SOCA held its 2023 Laying Up Lunch at the Station Pub Knebworth. 
This was praised by all who attended our last event there on 1st April 2023.
There was seventeen attendees who enjoyed the meal but also used the opportunity to chat with old friends and fellow sailors.
All,
Andrew
I trust you are all well and treating the closure of this seasons ‘messing around in boats’ bit, as an opportunity to socialise in the coming shorter days. The club has a good collection of interesting members talks lined up that should last us beyond Easter. We’ll be holding our annual Laying Up Supper on 11th Nov at the Knebworth Station Pub, 12:30 for pre-eats social, 13.00 sit down – we have 15+ so far, the more the merrier. Geff is collecting menu choices – need these soon, certainly by end of October.
So, finally I have chosen my
Steam Tug Challenge
‘Commodores Charity’ for 2023‘ – based on an amazing chance trip on board the Steam Tug CHALLENGE. (there’s a talk in the making, details later) We were accompanied by the WAVERLEY paddle steamer, a sailing barge, River Thames ferry and a diesel powered tug / pilot boat.
Out to the WW2 Thames forts and back – come to the talk as and when it is arranged.
Challenge I believe was owned by the Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration Trust and I propose that we direct the SOCA Charity fund for 2023/2024 into this organisation – or whatever “group / division” of the DLSRT is responsible for the up keep of CHALLENGE. I believe she’s based on the Medway – certainly get onboard and go or a day trip if you can.
The Steam Tug Challenge was the subject of a recent talk at the Cruising Association by Edward Ions.
Hope to see you at the Knebworth Station Pub on 11 Nov
History of Steam Tug Challenge
Extract from the National Historic Ships website
CHALLENGE is the last surviving example of a large purpose-built, Thames ship-handling steam tug, where she was based for her entire working life, although she carried out work as far afield as Scotland , Holland , Belgium , France and the south coast of England . She was built in 1931 by Alexander Hall & Co. Ltd of Aberdeen , for the Elliott Steam Tug Co. Ltd (who operated her until 1950). Her 1100hp triple expansion steam engine was also built by Hall, whilst her boiler* was by Palmer’s Shipbuilding & Iron Co. Ltd, of Hebburn. She passed through two further ownerships: Ship Towage (London) Ltd (1950-1969) and London Tugs (1969-74).
CHALLENGE was one of the Dunkirk Little Ships engaged in the evacuation of Allied troops from France in May and June 1940. On 31 May, she worked at Dunkirk berthing vessels in the harbour during the evacuation and, the following day, towed small craft to Dunkirk to evacuate troops. At one point, she towed a disabled destroyer loaded with troops back to port. She was also involved in duties at Dover around this time, assisting ships which were engaged in the Dunkirk operation.
After returning to the Thames , she was fitted with a flying bridge to mount an Oerlikon cannon, and a forebridge for two Lewis guns. Her work in 1941 included towing Maunsell anti-aircraft towers out into the Thames estuary; towing Army Sea Forts for assembly in the estuary. In 1944, she towed parts of the Mulberry harbours used in the D-Day landings.
On 3 July 1944, she was damaged by a V1 flying bomb in the Royal Albert Dock and was repaired at Rotherhithe. She still bears the marks of this attack. After the war, she continued in Thames service and was converted from coal to oil firing at Sheerness in 1964.
In about 1971, she was laid up at Gravesend, having been the last steam tug to serve on the Thames . In 1973, CHALLENGE was sold to Taylor Woodrow Ltd for preservation at St Katharine’s Yacht Haven, near Tower Bridge, and was berthed there as a static exhibit. More recently she was acquired by the Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration Trust (July 1993) for restoration to steam. With the aid of Sun Tugs and the Port of Tilbury she was moved downstream to Tilbury where groups of volunteers slowly brought her back to working condition. The hull was in need of repair, particularly along the waterline.
