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CHRISTMAS 2003

The Newsletter of Newport Uskmouth Sailing Club

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CLUB MATTERS

Recovery

The recovery took place over the weekend of the 18th October and went well with the minimum of problems, next seasons launch may prove awkward however as the tides throughout April are not very good unless the membership fancies commencing the launch at about 0300. A stagered launch may have to be considered. More in the next Pennant.

Slipway

The investigation into the best way to go about slipway repairs are still in hand with committee members having visited recently repaired slipways in various parts of the south east of the UK. It is surprising how much contradictory information is forthcoming from so many civil engineers on the subject of tidal slipways so the committee are still sorting out the chaff from the wheat. As the repair will be quite expensive and only one shot is allowed we must ensure the best possible deal in terms of longevity and reliablity for our money.

Launching trolley

Repairs to the launching trolley are currently in hand and hopefully the old lady will be up and running again in time for the launch next season (whenever it is).

Rule book

Yes it's true, the committee, guided by a sub committee, have been studying a long overdue revamp of the rules as some of them are very out of date. What is not true are many of the rumours going the rounds that we are, for example, planning to take moorings away from people who want to go away for the summer. You can all rest assured that nothing like that is being considered and all the changes will have to be ratified at the A.G.M. as usual.

Mooring meeting

The mooring meeting will take place on the 21st of January 2004, you should either come along to bid if you want to change your mooring or if you are a new member to apply for one. If you have a mooring and want to stay put but can't come to the meeting please send a letter or email confirming this to the mooring officer Jim Warrington or to the club secretary in plenty of time.

The A.G.M.

The AGM will be held on the 25th February 2004. It is likely to be interesting with a fair few rule and club structure changes possibly being proposed. In order to save time the committee hope to inform everybody of proposals at the mooring meeting in order to give everyone plenty of time to get their objections in. If you have any matters to bring up or proposals for discussion please let the Secretary have them at least 28 days before the meeting.

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Laying up supper

Over 80 members and guests enjoyed the laying up supper held on November 15th. A beautifully dressed table welcomed the members and promised good things to come for the rest of the evening, none were disappointed. A wonderful 5 course spread with something and plenty for everyone was enjoyed by all. Speeches were up to their usual standard with humour to spare and friendly sarcasm aplenty. While the wine and banter flowed the Commodore presented the club trophies as follows:

Knickertwister series Archie English

Doug Doust cup Jim Warrington

Seamanship award Archie English

Cruiser cup Doug McCloud

Enterprise cup John Colleypriest

Best Crew Michele Easton

Novice helm Ben Hill

Yachtsman of the year Howard Easton

Dancing followed to the band "Flashback" and was briefly interrupted by the Commodores confession that he had forgotten the raffle tickets so the membership had a lot of fun bidding for the prizes and a goodly amount of cash as well as humour was generated. More dancing then it was home to bed for me leaving the more hardy souls still at it. Well done Eirlys Warrington (and Jim) for a well organised evening and beautifully dressed tables.

The Commodore in meaningful conversation with the Cruiser Captain at the laying up supper.

What was he saying? I feel a caption competition coming on. A bottle of wine for the best caption (In the committees opinion) to reach us by the end of January.

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JOB VACANCY

The committee want to find someone to take on the role of social secretary. This does not mean that you become responsible for the galley, it just means you take charge of organising sub committees for events in liaison with the event secretaries and take a bit of work off the Commodore's shoulders. The job is unpaid with hours to suit yourself but usually comes with the gratitude of the committee and most of the members. If you are interested please approach any flag officer or committee member.

New electrical system building

Work has (hopefully) begun on a small building that will house power systems for future electrical work that will need to be carried out to expand the compound power points and provide the extra capacity for future expansion. The committee hope to provide a line of caravan style power points along the field as suggested by the Vice Commodore to encourage as many members as possible to bring their caravans and R.V's to the club at the weekends, stay over and join in all the club activities. There is no plan at present (in spite of the rumours) to create either a caravan or motorcycle section of the club.

New windows to be fitted

Hopefully new UPVC windows will be fitted into the clubhouse in the near future to replace the old wooden units, some of which are showing the effects of time. No more painting!!

Dates for your diary.

The cruiser rally will be held on May 8th and 9th 2004, the regatta on September 4th and 5th.

Volunteers to help organise these events will be warmly welcomed.

SANTA warmly welcomed

Santa Claus was warmly welcomed to the club on the afternoon of Sunday the 14th of December to distribute gifts to all those children (and a commodore) who have been good boys and girls over the last year.

Arriving in a lovely veteran motor car because his reindeer were resting up to get ready for the big night shortly after the children had enjoyed tea, Santa sat in his grotto and helped by Pooh bear who showed how good she was at reading out childrens names so the lucky little ones could come and get their gifts. All the children and a lot of the adults had a lovely time playing all afternoon right up until bed time.

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CLUB NEWS

ARCHIE SHOWS THE WAY

At the European championships in the Hunter Impala class held this summer in Ireland Newports own Archie English achieved well deserved and great honour for himself by winning 7 of the 8 races and managing a second in the eighth race. In doing so he carried off both the Irish and European championships. Archie's Impala "sprack", along with details about how the class racers came into being is featured in his own words over the next few pages.

I am sure all club members join me in offering our hearty and sincere congratulations on a great achievement. I am sure a lot of members will now feel a little better when Archie continues to lead them across the finish line, and long may he do so!

LOCKER SHOCKER HORROR STRIKES AGAIN!

In recent weeks two members have fallen into their lockers while working inside them and become stuck fast. One member, being a younger man and physically strong, managed to extricate himself eventually by using a length of wire to loosen his shoelace (it was the shoe that had jammed him in place and was immovable) and slip out of the shoe and the locker. The other member being a little older was in greater difficulty but his cries for help were heard and others came to the rescue and pulled him free. A few years ago a very well respected member had a close call in a similar situation. This danger is a respecter of neither age or skill, anyone can overbalance and find him or herself in a potentially deadly situation. Sailors have died like this and from being stuck up masts when they tried to correct a minor problem while on passage. I think we should all take this as a timely word of warning, a well placed length of rope, a mobile phone to hand or a word to someone on the compound to keep an eye open could save a lot of grief.

