these, some of which will be arranged specifically as joint
events to enable members of different sections to meet for a pontoon
party and/or dinner. Each cruise will include one, or more, scheduled
evening/overnight meeting points and participants will be encouraged
to co-ordinate their passage plans so they can meet at other ports en
route utilising Facebook.
In addition, individual section members will be enabled to arrange
additional unscheduled (and possibly spontaneous) events with other
active section members. These "Informal Meets" (again facilitated by
Facebook) will allow participants to jointly make best use of a good
weather forecast or find company for sailing activities that they plan.
The Cruising Section is co-ordinated online using "GroupSpaces".
If you wish to be included in the circulations please contact the RDYC
Office.
By Vernon Taylor
.
Masthead
31
Ladies afloat
Plans are already underway for the new sailing season and this popular
group are hoping for plenty of fair winds.
t
he 2014 sailing season for Ladies Afloat members finished with a
very successful Wash Up meeting when events of the season were
discussed and improvements and plans made for 2015. It was agreed
that the normal half and full day sessions on Thursday had worked well,
mainly because of the efficient use of GroupSpaces emails which enabled
most ladies to participate in the activities of their choice most of the time.
Our grateful thanks go to those ladies, and some brave men, who brought
their boats along for us all to use.
The overnight cruises, barbecues and picnics were most enjoyable
and it was agreed to keep the same format for this coming season and also,
where possible, to link up with the Cruising Section of RDYC for longer trips.
The Ladies Afloat Christmas lunch in December was delicious and
well attended and we even had a suprise visit from Father Christmas,
who entertained us with a few nautical magic tricks.
We look forward to the coming season which kicked off with the
Welcome Day Meeting on Thursday March 26th. We have a full and
active programme planned for 2015, so keep your fingers crossed for kind
weather conditions.
If there are any lady members of the Club who have not yet had
the opportunity to join us on a Thursday, please feel free to come along
and have a go. You do not have to commit to regular attendance but we
would ask that you inform us via the new RDYC GroupSpaces emails if
you wish to attend on a particular Thursday so that we can allocate you
to the activity of your choice. If you can bring a boat along, even better.
If you would like to join us, please contact Jayne Rawlins on
01803 753745 or email j_rawlins @hotmail.co.uk
By Jayne Rawlins
32
Masthead
Boys in Boats
b
y the time you have received this copy of Masthead ‘Boys in Boats’
will have been busy cleaning, rigging and launching the numerous
Club boats for the beginning of the sailing season. I can promise you
that our programme for the rest of the year is less strenuous. Indeed,
‘Boys in Boats’ is meant to be relaxing, with no commitment to regular
attendance. You don’t need to be an experienced sailor. Just come when
you can and I can assure you a warm welcome.
The season’s programme will commence as usual on Tuesday
mornings at 10am with the following activities planned:
• Sailing or motor boating in boats kindly provided by Members.
• Sailing gaff rigged yachts.
• Canoeing and Kayaking in the river.
• Familiarisation with the Club’s safety boats.
• Cruise to Brixham for Fish and Chips lunch.
• Trip up river to the Ferry Boat Inn and The Maltsters.
Most of us round off the morning with lunch at the Club and finish
around 2pm. We are also likely to have some non-maritime events such as
golf and cycling days.
This year’s’Boys’ cruise is to the West Country. Leaving on 23rd May
and returning 30th May, we will cruise to Plymouth, Fowey and Falmouth
ensuring each evening is spent ashore at suitable pubs and restaurants. So
far we have three boats participating with about ten members aboard. There
is still room for more if you have a mind.
So, if there are new members out there to whom our activities have
appeal, why not come along? Ladies, you do not want him under your feet
all week. Just give him his lunch money and we promise to take good care
of him.
