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Photos by
Michael Swarbrick
unless stated underneath

Hound Dog under full sail heading for Port St. Mary, taken from Kerry Girl, Saturday (2005 05 21)
photo by Brian & Audrey Kerry

Lorne of Naze returning on Friday night (2005 06 03)

Lorne of Naze coming alongside Aegis in the dock with Norman & Dennis waiting to take her warps

Alex giving out instructions

Aegis's commendably tidy fore deck - note carefully coiled ropes and the neatly stowed foresail.
First Prize - Concors D'Elegance

Kerry Girl returning form Kirkcudbright on Sunday (2005 06 05) with Suzi below

Suzi turning into the wind to lower her sails

Lorne of Naze coming out, Sea Spray waitng her turn, Sunday

Start of Sunday's second race

Will he capsize?

Yes

Quick round the back

Delicately poised

Where am I?

There they are, I'll soon catch up . Asmart recovery by Paul

In the days before cheap air travel and holidays in almost guaranteed sunshine Glasson's sailors used to spend the Spring Bank Holiday week at the club in tents, camper vans and small cruisers, e.g. Lysanders, and there was racing and events every day with entertainment in the evenings provided by themselves.

So that explains the 'Subject' and I hope you will forgive a bit of nostalgia.

We, Sue, Jaja and I arrived at the club on Tuesday evening just in time to enjoy the last of the good weather! It was fairly quiet as many members had sailed away.

Ten days previously Rice Pudding, Hound Dog and Strider had left Glasson on the Saturday to be joined in the Lune Deeps by Columbus, who had sailed out from Fleetwood, and embarked on the Spring Bank Holiday Cruise towards the Isle of Man. A few of the boats who had planned to go decided that the weather outlook was too gloomy and also half term was still a week away for those who had children.

There wasn't much wind and after a long but not unpleasant passage they eventually arrived and tied up alongside the wall in the outer harbour at Port St. Mary on the Isle of Man.

Next day with prospects of the weather worsening they left through calf sound (the minimum depth experienced was 24 metres!) together with the Port St. Mary lifeboat, which took the inshore passage, not to be recommended for those without local knowledge.

After a brilliant sail the fleet arrived in Ardglass, North of Ireland on Sunday evening. From that moment on the weather was lousy. Six miles away from Ardglass a 37 footer experiencing problems with her rudder housing sprung a leak and sank! They launched their liferaft but somehow lost it and were rescued by a nearby boat who sailed upwind of them and drifted down the boat's own rubber dinghy, which they managed to clamber into just before the lifeboat arrived to pick them up.

Rice Pudding and Columbus decided to venture out after a few days and make towards Howth but had to return because the conditions were too unpleasant to carry on. It wasn't safe to go into Annalong, now restricted to plus and minus one and a half hours round high water access because of silting up and the winds were such that they may have got storm bound if they'd gone into Strangford Lough.

For eight days and seven nights the crews had to be content with bus rides to Dublin and Belfast and cliff walks. They had a very colourful night watching the Liverpool Champions' League Cup win, very colourful language too. During all this time the Harbour Master made them very welcome. A pleasant end was that as they had been there for a week the nightly charge was reduced from £16 to £12!

For the Bank Holiday Weekend the 'enthusiastic' dinghy racers all went up to the Coniston Open Meeting.

Round about now Suzi and Kerry Girl set out for Piel and then on to Whitehaven reaching Kirkcudbright where they stayed for one night more than planned before returning via Whiehaven and Piel. The Suzis particularly enjoyed seeing the Herons as they sailed up the estuary to Kirkcudbright and the puffins on St. Bees Head on the way home. Both crews had a great time with lots of sailing.

Before we arrived on the Tuesday evening Lorne of Naze and Sea Otter had left Glasson for Ramsey where they hoped to meet up with the Spring Bank Holiday Cruise fleet.

Toggenberg, Pebbles and Heron had set off towards Liverpool to get to the Albert Dock in time for the Merseyside Maritime Festival this coming weekend. They all arrived safely, after some difficulties on Pebbles - see website for more details and photographs, but had some shenanigans in the marina which I'm sure someone will write about - mast down, superstructures off and creeping into the Albert Dock the 'back way' from a most inhospitable marina.

The 'fleet' had now left Ardglass and sailed across to Peel on the Isle of Man where they moored up inside the harbour. Please note that the new sill will not be operating until mid July and also that just inside the harbour for about 50 feet or so there is a large amount of building rubble and metal work alongside the harbour wall left over from the work on the sill.

Meanwhile back in Glasson the weather had returned to it's winter worse, rain and cold high winds but we were all having an enjoyable time.

