Suffolk

Discover the challenges and rewards of sailing around Britian with changing crews, changeable weather and unfamiliar harbours.

Join us for a birdwatching cruise along Suffolk’s peaceful Orwell and Stour Rivers with a bird and wildlife expert as our guide.

We leave at 0930 from the Royal Harwich Yacht Club pontoon on the classic sailing barge Victor which was built in 1895 and fully restored to her original rig in 2006. 

A light-hearted evening talking about the life of a sailor and the work of a pilot at Harwich Haven Authority.

Come and hear Jane Stone talk about her life in the marine industry and her role as one of the very few female commercial marine pilots in the UK. Her job is to steer some of the world’s largest container ships safely in and out of Felixstowe, Ipswich and Harwich ports. As anyone who has sailed in the Orwell or the Stour will know, that’s a huge undertaking.

Hear the fascinating story of the sailor and spy, Erskine Childers, author of The Riddle in the Sands.

The fascinating story of why, how and by whom radar was developed in the 1930s and the role it played in the Battle of Britain.

We all understand the value of radar today when navigating in busy waters, but do you know the history of why it was developed and the story of extraordinary people involved?

Learn about the ill-fated Franklin Expedition and the two ships that were wrecked. 

The Franklin Expedition set out in in 1845 to discover the Northwest Passage across the Arctic Circle north of Canada.

Two ships, the Erebus and the Terror left from Greenhithe in Kent.  The wrecks of both ships were finally discovered in 2014 and 2016.

Harbour Masters, those men and women who keep our harbours open and seaways safe, are often the unsung heroes of the sailing community. This is their story.

In 2019 Mark Ashley-Miller set off in his 34ft yacht on a 5 year odyssey around the British Isles, visiting all 310 harbours and interviewing 256 Harbour Masters.  As part of this campaign he also raised  £30,000 for The Seafarer's Charity which supports sailors with mental health issues. 

Click here for details of the winter talk programme. Booking will open at the end of the summer.

Winter Talks

A Sociable Weekend with Passage Challenge, Pontoon Party, Outing to Felixstowe for a museum, fort and historic vehicles, an Evening with art exhibition, dinner and talk "The Hanse and East Anglia", something for everyone. Come for some or all of the activities – you choose.