Tuesday, 30 July 2013

Cruising members activities from Ian Gartside


Trinculo, Barrie Abbot-Hull’s Voyager thirty eight, left its winter mud berth as usual at the beginning of the season and sailed straight to Douglas were he took up residence in the Marina pending his departure Southwards towards the Channel Islands. Now retired, Barrie spends his summer cruising using Douglas as a starting point and, in recent years, Trinculo has been seen in Brittany, Ireland, Milford Haven and the South Coast, the Clyde and the West Coast of Scotland and the Hebrides. He invites friends to join him for various parts of the summer and returns to lay up for the winter around October.

Ian Gartside started his season by sailing his newly acquired Westerly Merlin, Lady Jane, from Losiemouth in the Murray Firth home to the River Wyre at the beginning of May. Sadly the good weather had not quite decided to set in so the voyage via the Caledonian and Crinnan Canals turned out to be a cold one.

The Westerly Fulmar Tortola, now owned by Russ Tabiner, was re-engined over the winter and finally made its voyage to Strangford Lough via the Isle of Man. Despite Russ’s tenacity and determination to keep his old engine running, previous attempts to satisfy his yearning to visit Strangford had been foiled by the aforementioned engine’s equal determination to prevent him from getting there.

John and Jim Preston’s Westerly Fulmar, Helvelyn, made its usual passage to Douglas for TT week and was made available to family and friends to enjoy. She is now based in Whitehaven for the rest of the season. John and Jim have done a fine job of refitting Helvelyn  to include a new Bukh engine and an almost total refurbishment of her gear and fitments. She is a ex sailing school yacht but has now been brought back to top condition
John, Ian and Russ are planning a trip in August to the Isle of Man during Manx Grand Pris and if anyone is interested you are welcome to join us. We can’t guarantee the weather but the craak will be good wherever we end up. 

No comments:

Post a Comment