BCA Logs

Our collection of tales of sailing Gaffers in the Bristol Channel and beyond, and related matters.

The Building & Demise of the Good Ship Lowly Worm - Viv Head
The story of Alan Glanville and his boat

Neyland May 2023 - The Programme - Susanne Newbold
Events at the Bristol Channel Party Port during RBC60

Barging About - a motoring interlude - David Grainger
David Grainger describes an unfortunate event

Grey Dawn - David Grainger
Recalling sightings of a rather special boat

Sully Island and Lavernock - David Grainger
Sailing directions in the Bristol Channel 1879

Weather Wise - David Grainger
Sailors' rhymes forecasting weather conditions in the Bristol Channel

Beware of the Pill Sharks! - David Grainger
A warning to visitors to Pill on the River Avon

Riding the Severn Bore - David Grainger
in a small sailing boat, May 1957

Down the Creek without a Rudder - David Grainger
Rudder loss in the Bristol Channel

Three Courses  David Grainger
Eating well while cruising

Boats of Anderson's Yard - Viv Head
Where are they now

Playmate's Last Completed Cruise - Viv Head
Farewell to a veteran

Nutmeg Gets Stroppy - Viv Head
Eventful sailing - Miford Haven and Dale

Up Channel and Down Channel - Viv Head
Two day sails in company

The 2016 Cock o'the Bristol Channel Race - Viv Head
Gaffers competing

Charlie of Cardiff on passage to Dale - Viv Head
A satisfactory voyage, dolphins, birds but not much wind

Sailing Nutmeg 2017 - Viv Head
A rewarding day's sailing in the Channel

Magnetism or Mis-Management? - Viv Head
A close encounter with a cardinal

Bristol Channel Gaffers at the English Coast Rally 2019 - Viv Head
Up Channel for a weekend in Bristol's Floating Harbour

Jackson's Bay: A Sail in Two Halves - Viv Head
A quiet picnic and an exciting passage home

Working Yacht 1, Looking back on 2020 - John Laband
Lisbon to UK and back

Charlotte's Tale - Julian Lamb
The story of a remarkable boat and its restoration

Heading South with Wendy - Max Liberson
An eventful passage from Newport to the Algarve

Homeward Bound - Max Liberson
Wendy May's return trip from the Algarve to Plymouth

8 Weeks in the Bristol Channel - Peter Thomson
Description of a working passage in 1947

A 'Small Boat' Memory - Patrick Vyvyan-Robinson
Sailing a gaffer at Rock