QUIZ NIGHTS

The quiz nights organised for Tuesday nights throughout November have been another huge success. Organised once again by Simon Watkins, a number of teams fought, thought, cogitated, ruminated and argued among themselves, with other teams and even with the quizmaster to the great hilarity and enjoyment of all. Comments were laden with sarcastic vitriol and other criticism was less kind. Expensive prizes purchased from that fashionable market leader Ikea led to an unbelievable level of competitiveness and showed to what lengths some people will go to own a Scandinavian egg cup (or is it a candle holder?). Congratulations and thanks to Simon on behalf of everyone who took part and we all look forward to doing each other again next November.

Any members out there with ideas for similar events throughout the winter? Please don't be shy.

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NUSC Ladies Trip to the Christmas Markets

A sleigh ride by moonlight; Christmas trees covered in snow; the chocolate box scenery and the beauty of the churches. These are just some of the magical memories of the NUSC Christmas Shopping Expedition to Salzburg.

It was June when the advertisement went on the notice board promoting the delights of the proposed trip to the Christmas Markets. Six months later, early on Saturday morning, we were on the coach heading to Heathrow Airport, to fly on a scheduled Lufthansa flight to Munich. Chartered flights will never be the same again - bags of leg room and leather seats, we thought we were in first class.

Darkness and heavy rain greeted our arrival, but this was really a curtain which was drawn back the next morning to reveal a world of breathtaking beauty.

Our superb hotel was situated in the ski resort of Neiderau, at the foot of a ski run where Eddie the Eagle would have felt at home. The frosted chalets nestled in a light covering of snow surrounded by forests which looked as if they had been sprinkled with icing sugar.

We visited the fairy tale city of Salzburg and the capital of the Austrian Tyrol, Innsbruck. The stalls were a delight to children of any age.

My favourite place was the tiny village of Rattenburg. The picturesque houses were very old and decorated like wedding cakes. The only street was enclosed with braziers of burning logs whilst the stall holders sold delicious, warming Gluwein.

The downside - much as we were looking forward to seeing our loved ones, it ended too soon. A great weekend, with great company!

If anyone of the female gender is interested in joining another trip next year, (sorry lads you wouldn't enjoy it, honestly) will they please contact Michele Easton - 01291 629087. If you tell Howard be warned, he is a lovely man but his senior moments are on the increase.

1. Newport Ladies Drinking Team 2. Looking for the 3 Wise Men, answers on a postcard please*

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3. Put that man down Heather! (where has she got her hand?)

4. Can anyone spot Julie Andrews?

5. A pub - where else?

By

Michele Easton

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Cover story

SPRACK

It is a fact that manufacturers and owners would like their boats, both cruising and racing, to be fast. Indeed the cruising market is littered with racing hulls fitted with modified accommodation. Most makers ranges, e.g.. Hunter, Sadler, Albin, Contessa and Sigma's have some racing heritage.

In the 1970's sailors were becoming disenchanted with boats having distorted hulls made to fit the design formulae of the day. Some of these were more stable when inverted than when upright. More sea kindly hulls, particularly downwind, were needed.

The Impala evolved as a direct result of the formation in 1977 of the Offshore One Design Council, set up to offer alternatives to extreme designs. This was a group of leading yachtsmen briefed to encourage one design racing. There were thirty designs submitted including the Impala, three were given the support of the council. The Impala remains the strongest supported class of those craft selected and the only one still in it's original form. The class pioneered standard ratings within the I.O.R, C.H.S. and new I.R.C. Which has been copied by other classes. The first national championship was held in 1979 and was won by the designer David Thomas. The event has been held every year since.

Originally thought of as a light displacement boat the Impala is now seen as a middle of the road, stable and dry boat aided by a ballast ratio of 57%. Although under canvassed and therefore it suffers in light weather, the Impala performs well on all points of sail with particular strength to windward helped by a clean uncluttered rig.

The deck layout, as shown opposite, at first appears to a cruising yachtsman, whatever that is, to be complicated but allows rig and sail adjustments to be made from the cockpit. Below decks the Impala has all the usual facilities: 6 bunks (the class allows a maximum crew of six), galley with sink, cooker, chart table, toilet and storage space, all laid out for use at sea.

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Original design drawing from the class booklet showing the deck layout.

There has been a carefully managed convergence of Impala one design rules and the current I.R.C. rating system. This has improved the quality of racing in those area's where there are not enough Impala's for class racing.

The class rules have changed over the years to keep up with developments in the quality of sailcloth and design, deck hardware and minor interior improvements. The owners of "in class" boats are constrained from excess use of money to gain advantage by a very tight set of 98 class rules. These cover things from the total weight of the boat, sails etc. Through safety equipment right down to cooking utensils and cutlery. Some variation is allowed, including engine choice, but the penalty weights which have to be carried for omissions encourage standard fitting out. Even the smallest change in the rules is decided by a postal vote following proposals at the A.G.M.

The class association holds a stock of spares including a full mast, boom, rigging set and a rudder so that these are available to members at a few days notice in the event of damage.

Impala's tend to change hands mainly through the class association, so the quality and performance of each boat is well known to all, thus there are few "duds" that might deceive the unwary purchaser.

Impala owners keep their boats for a long time. This is the best testimony to both their suitability for the task originally set out and the satisfaction felt by owners.

By H. (Archie) English.

Thanks to Archie for an excellent article and congratulations to him for his achievements in the Hunter championships this year.

Who would like their boat featured next? I will be grateful for all offers.

