Both boats were busy in 2024. Between May and September the club's cruising ran from Cherbourg to the Channel Islands, down to the West Country twice, and out to Alderney over the August bank holiday. The summer opened in May with a three-day trip to Cherbourg, and then a week on Speedbird exploring Jersey, Sark and Alderney, where by all accounts the suncream came out. June took a crew ten days west, with weather good enough to be worth remarking on, and a weekend on Concorde to Poole and back through the bridges at Hamworthy. July was a five-day, 171-mile circuit on Speedbird: Yarmouth, Weymouth, Lulworth Cove, Poole, Studland Bay and Lymington. That is a good illustration of what a club cruise actually looks like, which is a series of ordinary harbours strung together by proper passages. The August bank holiday trip to Alderney was the longest of the year: 193 miles with twelve hours of it in the dark. Skippered by Matt, with Otto, Steven and new member Ben aboard, Speedbird left at half past nine on the Friday night and came into a sunny Braye harbour at four the following afternoon. There was a full day ashore on the Sunday, a swim off the beach, and then another night passage home to Yarmouth and the Hamble on the Monday. September was meant to be the Channel Islands again. The weather decided otherwise and the trip went west instead, which is the sort of decision that gets made for you and is usually right. Every one of these was a club trip, posted by a club skipper and open to members to sign up for. New member Ben's first offshore passage was an overnight to Alderney, which is one way to start.
Jane Wiggins
Jane WigginsMore photos