By Steve Millyard
Masthead
33
ObiTuArieS
JoaN hotblacK
1917-2015
Joan Virtue Hotblack was born on 10
January 1917. The Hotblacks are a Norfolk
family but her parents settled in Devon, when
in the 1930s her father became a Housemaster
at Blundells School. Although she went to
boarding school on the East Coast of England,
South Devon was the favourite haunt of the
family. They spent six weeks every summer
sailing a Salcombe Yawl from a houseboat moored in the estuary there.
She was expelled from her secretarial college because of her
escapades with boyfriends, so went on to train as a florist at Constance
Spry. During the war she served as a Wren, also in London, where she
danced with Rex Harrison and knew Henry Wood, as one of her tasks
was distributing Prom tickets to fellow Wrens.
Following the war Joan caught polio, which affected her lungs and
she was advised to spend time in Africa for health reasons. She went to
Nairobi and joined Shell as a book-keeper, whilst also arranging flowers
deNNIs KIlleN
1927-2015
A star shines brighter in heaven as Dennis
Killen, aged 87, died on 18th March 2015. He
leaves his beloved wife of 56 years, Hazel
Mary, plus 3 children, Andy, Roger and Sue
as well as seven grandchildren. He led a
full and active life; born in Salford he had
continued successes in his capacity as a
chemical and mechanical engineer living in
New Mills, Stockport and ultimately moving to Maypool, Brixham.
JuNe PatRIcIa GoodsoN
June Goodson was born on 20th June 1921.
Her parents, Joe and Cicely lived in Belsay,
Northumberland and she was christened in
Hexham Abbey.
She married Hugh Goodson of Waddeton
Court in Devon in 1945, who was the
youngest son of Sir Alfred Goodson Bart an
ex Commodore of RDYC. They first lived at
a house on Churston Golf Course then moving to Waddeton Court in
1946. They had three children, Alfred, Sarah, Jane and Anthony. At the
time of her death she had accumulated fourteen grandchildren and
seventeen great-grandchildren, all in which she took a great interest.
Hugh had sold his 12 metre FLICA 2 after the war and built a 60 foot
Thorneycroft designed Motor Yacht called Watonia. They successfully
34
Masthead
for Royal visits to Government House.
She retired to England in the 1960s and purchased Waterhead House,
where she hosted friends and family frequently. Four of her nieces
learned to sail in Kingswear. Her father then took Holy Orders late in life
and she accompanied him to a mission station in Malawi and after his
retirement, to Harare, Zimbabwe. Following his death she returned to a
ground floor flat at Brookhill on Castle Road, and joined the Yacht club
in 1978. Two nephews from Zimbabwe spent their university holidays
with her there. She and her family loved its garden and, with by now the
great nieces and nephews, its access to the rocks and river.
Joan loved entertaining but was also happy with her own company.
She was meticulously organised and proudly independent until the
end. She had a good sense of humour and an ability to laugh at herself.
This was evident in her last diary entry where, after describing a fall at
the end of January this year, she wrote ’silly me’. She died peacefully in
Brixham hospital on March 6th 2015.
Alongside his workplace achievements, Dennis loved participating
in various orchestras/bands playing a plethora of instruments including
the French horn, clarinet, piano, guitar, harmonica and the infamous
tuba. He had a passion for sailing, most notably on and around the River
Dart as well as captaining trips further afield.
He was a giant character in a smaller frame and will be remembered
with loving affection by a great many friends and of course his whole
family.
1921-2015
completed a trip across the Channel to Le Havre and then up the
River Seine, which in 1950 was quite an adventure. Hugh wrote ‘June
throughout the trip produced some marvellous meals. From time to
time she was inspired. Food would come up from the galley worthy of
better chaps than us’!
Some pleasant years of sailing and racing against many friends at the
Club was brought to an abrupt end in 1956 when Hugh was involved in
a serious accident and knocked overboard whilst sailing in Torbay. June
was aboard at the time and had no idea where Hugh had been taken
until their GP and friend informed her that he was in Brixham Hospital.
Later the house at Waddeton was shut up and the whole family spent
an idyllic summer at their boathouse on the Dart allowing for a stress
free environment for them both to recover.