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Thomas Cochrane

Regular readers of the excellent Aubrey/Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian will probably wonder where he gets all his ideas from. One of his sources is undoubtedly the life of Thomas Cochrane, the tenth Earl of Dundonald (1775-1860). He began his naval career rather inauspiciously as a midshipmen on his uncle's ship, the frigate HIND (28). Within three years he was a lieutenant at 6'2" with a shock of red hair and must have cut an imposing figure. He was later one of the most daring and skilled captains of his day. He had little use of the press gang, such was his fame and skill at taking prizes. In his sloop, the SPEEDY, he fought and captured EL GAMO, a Spanish frigate, three times her weight in broadside! Later in command of the frigate PALLAS, he captured Spanish treasure ships from which he alone earned £75,000. He sailed into Portsmouth with solid gold candelabra strapped to the mastheads and earned the soubriquet "le loup des mers" (The sea wolf) from the unfortunate French. However his fault, if indeed fault it is, was that he was unable to allow any unfair action by his superiors to go unchallenged. In the regency navy this was like committing professional suicide.

Frequently he was given poor ships, boring cruises and little chance for his considerable talents. Still he managed to rise to the top and when in command of the frigate IMPÉRIEUSE he continued his attacks and prize-taking. This included regular trips ashore to lay siege to castles, blow up bridges and much, much more.

Thomas Cochrane

It was Cochrane who invented the smoke-screen, it was he who first thought, and designed a weapon of mass destruction, poison gas (This was thought so terrible that the plans were kept secret until 1908, ironically it was in use a few years later during the Great War, though not to Cochrane's recipe). Unfortunately because of his political campaigns (he was the Radical MP for Westminster) he made many enemies and his plans were shelved, usually out of spite. His personal campaigns against the many instances of corruption within the naval administration proved to be his undoing and in 1814 he was allegedly involved in a Stock Exchange scandal. He was almost certainly innocent but his detractors wasted no time in getting him removed from the Navy List, stripped of his knighthood, imprisoned and publicly disgraced.

In 1818 he took command of the revolutionary Chilean navy, then in revolt against Spain. With his characteristic skill, Cochrane rid the South American Pacific coastline of Spanish ships and hence helped secure independence for Chile and Peru.

From there he went to revolutionary Brazil and repeated his exploits for that embryonic state.

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He then went to command the Greek Navy, then in revolt against the Turks. He persuaded them to build steam powered warships but had little chance to use them as the Turkish fleet was effectively destroyed by the combined Anglo-French fleet.

From there he returned to Britain and succeeded in not only clearing his name but getting himself restored to the Navy List in 1832 as an Admiral. Many thought this was as much the fact that he was thought to be less damaging within the establishment than sniping at it from without. He went on to command the North American and West Indian stations. Even when aged seventy-nine he was considered for command of the Baltic fleet but was passed over, not on account of his age, but rather it was thought his "adventurous spirit" might lead him to try "some desperate enterprise" which would make the delicate diplomatic wrangling difficult. During the Crimean war the British government came close to trying his poison gas as a way of breaking the stalemate which existed. It was only the breakthrough at Sebastapol which persuaded the prime minister, Palmerston, otherwise. He ended his life as Admiral of the Fleet and was given a magnificent monument in Westminster Abbey. It records he was 'illustrious throughout the world for courage, patriotism and chivalry'.

Throughout his long career Cochrane kept notes and wrote a gripping autobiography.

It has recently been republished by Constable, with an introduction by the naval historian,

Tom Pocock. ISBN number 0 09 475080 7.

In spite of recent bad publicity in the tabloid press Patrick O'Brian was recently honoured for his work and the novel "Master and Commander" is being released as a film starring none other than Russell Crowe (for those of you that havn't yet seen the adverts).

The illustration " The sails of a square rigged ship hung out to dry in a calm" that appears inside the front cover of every one of Patrick O'Briens "Jack Aubrey" novels. The sails are:

1 Flying jib 8 Mainstaysail 15 Mizzen staysail

2 Jib 9 Main topmast staysail 16 Mizzen topmast staysail

3 Fore topmast staysail 10 Middle staysail 17 Mizzen topgallant staysail

4 Fore staysail 11 Main topgallant staysail 18 Mizzen sail

5 Foresail, or Course 12 Mainsail, or Course 19 Spanker

6 Fore topsail 13 Maintopsail 20 Mizzen topsail

7 Fore topgallant 14 Main topgallant 21 Mizzen topgallant

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Nelson and His Navy - Prize Money

This came from the disposal of any enemy ships which a Royal Navy vessel might capture. It included the value of the ship when condemned (by an Admiralty court) and sold, any cargo it carried and a small bounty on enemy seamen taken as prisoners. The system was perhaps rather unfair as all ships within sight when the capture took place were entitled to equal shares. The theory behind this held that an enemy might react differently if he knew that other warships were in the vicinity. He might, for instance, strike his colours without a fight if he knew he might have to take on another ship if he managed to take the first one. Also the Admiral, under whose orders the ship sailed, was entitled to a share, even if he was nowhere in the vicinity. Little wonder then, that Captains liked to be sailing under direct Admiralty orders because this meant there was no single Admiral commanding them and therefore all prize-money went to the crew.

The origins of prize-money lay in the 'Cruisers and Convoys' Act of 1708 which handed over the share previously gained by the Crown to the captors of the ship. Technically it was still possible for the Crown to get the money or a portion of it but this rarely happened.

The process of condemnation of a captured vessel and its cargo and men was given to the High Court of the Admiralty and this was the process which remained in force with minor changes throughout the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

The share-out of prize-money is given below in its pre-1808 state.

(a) 1/8 Flag Officer

(b) 2/8 Captain(s)

(c) 1/8 Captains of Marines, Lieutenants, Masters, Surgeons

(d) 1/8 Lieutenants of Marines, Secretary to Flag Officer, Principal Warrant Officers,

Chaplains.

(e) 1/8 Midshipmen, Inferior Warrant Officers, Principal Warrant Officer's Mates, Marine Sergeants

(f) 2/8 The Rest.

After 1808 the regulations were changed to give the following:

(a) 1/3 of the Captain's share

(b) 2/8

(c) 1/8

(d) 1/8

(e) & (f) 4/8

Even the flag-officer's share was not quite straight forward, he would only get the full one-eighth if he had no junior flag-officer beneath him. If this was the case then he would get a third share. If he had more than one then he would take one half while the rest was shared out equally.

