Cruising Section
The Club has an active cruising group with activities for sail and power, summer and winter.
This group allows members to share the vast fund of experience we have – some members have sailed the Clyde and the west coast for 40+ years, and every year many of us follow in their wake (see Tom and Lisa Watson’s prize winning log of Alligin’s 2010 Hebrides cruise in the 2011 yearbook). Others do even more adventurous things like circumnavigating Ireland (see Freddie and Hilary Moran’s log).
In the summer, we organise weekend cruises, approximately fortnightly, to destinations in the Clyde, and also an extended west coast cruise, typically to Mull – or beyond, weather and time permitting!
These are social affairs, with weekend cruises usually starting with a gathering in the clubhouse at 0930 on the Saturday morning for a briefing, getting to the destination, then an evening gathering on someone’s boat, followed by a meal or barbeque ashore, and the trip home the following day.
The extended west coast cruise offers particularly the less experienced members the support (physical and moral!) of sailing in a loose group, sharing information and so on. The cruise is normally routed around the Mull of Kintyre, but the Crinan Canal will be used as appropriate, and there is nothing like many hands to make light work!
There are some opportunities for non boat owners to join in the cruises as crew – just add your name and details on the notice board on the landing, upstairs.
In the winter, we organise winter talks on anything from sea safety through boat insurance to maintenance to cooking at sea, visits to John Highcock’s Saturn Sails sail loft, and so on. It is amazing what you learn, not just from the speakers, but the questions, and the centuries of experience in the room.
The cruising section of the Club was first formed in 2007 to help promote the general interest of all keel boat and power members. It was felt that some cruising members were well experienced sailors and power boaters, and could offer company and experience to those less experienced and give them the confidence to cruise greater distances from home.
The aims of the group are:
- To organise cruising events in the safety of company at weekends throughout the sailing season to various destinations within the Clyde area.
- To offer extended cruising opportunities to members to safely cruise in company for one or more weeks to various destinations outwith the Clyde area.
- To give members without a vessel the opportunity to help share and crew during events.
- To identify persons other than members willing to help crew and encourage them to join the Club.
- To organize talks at the club over the winter period covering all aspects of cruising. Talks will include safety, cruising matters, maintenance and repair. In house speakers and outside experts are selected to cover a broad spectrum of presentations.
- To promote informal social evenings and events over the year to which members are invited to share their own experiences.