NeW MeMberS
Names
SEPTEMBER 2014 To APRIL 2015
The Club has pleasure in welcoming the following New Members:
Name of boat
John and Amanda Britton
Sherfield and Dartmouth
John Taylor
Sara and Andrew Fowler
Resident
Kingswear
Echo
Nigel Pinches and Susan Parkinson
Warwick
Kingswear
Prunella and Michael Martin
Ghida
South Pool
Chris Hitch and Family (re-joining)
Plum
Dartmouth
Bobby and Mike Cooper (re-joining)
Bobby Dazzler
Kingswear
Craig Davidson – Racing crew
Dartmouth
Robert Heath – Racing crew
Brixham
Michael Plaess – Racing crew
Dartmouth
Bridget Coatalen
Totnes
Neil Drew
Strete
Elizabeth and David Ferguson (re-joining)
Strete
Darren and Sarah Credland
John Charters
Stoke Gabriel
Sundance
Carol Cerezo
Hazel and Colin Edwards
Droitwich and Dartmouth
Fulham and Dartmouth
Sana
Paignton
Alexander South
London
Nicholas Henderson (re-joining)
Brixham
Eliza and Jeremy Price
Karen and Gordon Innocent
Kingswear
Florestan
Thomas Derrick
Jean Barwell and Michael Gribbin
Kingswear
Bruiser
Louise and Andrew Leah
Vicky and Greg Sadler
Quo Vadis
Buckinghamshire and Strete
Karen and Neil Derrick
Richard Stevens
Farnham and Dartmouth
Northants and Dartmouth
Mary D’earth and David Burdett
Pam and Michael Bennett
Dartmouth
Stoke Gabriel
Sue and John Peet
Alison and Matthew Yeoman
Monmouthshire
Kingswear
Silhouette
Trusham
Two’s Company
Dittisham
OPUS of Mudford
Yeovil
Wendy and Bob Mark
Twickenham and Kingswear
Leroy Garner
Kingswear
Davina and Dermot Murphy
Hertfordshire and Kingswear
Sarah and Peter Osborne
Shropshire and Kingswear
Andrew Morrell
Paignton
Martin Pritchard
Paignton
Tiffany and Phillip Nieuwoudt
Hilary Sunman
Mr BoJangles
Stoke Gabriel
Dartmouth
Masthead
35
BOOK REVIEWS
A NOSTALGIC VIEW OF
THE OTHER SIDE
A newly published book by Ginny campbell
portrays a selection of photographs showing the
changes and developments that have taken place
in our nearest neighbour, Dartmouth.
t
here is an enormous popularity in all things from the past.
People are fascinated by their family trees, the history of their
communities and what life was like back in the good old days. There
seems to be ample opportunity for celebrating the anniversary of
some event or other and we embrace these with enthusiasm. Our roots
become more important it seems, the further we move from them.
Ginny Cambell has collated many stunning images, of the past
and present, and paired them on the same page so that the similarities
and differences can be easily observed. Cleverly, the book is ordered
geographically so that you can actually walk around the town, book in
hand in a logical fashion .The variety and focus of the pictures ensures
that all aspects of the life of the town are covered in a remarkably
factual as well as sensitive way. There has been a great deal of input by
local historians and professional photographers .The series of photos
themselves forming the basis for Dartmouth Through Time started off
life as an audio visual presentation to celebrate the 21st Anniversary of
the History Research Group in 2002.
Ginny herself, after a childhood in Florida, settled down with
her husband and two children in Dartmouth and moored her classic
wooden yacht in the river. She retired from Kingsbridge Community
College and gained an LRPS award from the Royal Photographic Society
and is a Camera Club competition judge.
The book has been kindly donated to the Club and is well worth
browsing through . Alternatively, the bookshop in Dartmouth will
probably still have some signed copies.
