Presentations by GXSA Members

Part 1  Steve Daish – What could possibly go wrong? The perils of yacht delivery

Part 2  Bernie Smallman – Antarctica in Comfort. South Georgia, the Falklands and Cape Horn   More details

David Brook

RNLI Poole Lifeboat building

David leads 400 staff who design, build and repair RNLI lifeboats. He will explain how their engineering capability keeps the Search and Rescue service going and tell us about the new all-weather Lifeboat Centre in Poole, in which future Lifeboats will be built and maintained.   More details

Rob Johnstone

Remember to turn left this time

We last heard about Vagabond when Rob left her at Balvicar after part 1 of his single handed circumnavigation of Britain. Now the rest of the tale includes a near capsize off Wells, confusion off Aberdeen, a raid through the Caledonian Canal and fog off the Old Man of Hoy.    More details

Colin Gent

World War 2 Destroyers

Former GXSA member Colin will tell us about the engineering and armaments of Destroyers and their roles in escorting convoys and troop ships. This is backed up by stories of his own experience as an Electrical Engineer aboard HMS Caprice (a CA Class destroyer) in the Far East.   More details

James Littlewood

River cruising in Western Europe

After 60,000 adventurous sea miles, James Littlewood has replaced his yacht with a 13m steel motor boat. He expected the change from sailing to provide a relaxing time on the inland waterways of Europe. He now considers “worse things happen at sea” to be a myth!    More details

John Apps

The Glory of the Ride

He’s back, after 2 years and 26,000 Miles in his Rival 34. True to his motto “Passage Plans rarely survive the first Gale”, John Apps has sailed to Greenland, Brazil, Cape Town (twice..) the Southern Ocean, St Helena, Ascension Island and the Azores.    More details

Terry Corner

RNLI Top Tips for Boaters and some Rescues from Harwich

Terry Corner keeps his boat at Shotley marina on the River Orwell. He is also RNLI safety team leader at Harwich lifeboat station. He will update us on current RNLI guidance and show us some of the more interesting and unusual rescues they have undertaken recently.    More details

Simon Fraser

The Grand Tour

How Simon took his 43ft Hallberg Rassy from Chatham to Denmark through the inland waterways of Belgium and the Netherlands, all with the mast up. An enjoyable journey through picturesque towns, Nordeney and the Kiel and Eider Canals.    More details

Ken Endean

Four men in a boat

The story of some remarkable yachting in peace and war. Ken Endean has published books and written for the yachting press for many years and he is also interested in maritime history. This talk presents a fascinating true story with the action shifting from sailing to all-out war and back again. More details