10th-July-Honfleur-in-Dunkirk
In November we are experimenting with a Zoom presentation by Jeremy Batch.Jeremy has recently retired from the Cruising Association after 23 years service.
Crewed by Alex, Andrew and Richard, Honfleur made a recent trip across the Channel.
8th-July-Walton-Yacht-Club
The trip started at Honfleur’s home port of Walton Marina with the first stopping point being Ramsgate where the crew prepared for their journey across the Channel.
10th-July-Chart-Plotter
After a day experiencing the delights of Ramsgate they set off for the continent crossing La Manche via Knockdeep Channel in good sailing weather.
10th July Knockdeep
Navigating was reasonably easy as someone had put these really tall marker buoys on the sandbanks. So the instructions to the helm was sail between the wind generators.
10th-July-Honfleur-in-Dunkirk
After their cross Channel trip it was obviously time to celebrate the return to the continent at the quay in Dunkirk.
11th-July-Trouble-motivating-crew
Before the Captain could rally his shipmates to proceed to the next port of call along the coast the crew decided they needed to take on more refreshments.
After their rest the crew of Honfleur then preceded along the coast to Ostend
12th-July-North-Sea-Yacht-Club-Oustende
Arriving in Oustende the first “port of call” was the North Sea Yacht Club to top up (again) on the local beer.
There were complaints that the beer consisted mainly of froth but that didn’t stop repeat orders!.
13th-July-Ostend-Tourist-train
The next day the crew decided to explore Ostend and the various forms of alternate travel methods rather than sailing.
13th-July-Vagrants-in-Ostend
13th-july-Exercise-on-Pedal-Car.
5th-July-Da-Boyz-in-Bruges
Last port of call for Honfleur on this foreign trip was Bruges were despite all the other options available on shore again it seems the bars held the greatest attraction.
Having increased the GDP of our continental neighbours, mainly via beer sales, Honfleur returned to its home port of Walton. There is a potential that Honfleur wiill make another sortie to Europe later this year after the SOCA Solent Sailing in Company Event.
The talk at the meeting held at 7:30pm 11th May at the RNA club W G City was given by author Phillip K Allan
A talk in two parts for SOCA
Part 1 :- The Wooden World
An introduction to the 18th century navy – a world apart from society ashore, with its own customs, language, and culture. How sailors were distinctive and easy to spot – clothes, jewellery, language, uncut hair, different songs and dances, tattoos. The ships and those that sailed on them. How they were built, how they operated. Life aboard, diet and disease, press gangs and mutiny, animals, children, and women aboard.
Part 2 – The Wooden World in Action – The Battle of the Nile 
In 1798 the biggest fleet since the Spanish Armada left Toulon carrying a huge army under the new French Republic’s crack general, Napoleon Bonaparte, and vanished into the wide Mediterranean. Where was it going, and what was its target? A British fleet under their own young hero, Horatio Nelson, was sent to track them down. In an epic hunt from Sardinia, to Sicily, to Malta and beyond, the fleets finally met in an epic battle fought at night.
About Philip K Allan
Philip K Allan comes from Hertfordshire where he still lives with his wife and two daughters. He has an excellent knowledge of the 18th century navy. He studied it as part of his history degree at London University, which awoke a lifelong passion for the period. A longstanding member of the Society for Nautical Research, he is also a keen sailor and writes for the US Naval Institute’s magazine Naval History.
He is the author of the nine book Alexander Clay series of naval fiction set in the age of sail. The first book, The Captain’s Nephew, was published in January 2018, and immediately went into the Amazon top 100 bestseller list for Sea Adventures. He has recently turned his attention to the Second World War. Sea of Wolves is a novel set during the Battle of the Atlantic. A sequel, called The Wolves in Winter, was published last year.
| The Sporades Flotilla A detailed account of the Sailing Holidays Flotilla that 4 club members enjoyed on board a Beneteau 361, in September 2022. Presented by Terry Branston with the aid of numerous photos taken over the two weeks. |
The Talk will be given at the RNA Welwyn Garden City on Thursday 13th April at 7:30pm prompt.