There was a great deal of money to be made in this way. The record breaker, admittedly before our wars, was the capture of the Spanish frigate the HERMIONE, which was carrying treasure in 1762. The value of this was so great that each individual seaman netted £485! The two captains responsible, Evans and Pownall got just on £65,000 each. In

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January 1807 the frigate CAROLINE took the Spanish SAN RAFAEL which brought in £52,000 for her Captain, Peter Rainier (who had only been a Midshipman some thirteen months before). All through the wars there are examples of this kind of luck falling on Captains. Another famous 'capture' was that of the Spanish frigates THETIS and SANTA BRIGADA which were loaded with spice.

They were taken by four British frigates who shared the money, each Captain receiving

£40,730. Each Lieutenant got £5,091, the Warrant Officer group, £2,468, the Midshipmen £791 and the individual seaman £182.

It should also be noted that it was usually only the frigates which took prizes, the ships of the line were far too ponderous to be able to chase and capture the smaller ships which generally carried treasure. Nelson always bemoaned that he had done badly out of prize-money and even as a flag-officer received little. This was not that he had a bad command of Captains but rather that British mastery of the seas was so complete that few enemy ships dared to sail.

Prize Bounty

We have already touched upon this and it is worth remembering that although the capture of rich merchantmen was profitable it was not the main way in which the Royal Navy ships were supposed to act. It was their prime directive of the destruction of enemy naval shipping which should take precedence. In order to stimulate this the Admiralty promoted Prize-Bounties or Head-Money. This was only paid on enemy ships of war which were destroyed or captured and comprised of £5 per head of enemy seamen. Hence the destruction of an enemy '74' would net around £3,000. As long as the enemy was not sunk a victorious Captain could also sell the ship to the Admiralty. They usually obliged, and at a fair price for they were aware of the encouragement this provided. In any case it was to the Admiralty's advantage to have a ready supply of ships which were ready built and in many cases had superior sailing qualities to the home-grown article. However the amounts involved were never as large as those which could be taken as merchant prizes. Even after Trafalgar Collingwood thought he would get around £1,500 as head-money.

Freight Money

This was money paid for the transportation of valuables upon a Royal Navy vessel. It could be considerable and was often greater than a Captain's pay. It should be noted that there was no sharing here and only the Flag Officer and the Captain was paid, 1/3 and 2/3 each. There was, however, no 'Convoys an Cruisers Act' to agree on these amounts, only custom and practice. This archaic right was abolished by statute in 1801, but was curiously reinstated in 1808. From then until 1819 the amounts paid were fixed by negotiation but were usually taken to be around 2% of the total value carried. In 1819 the rate was fixed by statute. It was to remain in effect with some alterations until its repeal in 1914. It is difficult to estimate exactly how much was paid to captains as there was a great deal of secrecy over such transactions, however a note in Lord Keith's accounts for the two years 1803-04 show that he received £46,076/14/2. Perhaps the lack of records show that the payment of Freight-Money and smuggling were close bed-fellows.

We can therefore see that pay alone was not the only inducement for a man and certainly for an officer to join the Navy. In fact, it was likely that pay was not the main inducement at all and that Prize-Money held that honour.

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BAIE de la FORET

A summer cruise 2003 By Glyn Sutton

During last years cruise to Brittany it was surprising how many skippers that spoke to me were on their way to Baie de la Foret. So it was for the summer of 2003 that Sunlite headed south for this are to see why it is so popular.

The bay is at the hub of a number of pleasant destinations including the marina with the inland lagoon, Concarneau with it's old walled city and last but not least the offshore Iles de Glenan. Not far away is the resort of Benodet and the famous River Odet with Loctudy close by.

From Macmillans, the area around Benodet and Concarneau

Benodet seemed the ideal place for which to head as it is a reasonably sized resort from which to assess the area. On arrival there was a young lady stood on the river side edge of the visitors pontoon, she guided boats and helped them tie up. There was no complaint when Sunlite moved inside to avoid damage from the massive swell caused by the local boats and Verdettes. The town itself is a busy resort and as such is well served by bars and restaurants. The large Champion supermarket at 15 minutes walk away has everything you could possibly want at reasonable prices. On the opposite side of the river is the smaller village of St. Marine which is less busy, but which also boasts a marina.

The local Verdette company claims the Odet is the most beautiful river in France. I won't argue. It is navigable for some five or six miles at which point a bridge spanning the width half a mile short of the town of Quimper stops masted craft dead in their tracks.

Above Benodet there are wooded banks and meadows, through which you may glimpse the occasional chateau. After two miles the river suddenly becomes narrower with steep banks and strong currents but then widens out again with withies marking the central channel. Once through this stage the surroundings become more urbanised, with a dredger

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quay to the left and factories, warehouses and a sports complex to the right. Along the river are various opportunities to pick up a buoy or dry out. The creeks give even more shelter and more importantly a respite from the continuous traffic.

Loctudy and Ile Tudy are four miles to the west. The houses of Ile Tudy are packed tightly on the isthmus, with the outer rows built along the beach. The use of conforming light pastel shades gives it that certain something. Some of the streets are only six feet wide and with many of the older houses having five foot high entry doors, shuttered windows and Mediterranean plants it is very appealing. All the streets converge onto the port where there is the expected cluster of bars and restaurants. The highlight of my visit was the outdoor concert of Breton music on the port.

The coastline of Baie de la Foret is punctuated by numerous creeks with smaller branches leading off. These are ideal for quiet and sheltered temporary anchorages. Pouldohan where Sunlite anchored is one such. To the North is a pleasant walk which culminates at an old sea mill whilst to the South the creek leads to a coastal walk from where you can look out to sea toward the Glenans and the Moutons. One unforgettable feature of these shores is the presence of massive spherical boulders which balance precariously on the rocky ground. Less welcome is the 50 minute walk into Tregunc, the nearest place to buy food.