By Lynne Maurer
THE MAN WHO FOUND CAPTAIN
SCOTT: ANTARCTIC EXPLORER
AND WAR HERO
An exciting new book to be published in May by Club member Michael
tarver which revisits some long held beliefs about what actually happened
to Scott and his companions.
s
urgeon Captain Edward Leicester Atkinson RN British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, The Great War,
Gallipoli and The Western Front
ROBERT Falcon Scott appointed three doctors to the Terra Nova Antarctic Expedition in 1910, the youngest
being Atkinson. The last year was a time of crisis, when eleven men were still out on the ice and Atkinson was the
senior Naval Officer left in charge.
Club member, Michael Tarver FRGS, a polar historian, will shortly be launching his biography of Atkinson
which tells of that winter of crisis and of the search party which found the bodies of Scott and his comrades. The
controversy which surrounded this national tragedy was recently reopened, when it suggested that Atkinson
was to blame and points out that had Scott’s last written instructions been implemented, his party could have
been saved. Michael Tarver rebuts this argument with a close examination of Shackleton and Scott’s attempts,
and examines Scott’s last written instructions. He presents a study of that impossible return journey to the South
Pole, attempted by man-hauling on foot, the means of which was beyond human endurance.
By Mike Tarver
36
Masthead
Manoeuvring
under power
Photo: Mike Wynne-Powell
colin bower uses his not inconsiderable experience to explain the
intricacies of a controlled change of direction for those who wish to appear
competent and skilful.
o
n the face of it, jumping into a motor boat, starting up the engine,
popping it into gear & setting off, seems fairly simple doesn’t it?
However, doing it safely and importantly – under control – is where the
skill comes in.
There are many different types of motor boat; outboard engine,
single engine launches twin engine cruisers and motor cruisers with
outdrives. Let’s also not forget yachts with generally small auxiliary
engines. All of these boats will have different handling characteristics
and the best favour you can do yourself and your neighbouring seafarers
is “familiarisation”.
Once off your mooring and in open sea or river, familiarise yourself
with your craft, by this I mean cruise along at full chat and then try to
stop as quickly as possible. Remembering of course to go through the
sequence of throttling back, wait a few seconds for the engine revs to
die down, into neutral – wait approximately three seconds- into astern
and throttle up.
Why would we do that? If you need to stop in an emergency you’ll
need to know how the boat is going to react, a displacement launch will
of course take longer to stop than a Rib!
But… watch out for the following wake, if you try to stop too
quickly it will catch you up and poop you!
Then see how the boat handles from port to starboard, carry out
some S turns, you need to build a relationship with your boat, respect
it and it’ll respect you. Very much like driving a car. That’s all very well I
hear you say, but firstly we have to get out of the marina!
Well, let’s take a typical scenario of trying to reverse out of your
berth with the tide against you. We’ll assume that you’re on board with
the engine checks completed and the engine running, with all ropes let
go apart from the one that’s holding you. Assess the tide strength and
direction put the engine into reverse gear, apply just enough throttle to
“beat” the tide, at the same time tweak the helm to steer you out clear
and straight avoiding your neighbour and the marina.
Once out clear, steer your vessel backwards into a space large
enough to turn around, remembering two things i) Unless you’re
quick, the tide will take you back to where you’ve just come from and
ii) In reverse most boats will have a bias, usually to port, so plan your
manoeuvre to take advantage of this “prop walk” effect. In short, be
assertive, but don’t fight it.
The secret is to use an “adequate “ amount of power, enough to
take you where you want to go, but not so much that you create loads
of wash and disturbance. Once you are under control and going in the
direction you want to it’s a case of gently does it.
Twin engine boats are of course much easier, but be even more
aware of ropes; as the propellers are nearer to the outside of the boat,
when coming alongside a pontoon, trots or any obstruction, try to use
the engine furthest away from the item to avoid an accident or damage.
As you pull out of the marina, be aware of other craft manoeuvring
in the near vicinity and adjust your speed and course to accommodate
them, remembering at all times the rule of the road. The limit in the river
is six knots, but if you have a boat that “pushes” a lot of water, maybe you
should slow down even more, especially during Junior Sailing!
