Category: Lecture Summary

    Wednesday 30th October Nigel Barraclough John Rea and the Northwest Passage      The North West passage in the Arctic North of Canada, a fabled alternative route to the East, has long been the subject of controversy. There were several unfounded claims of success and more importantly the true “discoverer” was vilified and never given…

    Wednesday 9th October David Bray Antarctic Antics     David is a retired Master Mariner and an expert in dynamic positioning of vessels. He is a Fellow of the Nautical Institute and has been involved in preserving several historic ships, including the Norfolk Wherry “Albion”, which he skippered for many years.   In…

    Wednesday 23rd October Peter Ketley Grandads Across the Atlantic     Grandads Peter Ketley and Neil Young completed their row from Canaries to Antigua in February 2019. It took 63 days and 22 minutes, giving them the world record for the oldest pair to row across any ocean, with a combined age of…

    Wednesday 13th November Duncan Wells Stress-free Navigation   Following on from his successful Stress-free Sailing book and Life Saver MOB retrieval aid, local sailing instructor and author Duncan Wells extends his simple but clever approach to give us Stress-free Navigation. Plenty of amusing stories and entertainment but also valuable lessons for us all…

    Wednesday 6th November Nikki Henderson  Maiden and other Adventures     Nikki Henderson became the youngest ever skipper on the Clipper Race, bringing her boat in second overall in the 2017 – 18 race. She then went on to skipper the renovated Maiden from the UK  to Sri Lanka as part of the…

    Wednesday 27th February Bernie Smallman Storms in the Caribbean   Bernie will describe weather events in the Caribbean, particularly the British Virgin Islands. She will cover how she and John first visited the islands, the story of the Wreck of the Rhone and (more recently) Hurricane Irma.

    Wednesday 27th February John Apps Admiral Lord Cochrane   HMS Speedy defeating the Frigate El Gamo Thomas Cochrane should be celebrated alongside Horatio Nelson as one of Britain’s greatest naval heroes. Even Napoleon held him in such high regard that he nicknamed him the Sea Wolf and attributed to him the loss of…

      Cast Off for Christmas Wednesday December 12th GXSA Members and their guests are warmly invited to the entertainment and refreshments at this year’s Cast Off for Christmas. There will be all the usual fun and entertainment, talks and quiz, with mulled wine and snacks. Bring your best pictures of the year for the…

    Wednesday 6th March Guy Nicholls Boat Surveys     Marine surveyor Guy Nicholls will talk about his work on yachts, what to look for when buying a boat and how to pre-empt a full survey by looking at some key items before making an offer. There may be some horror stories and some…