North West
| Boats at Howtown Beach. Ullswater ©Steve Mitchell | ||
Introduction
The North West area of the OGA stretches from the Solway Firth to the River Dee and includes the Isle of Man and the Lake District.
We promote events for both larger seagoing boats and smaller trailerable boats. We share a cruising ground with North Wales. The Lake District offers some of the country's most scenic sailing. We hold events on lakes. The estuaries and bays of the North West, including the Mersey, Dee, Ribble, Solway and Morecambe Bay offer opportunities for both large and small boats. The Isle of Man offers a cruising destinations for boats from the North West, North Wales, Ireland and Southern Scotland.
| Hearts of Oak, Morecambe Bay Prawner built in Ulverston in 1912 ©Hearts of Oak Trust | ||
History
The area is famous for Morecambe Bay Prawners or Lancashire Nobbies which were fast sailed powered fishing boats, built by yards such as Crossfields in Arnside. Whammels were smaller boats used to fish for salmon in estuaries such as the Lune. Mersey Flats were sail powered barges common up to the 1950s.
Yachting took off as a leisure activity in the 19th century catering firstly for the shipping, mercantile and industrial elite and secondly for the rising middle classes.
Yacht Clubs included the Royal Mersey, Royal Windermere, Royal Barrow and a whole host of clubs on Merseyside. Several clubs developed their own designs, including the Royal Mersey Rivers Class and Hoylake Opera Class. There were annual regattas and longer races to places such as the Isle of Man.
From 1970s onwards there was an increased interest in the area's traditional sailing boats, with the formation of the Nobby Owners Association in 1987 and the production of replicas boats such as Whammels, often in grp.
The Lake District is forever linked with Swallows and Amazons. Swallow herself was built in Arnside. There are fleets of gaff rigged boats at South Windermere Sailing Club and at Glen Ridding Sailing Centre on Ullswater.
Come and Join us
We encourage members to take an active part in our events. We are keen to encourage youth and young people to take up gaff rigged sailing.
Contact the North West Area
Officers
President: Jeremy Lambert
Treasurer: Nick Costen
Secretary: Alasdair Simpson
Committee members: Robin Ashcroft, Ann Ingham, Chris Pearson