Be aware at all times of those around you and if you’re on your
own NEVER leave the helm with the engine in gear... it could be a long
swim back.
By Colin Bower
Masthead
37
Team Giggle - Junior match racing.
Buffoonery to brilliance!
An exciting initiative to involve the Club’s young members in the excitement
of racing larger boats. The 27th December 2014 saw the inaugural “Team
Giggle Match Racing Challenge Cup” take place in the Bight on the River Dart.
t
wo teams comprising five under 18s from Royal Dart YC and an
under 30 “Allstars” team battled it out over the best of 5 races to
take the cup.
The event was a culmination of over 9 months of sail training,
learning the rules of Match Racing and developing teamwork and
showed that there are some very talented youth keel boat racers at
RDYC.
However, the story starts some two years earlier when James
Crockatt and Mark Ashton continued to develop their aspirations to
provide a fun and educational way for juniors to make the transition
from dinghy to keel boat/yacht racing within the Club environment.
“Racing the Élan 40, "Giggle" was fun, but the loads were heavy
and certain roles were prohibitive for many so the decision was taken to
look at something smaller” - said James.
38
Masthead
Chatting over a couple of beers can be dangerous.... and it was on
one such occasion in late 2013 that James and Mark came up with a
hair brained scheme to buy a couple of cheap J24s and do some Match
Racing with a fully junior team.
March 2014 saw the Team Giggle boats "Chuckle" and "Chortle"
launched with the aim of sailing in Club racing on Wednesdays and
training towards Match Racing on Saturdays following Junior Sailing
where some of the crew were Assistant Instructors.
Moving from helming a boat and being guided by an experienced
crew boss to skippering a boat with all youth sailors is a massive leap for
all involved.
“Keel boat racing is a team sport and unless everyone is working
together you don't perform well!” commented Mark.
Half way through the season a Youth boat and an "old people’s"
boat were consistently racing in the RDYC Wednesday evening series
and posting some credible results.
During the year Team Giggle were invited to sail and learn from
the experienced J24 crowd in Poole. A cracking day Match Racing
was had, with the Umpire being an Olympic Medallist, and one of the
opposition a World Match Race Champion and another the J24 National
Champion. Racing was followed by a social dinner where the Gigglers
made many friends.
In parallel the Team were sailing every Saturday giving everyone
the opportunity to learn helm, main, trim, mast and foredeck and work
on improving race craft and tactics.
James comments that “It took a while for the buffoonery to allow
glimpses of brilliance to shine through - and although there is still much
to learn, the progress and team spirit has been outstanding.”
Towards the end of the Club season Saturday Match Racing
commenced. Courses were laid and umpires presided on 4 to 6 races
each session and this has continued every Saturday since - when the
weather permits.
Pre-start tactics are becoming quite sophisticated and (whilst
remembering Match Racing is NOT a contact sport!) competition is
fierce. Lots of starts, beats, kite hoists and kite drops provide excellent
training as opposed to a single race round the cans and the juniors being
fully in charge of their boat and its management have shown real talent
as a team and as individuals.
Looking to 2015, Team Giggle plan to sail in Wednesday Evening
Club Racing as well as every Saturday.
Another invite to Poole is on the cards and a training day at
Dartmouth with two experienced J24 sailors is planned.
James adds:“The Team will be broadening the age range for youngsters to get
involved, (in September this year three of the team are off to University)
so if you are 14-18, and want to get involved look at the Team Giggle
Facebook Group to see what we are about.”
“Call or email Mark or myself for a chat - or chat with any of the
youngsters in Team Giggle. Come and have a taster one Saturday and
get involved if you like what you see!”
“You do not have to be an experienced sailor, just keen to learn
and willing to be part of a team.”
“If you are over 18, we need some challengers for "Team Giggle"
in 2015!
Put together a team of 4 or 5 people and throw down the gauntlet!
