by Eric Coleman

At a recent meeting of the North London Group there was so much talk about sailing performance and long distance voyages that, at the end of the meeting, some newcomers asked the Secretary whether they would be eligible for membership in view of their limited experience! There have also been suggestions for an award for covering long distances in a dinghy.

These discussions appear to have little of the original aims of the Association in them so I should like to say something about these and I would like to hear from members whether they think such aims are worthwhile or whether they are out of date. Dinghy cruising was envisaged as an inexpensive means whereby a love of adventure and natural surroundings could be encouraged in the limited time at our disposal during weekends. Our function was to assist the introduction of people to this form of worthwhile activity by providing information and a channel for the exchange of ideas.

Adventure is a comparative thing. Probably our greatest sense of adventure is experienced on our first cruises; it is the feeling of meeting things unknown. Spectacular voyages by our members are few and far between. By all means let us recognise these achievements (they stand a good chance of winning the Naylor Noggin) but they should not overshadow the more important aim of encouraging all our members to cruise a few miles during weekends. Presenting an award to someone who covers a long distance is to give encouragement to the experienced, who need none and to lose sight of the fact that the reward is in the experience itself. Also we should remember that for a married man with family, a 20 mile cruise is probably a much greater achievement than a single person sailing 100 miles.

In my view, one of the best ways to encourage dinghy cruising is to publish accounts of cruises which are within the reach of the majority. I hope that those of you who are beginning to cruise will send accounts of your activities to the Bulletin.