Rice Pudding, Hound Dog and Strider motorsailed on to the Point of Ayre and then a spinnaker run into Ramsey itself. Columbus followed next day. Lorne of Naze joined them in Ramsey after a long but pleasant sail from Glasson. Sea Otter had to turn round when halfway across and return to Glasson with engine problems, arriving on the evening tide on Wednesday.

The 'town' wall at Ramsey, before the bridge, is kept 'clean' so that the ground, when the tide has gone out is flat and 'clean', the Harbour Master checks it regularly, every day.

Rice Pudding reports that the Harbour Master at Ramsey is a 'most helpful person'. Rice Pudding left for home on Thursday arriving on the evening tide after a 'brilliant sail home' - less than six hours to Halfway Shoal buoy. They set off in a SW 4-5 possible but after a couple of miles were confronted with a 'Gale 8 soon' forecast which became 'imminent' and they experienced it for a while.

Lorne of Naze, Alex sailing solo, returned on the Friday evening tide after another good sail, tricky till he got round Maughold Head but ok after that. However Ratters found it quite lonely and boring on his own. Columbus returned to Fleetwood.

We're not sure where Strider and Hound Dog are but it is their intention to sail towards the Mersey in time for the festival. Hazel, Strider, is writing a fuller account of the Spring Bank Holiday Cruise for the next issue of the newsletter.

The 'Gale 8 forecast' was also heard by the boats still at Glasson intending to go to the Barrow festival. Eventually plans for this were abandoned and thoughts were concentrated on when to set off for the Mersey. The winds were still strong at Glasson and the weather bordering on inclement but Jaja and I managed a short sail in the GP. Peter and Eugene sailed round the lighthouse in Alma having been round the lighthouse on Tuesday also.

Friday morning was the brightest morning at Glasson since we'd arrived and Sea Otter rose early to sail round the lighthouse and Alma with Peter and Carol (Carole?) sailed too. It was 4 gusting 5, much too strong for Jaja and I.

It was too miserable for dinghy racing on Saturday, wet and windy, but three boats raced on Sunday in almost ideal conditions, W 3 gusting 4 - Report to follow. SkylArk sailed round the light on Sunday and the yellow GP, belonging to Owen Smith - photo near bottom right, - " ... We had a fantastic sail to and from Lancaster and are looking forward to getting out regularly and racing. ... and even a bit of GP14 match racing! ... "

On Sunday morning, I think it was Sunday, Zephyr sailed out accompanied by a couple of unidentified boats, one may have been Betti on the way to Fleetwood waiting to set off for the Mersey.

Aegis, Nyoka, Curlew, Lady J and Salty Fiddler were uncertain but eventually decided that they would sail today, Monday, to the Mersey which they did, (Betti joining them). We arrived just in time to see them leave the dock. We'd returned home yesterday but came back determined to get a sail before Jaja went back to school, which we did however we had to row back as the wind, now north to east, dropped away to nothing. It was a lovely sunny day up there today.

Sadly we returned home to find three dead baby robins on the lawn, we'd been watching their parents feed them for days, we feed the birds but it attracts lots of cats.

Michael Swarbrick - 7th June 2005

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Click on photos for a bigger picture. Click on browser 'back' button to return to main document.

Photos by
Michael Swarbrick
unless stated underneath

Fingal heading back to Glasson on Sunday, (2005 05 22) taken from Kerry Girl, Saturday (2005 05 21)
photo by Brian & Audrey Kerry

A Grey Heron, a regular visitor to the club during Glasson Week.
Never realised before that Grey Herons had white necks - thought it was some exotic species till I consulted the bird book!.

Sea Ottter returning form their sail round the lighthouse on Friday morning (2005 06 03)

Rosinante and another boat setting sail Friday evening (2005 06 03)

The Toppings in Shakin that RS (what a choice of name, their previous boat was called Two Hats - Kath's Solo was called Super's Crew) rounding temporary racing mark 'I' on Sunday morning (2005 06 05)

Ivan demonstrating his many sailing skills on Sunday morning (2005 06 05)

George in SkylArk approaching the jetty to pick up Derek Shona prior to their sail round the lighthouse on Sunday morning (2005 06 05)

Owen & prospective new member returning from Lancaster on Sunday morning (2005 06 05)

Nyoka & Lady J leaving for Albert Dock on Monday morning (2005 06 060

Closely followed by Aegis, who had been last to leave the dock being the inside boat

Curlew leaving her mooring following Aegis

Salty Fidler guarding the rear of the 'fleet'