We are aiming to have a "Match" about once a month if possible.”
Although the Allstars won this battle the war is not over and the RDYC
Juniors are looking forward to the next challenge where they can show
their brilliance!!
By Mark Ashton
Masthead
39
Train without strain
Sharpen up those nautical skills this season
with one the RDYC’s ever-popular training
courses.
t
Paul Hodge
Club Bosun
Before I met with Paul, I thought I might just
do a little research into what a Bosun actually
does. I am aware of its Naval implications,
however, “A Bosun must be highly skilled in all
matters of marlinespike seamanship...” I read
no further. Too technical.
hey are all RYA approved, competitively priced ...and always good
fun. Right now we are planning to hold the following courses, if
there is sufficient interest:
• PB2 - two days (Necessary to drive the Club safety boats-as well as
specific authorisation and instruction for each vessel from Colin
Bower/Garry Bowers).
• Safety Boat-two days
• Day Skipper theory - five days
• Asst. Dinghy Instructor - two days
• First Aid - one day
• Diesel Engine Maintenance - one day
• Marine Radio (short range certificate) - one day
Run by professional tutors, these courses are usually approximately
30% cheaper than commercial market rates but places are limited so,
if you are interested, contact admin@royaldart.co.uk now and get your
name on the waiting list.
P
aul has spent all his life working in some capacity on the river and
as Club Bosun since 2007 and before this worked for the Harbour
Authority. His education is in Marine Engineering, gaining experience
and qualifications from apprenticeships and college in Falmouth. He
grew up in a house overlooking the Yacht Club and the River so it seems
quite natural that he spends some of his time here now.
I asked him if he sailed and he laughed. “I raced a couple of times
back in the day...’The Runaway Bus’! I am more into rowing, skiffs and
seine boats now”. I am reliably informed that there will be people who
will recognise ‘The Runaway Bus’ and by the way he was talking about
it I imagine it was a boat for young people? At the start of the sailing
season, though, there is much to organise and the Bosun is responsible
for the moorings, pontoons and motor boats. “It is a manic time, but it
stops me talking to the plants when I am on the River”. This isn’t such
a strange thing to say as Paul also runs a seasonal Wholesale Nursery
Business.”Manic times and quieter times are possible, but the manic
times with the bedding plants always coincide with the manic times
with the yachts, pontoons and moorings”. His half day on Wednesdays
are taken up with repairing anything that is broken, which keeps him
busy. He enjoys the changing scene at the Club and the variety and the
Club certainly seems to enjoy his skills and expertise and willingness to
help out.
He lives in Bugford in a house he designed and built mostly
himself, which took him a year. “ I like to have a project on the go”, he
confided. I thought about my house and thought, really?
Lord Byron had a Newfoundland Dog called Boatswain, there is a
statue of it at Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire.
By Lynne Maurer
40
Masthead
Next Masthead
Deadline
a
s you can see by the wealth of colourful experiences Club members
have between them there would be enough to fill several issues
but still we want more. There are always tales of white-knuckle , teeth
clenching sailing trips that can be re-lived and draw admiring and
jealous gasps from Club members. Or quieter more contemplative
voyages for those sedately surveying their watery environment.
In general, an article should be about a thousand words and
pictures would be most appreciated. Special Interest Groups, our regular
contributors, aim to write about seven hundred and fifty words and a
short , informative piece of up to four hundred words with a relevant
picture would be perfect. The Editor reserves the right to adjust content
where necessary.
Please send the largest picture possible, as sometimes they have
to be enlarged 22x28cm at 300dpi. Make sure that you give a file name
and identify people and boat name.
the deadline for the summer issue will be 21st september 2015
0845 2700 217
www.chatham.co.uk
Henry
Bomby
A Kingswear sailor, who learned to sail on the River Dart, who once admitted
in an interview that if he hadn’t been a sailor he would have made his name
on Big Brother and had an aftershave named after him. Lucky for us, he
chose the water and he found time to write this for us. However, he may
well still achieve the aftershave accolade. Who knows.
s
ince moving back to France at the beginning of January I feel like I
have been non-stop getting ready, both on and off the water, to take
on the 2015 season.
