Following our enjoyable lunch on 14 November near Leceister, our second meeting is scheduled for mid-morning to mid-afternoon on Sunday 13 March in
Houghton, a village between Cambridge and Huntingdon. As before, we have booked the
Houghton & Wyton Memorial Hall
1a St Ives Road
Houghton
PE28 2BJ
This is easily accessed from the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge. parking is available in the street, or the village square, or the pub, since we will be customers.
Our main speaker, before lunch, is CA member Noel Dilly on ‘Preparing for Heavy Weather Sailing’. Most of us will be sensible or lucky enough to never experience severe weather at sea. However conditions that can be worrying are always possible. Conditions from uncomfortable to life threatening and techniques that have worked will be suggested. Audience participation will be invaluable for the discussion. Much specialist heavy weather gear such as a variety of drogues and sea anchors will be demonstrated.
Continuing our theme of "I hope it doesn't happen to me", after lunch we have Camilla Herrmann, who in her professional life is editor of Cruising magazine, has been sailing with her husband Sam Brown since they bought their first dinghy together in 1986. In their Westerly Storm Kalessin of Orwell they have sailed across the North Sea, down to the Med and up to the Baltic. In May 2012 Sam suffered a massive stroke which affected his mobility and language, but the couple were determined to keep on sailing, and Camilla describes how they have overcome some of the challenges.
We have previously found that the hall is an ideal venue. The pub has had difficulty in serving us promptly on previous occasions, but is now under new management, and I'm reasonably confident they can cope. They offer a roast lunch on Sundays. To avoid confusion, I propose we forego starters.There is a vegetarian option of Roast Vegetable Tart. The cost for the main meal is £10.50.
As on previous occasions, after lunch we need one or two other members to give an illustrated slide talk, lasting around 30 minutes, about a recent cruise, or any other cruising related topic that grips them. Volunteers please! If no one else comes forward you'll be stuck with me talking about the delights of the Ionian.
So, the programme is:
11:00 Coffee
11:30 Noel Dilley on Heavy weather sailing
13:00 Pub lunch
14:00 Camilla Hermann on Coping with disability
15:00 You? Or Tony Montgomery-Smith on the Delights of the Ionian
16:00 Tea
There will be a charge of £3 for members and £5 for non-members to help defray expenses.
I'd appreciate an early indication of whether you'd like to come.
Tony Montgomery-Smith
Secretary