an invitation from the old gaffers

[davidproctor44]

We are having a gathering at the Trout Inn,St.Johns bridge,Letchlade-on-Thames,25 to 29 Sep.
The usual relaxed messing about in boats.
Many of you know the Trout as the start of Thames raids.
Cost of camping/launching is modest,food in the pub excellent.We plan a communal meal on Sat evening
but of course you can eat where or when you like.
Sailing is impracticable here.
It would be good to see some of you.
bookings to [e-mail]
Dave Proctor

[AdrianG]

Thanks for the invitation, Dave - very kind of you to let us know. I hope to see you there for at least some of that weekend. Here's hoping for some nice weather.

Kind regards
Adrian

[Port-Na-Storm]

Hi Dave,
Thanks for the invitation.
I'm supposed to be on duty at the Ancient & Vulnerable St Deny's Rowing & Sailing Club on 27th, I'd rather be at the Trout so I'll see if I can wriggle out.
Have a great time if I don't see you then.
Regards
Graham.

[mikekillay]

Just want to say that there is no need to book with me. Just turn up, we would love to see you all.
Mike Stevens,
Secretary,
OGA Trailer Section.

[mikekillay]

We all had a great time and good weather.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dpwbuqnow1nl3zl/AACCzZ8lOxHvaQ_hdOoRpHaEa/OGA Lechlade 2014?dl=0

[Randonneur]

I think that link got lost in translation somewhere.

Hopefully this will make it however:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dpwbuqnow1nl3zl/AACCzZ8lOxHvaQ_hdOoRpHaEa/OGA%20Lechlade%202014?dl=0#/

Many thanks for a great weekend and fantastic weather.

Look forward to doing it gain sometime.

Hope the HBBR forum will help in repair of the boat :-)

Here's a few of my photos.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/27533969@N05/sets/72157648183096965/

A little video to follow at sometime when I get time...

Regards

Pete

On Mon, Sep 29, 2014 at 6:40 PM, mikekillay [via UK HBBR Forum] <[hidden email]> wrote:

We all had a great time and good weather.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dpwbuqnow1nl3zl/AACCzZ8lOxHvaQ_hdOoRpHaEa/OGA Lechlade 2014?dl=0

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NAML

[AdrianG]

And many thanks to the OGA from me, too. Good weather, good company, good location, good paddling - what more can one ask for? I shall post some piccies soon.

I look forward to seeing you, and your repaired runabout, soon.

Kind regards
Adrian

[mikekillay]

Thanks to you all for coming, we hope to see more HBBR next year.
We have not set the dates for Lechlades 2015, but are likely to be the last weekend in May (Weekend before Beale Park) and the last weekend in September.
Mike

[Port-Na-Storm]

Thanks again for the invite, and yes maybe more HBBR folk will turn up next time.

Unfortunately I had to be dutiful at The Ancient & Vulnerable St Deny's Sailing & Rowing Club so couldn't make it to Lechlade. Hopefully next time, and who knows maybe another Thames Raid.
But I'm definitely not organising it.......................

[AdrianG]

Hello all

Here are some more piccies (of varying quality) of the Lechlade gathering.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/80678606@N02/sets/72157647950966820/

kind regards
Adrian

[mikekillay]

Thanks Adrian,
Although it might not be apparent, most of the boats there including the OGA ones were either home built, or home restored.
Of course, Steve and Dave are both HBBR and OGA members, but a lot of OGA also build their boats or extensively alter them.
Mike

[Chris Waite]

There's just one teensy-weensy thing

And this from an ex-Solent Old Gaffer - there doesn't seem to be an actual gaff in sight

And nor should there be; it's a landlocked river

Maybe the "Outer-Oxford-Oarsmen"

Or the "Peripatetic-Paddlers"

HBBR's ever-grumpy

Old Gaffuck

[Randonneur]

On Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 7:08 PM, Chris Waite [via UK HBBR Forum] <[hidden email]> wrote:

There's just one teensy-weensy thing

And this from an ex-Solent Old Gaffer - there doesn't seem to be an actual gaff in sight

Oh yes there is!

https://flic.kr/p/pu9s9S

PP 

[GregHBBR]

Hi Chris,

Chris Waite wrote

there doesn't seem to be an actual gaff in sight

And nor should there be; it's a landlocked river

"should be"? That doesn't quite make sense to me.

Norfolk is famed for its River Cruiser Class, and 90% of them are gaff-rigged and increasing seen with topsails, to maximised that sail above the tree line.

[Chris Waite]

You're right, of course Greg

I should know better, having cut my first gaff teeth on a Broads yacht - 'Vagabond', then of Martham:

  Well it was a year or two ago now

Then as recently as the last decade, the Three Rivers in the rampant 'Moonshadow'.

Somehow sailing the Thames just doesn't work like the Broads; like trying to swim in your bath as opposed to taking a few leisurely strokes in the local drainage ditch.  The river is sufficiently tiddly at Lechlade and marooned in middle England that it doesn't seem to have that whiff of the wild and the prevailing Westerly is always wafting fitfully from the East-ish.  There's less than quarter of a mile from the weir by the Trout Inn to the first baby bridge and up there, it wriggles like anything with trees and such.

Makes even the Ant through Irstead seem quite broad-bosomed

And windblown too

CW  

[Jeremy]

Chris Waite wrote

Somehow sailing the Thames just doesn't work like the Broads; like trying to swim in your bath as opposed to taking a few leisurely strokes in the local drainage ditch.  

Very true.  

I've done the odd bit of coastal and offshore sailing, some of it fairly "interesting" at times, but the one bit that stands out in my fading memory is tacking back up the Bure towards Horning one morning.  The pair of us had got into the rhythm of tacking every minute or so, to the point that we were doing it in complete silence, with no need for me to call as we readied to come about.  For an hour or two we just gently made slow progress, timing tacks to avoid the few oncoming boats and just enjoying the relative peace before the hordes of plastic floating motor buses awoke and turned the river into a motorway.....................

[mikekillay]

Next years dates for the OGA rallies at Lechlade are:-


Lechlade 2015.
May 29th-31st.
September 25th -27th

Al HBBR invited.
The programme has much free time to do your own thing,
Generally, we leave the camp site at around 12-00 midday, either go up or down stream and have a picnic, getting back when it suits the individual sailors.
No need to take part in this if you prefer to do something else.
Saturday night, we have a meal in the pub.
Further details:-
Mike Stevens [e-mail]