SOCA 2023 Annual Review & AGM was held on
Thursday 10th March at RNA Welwyn Garden City
Despite the atrocious weather the club managed to successfully hold the 2023 AGM which was a relaxed, social evening which gave the retiring Commodore the chance to look back at the past year and for the new Commodore to discuss plans for the next season.
The meeting commenced with the Commodore’s review of the past year followed by the presentation of the club’s trophies.
Below are extracts from f the slides used by the Commodore for his review of the year.
“Talks / Presentations”
A retro talk using SLIDES of a trip from Portugal to Tenerife in the last century (1990s).
.
“Social Events & Quiz Events”
“Sailing in Company”
SOCA Barbecue at Hythe
“Other Events”
“Paul Redd”
The 2022 Trophy Awards were as follows
AstrolableThe Astrolabe Trophy (donated to the club by Roy Maynard) for a member’s presentation at a club evening.
Awarded to Ashley Cato, Barton Turf Adventure Centre for the best attended presentation of the year.
See the relevant post by clicking here.
Kelphil Bell 
The Kelphil Bell is one of the oldest awards within the club. It was awarded by the Commodore to Geff Briant, for his work on the amazing club website, club talks and assistance with technology.
Commodore’s Cup :- Awarded at the discretion of the Commodore to John Gardener, for his extensive cruising on Shrimper Skylark.
John could not attend the meeting so the cup will be presented to him by the Vice Commodore at the next opportunity.
Following the award of the Trophies, The 2022 Commodore stood down and the President, the previous Commodore, asked for nominations for the 2023 Commodore.
Andrew Davidson was appointed who chaired the rest of the AGM which started with the appointment of new officers. Then the minutes of the 2022 AGM and the Treasurer’s report were approved .
Then the officers for 2023 were elected.
The new Flag Officers for 2023
endorsed by the membership at the AGM.
2022 Commodore is Andrew (Right)
Vice Commodore is Geff (Centre)
Rea Commodore is Terry (Left)
The meeting concluded with a reminder of upcoming events.
“Future Events”
Followed by a reminder of the club’s Ruby (40 years) celebration
“Founded in 1984”
In this issue
• A Message from the President
• The Year in Numbers from the Treasurer
• Future Fundraising
• Annual Flag Day and Market Stall
• The Mayday Mile
• Appeal for cameras and binoculars
• Newsletter Format and the Costs of Mailing
• Newsletter Sponsors
A Message from the President
I count it a privilege to be Honorary President of our branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. For a branch that is some distance from the sea, we have an enviable record in fundraising. And whilst we give direct support to the Cromer lifeboat, we also support Tower Station on the River Thames in the heart of London, the busiest lifeboat station in the country.
We raise funds through street and supermarket collections, collection boxes and the sale of souvenirs at our market stall and at various outside events throughout the year. For this I hould like thank our Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and the Committee for all their hard work and time to make it all happen. But none of this would be possible without the active support of you, our supporters, who carry collection buckets and man our stalls, For this I thank you all.
However, we are a small committee and really need some additional members to add to our fundraising capacity. We meet formally just six times a year and I would appeal to anyone who would like to make a difference in preserving and saving lives, both on inland waters and at ea, to please make yourselves known to our Secretary, Phil Underhill at phillipj_underhill@yahoo.co.uk or call him on 07787 646011.
Richard Cox, Honorary President
Hitchin and District Branch, Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Year in Numbers from the Treasurer
2022 saw the Branch bounce back from the disappointment of the mediocre fundraising years of 2020 & 2021 due to Covid restrictions in place at the time.
Income for the year rose from £8,442 in 2021 to £13,058 & with expenses of only £243 we contributed £12,815 to national funds.
This is how the income was achieved.