The walled town of Concarneau

An hours sail to the North is the town of Concarneau with it's old walled city. Choices of stay boil down to a borrowed buoy or anchorage in the Baie de Kersos or otherwise a pontoon berth in the marina pleasantly situated alongside the walled city. The town boasts a massive square facing the marina, this being surrounded by a variety of restaurants and bars. The adjoining streets have a variety of shops including two first class supermarkets.

As expected, it was toward the Ville Clos that most visitors were drawn. A large proportion of the buildings were souvenir shops but in fairness the goods were of nice quality. Few tourists could resist the temptation to buy a Breton sweater. The Eric Taberly store would be of interest to most sailors. It has some beautiful models of his boat "Penduick" as well as an assortment of paintings and brass nauticalia. The chocolate shop was equally fascinating. There were chocolate objects of all shapes and sizes (even potatoes) in gift packs Their sculptures have won national prizes and as works of art were truly outstanding.

The town takes on a special atmosphere at night, on both the nights I stayed at the marina there was a concert in the open bowl, the first night was a jazz band and the second night featured a pop group. Elsewhere there was a South American Indian group in front of the

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market hall one day, a Harpist in the entrance to the Ville Close and a guitar playing singer in one of the bars.

Ten miles out to sea are the remarkable Iles de Glenan. These are very much a French version of the Scillies but with far less habitation. The major Isles are Penfret and Ile St. Nicolas, with everything else situated within a radius of four miles. Other than two restaurants in Ile St. Nicolas and a few old buildings now used by sailing schools there is little of any note. It's a bit like the flatter of the Scottish Isles, but with sun! Wise sailors should stock up well with provisions and water, otherwise commute back to the mainland when supplies run out.

The French speak highly of this area and not without reason, when the tide is up the Islands enclose an inland sea which provides enjoyable sailing for shallow draft craft. The sand here is almost white in colour and with the varying depths of sea and contours the water assumes a captivating range of shades from azure to light turqoise.

The Cafe du port in Benodet

The marina at La Foret is the largest in the area. It has everything you could imagine including a bank, chandlery, boat broker, bars, restaurants, pizzeria, creperie, supermarket and both a clothing and shoe shop. I had been told at Loctudy that it would be very expensive, but for Sunlite the cost per night would have been £10.00. Ten minutes away is the attractive village of Fouesnant la Foret where there are further eating and drinking holes as well as a number of shops. Alongside the entrance to the marina is an inland lagoon where with care it is possible to take the ground, or safer still is the old port where there is limited space alongside the quay or the option to anchor and settle further out. The port by the way has one of those old fashioned urinoirs where for modesty you are shielded down from the waist only.

After a few weeks in the area I could well see the appeal of Baie de la Foret, the geography of the bay forms a horse shoe shape which provides sheltered sailing on most sides and with the French Climate, the town of Concarneau, the Isles of Glenan and all the sheltered creeks so close it was not difficult to see the attraction.

By Glyn Sutton

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Christmas Carols for the Psychiatrically Challenged:

SCHIZOPHRENIA: Do You Hear What I Hear?

MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER: We Three Kings Disoriented Are

DEMENTIA: I Think I'll Be Home For Christmas

NARCISSISTIC: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing About Me

MANIC: Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Shops and

Office and Town and Cars and Busses and Trucks and Trees and post boxes and . .

PARANOID: Santa Claus Is Coming To Get Me

PERSONALITY DISORDER: You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna

Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why

DEPRESSION: Silent Anhedonia, Holy Anhedonia, All Is Flat, All Is Lonely

OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER: Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock,

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock,

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock,

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock,

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock,

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock,

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle BellRock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle

Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, ........ (better

start again)

PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE PERSONALITY: On The First Day of Christmas My True

Love Gave To Me (and then took it all away)

BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER: Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire

A POEM ABOUT GROG

While sailing once our Captain, who was a jolly dog,

One day sarv'd out to every mess a double share of grog,

Ben Backstay he got tipsy all to his hearts content,

And being half-seas over, why overboard he went,

A shark was on his larboard, sharks don't for manners stand,

But grapple all that they come near like lawyer-sharks on land,

We threw out Ben some tackling, of saving him in hopes,

But the shark bit off his head, so he couldn't see the ropes,

Without a head 'is ghost appears all on the briny lake,

He piped all hands ahoy and cried 'Lads, warning by me take',

By drinking I lost my life so lest my fate you meet,

Why never mix your liquor lads but always drink it neat,

The Pennant

Stowaway

The Autumn Pennant carried an article about women on warships in the days when the floating navy was a strictly male organisation. The following story is one of the best kept secrets of that era.

Half a century ago, H.M.M.L. 2221 left her berth in Newhaven in the early hours of the morning bound for Hythe on the Southampton water. As was the relaxed way on small ships the previous nights libertymen were allowed to sleep off their excesses while we put to sea. Warps, fenders, the gangway stowed, the deck hosed down, the duty watch, one man remaining were able to go below to breakfast. The Cox'n had the helm. As I recall it was not rough, just the usual channel chop and we rolled and pitched a little when we met the open sea.

As the most junior rating it was my task to brew up, I punched two holes in a can of evaporated milk with my pusser's dirk and called the hands. One A.B. groaned in his bunk as he came to life, groaned again reaching for his fags, when he realised we were at sea. Then there was another gentler moan - more a whimper - from the oilskin locker.

Disbelieving, I opened the door and saw to my astonishment a pale, bedraggled, but pretty girl, who had evidently slept under a pile of oilskins - sticky, smelly articles - in that pre-plastic age. Soon all the junior hands were aware she was on board, we discussed the situation. Tearfully she told us that she had met this sailor who took her to a pub, unused to drink she became "confused" and missed the last bus. In those days only the rich could afford taxis. She did not remember how she came to be aboard the ship and wanted to go home. now! Sentimentalists, we convinced ourselves that this was not a waterfront floozie but a good girl , temporarily astray. We would take care of her. She said that she wanted to "give herself up" and ask the Captain to turn the ship around. We persuaded her that that this was not a good idea, the penalties would be severe and almost certanly involve imprisonment. "Where are we going"? She asked plaintively. "Gibralter" One wit replied. She was reassured that it was a short voyage and that we would somehow smuggle her ashore when we reached our destination.

