Author Archives: Fran

‘Nick Nack’ sails around Britain

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Nick and Gail Leaver cast off on 11 May 2017 to sail their Dufour 325 ‘Nick Nack’ around Britain in leisurely style. They will be cruising up the east coast and then down the Caledonian Canal before meandering back to Port Solent later in the year.

Gail has been sending regular e-postcards logging their journey and their escapades on and off the water. Read on …. !

Postcard from Gail on Friday 24 August

Newlyn harbour was a good shelter from the worst of the stormy weather, rain and high winds and we ended up we staying for 4 days. The harbour wall at low water has an arrow marking cut into the stone indicating the Ordnance Survey (Newlyn Datum), used as the Zero level on all OS maps.

Newlyn Harbour

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Protecting our oceans – something you can do NOW!

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Accept the Trash Isles as an official country and help protect our oceans

Every year eight million tonnes of plastics are being poured into our oceans. It affects over 600 different species of sealife with at least 1 million seabirds dying each year. There is now so much of it that an area the size of France has formed in the Pacific Ocean. And by 2050, there’ll be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

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Visit to Dover Coastguard – a great insight to rescue services

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On Friday 18 August 15 members of Oxted Offshore Sailing Club visited the Dover Coastguard Operations Centre. We were given an incredibly interesting insight to the work undertaken at Dover, not just in co-ordinating search and rescue services for vessels in trouble but also in monitoring our coastline and some 170 commercial vessels that enter or pass through in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world every day.

An Aerial View of Dover Coastguard, built on the site of Langdon Battery at the top of the White Cliffs

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‘Stiletto’ – Slow Boat to the Med

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Andy Giles and Jane Paulson have embarked on their long-awaited ‘Slow Boat to the Med’ big adventure with their Bavaria 33 Cruiser ‘Stiletto’. They crossed the Channel on 15 April 2017 and their final destination is the island of Ikaria in the Eastern Aegean – Andy’s roots.

We’ll be updating this page soon. In the meantime jump to their blog for the latest news! www.sailblogs.com/member/stiletto

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Spring Rally 2017 and Rose Bowl Challenge

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by Fran Taylor on Spirit

Four yachts and 17 club members joined the Oxted Offshore Spring Rally to Poole over the weekend of Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 April. The weather was kind with plenty of sunshine and no rain, but fickle winds of just F2 or F3 set the scene for an interesting Rose Bowl Challenge!
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Yarmouth Harbour updates for 2017

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Yarmouth Harbour have established some new features for visiting yatchsmen over the winter months:

  • ‘MOOR and enjoy Yarmouth’ is an overview film about Yarmouth town to ensure visitors get the most out of their stay. Watch it here
  • FREE showers are now included in the price of the visitor mooring.
  • Cockpit Essentials is a new visitor refreshment lounge with freshly ground coffee, bags of ice, local products, 24 hour news, Wi-Fi and charging points.
  • Their new website now includes an updated ‘Yarmouth Directory’  http://www.yarmouth-harbour.co.uk 

Portsmouth Small Boat Channel Update

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Queen’s Harbour Master Portsmouth have issued the following important notice about changes to the Small Boat Channel at the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour.

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Queen’s Harbour Master Portsmouth, that following the widening and re-orientation of the Portsmouth Approach Channel, as depicted on the newly published Admiralty Chart 2625 (2 March 2017), further adjustments have been made to the positioning of the Small Boat Channel that runs between 4 Bar Buoy (50 46.97N 001 06.48W) and Ballast Pile (50 47.62N 001 06.83W). This notice supersedes LNTM 23/17 (Small Boat Channel Re-alignment) and should be read in conjunction with the regulations contained in General Direction 7/10 (Portsmouth Harbour Entrance – Approach Channel, Small Boat Channel, Swashway and Inner Swashway).

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Sign the Petition – Lobster Pots and Small Craft Safety

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LOBSTER POTS AND SMALL CRAFT SAFETY – TIME TO CHANGE THE RULES!

The Cruising Association (CA) have sponsored a Government petition to change the rules regarding lobster pots and small craft safety.

“We believe that the current, voluntary, arrangements and guidance have not been adequate and that the number of call-outs, by the RNLI and coastguard, to small craft disabled by fouled propellers and rudders shows the significance of the problem.

We hope that all stakeholders will work together, with DEFRA, to find a solution, particularly one that is cheap and practical for our fishermen.”

At 100,000 signatures, this petition will be considered for debate in Parliament. Deadline is 10 October 2017. Click here to sign the petition.

Many thanks to Roger for bringing this to our attention.

Graham Smith

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2017 Annual Dinner speaker – Graham Smith

Graham Smith was introduced to Oxted Offshore as an accomplished author and stepfather to the Commodore’s wife, Sharon.

After serving in the RAF in the 1950s Graham embarked on a long and varied career in Customs and Excise, beginning in South Wales where he was born. His job took him all over the country to distilleries, breweries and ports, and eventually to Essex where he now lives.
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Oxted Offshore Annual Dinner – 1 April 2017

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Happy diners at the Oxted Offshore Annual Dinner on Saturday 1 April at Tandridge Golf Club

This years Annual Dinner took place at Tandridge Golf Club (with grateful thanks to Bob Perry) on Saturday 1 April and was attended by 40 members and guests. A great time was had by all and many thanks go to Richard and Sharon for all their hard work in putting the evening together.

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