Wessex
Welcome to the Wessex Section
The Wessex Section is fortunate enough to cover the extremely beautiful coastline stretching from Christchurch Bay to Portland Bill.
Some of the best Blue Flag beaches in the UK are at Bournemouth and Sandbanks and the dramatic cliffs along the ‘Jurassic Coast’ are a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site.
Inland the countryside of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex is varied and unspoilt with heath land and rolling chalk hills, the home of dairy and sheep farms.
The Wessex Area
Our seafarers’ gateways to the Anglo Saxon Kingdom of Wessex offer the opportunity to explore, relax and enjoy such places as:
- Christchurch, at the confluence of the rivers Stour and Avon, has a quiet bustle of activity in summer with a very relaxing feel to it.
- Poole, the 2nd largest natural harbour in the world, is a busy commercial port with cross channel ferry services and is the home of the R.N.L.I. with its very impressive training college. Yet it still offers peaceful anchorages as well as yacht club and marina facilities. From the harbour the River Frome gives access to Wareham, an ancient town situated on the edge of the Purbeck hills, settled by the Vikings and the Romans.
- Fine weather anchorages along the coast at Warbarrow Bay and Lulworth Cove.
- Weymouth, a working harbour supporting fishing, and pleasure boats
- Portland, a deep water commercial port and home of the National Sailing Academy which hosted the 2012 Sailing Olympics and Para Olympics. A bus ride to Portland Bill provides a spectacular view of Chesil Beach stretching 18 miles westward to West Bay; this is also the safest way to witness the power of the sea where the tidal streams converge and crash into the underwater cliffs creating the maelstrom of Portland Race.
The Section aims to serve members keeping their boats in one of the harbours mentioned above, as well as those living locally but based and cruising abroad.
Where We Meet
All members are very welcome to attend meetings - 19.30 start - which are held at The Lilliput Sailing Club, 200A Sandbanks Rd, Poole, BH14 8HA. The programme of events can be seen below.
The bar opens at 6pm and the talks start at 7.30pm. There is adequate parking and guests are welcome.
Forthcoming Events
Michael Henderson: Iceland and Greenland.
Date: 15/10/2019
Hot from a talk at the Scottish Boat Show, Mike Henderson is the man to go to in the CA's Baltic Section to find out about cruising in Iceland and Greenland. In the email he sent me agreeing to do...
Read more
The UK Border Force
Date: 19/11/2019
We always try to include a presentation from people who earn their living on the water, and this year we anticipate an informative talk about the role the Border Force has, and will have, in these...
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Near and Far evening.
Date: 21/01/2020
Tuesday 21st. January 2020. Wessex members have the opportunity to share last season's cruises, or their future plans.
Read more
Caroline Milmo: Sailing with Strangers.
Date: 18/02/2020
Tuesday 18th. February 2020. Caroline Milmo: Sailing with Strangers. Caroline is on the CA's Council and runs the CA's Crewing Service. She has sailed with a wide variety of skippers on a wide...
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Noel Dilly: Your lethal safety gear, and what you can do about it.
Date: 17/03/2020
Tuesday 17th. March 2020. Most of us carry safety gear, bought with reluctance at great expense. For many the equipment is regarded as a talisman against disaster. Some gets used, but most of the...
Read moreInterested in Finding out More?
Please contact the Section Secretaries, Michael Prewett, Christopher Jackson and Nigel Davies at wessex@theca.org.uk or
CA staff at office@theca.org.uk or +44 (0) 207 537 2828..
Cruising Sections
Baltic
Covers the Baltic Sea, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and Faroes. Holds a popular introductory seminar every spring.
Biscay
Covers Western France, Spain and Portugal as well as crossing Biscay. Holds a popular introductory seminar every spring.
Blue Water
For those sailing outside of European waters. Holds a popular Blue Water seminar in the summer.
Celtic
Covers waters from Land’s End to Cape Wrath. Meets at various west coast venues to share knowledge on all aspects of cruising the region.
Channel
Covers Northern France from the Belgian border to Normandy and the South Coast of England. Holds a popular introductory seminar every spring, and organises summer rallies.
European Inland Waterways
Covers over 30,000 km of navigable rivers and canals passing through over 20 countries. Meets spring and autumn at CA House.
Mediterranean
Covers the Mediterranean from Spain and Morocco in the west to the Levant in the east, and includes the Black Sea. Meets at CA House in the winter, and afloat in the summer.
North Sea
Covers the UK, Belgian and Dutch coasts. Meets at East Coast venues to share knowledge on all aspects of cruising the region.
Local / UK Sections
Antipodean
For members who live in Australia and New Zealand and who sail in the Northern Hemisphere.
CA London
CA London events are held at our Limehouse HQ.
East Midlands
Talks are held in various venues in the East Midlands.
Essex
Meetings held at Blackwater Sailing Club and mid-week lunches arranged.
Kent
Winter talks are held in Maidstone, and joint rallies are organised with Essex and Suffolk sections.
Solent
Summer rallies with weekend meets. Winter talks with ‘club’ suppers usually at a Hamble yacht club or marina.
South West
For members living in or cruising the areas from Portland Bill to the Isles of Scilly and along the north coast of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset to Bristol.
Suffolk
Joint meetings are arranged with the Royal Harwich Yacht Club at Woolverstone.
Thames Valley
Winter talks are held at the Upper Thames Sailing Club in Bourne End near Marlow.
Wessex
Talks are held at Lilliput Sailing Club, Poole.
West Midlands
Year round events held at Severn Motor Yacht Club, also winter meetings held at Ashwood Social Club Kingswinford.