We decided that we should keep her presence aboard a secret from our seniors. The Captain and Jimmy (first officer), seldom ventured into our quarters. The Cox'n and stoker P.O., who had cabins off the messdeck and Jock, the leading seaman were more of a problem, They would be compromised if they came aware of our stowaway. She would have to remain in the oilskin locker. We contrived cover while she visited the heads and made her as comfortable as we could.

Jock the killik was clearly suspicious, aware that something was up. Out of respect for our guest we cleaned up our language, refraining with difficulty from the ubiquitos "f" word.

We reached Hythe in the afternoon and moored to a buoy in the river. The officers landed, The petty officers took to their cabin, Jock, having gratefully accepted offers of rum from our tots, retired to his bunk and was soon in a state of happy oblivion.

The girl could safely emerge, she was dressed in a sailors cap, burberry and bell bottoms over her own clothes. The effect was quite charming, we would liked to have kept her on. We had a whip round for her fare home, rowed her ashore in the ships boat and landed her unobserved on the foreshore, convenient for the ferry to Southampton. I sometimes wonder what she told her mum.

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H.M.M.L. 2221 pictured above was a 112' Fairmile "B" Motor launch, More than 600 were built, many in yacht yards during WW2. With a round bilge displacement hull they were slower than the more rakish MTB's - they could still manage 27 knots - but had better sea keeping qualities. Versatile little ships, they filled many roles, variously; Gunboats, escorts for invasion craft, harbour defence and supporting special operations. Our 2221 was fitted for inshore minesweeping. Post war, many were converted into yachts and houseboats, there are still a few around.

By Doug McCloud

A Christmas present

On Christmas morning a cop on horseback is sitting at a traffic light, and next to him is a kid on his shiny new bike. The cop says to the kid, "Nice bike you got there. Did Santa bring that to you?"

The kid says, "Yeah."

The cop says, "Well, next year tell Santa to put a tail-light on that bike." The cop then proceeds to issue the kid a £20.00 fixed penalty ticket.

The kid takes the ticket and before he rides off says, "By the way, that's a nice horse you got there. Did Santa bring that to you?"

Humouring the kid, the cop says, "Yeah, he sure did."

The kid says, "Well, next year tell Santa to put the dick underneath the horse, instead of on top."

A quote from Sky News

"Umm Qasr is a city similar to Southampton," UK defence minister Geoff Hoon said in The Commons yesterday. In reference to this:

"He's either never been to Southampton, or he's never been to Umm Qasr" says a British Squaddie patrolling Umm Qasr.

he added:

"There's no beer, no prostitutes and people are shooting at us. It's more like Portsmouth."

The Pennant

GETTING THE WEATHER

By Hugh Amos

The editor (kindly? - or in desperation for articles, any articles?) suggested I might like to follow up last year's account of our trip to Ireland. Sadly, I can't. We (only) went to Padstow this year and, although getting past Hartland Point (twice) was something of an achievement for us, I know that most people in the club have been to Padstow, think nothing of it and certainly don't want to read anything about it. I might just say, however, that we enjoyed both the trip there and our stay in the harbour very much. We even found 4 NUSC boats already there when we arrived!

But, glad though we were to explore North Cornwall, the real discovery of 2003 for us has been Navtex. For anyone who has not come across this word, it is short for Navigational Telex, and the machine is a receiver which stores weather forecasts, navigational warnings, gunnery information and a good variety of other notices for sailors. There are two channels, a local one (490 khz) and an international one (518 khz), the second in English worldwide, the first around the British Isles in English too, of course. You can select (mostly) what areas and what messages you want to have recorded. These are stored in a memory, can be played back as and when you wish, and are deleted as the memory gets full. (But ours has 800 lines; some others are even bigger.)

We have always tried pretty hard to find out what the weather is going to do. But the Shipping Forecast has usually seemed too far "out" for our sort of sailing - quite apart from being broadcast at god-forsaken times, either too early or too late! And, although the Inshore Waters Forecast seemed much more relevant, we somehow didn't always hear it, let alone write it down. Notices in marina offices have helped, when we have been in a

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marina and when they have been posted - these two events did not always coincide! Then articles started to appear about Navtex, it was made an integral part of GMDSS, Ron

Donovan in new VHF classes said it was a good idea - so we looked into it.

Members will probably have seen a useful report of the testing of various Navtex sets in PBO no.423, March 2002. We also looked at a selection of sets at the Southampton Boat Show last year and decided on a reasonably cheap machine, the NASA Clipper. This was at least partly on grounds of appearance, since it fits with our other instruments. If money had been no object, I think we would probably have gone for the ICS Nav 6 - paragraphs on the display are a great boon! But, in fact, you very quickly get used to finding "Lands End to St Davids Head, including the Bristol Channel" (or whatever). Scrolling up and down is easy, it takes very little time, and you can keep at least 2 forecasts ready for immediate display on the screen. If you do happen to remember at 1720 hrs UTC, when Niton transmits the IWF, you can watch the message appearing on the screen as it arrives. We, in fact, leave the set on all the time on a cruise. One of the advantages of the NASA sets is that they use a minuscule amount of power.

The set, of course, needs its own aerial and power supply. But, if I can put one in - with, it is true, valuable words of advice and help from one or two senior members - anyone can! There are some useful comments, too, on Frank Singleton's website, one of which, on the earthing of the aerial cable, we found extremely valuable. Although reception on the river here was reasonable, it was very bad in Penarth - too many masts around and a cliff too high led to garbled and truncated messages. But, once I had earthed the aerial to the hull anode bolts, reception became virtually perfect, and has stayed that way everywhere we have been.

So we have found it a good addition to our equipment. Swansea CG forecasts are fine usually, but I can rarely find pen and paper in time. So being able to read (or copy) a forecast whenever we wish is a great relief. And it's free!