The support from local branches of Asda, Morrisons & Tesco, who so kindly allowed us to hold bucket collections in their stores raised, £3,023.
The Captain’s Charity at a local golf club raised, throughout his year of captaincy, the magnificent sum of £2,984.
Hitchin Flag Day raised £1,028
Donations from various organisations added £1,528.
The remaining income of £4,495 came from shop sales, donations, collecting boxes, Gift Aid, RNLI Branch Just Giving page and other small fundraising events.
Shop Sales, in the capable hands of Committee member Dorothy Sudweeks, amounted to £1,494 of which 43% were Christmas cards, diaries & calendars.
The year saw the introduction of two pieces of modern technology, a contactless payment terminal for Shop Sales and a contactless donation terminal. Both have made a huge difference to the success of branch fundraising and sales.
Finally, I would like to thank all our volunteers for the support they have given us during the year.
Mike Frisby, Honorary Treasurer Hitchin and District Branch, Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Future Fundraising
Now that we are entering the period of longer and hopefully, warmer days, the Branch will shortly be announcing it’s fundraising programme for 2023. This will include bucket collections both in the street and supermarkets plus market stalls.
By the time you see this Newsletter we shall have collected on two dates at Morrisons in Letchworth (24th and 25th March). Proceeds from these days is £704.27. Thanks to everyone for making this excellent result possible. We are exploring other venues, including Tesco Supermarkets for the rest of the year, for which we shall need a number of willing hands to carry buckets for an hour or two on those days. Please keep a look out for announcements.
The Mayday Mile
This Spring the RNLI is launching its Mayday Mile challenge. This means completing a sponsored mile a day during the month of May. Walk it, run it, skate it or even do it in yellow wellies, you can choose the time and place – on the beach, in the park, in the kitchen or your local swimming pool.
For more information and to take part visit the RNLI Mayday Mile page at https://rnli.org/mayday/mayday-mile.
Annual Flag Day and Market Stall
For our Annual Flag Day on 16th September we shall have a stall in Hitchin Market Place selling RNLI souvenirs and street collectors carrying buckets at various points around Hitchin Town Centre.
We very much hope you will be able to help and we especially need volunteers to help with the bucket collections. So, if you can spare and hour or two on 16th September, please let Phil Underhill know. Phil can be contacted on 01462 436973 or at phillipj_underhill@yahoo.co.uk.or our Annual Flag Day on 16th September we shall have a stall in Hitchin Mark
Appeal for cameras and binoculars.
If you have any old or new cameras – film or digital – or binoculars that are no-longer required, please consider donating them to the RNLI. Sales of similar items over the past two years have raised over £2,000 towards branch funds. If you are in a position to make a donation of either cameras or binoculars, please contact John Pearce on 07545 003792 or by email to pearcej53@virginmedia.com.
Newsletter Format and the Costs of Mailing
We are conscious at all times of running the branch with the minimal overheads possible so that we maximise the money we raise for the RNLI. A cost that has increased considerably lately has been postage, especially the cost of printing and mailing out the regular newsletters to those members who have requested printed copies. Could we please ask that, if you receive the newsletter through the post but are able to receive it and updates by email that you let Phil Underhill know and we will update our records accordingly. Phil can be contacted at phillipj_underhill@yahoo.co.uk. Thank you for your help.
In Search of the Northern Lights
Dave Arnold chronicled a very successful cruise that he and Liz made (in comfort!!) to Northern Norway in January 2022. Dave shared photographs of the aurora event as it unfolded, he also outlined the science behind the spectacular light show. Both Liz and Dave are keen photographers so the presentation had some interesting shots at ports and along the Norwegian arctic coast in winter.
Dave highlighted they were very lucky to see the Northern Lights in all their splendour especially being immersed in them with the lights totally surrounding them. Sometimes they are not as bright and just appear as a greyish blur especially from lower latitudes.
Below is a short video showing a small selection of the slides that Dave presented.