November 2023
East Coast News is the newsletter of the East Coast Yacht Division of the Civil Service Sailing Association
Recognise these two flags flown together?
Yes: November and Charlie
‘In distress and require immediate assistance’
We need your help, right now before our AGM next Saturday.
A month ago ECYD faced being dissolved because we were unable to put together a viable committee for 2024. That would have resulted in Freyja being passed to CSSA, the controlling body for all three of the Association’s three cruising yacht: Freyja here on the East Coast, Sea Essay on the South Coast and YNOT on the North West Coast.
Happily, some members have stepped forward and been nominated for election at the AGM next Saturday at Littleton Sailing Club near Shepperton TW17 0NF
They are prepared to serve and help run our club. But there is little point in their doing so if there is no real support for them from the membership as a whole.
We all need to know that there is actually sufficient support for them.
How can YOU show that them that you will support them and ECYD going forward? Its very simple:
If you want ECYD to continue you need to say so.
How?
By telling John Figgures, our current club captain, that you want ECYD to continue by doing one of three things:
- Come to the AGM and meet fellow members and the proposed committee
- Ask John to send you the ZOOM link to join the AGM remotely from home
- Send John your apologies for next Saturday’s AGM meeting
But before you do so out of a general wish to see ECYD go forward, please ask yourself:
● Do you really wish to sail again, or for the first time, with ECYD?
● If asked, will you help the new committee maintain our beautiful yacht, either by joining a work party if you live reasonably near or doing something from afar?
Are you prepared to step forward, offer something of your time, skills and experience.
But please respond to this note once you have read it. Now, today, please.
The signal is clear: Immediate assistance is required.
With best wishes
Jeff Herschel
Nominated as 2024 Club Captain
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AGM with free buffet lunch; details with accounts and reports, are at:
2023 AGM – ECYD – the East Coast Yacht Division of the Civil Service Sailing Association
ECYD Members and members of CSSC/CSSA who wish to attend the ECYD AGM in person at Littleton Sailing Club (TW17 0NF) are asked to notify our ECYD Captain at (ECYDCaptain@outlook.com) by 13 November so that a sufficient buffet is provided.
ECYD Members and members of CSSC/CSSA who wish to attend the ECYD AGM on Zoom are asked to contact the ECYD Captain by 15 November (ECYDCaptain@outlook.com) for the Zoom code.
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Looking forward…
If ECYD continues it is intended that we put together a sailing programme that we believe will meet the aspirations of our members to become confident, experienced sailors while enjoying visiting places abroad.
We are all at different levels in doing so and we will be looking for feedback from you soon after the AGM. One thing is for sure, both ECYD and CSSA need more ‘Approved Skippers’. Let us help you achieve that.
Sailing next year…where should we go?
In the past ECYD’s practice is to go North one year and South the next.
But it’s not written in stone.
Thoughts are we should take Freyja South in 2024.
A return to France
This, as always, can be as interesting as we like. Some ideas:
Cruise from Shotley down the South Coast of England [or skip down the French coast] and head for the Channel Islands where we will base ourselves. There are both flights and ferries from the UK so easy to get to and from.
That opens up the not only the Channel Islands but the whole of North Brittany, both with some really great places to visit.
But perhaps we should consider going further south, as far as La Rochelle; and Spain?
How about a return to the Baltic, perhaps doing something very different?
We were there earlier this year and its well known to many of our skippers. But there are so many places for us to explore or revisit.
In the very early days of ECYD we did the Golden Circle, travelling from Goteborg to Lake Vanern through to Lake Vattern and on to Mem, some 150 miles south of Stockholm.
Then south towards the German coast and home west through the Kiel Canal.
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At the AGM there will be an opportunity for members to offer their ideas of places where they would like to sail. Afterward we will put up some options and seek agreement of ‘where’.
Depending on the wishes of members we could have a variety of cruises:
‘Mile building cruises’ to interesting places to help build mileages that skippers need for RYA qualifications [including 60 milers as skipper], build navigation and improve sailing skills.
‘Sail for sheer pleasure’ visiting places of interestthat take your fancy, sailing of course.
‘Cruise and learn’ from a port doing short cruises locally that will allow those who want to improve their skipper and sail trimming skills but be back snug somewhere for the evening.
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Sea time…. originally an opportunity for fairly new members who were not part of a skipper’s regular crew to find a berth and get to know other members. Eventually they set up their own group and ‘sailed away’ together. We will continue to have sea times, but also encourage skippers to also integrate new members in to their own regular crews.