NEWSLETTER From the EDITOR Clearly, one of the advantages of being a member of the TSA is the Newsletter, which is sent out to members up to four times a year. It does not seem fair to members, who have paid their Annual Subscriptions, for the Newsletter to be avaable on this web-site where anybody can read it for free. The compromise is to display selected items from previous issues of the Newsletter, now about six years old, which it is hoped will be of general interest to visitors to this web-site. (When creating this web page, it seemed like a good idea to up-date the articles a few months after a Newsletter was sent to all the members. That was a winter's ambition that has not been followed up. My indolence - or preferance to spend my time sailing, rather that working on a web-site does not mean this web-site is dead. Far from it. The TSA is alive and well, and LINKS to the TSA should all be working properly. © ALL MATERIAL ON THE TSA WEB SITE IS COPY-RIGHT, AND MUST NOT BE COPIED OR USED IN ANY MANNER WITHOUT FIRST OBTAINING THE AUTHOR'S SPECIFIC PRIOR PERMISSION IN WRITING |
Dutch locks are a bit bigger than British ones ! Amongst the masts are the TSA fleet that visted Holland. Some went there by ferry, others sailed there from England. When they all met up, it was such an impressive fleet of small boats, that in more than one marina the welcoming Dutch kindly provided a section of pontoons for the TSA's members to use as a single group !. |
WELCOME TO THE WEB SITE OF THE TRAIL-SAIL ASSOCIATION www.trail-sail.org.uk |
Our small burgee can seen in many ports and on rivers & lakes in the UK & Europe |
____________ TRAIL `n SAIL Newsletter of the Trail Sail Association SPRING 2000 ISSUE The Internet. Some officers have Internet access and e-mail addresses. This is mentioned in case you would prefer to use electronic means of communication. ____________________________________________________________________________ In this issue Page 1 : Addresses of TSA officers. Page 2 : Editorial. Page 3 : From the Membership Secretary. Page 4 : From the Cruising Secretary. Page 5 : Cruise programme for 2000. Page 6 : How not to do it. Accidents and humerous mis-judgement seen on Windermere. Page 9 : Sailing to Switzerland for an ice-cream. Proving that you can take a trail-sail yacht from England, tow it over the Alps, launch it in one country, and then sail into Switzerland, past border guards and castles. Page 14 : The TSA cruise to Cornwall to view the solar eclipse, and how the fleet managed to get into just the right place to see it, when the rest of Cornwall was covered with thick cloud. Page 16 : The making of a dilemma. The difficulties in choosing between using a trail-sail boat in England, or a part share in a larger yacht kept in a Greek harbour. Page 18 : Reflections : Poem. Majorca they said, white sands and sun. Not me I replied - Scotland calls. Page 19 : Looking for the TSA. A new member launches some distance from the rest of the TSA members, and then sails round the Solent, avoiding full F8's that alter the cruise plan. Long live mobile phones. Inner back page : Advert for the new RNLI Sea Check scheme. ____________________________________________________________________________ FROM THE EDITOR. Well, this is the second Newsletter that I have produced for the TSA after it was passed into my care to continue with it's decades of issues. I started my first Editorial with the word 'HELP', clearly a word that produces a strong response from the sailors of trailer born yachts, as I have received a flood of material for this issue. (Actually, as part of the flood has been items that are not strictly associated with trail-sailing, you will have to wait for a later issue to perhaps read about other people's voyages that did not start on a trailer.) The main point I must make is a 'Thank you' to those whose contributions are included in this issue, which I am sure you will enjoy reading as much as I have. (After agonising over the selection, I hope my choice will not offend those who have produced equally interesting items, which space and cost have meant we will have to wait to enjoy sharing their experiences.) Linda and I were fortunate to visit America's New England last year, some 2,853 Nautical Miles from our home according to my GPS. I mention this, because the visit gave us an opportunity to see how Americans treat trail-sailing. It was not much of an opportunity, as the last week in October is well past Season's End for them, with dozens of empty mooring buoys, which is a surprise when you realise we were then as close to the Equator as Northern Portugal is. But winter does come with a capital 'W' there, and we only got tantalising glimpses of boats hidden amongst trees outside houses. Even then, with a well established industry shrink wrapping boats for the winter, all we actually saw were mysterious angular white