Sunday the 28th October saw the first races of the Ribble Cruising Club Winter Series.
Sunday was very special for one senior member of the club, David Miller, who enjoyed a sail, especially as it was the 50th anniversary of his first sail in the Frostbite series of 1957.
David comments “In many ways it was remarkably similar, the tide and weather was much the same with around 6-8 dinghies and a couple of cruisers enjoying a morning sail.
There were differences. Back in ‘57 the dinghies were smaller and raced shorter courses. We never went beyond the pier and crossing the channel was avoided due to the passage of up to a dozen or more ships and dredgers making their way to and from Preston Docks.
The most popular dinghies were the 11ft 3inch gunter rigged Herons, a couple of Graduates and Fireflies. A GP 14 was the biggest. When Cyril Fitton purchased the first ever Osprey, sail No. 2 in 1958, he moored it off the jetty, it was thought too big to launch. This was not very successful as it capsized on the mooring, amazingly not breaking the mast. Moored off the jetty, narrower and shorter than the present one, were around a dozen shrimpers, a large 40’ motor cruiser Celia, a couple of small sailing cruisers of sorts and the RNLI lifeboat, which stayed afloat – just – at all states of the tide.
We had no rescue boat or wet suites and lifejackets, if worn, were usually of the ex RAF Mae West style. Often the tide had left the jetty by the end of racing and dinghies were recovered over the mud. Some stored their dinghies in a member’s garden in Lytham though most of us trailed them home, without a clubhouse we usually retired to the Market Café in Lytham – often wet and cold but it cheery none the less.
The changes over the years have been very gradual and are well documented in the RCC History and Scrapbook. Certainly the river has changed, it has silted up and shallower but on the plus side we now have almost exclusive use. It used to be very unnerving sailing a 12’ dinghy dodging between the 1,000 ton coasters and the dreaded pier. We were always fearful of the tide sweeping us under it. The pier went in 1960; also the water is definitely less (a relative term) polluted now than it was.
I think that over the years what has changed most is that folk now have easier access to nicer sailing waters of which there are many – (and an increase in our carbon-footprint!) I do not think any of us had been abroad in ‘57 so we knew no better and were happy with our lot. In the 50’s and 60’s even the senior members kept their cruisers at Lytham, unlike now when many of us keep our boats elsewhere.
But I do believe that there will always be sailing at Lytham and I hope that others, like Nick Elsdon who was out in an Osprey on Sunday, will look back in 50 years time on good sailing on the Ribble. It must sound a long time to him – but it certainly does not to me”.
Further winter sailing days are planned on the 11th and 25th of November concluding on the 16th December.
Captain Barnacle |
