February 2021: Chris Adams “Hebrides Unlocked – Covid Therapy”

After the success of our virtual AGM we were treated in February to a zoom talk covering 5 weeks of glorious sailing in the Western Isles as the COVID restrictions were temporarily relaxed last summer.  Members Chris & Ann Adams visited (and beautifully photographed) all of the major Hebridean Islands covering more than 600 miles…

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November 2019 – Chris Adams – racing from Sydney to Hobart

Our man Chris retired in 2008 and decided to learn to sail. Chris being Chris he did this in full not half measure and did the lot – everything from Competent Crew through to Yachtmaster Ocean. And he did it in Australasia, for some reason, which is why he ended up competing in that well-known…

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October 2019 – Nic Compton – The Shipping Forecast

The old wooden cutter Valkyrie must have made a picturesque sight buried under 6in of snow in Emsworth creek, during the winter of 1962. It was one of the coldest winters on record, and Nic Compton’s parents had just returned from Bristol with their 2-year-old son and brand new baby Nic. Below decks, the boat…

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September 2019 – Justin Tyers – Phoenix from the Ashes

There are house fires and there are house fires. In Justin and Linda’s case their timber-framed, open-plan house blazed so fiercely and so quickly after they’d first smelt smoke, and noticed the red glow between the floorboards, that the fire service had had to withdraw and let it roar and collapse, as it spectacularly did.…

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Mike Austin – The voyage of the Liberdade

Mike told us a story of some indomitable individuals, linked through their sailing exploits. The story started with Joshua Slocum. Slocum, after being stranded in Brazil with his family, designed and built Liberdade, a shallow-draft junk-rigged 35 footer to sail home. Launched in 1888, she enjoyed a tiny 2’6” draft and her crew enjoyed a…

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March 2019 – Unstoppable Hannah Stodel

Sometimes you come across people you know you’ll never forget. Hannah Stodel, guest speaker at our March meeting, is one. Undaunted by having been born missing her right forearm, she started sailing aged 4, and the modest account she gave of her life saga was awe inspiring. Having one arm makes tying shoelaces or peeling…

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