or blue objects on a trailer. A chandler, called 'Boat US', had galvanised brakes and an assortment of devices to keep sea water out of bearings I also acquired a Massachusetts Coast Guard booklet on their regulations, rather different to ours, and will comment on it in a later article. This is perhaps the worst time of the year for sailing. All our boats have been shorn of their summer finery, such as masts, sails, bunk cushions and engines, and lie hibernating under assorted covers and tarpaulins. Too soon to dream of next summer, the details of last summer's voyages are fading into the 'did we do it last year or the year before ?', entries in the filing cabinets of our memories. So I hope this newsletter brings a touch of summer to your winter day as you read about the warm sunshine and bright sparkling waters mentioned by your fellow members. With my seasons greetings comes the added wish that the new Millennium will see you enjoying exploring distant coasts and ports, in a way that only trailer born yachts can. _________________________________________________________________________ FROM THE MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Not shown on the web-site. _________________________________________________________________________ FROM THE CRUISING SECRETARY Edited version for the web-site. Below is our preliminary programme for this year, 2006. The first part of the season has been firmed up but some of the main summer cruises are provisional, please get in touch with me with your plans so we can include them in the final programme in the spring newsletter. We have traditionally held our final cruise of the season on Windermere (since 1981 in fact) but perhaps it is now time for a change. Launching and parking charges have risen over the years, and the warden is now requiring that each overnight mooring is pre-arranged, which rather defeats the object and freedom of cruising. If I add the mooring costs to the licence fee, launching fee, and parking charges, I would have forked out £95 for a five day stay. By comparison, the Norfolk Broads works out at about £35 for a week's visit. For the moment I have pencilled in Ullswater as an alternative, but details have yet to be sorted out. Please let me have your thoughts. Please note that the Cruise Co-ordinator acts as liaison officer only, helps with the location of slipways, parking for car and trailer etc. If they can they will assist with advise on pilotage, local hazards and so on, but safety of vessel and crew is the responsibility of each skipper, who should provide adequate charts etc. and make his/her own decision about where and when to sail. Please let the cruise co-ordinator know in advance if you intend joining a cruise Is your boat properly dressed for the season? Club burgees are available from me priced at £8.50 each. If you would like one please send an A5 size addressed envelope with a 19p stamp. Best wishes for an enjoyable season. |
v-14RYA April 06 |
THE CRUISING SECRETARY'S JOB IS TO ACT AS A CO-ORDINATOR OF OTHER
MEMBER'S PLANS TO SAIL IN A PARTICULAR AREA, AND IS NOT EXPECTED TO ATTEND OR BE THE LEADER OF A PARTICULAR CRUISE. PLEASE USE THE CONTACTS PAGE ON THIS WEB SITE TO ASK FOR MORE INFORMATION, OR TO ADVISE THE CRUISING SECRETARY WHERE YOU WILL BE GOING, AND IF YOU ARE PREPARED TO BE CRUISE LEADER NOTE TO NON-MEMBERS OF THE TSA : IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO SPEND £6.00 TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE TSA IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN JUST ONE CRUISE. FEEL FREE TO USE OUR CONTACTS PAGE TO GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CRUISE YOU ARE INTERESTED IN. |
PROVISIONAL CRUISE PROGRAMME 2006 DATES LAUNCHING SITE CRUISE AREA CRUISE CO-ORDINATOR Easter, April 14-17+ Martham Norfolk Broads Contact TSA May Day, Apr 29-May 1 Pwllheli, North Wales Cardigan Bay Contact TSA Spring Bank, May 27 – Jun 3 Dunstaffnage West Scotland, Contact TSA Perhaps do a lap round Isle of Mull Spring Bank May 27 - Jun 3 East Coast Rivers Contact TSA July 1-15 Falmouth, Plymouth and Contact TSA South Cornwall heading East To be fixed in July Burnham or Sail to Holland via Contact TSA Ramsgate Belgian harbours August Bank Hol Aug 26-28 Y Felinheli Menai Straits + Contact TSA October 21-22 or 28-29 Ullswater Ullswater Contact TSA Sailing Club Above is just a starter for this year’s programme. (It is roughly based on what we did last year, so please add any ideas in you have or suggest alternative dates.) IBut, having had two Spring Bank holiday trips to the Clyde, I have proposed venturing further North again, and either stay in Loch Linne or, if the weather serves, sail round Mull and look at Fingals Cave. With the swingeing increase in Windermere licence fees I assume there will be no objection to returning to Ullswater for our end of season bash! Cruising Secretary |