EDITOR'S APOLOGY
The editor wishes to apologise for the delay in forwarding this month's newsletter. Due to personal and work commitments he was unable to have it ready prior to going to Ballybunion on duty.

The dates for some of the items as a result may have passed.

TRAINING
The committee has decided to organise training over the next few weeks to brush up on safety and skills for both skippers and crew.

The first date is Tuesday, July 4th at 10 PM Martin will be skippering and passing on his vast skills, probably with a few stories thrown in. This training cruise will be taking place at night and may include a sail to Kinsale or Ballycotton. And no! the pubs will be shut before you get ashore. Anyone who is interested should contact Martin at 021-507874 or 087-2076646. The boat will be departing once everyone is aboard.

Update: - Martin with a crew consisting of Paddy Allen, Mary Cadogan, Paul Hogan, John Murphy & Dan Murphy left Crosshaven at 12 mn following a briefing and motored out of the harbour to the Daunt. They practised their navigation and man over board drill and a very worthwhile lesson was had by all.

The club hopes to have more of these training exercises and Martin has kindly agreed to run another. More in next months newsletter.

NEW EQUIPMENT
Nearly £6000 has been spent on 'Oasis' in the last two months. The club has purchased the following new equipment for 'Oasis'
1. An 8-man life raft. The original life raft was a coastal type only suitable for cruises along the coast. It has been serviced and will be kept on the boat in addition to the new raft.
2. Binoculars. Especially for those of us who are short sighted.
3. Handbearing compass. For taking bearings when in sight of land to verify our position. Especially useful when anchoring so that we will notice if we are dragging the anchor.
4. Radar. Some of you may have noticed a large white round 'thingy' up the mast. That is the radar. Well, some of it anyway. Eoghan is going west and Paddy was afraid that he would get lost so the radar was fitted. Seriously though the radar will be a great aid to navigation in fog or at night.
5. A second hand spinnaker has been purchased by Martin Landers for the club. We would like to thank Eddie O'Sullivan of Car Stereo & Alarms, St. Patrick's Quay, for his kind sponsorship which enabled up to purchase the spinnaker which we need for racing in the upcoming 'Ford Week'.

MARTIN'S TRIP TO WEST CORK
Martin was a victim of the weather during May/June. As a result he had to divert from his plan to sail to the Scillies and instead visited West Cork with a crew consisting of Joan Wilson, Eamonn & Peggy Foley and John McSweeney.

They were due to depart on Monday the 22nd of May but due to the bad weather they stayed in the harbour and visited East Ferry instead. On Tuesday they ventured out past Roches Point and headed for Courtmacsherry where they arrived at high tide after a lively sail. They tied up at the pontoon and we were told that they had a meal before having a quite night ashore, but we don't believe a word of it, as one member of the crew, Joan (oops, I wasn't supposed to mention her name) wrote in the log: -

Arrived in Courtmac about 8 pm ish after much hardship at sea. Crew badly in need of a shower (Actually even on terra firma) The rats abandoned ship for the proverbial pint of milk while Stu Foley stayed on board to put his Keith Floyd skills into practice. A creaking crew arrived back somewhat oiled and dined in style. All retired ensemble to the nearest hostelry and rabble roused the local peasants who were in awe of the big yacht. "Are ye that yacht that came in this evening?" "UH huh!" said Landers grandiosely, "Sure, this is our virgin voyage, maiden cruise" "Not many virgins on board that yoke" came the uneducated guess of a punter. Pints flowed on and back on board in the early hours.

(Ed. I am not sure if the club can ever visit this port again?)

The following morning with the odd sore head, they headed for Baltimore where they visited 'friends' on Sherkin Island before making their way across the harbour to tie up at the pontoon on the pier. (Ed. I'm sure the 'friends' were in the 'Garrison' drinking pints)

During the night there was quite a breeze but they were all snug in Bushes bar playing cards. We understand that the girls enjoyed beginners luck…. at cards. They did not leave until late in the afternoon for Cape Clear, their next port of call.

They were 'detained' for a long while in O'Driscoll's pub. The following morning they decided to visit the Fasnet Rock. After circling it once or twice they got dizzy (Ed. Nothing to do with the previous nights drinking, I hope?) and headed for Crookhaven. There they picked up a visitor's mooring for £6 and pumped up the inflatable.

On Saturday it was time to head back. The plan was to reach Glandore but someone pulled a hand brake turn and instead they found themselves in Castletownsend. Again they took a mooring but this time did not know who owned it. (Ed. A C1 & C2 or their modern equivalent is to follow)

After a struggle to get up the hill, they eventually reached 'Mary Anne's' and had their only meal ashore. Sailors can never get past the first pub.

On Sunday they headed home, doing the 45 mile journey to Crosshaven in 7 hours.