A Yuletide tale

A gentleman was very bald and had a wooden leg, he was very self concious about both. When he recieved an invite to a fancy dress party he wrote to a dress hire company and explained the problem. By return he recieved a pirates outfit and a letter saying "the bandana will hide your pate and the wooden leg will fit the pirate costume".The man was furious and wrote a very rude letter saying that they had only emphasised his wooden leg. By return he recieved a monks habit and a note saying "The long robe will hide your wooden leg and your bald head will fit as a monks tonsure, again the man was furious and wrote again saying that they were now emphasising his baldness. By return he recieved a jar of golden syrup and a note saying "Pour the syrup over your head, stick your wooden leg up your a*+$! and go as a toffee apple".

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DELFT

Town in The Netherlands or Ship of the Line? Or BOTH?

We have all heard of the town of Delft. Isn't that where they make pottery?

Delft is a medium sized town in the West of The Netherlands, dating back to 1246 when it was given town status by Count William II. The town is in fact much older. As early as 989, Delft was mentioned as a hamlet and towards the end of the 11th century Godfried van Lotharingen built his castle, probably where the town hall now stands. He built ramparts and canals around the open space and a small town developed, which over the years grew in stature and size and soon became an important regional centre. In 1389 permission was granted for the excavation of a canal, linking the town to the river the Meuse, which in no small part contributed to the town's prosperity. At the beginning of the country's 80 year war against Spain, Prince William of Orange directed the revolt against the Spanish monarch Philip II from Delft. He was killed there in 1584 by Balthazar Gerards and was entombed in the "Nieuwe Kerk", where to this date all members of the Dutch Royal Family are still buried in a large underground vault.

Whilst Delft expanded on the one hand as an agricultural centre, it expanded on the other hand as a town with important industries, such as Delft beer and Delft pottery, as well as weaving of wool and cotton. It became a place of science and art; names such as those of the jurist Hugo de Groot, the scientist Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and the painter Johannes Vermeer are an inseparable part of its history. At the early part of the seventeenth century it rose to become one of the major towns of Holland when first the West-India Company and then the East-India Company established themselves in Delft. Although Delft has become a relatively large and modern town, having grown from around 13000 at the beginning of the 19th century to over 100,000 today, its old centre with its many canals and bridges, old buildings with 17th and 18th century facades and beautifully restored old churches still has an air of its former past and glory and is one of the finest in the whole country.

These days Delft is a modern and prosperous town with an internationally renowned Technical University, a highly acclaimed technical scientific research institute (T.N.O.), and an advanced Hydrodynamic Laboratory, which together provide the nucleus for a thriving and modern industrial base. It is also a centre for tourism and cultural activities such as the annual art and antique exhibition and its weekly open air flower market and (in summer) its flea market attract visitors from far and wide.

Ship of the Line "DE DELFT"

The wreck of the ship De Delft laid for about 180 years unknown and forgotten in the dark waters on the bottom of the North Sea, till in the summer of 1977 a fisherman from Scheveningen, Maarten Letsch, whilst fishing on the North Sea about 22 miles Northwest of Scheveningen, caught a large rusty cannonball and a large piece of wreckage in his nets. This meant that this was likely to be the position of an unknown wreck lying on the bottom of the sea. He took note of his exact position as he had the fullest intention of going back there again for some more fishing and exploring. On his return to Scheveningen harbour, he notified the harbour authorities and the local divers club of the likely presence of an unknown wreck. During a further visit to the same spot, the divers located a ship's

wreck and even managed to bring a bronze ship's cannon to the surface. The relevant

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An example of the famous delft pottery taken from the company web page.

authorities were notified accordingly and after a week or so, the Navy Museum in Den Helder advised Letsch, that the cannon originated from a ship of the line from the Admiralty college of Rotterdam.

During the following years many other items and implements are brought to the surface by members of the divers club and its committee then decides to involve the maritime museum of Amsterdam in order to find out more about the ship itself.

In September 1981 the club succeeded after great difficulty in hoisting to the surface a very large anchor, about 5 meter long and 4 mtr. wide. The anchor was donated to the Scheveningen harbour authorities and placed in front of the harbour office as a monument and in memory of the drama surrounding the sinking of the ship.

This is where the story was picked up by a casual passer-by, Mr. J.F. Fischer, himself a

staunch sailor and experienced builder of ship's models. He became so intrigued by this

enormous anchor that he investigated the matter further. He eventually found out the name of the wreck: this was the country's man-of-war DELFT.

And this was the beginning of a very long and thorough research lasting for 15 years into the authentic history of the ship. It finally culminated in 1998 in the setting up of the *foundation "Stichting Historisch Schip de Delft" ; its goal is the construction of a replica of the 18th century Dutch frigate the "DELFT" in Delfshaven, Rotterdam.

After several years of planning and preparation and getting the financial picture right, a start has finally been made in the construction of the ship, which will be built less than a mile of the site where the original ship was built in 1782/3. And that will then be the start of the second life of the frigate Delft.

To be continued

By Dirk Doorduyn

if you are interested in the beautiful Delft pottery go to http://www.delftsepauw.com/ or fancy a visit? go to http://www.delfttoerisme.nl/

The Pennant

THE BUDE CANAL

Cornishman John Edyvean conceived the idea of the Bude Canal in 1774 originally to carry the chemically rich Bude sea sand to poor inland soils. The project took a number of years to take shape and it was not until 1819 that the Bude Harbour and Canal company was formed with 330 shareholders. Construction officially began on 23rd July 1819.

Work proceeded rapidly. Embankments, aqueducts and the huge wheel pits for the inclined planes, plus the digging of the canal itself, was all done by the labour of navies using picks and shovels. Materials were transported by horse and ox drawn carts and wagons. The present lower Tamar lake was originally built as the reservoir to supply water to the whole canal.

The canal was completed in 1825 with branches to Blagdonmoor wharf near Holsworthy and Druxton wharf near Launceston. There were 35½ miles of canal with three conventional locks, including the sea lock. The six inclined planes rose 433ft from sea level within six miles. The inclines had a double line of rails. They were driven by water wheels except at Hobbacott where two huge buckets 8ft in diameter and holding up to 15 tons each) rose and fell in wells 225ft deep. Hobbacott inclined plane was the longest at 935ft.

