Once again the D.C.A. was privileged to be asked to supply lecturers at this well organised conference. That well known personality Peter Scott opened the meeting of Saturday 12th October with interesting views for the future of our sailing. On the Sunday Uffa Fox attended and also gave a spirited talk to the audience. There were many boats on exhibition in the school grounds which attracted a lot of attention from would be and practising yachtsmen. Several new craft made their debut here too.

The D.C.A. commenced their six lectures on the sport at 10.45 with Charles Stock giving an enthusiastic talk on ‘What is Dinghy Cruising and Where is it Done’. With the help of a Stanford chart of the E. Coast he described several trips, made initially when single, and later when married, in these areas. Charles ably conveyed the pleasure enjoyed in dinghy cruising, new harbours safely made, night sailing and the many facets of our way.

Next at 11.45 our S. Coast wanderer John Deacon described to a full house the joys, tortures and planning necessary for ‘Living in a Fourteen Footer’. His demonstration complete with primus cooking — cum space heating — cum clothes airer underlined the need for everything carried to have several uses. John managed to convey that cruising often entailed looking after oneself under lousy conditions when the facilities of a class-type club were not available. He confined his talk well to the title and the audience were most interested in how he did it.

After lunch John Clark explained the points to look for in the talk ‘Types of Boats suitable for Cruising’. He stressed that would-be cruisers should decide what type of cruising is contemplated before choosing a craft. Within this context a light or heavy boat can be chosen but seaworthiness and safety still depend mainly on hull shape and not necessarily on weight.

At 1445 Charles Stock again took the floor and continued his earlier discourse with a talk on ‘Suitable Gear’, covering a lot of ground and sea time with his enthusiastic descriptions.

Following the tea break Ron Long, our active N. London secretary, explained in a straightforward manner the way to ‘Plan a Dinghy Cruise’. This entailed the explaining of charts, compasses and other equipment used to make sure one arrives and survives. A difficult subject to explain to an audience that held many novices, however, we feel that he succeeded in showing, if not exactly how it was done, how it should be done.

To finish Slade Penoyre set out in a concise manner the causes and effects probable in the event of mishap at sea. His remarks on various buoyancy covered the types available for a person and the safety equipment which could be carried to help the craft and also attract attention. He spoke from some experience as he has recently crossed the channel in a Mayflower dinghy, spending some time there and returning.

The conference closed at 1900 and we felt that we had been able to give information about the D.C.A. to many. The lecture room was well attended and attentive.

John Clark would like to thank those who took part for their preparatory work and for making the day such a success.