They had a very enjoyable trip but found the boat cold at night and are now looking to have a heater fitted. (Ed. I think some 'Yotties' found their way on board. Real 'sailors' revel in discomfort)

PAT'S TRIP TO KINSALE
Pat Fleming had intended to go to Glandore for a weekend in the second week in June. The crew included a veteran of Pat's first cruise to the Scillies, Noel 'never again' Caffrey and Brian Shannon who is responsible for introducing Pat to sailing back in 1976 or 77.

They slept on board on the Wednesday night, the 7th of June, having sampled the porter in 'Cronin's' and slept through the gale that night, snugly tied up at the marina.

The following morning was a comedy of errors. The engine wouldn't start, as the starter was not bolted on! Then when that was fixed the engine fuel supply had to be bled as someone (not a member of this crew) had pulled out the cut-off cable and shut off the fuel supply. Pat had to bend his body into positions, never before attempted to get at the fuel valve under the tank and behind the engine. Needless to say this cable which has never worked properly has now been disconnected so that nobody has to go through what Pat had to go through!

Eventually, they set off to have a look at the weather outside. It was lumpy from the previous night's gale and it would have been a beat to Kinsale, so it was too late to go to Glandore. They turned around and headed for East Ferry instead before returning to Crosshaven.

Log entry: - A bit sticky at times, but honour was satisfied. There were no witnesses.

(Ed. Very suspect?, I smell mud off Curribinny)

On Friday they set off bright and early and had reached the Old Head before the forecast changed and was forecasting winds of 6 to 7 for the following day. As the wind was even then beginning to increase and change direction they decided to head for Kinsale.

There was a slight detour into Sandy Cove to anchor for lunch. They anchored in 4.3 meters of water and when they were heading back out whey ran aground in the sand! The echo sounder was showing 3.8 meters under them. It turned out that someone programmed the echo sounder to show 1.7 meters of water under the keel when in fact there was none. The transducer is about 1.7 meters from the bottom of the keel and someone added this onto the depth instead of subtracting it.

Three hours later after learning to program the sounder and having caught up on their reading they got over the sandbar and tied up at Kinsale.

Log entry: - Pat (the ploughman) Fleming called upon his obvious farming ancestry to execute a number of interesting manoeuvres which finally came to fruition and we left Sandy Cove. Sandy Cove is now ready for planting.

(Ed. Pat! Please repeat after me. Farming is done on land; sailing is done on water)

The following morning they watched the crews from the Kinsale to the Fasnet race arrive back in the teeth of a roaring gale. They were happy that they had made the right decision and stayed put.

Sunday morning they returned to Crosshaven on a run with the genoa poled out doing 7 to 8 knots. Ahhh! Sailing is great fun………..

PADDY'S FIRST TRIP TO THE SCILLIES
The gallant misguided skipper and crew (Ed. Paddy's words, not mine) of Harry Field and Paddy Allen, Mick 'the shark' Collins, Victor Shine, Bob Thompson & ?. Croghan departed Crosshaven on Tuesday the 13th of June after a day's delay due to a storm.

There was still a gale blowing from the SW, force 5 raising to gale force 6 or severe gale force 6.5 on the Allen scale. (Ed. The Rt. Hon. Commodore should be made to walk the plank for endangering the boat in those winds) The passage took 21 hours, which is a new club record. Our previous boat 'Ajay' took 32 hours on her '96 visit and Pat Fleming's own boat took 43 hours so you can see Paddy wasn't joking about the wind!

Their arrival at the islands was celebrated by a hearty breakfast guaranteed to close the arteries and was followed by a snooze for those who did all the work on the way while the other passengers inflated the dinghy and departed for greener pastures and a few pints of 'best bitter'.

(Ed. What! At that hour of the morning)

The crew went on walkabout later and Victor visited his usual haunts, wreck salvage shops.

(Ed. Keep your eyes off our boat, Victor!)

Bob met some friends of his from the days when he used to fish in these waters.

After an enjoyable meal the crew returned immediately, well sort of, back to the boat.

The following morning they departed St.Marys and went the long way around, due to the tied being out, to Tresco. They passed Hangman's Rock on the way with its gallows and hangman's noose. Many the felon and pirate were hung there. Mick Collins is interested in introducing this concept to the JLO program to help reduce the reoccurring of offenders.

They went for a walk around this pleasant island before having coffee in the one and only hotel. If you are interesting in staying there, it is only £150 per night per person sharing.

(Ed. Now, isn't £5 per week for your floating accommodation good value.)

Bob as usual abandoned ship in the company of local and recently retired pirates. He was later to be found surveying the anchorage for the next expedition to the Scillies. When you say his far away look it's probably not nostalgia but wonderment as to how we got there in the first place and even worse, how he was going to get the 'young ones' back home to Crosshaven.

Paddy is planning the next cruise already. What he doesn't know is that Pat has just volunteered to skipper it in September.