Tub-boats fitted with small 14 inch diameter wheels ran straight into or out of the water and onto rails. An endless chain the hauled them up or down the planes. These horse drawn tub-boats were 20' x 5'6" x 20" in size. They carried four tons each and worked in trains of 4 or 6. The annual tonnage of sand transported was between 27,000 and 50,000 tons. Other cargoes, including coal were also carried. The coming of the railways ended the commercial operation of the Bude canal and in July 1891 the majority of the canal was officially abandoned, although the route known as the Bude viaduct from the reservoir to Venn was retained as a water supply. The port of Bude remained in commercial use until the 1930's but the canal was neglected and without regular maintenance work it quickly deteriorated.

The illustration shows the course and extent of the Bude canal as it was built

The Bude canal today

The first two miles of the canal from Bude to Helebridge remain in water and are used by residents and visitors for fishing, walking and boating. Much of the remainder of the canal is neglected and overgrown, though local interest groups are making excellent headway in opening up pathways along the route of the old canal. The walks pass through some of the unspoilt countryside in all of north tamar and provide a haven for wildlife, well worth a visit. Leaflets showing walks in the vicinity of the Bude canal may be obtained from the bude visitor information centre. Bude harbour master is available on 01288 353111 and may know more.

Article from information supplied by H. E. English.

The Pennant

A few funnies (well almost)

Three women die together in an accident and go to heaven. When they get there, St. Peter says, "We only have one rule here in heaven... Don't step on the ducks!" So they enter heaven, and sure enough, there are ducks all over the place.?

It is almost impossible not to step on a duck, and although they try their best to avoid them, the first woman accidentally steps on one.

Along comes St. Peter with the ugliest man she ever saw. St. Peter chains them together and says "Your punishment for stepping on a duck is to spend eternity chained to this ugly man!" The next day, the second woman steps accidentally on a duck, and along comes St. Peter, who doesn't miss a thing, and with him is another extremely ugly

man. He chains them together with the same admonishment as for the first woman.

The third woman has observed all this and, not wanting to be chained for all eternity ! To an ugly man, is very, VERY careful where she steps. She manages to go months without stepping on any ducks, but one day St. Peter comes up to her with the most handsome man she has ever laid eyes on ... very tall, great smile, muscular, and fit.

St. Peter chains them together without saying a word.?

The woman remarks, "I wonder what I did to deserve being chained to you for all of eternity?"

The guy says, "I don't know about you, but I stepped on a duck

Strange news from the papers

Czech Housewife Vera Czermak was heartbroken when she learned of her husbands unfaithfulness. In a fit of depression she threw herself out of the third floor window of their Prague apartment, landing on her husband and killing him outright, she survived.

A depression will mope across northern area's - The Daily Telegraph.

He said: "I was playing my recording of The Messiah when Mrs. X said that this was not the time for music. She then made overtures to me". - The news of the world.

The evening of clairvoyance on Tuesday December 4th at 7 pm has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. - East Kent times

"Intersection six is still being planned", said a spokesman for the department of the environment. Asked where it was going to be, the spokesman replied "We aren't quite sure but we imagine it will be somewhere between intersection 5 and intersection 7."

- Manchester evening news

For sale: English Springer Spaniels. One bitch trained to whistle. - Yorkshire post

The three things that make a good motorist are concentration and anticipation.

- Sunday People

The chairman reported that Bradford council would not be able to repaint yellow No Parking lines in the village until the man who did the job had used up all the white paint in his bucket. - Yorkshire newspaper

Lucky man sees pals die. - Headline from Baltimore news American

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And finally another masterpiece from the government.

In reference A, the cover letter at reference B is an error. The additions at annex B to reference B are already incorporated in annex A to reference B, and are those additional items per pack that will be required if the complete schedule at annex A to reference B are approved. - Ministry of defence publication.

OK is that clear now?

And a few religious truths

Taoism

S^*t happens

Budhism

If S^*t happens, it is'nt really S^*t

Hinduism

This S^*t has happened before

Islam

If S^*t happens it is the will of Allah

Catholicism

S^*t happens because you deserve it

Protestanism

Let S^*t happen to somebody else

Judaism

Why does S^*t always happen to us?

A little puzzler

There are the three utilities, gas, water and electric, to connect to the three new houses. Connect them please, by drawing a line from each utility to each house, but none of the lines must cross.

Gas Water Electric

House 1 House 2 House 3

It can be done!!

One more little puzzler

401 people work in a factory, one of them leaves so the remaining 400 have a collection for a leaving present, not everyone gives to the collection but half the women give 25p and a third of the men give 37.5 pence. How much did they collect?

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PRIZE CROSSWORD

NAME___________________________________TEL NO______________________

Clues

Across Down

1 Consecutively, (15) 1 Naval rank below 28 across but above 4 down

9 Afternoon peformance, (7) 2 Withdraw, retire (7)

10 Naval rank equivant to army general (7) 3 Rubbish, twaddle (8)

11 Guzzle (7) 4 Naval rank equivalent of army 28 across (10)

12 Delay (6) 5 Bite that causes gradual wear (4)

14 Solemn promises (5) 6 Small body that orbits the sun (5)

15 Arrests, grabs (4) 7 Siren who lured boatmen to destruction (7) 16 Metalic element (4) 8 Shouts (5)

19 Simple (4) 13 Sailor (4, 6)

21 Joint protected by the patella (4) 17 Naval rank below 28 across but above 4 down (9)

22 CD or LP (5) 18 Ride over water towed by a speed boat (5, 3)

24 Gloomy (6) 20 Grated, scratched (7)

26 Play by Sophocles (7) 23 Amid (7)

28 Naval rank below 1 down but above 17 down (7) 24 Exaggeratedly manly (5)

29 Illegal action (7) 25 Informal phrases (5)

30 What John Clease becomes next year (3, 3, 9) 27 Simple card game (4)