S.O.I.A. Anglia Group newsletter - April 2004

 

Comrades

Today Sula got her bottom wet - with a new coat of paint. Brian is getting her ready for launching at Levington on 7th May. The outboard motor could also be heard practising a few scales in the water butt.

Over Easter we spent a week aboard our Eventide Avocet, high and dry in a little yard in Lancashire. Repairs were needed to the deck, and a new coat of paint all over, not to mention a good scrub-out inside to make her habitable. Unfortunately we had a lot of wet and windy weather so didn't finish the job, and Avocet still wears a battleship grey undercoat.

When we arrived we were surprised to find a blue-hulled SIII close alongside, looking sound but a bit neglected. Her owner turned out to be a fine young octogenarian called Bill Wright, who had acquired his Silhouette at a bargain price on e-Bay! He had downloaded some information from the SOIA website, including a couple of photos which were, coincidently, of Brian and myself in Sula!

As well as entertaining us with some fascinating tales, Bill lent us a hand with some painting - he waggles a mean paintbrush. We will look forward to seeing how his new boat has progressed when we return to the yard to crane Avocet in.

While in Lancs we also visited Brian's brother Graham, who is busy turning TeeJar into a super-yacht, hopefully in time for the Windermere Rally.

THE LAST MEETING (S) - there have been two since I last wrote, and we didn't make the first, so I asked for a run-down from a couple of shipmates wondering how they would differ in their descriptions...

Reply no.1:

For some reason we got on to talking about financial matters, which gave us the best quote of the evening "Winning the lottery is about as likely as being hit by a hemorroide". I promise not to mention who said it, but I think he has been doing too much gongoozling and is getting his worms mixed up. TTFN, Mike.

 

Reply no.2:

Yes we did notice you were AWOL from the meeting and now you want to know what was discussed when we weren’t talking about you and Brian. I asked Marian what the ladies had been nattering about but she refused to tell me except that there was no mention of boats!

Like the majority of your pampered sex she doesn’t willingly do anything involving cold or damp so I have been plotting to convert Magic Dragon’s cabin into a tropical paradise and there was some discussion about boat heaters. Mike Atkins has a paraffin heater which he removed from his Silhouette because he didn’t want to be seen sailing anything with a chimney. I hope to buy it off him quickly before Kim finds out. Simon thinks if I have a chimney I will have to have pretty flowers in window boxes and polished copper kettles on the cabin roof. I can’t help thinking it might be simpler to swap the wife for a newer more rufty tufty model. [Grounds for divorce - Ed]

I’m glad to say the lads had a decent boaty chat about cruising the more remote creeks of Essex, the passage through Havengore, moorings, where to run aground, outboards, (not toilets as our resident expert was absent) rotting and delaminating plywood and other riveting topics.

Mike Atkins is designing a new reefing system. He is hoping to beat the world "Jiffy Reefing" record currently held by Alf Baldwin. Despite the diet of cremated chops crewing for Alf at the last Broads rally clearly wasn’t wasted. Mike has been inspired to utilise his impressive engineering qualifications to try and knock a few tenths of a second off of the current record by reducing the system to a single loop of string. (The Dr. Atkins bight for rapid sail loss?)

Towards the end of the meeting there was a brief discussion about the chances of winning the Lotto. A certain Mr. Malaprop claimed to have read somewhere that you stood more chance of being killed by a falling haemorrhoid. This led to a very silly discussion about the film Deep Impact, haemorrhoids in outer space and the feasibility of protecting the planet with missiles armed with Preparation H. It’s all due to the cheap booze at the Orwell Yacht Club! Bob [spelled the 'H' word correctly, anyway - Ed]

The April meeting was equally lively with conversation at my end of the table ranging from Pyrenean Mountain Dogs to care of gravestones. The excellent company was even better than usual with a visit from Howard and Hilary Orrom, who had crossed the Thames to join us. There was lots of discussion about our intended trip up the Deben on our May cruise.

Sailing Dates

East Coast cruise: May 7 - 9th. Launch at Levington. (Anglia Group)

High Water on Friday: 14.22 BST, springs. Friday night in the Levington Lightship, and Saturday night, with a little bit of luck, at the Ramsholt Arms on the Deben. Bring your anchors and anchor lights!

Windermere Rally: 15 - 16th May. Organiser: Ken Hooson 01617 480785.

Falmouth cruise: 22nd - 30th May. Organiser: Colin Campbell 01395 568343.

Rutland Water International Paints Trophy meeting: 12 - 13th June

Brightlingsea Rally: 10 - 11th July (Anglia Group)

Holland Cruise – 13th - 22nd July – Contact Alf Baldwin on 01159 372458.

Plymouth National Rally: 14th - 20th August

Broads Rally: Probably 11 - 12th September. (Anglia Group)

Sunday 16th May - Suffolk Boat Jumble. http://www.boatjumbleassociation.co.uk

Next meeting at The Orwell Yacht Club, Ipswich : 12th June, 8pm.

There will not be a meeting at the Orwell Yacht Club on 8th May, but if anyone would like to join us at the Levington Lightship or Ramsholt Arms (if we get there) we would be delighted to see them.

LAST GASP. . . Can't wait to get launched (as long as it ain't rainin'...)

Best Wishes

Elizabeth Letzer, April 2004

 

Stop press - Howard and Hilary are bringing an SIV to Levington - how exciting!