Throughout the last few months there have been many exciting
new developments in regards to my Figaro campaign for the 2015
season.
With the continued support of Joe Woods and the Red Sailing
Team I was able to start training for 2015 back in November, out of
Torquay which will be host to the UK stopover of the Solitaire du Figaro
this year.
Recently we also announced the increased support of Rockfish to
my campaign. Having been supporting me for the last 2 years and with
Mitch Tonks having supported me every since I sailed around Britain it
was great to increase our working relationship together.
'Our support of Henry’s sailing projects has grown and grown over
the last few years from a relatively modest initial investment. But Henry
has delivered some great results not only on the water but off it too. Our
42
Masthead
decision to become Henry’s Title Sponsor for 2015 came after news that
the race is visiting Torbay, which with the opening of the new 140 seat
restaurant in Brixham, will mean we will have two restaurants in the
Bay.'
We had a great day down in Torquay for the official christening
and launch of the project followed by (of course) a meal at Rockfish in
the evening. The day started with a photo shoot with Artemis Offshore
Academy and on to Living Coasts where we fed the penguins ! Then out
into the bay sailing around to gather more photos ready for the season.
It was great to see so many people from RDYC make the journey
over to Torquay for the Christening of Rockfish Red, so thank you
everyone.
I am really excited to sail into Torquay and for all the events during
the stopover there.
Be sure to come on down between the 17th - 21st June and check
out the race village. The sun will of course be shining, there will be
fireworks, opportunities to look around the boats and lots of family
friendly events going on.
http://www.englishriviera.co.uk/whats-on/la-solitaire-dufigaro-p1780673 for up to date information.
Right now I am currently in Granville with 3 days to go to the
start of the first race. A 210nm course finishing in Cherbourg but with
numerous channel islands obstacles along the way. Initial forecast
looks light to start and then a building breeze, potentially up to 30-35
kts which would be a nice way to start the season off and blow the cob
webs away!
H
FULL-SERVICE MARINA
IN THE DART HARBOUR
SERVICES – provided where your boat is – or in our
workshops at the marina and in Brixham.
DARTHAVEN
MARINA
SHIPWRIGHT & REPAIRS – repairs in wood
and GRP – boat plumbing, toilet repair services – bow
and stern thrusters fitted – boat shrink wrapping – boat
CHANDLERY – comprehensively stocked – open 7
wash, polishing, antifouling packages available.
days a week – one hour free parking.
TRAVEL HOIST – 35 tonne – available at any state
Largest UK Volvo Penta engine stockist – parts
of tide.
counter open 7 days a week.
ENGINEERING – service, repairs, overhauls,
FUEL BUG ELIMINATION – Express Lube fuel
cleaning services – fuel system overhauls.
winterising, repowering Volvo Penta, Yanmar, John
Deere, Perkins, Gardner – Williams dealer – mobile
service – 24/7 emergency callout.
WINTER BERTHING – special monthly and
overnight rates from October to March.
darthaven.co.uk
Darthaven Marina, Brixham Road,
Kingswear, Devon TQ6 0SG
T +44 (0)1803 752242 F +44 (0)1803 752722
Masthead
43
YOUR
COMPLETE
B O A T YA R D
BOATYARD
Lift out & relaunch
Storage ashore open & undercover
Collection and delivery from
Dartmouth
On site chandlery
Adjacent to town/ good road
access
Level concrete yard/ all boats
held in quality cradles
Electric/ water access
BOAT SALES CENTRE
Open for customer friendly
viewing seven days a week
24hour secure access for
boat owners
On site brokerage
BALTIC WHARF
B O AT YA R D
St Peter’s Quay
Totnes, Devon TQ9 5EW
01803 867922
enquiries@balticwharf.co.uk
www.balticwharf.co.uk