Category Archives: Sailing

September Rally up the East coast

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Taken from Ariel Spirit with Honfleur to Port and Skylark to Starboard

Sailing trips appear even harder to organise but three boats made the four day rally a great success and all of those participating enjoyed the great weather with gentle breezes that assisted us by coming from the right direction.

Honfleur, Alex’s Nauticat 33, had slight technical issues with over zealous crew and chief winchman (Wolfie). Genoa winch now needs some TLC over the winter lay up.

John and crewmate Derek on the Shrimper Skylark sailed the farthest coming from North Fambridge on the Crouch to Bradwell and then Brightlingsea on Saturday and Harwich on Sunday. Strange how the elders of the fleet sail the longest route in the smallest boat, Well done John and Derek.

Ariel Spirit had former Soca member John Robertson taking time out from his narrowboating around the uk network to join in some offshore fun.

Highlights were dinner in Colne Yacht Club where we were met by Oonagh, club secretary and made very welcome and a very convivial dinner in the Alma at Harwich where John R enjoyed a very large Lobster.

Bringing Natsumi back from the Baltic – Sept 2019

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Bringing Natsumi a Sunbeam 37 back from the Baltic.

A phone call from my sailing friend David informing me that he had successfully purchased a replacement yacht after recently selling his Moody 336 leaving him without a boat for the summer.

After looking at a number of different yachts in various countries David had settled on an Austrian built Sunbeam.

Although nearer than the other Sunbeam 37 he had seen in Croatia, Natsumi was still some distance from its new home port of Tollesbury.

To hear about the trip from Laboe in Germany back to Amsterdam you will have to come to SOCA in the new year when I will talk about the first half of the trip home.

Martyn Reed

Flag Officers Afloat – July 2019

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This is the first time in our club’s history that there have been three female flag officers, a first for SOCA and probably unusual among sailing clubs.

Commodore Tanya Warren was joined by VC Debby Taylor and RC Dee Hilliard for a weekend sailing Sigma 33 Wabbit on the River Orwell. Along with fellow crew Stewart and Adam the SOCA flag officers headed down river with wind gusting 6, the number 2 jib and 1 reef in the main. Perfecting their tacking towards the Port of Felixstowe cranes the huge bank of dark cloud they were hoping to avoid seemed intent on getting closer. It was time to turn tail and find a buoy for lunch. Too late! Giant hailstones rained down, thunder boomed, visibility was limited, all they could do was wipe the rain out of their eyes and hold a safe position in the river. The downpour didn’t last for too long and was soon followed by bright skies. They hooked a buoy with ease and ate lunch while drying in the sunshine.

On the Sunday they had a delay in the lock when a yacht lost it’s dinghy and recovery was required “pass the dinghy to the right hand side”. There were lighter winds on this day and it was a slow tack and reach down the river. While running back the Wabbit visitors were entertained with the River Orwell Treasure Hunt. Taking bearings on latitudes along the river to spot various treasures, some of you may remember this from the 2017 SOCA Autumn Rally.

Holland Trip – Summer 2014

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Three boats went to Holland seperately in the summer of 2014. Martyn on Ariel Spirit (Moody 34), Richard on Baltic Cloud (Finmar 361) and Paul on Jenny B (Island Packet 380), all with their own crews. 

Holland Trip 2014
Ariel Spirit in Holland

Ariel Spirit  arrived via Vlissingen having motored most of the way due to a lack of wind. Then spent 10 very hot days in July traveling up through the canal system taking in  Veere ,Zeirekzee Oudha Tonge,Steenberge returning via Goes and Middleburgh.

Baltic Cloud went to Dunkirk then travelled to Vlissingen and was met by customs officials 2 miles off shore, interested in their red diesel. After some interrogation they left for the canal system finally mooring at Middleburgh. They spent the next day exploring the waterways around the town in their tender and were only thwarted on reaching a bridge with only 450mm headroom. Fortunately they were not arrested for using their outboard engine as these are prohibited on the waterways.

Three men in a boat
Richard Alex and Andrew messing around in Middleburgh

Jenny B crossed to Ostende staying at the North Sea Yacht Club then travelled to Vlissingen to enter the inland waterways. They followed the “Mast up” route to Amsterdam visiting Goes,Ghouda and Harlem carrying on up through the in shore route past the Friesland Islands into the Elbe. This was the start of their Baltic ARC cruise to St Petersburg taking in Germany, Sweden, Finland and Estonia a 5200mile trip