How far ahead can you organise club cruises? It's a question that must have been wracking a lot of yacht club cruising captains' brains this summer, as so many plans have been either blown away or washed out by the weather.
At our club, after the first three planned weekend outings had to be abandoned (and dinner bookings made months ahead cancelled at the last minute) the man in charge decided to tear up the fixture sheet and for the rest of the season everything was to be arranged ad hoc, by people turning up on Friday night and agreeing a destination, depending on the weather.
It's a practical response, but rather a disappointment, because in previous years, when the weather has been kinder, organised cruise weekends have been very successful. It's a great way to meet new friends, and it does help new boat owners gain confidence.
They will often tackle a destination that they might have otherwise thought too ambitious if they know there will be help with passage planning at the pre-cruise briefing, the reassurance of company on the water on the way, and the knowledge that there will be fellow members there to help moor up when they arrive. And of course there's a great social event to look forward to, whether a smart dinner in a yacht club or a bare foot barbecue on the beach.
But while we don't seem to be able to plan even a few weeks ahead, the brave souls of the Clyde Cruising Club this year published their cruising programme five years ahead.
All right, it's only the main summer cruise that they've announced, but it seems like a great idea.
“By publishing such a list in advance skippers can deal with the logistics of planning, boat preparation and crew selection in slow time,” explains cruising secretary Charlie Craig.
He hopes that the cruising programme will also be “seen as an aspiration for those who have not yet cruised abroad and may wish time to build their knowledge and skills.”
He adds: “Finally, as we are by name a cruising club, it provides a focus for our activities both on the water and during the winter.”
The proposed cruises are all intended to last about a month, generally during July, and cover between 1,000 and 1,500 miles. That might seem ambitious for a lot of people, but with increasing numbers of retired couples wanting to spend more time on the water, it offers the opportunity to join in an adventure with a ready-made support team.
This year's cruise, to the Faeroe Islands, only attracted three boats, Charlie Craig's own Monkey Business, Geoff Hayton's Restless of Largs and John Brown's Arctic Tern. But by all accounts, they had a great time, with a warm welcome from the “very friendly and open” Faeroese people.
Perhaps others were put off by the “scary” charts and ferocious tidal streams which are a feature of these islands, and going north always runs a risk of bad weather. Although the weather was “much better than we might have hoped for” the intrepid three were gale bound for a couple of days. The stunning mountain scenery was some compensation, though.
And sailing home via Cape Wrath the crew of Monkey Business saw a pod of killer whales and “watched in awe as they thrashed and killed seals.” I'd have cheerfully put up with a couple of days of gales to see that!
Next year the intrepid CCC cruisers are planning to head to north west Spain or Portugal. Perhaps there will be more support for going south! Then in 2008 their destination is the International Festival of the Sea at Brest in France, and the following year they plan to go to Norway. The five-year programme culminates in 2010 with the CCC's Centenary Cruise around Scotland - sure to attract good numbers!
For more information visit www.clyde.org
