Category: Lecture Summary

    Wednesday 20th January Robert Smith Shipwrecks of the Thames      With so many ships visiting London, it is hardly surprising that there have been thousands of shipwrecks in the Thames. This talk by Footprints of London guide Rob Smith  tells the story of 12 ships that have sunk in the Thames, from…

    Wednesday 13th January Will Stirling Building and Arctic Sailing a Traditional Boat      Stirling and Son Ltd are based in Devon and specialise in restoring and building wooden boats of all descriptions. Will Stirling will tell us about constructing his own impressive 43ft Gentleman’s Cutter and an exciting expedition in it to…

    Wednesday 6th January Jeremy Batch All Shipshape and Blackwall-fashion     As you sail past the O2 “Dome” or fly over it on the cable-car, look to the opposite bank and you will see the site of the largest private dock in Europe, the birthplaces of the hydraulic crane and the modern lighthouse,…

      Cast Off for Christmas Wednesday December 9th   GXSA Members and their guests are warmly invited to the entertainment at this year’s Cast Off for Christmas.  There will be short talks and a quiz and as much fun as you can have online..     Photo Competition (there will be prizes !) Please…

    Wednesday 2nd December Knut Arne Gjertsen Sørlandet Tall Ship Sørlandet is the world’s oldest and most authentic fully-rigged ship still in active service and is operated by a non-profit foundation in Norway. Knut will tell us about the history of Sørlandet, her cruises, the management of Sailing Ventures, and the opportunities to join…

    Wednesday 25th November Dawn Perrier The Excavation of the Mary Rose      The Mary Rose was the flagship of Henry VIII’s naval fleet; on the 19th July 1545 in a battle with the French Armada just outside Portsmouth Harbour, the Mary Rose sank suddenly with 700 men on board. Apart from a few…

    Wednesday 18th November Chris Tarratt The Dutch Raid on the Medway    Picture courtesy of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam In 1667, Charles II’s Navy was caught out by an audacious Dutch plan to raid the Thames, the Medway and Essex and Kent coastal towns. Recorded in the diary of Samuel Pepys (who was Secretary of…

    Wednesday 11th November Isabelle Ansorge How to teach “50 shades of Blue” – SEAmester South Africa’s Floating University     Professor Isabelle Ansorge is Head of Oceanography at University of Cape Town South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology.  To attract young researchers and excite their interest in aspects of global climate change,…

    Wednesday 4th November Chris O’Grady Walking the Coasts of England and Wales     Walking the coast of England and Wales at around 2,600 miles, is not a task that should be taken on lightly. Anyone deciding on such a trek needs a strong sense of adventure. They also will require a flexibility…

    Wednesday 28th October Steve Brown High Latitude Adventures     Steve Brown will tell us about his sailing and climbing expeditions to South Georgia and Antarctica undertaken during his 33,000nm circumnavigation of the Americas that began with a successful transit of the North West Passage in 2014.