Jubilee Party - By Cruising Boat

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Cruising Boat Sailing Activities

  • Friday 4th Parade of Sail: Cruising boats left Ipswich Dock in sunshine and sailed downriver for the start of the Parade of Sail, with the open boat fleet joining in to make a grand spectacle. The the wind blew and the heavens opened. The fleet eventually finished in disarray at Suffolk Yacht Harbour.
  • Saturday 5th: Cruise. Rain and win stopped play. The planned cruise was cancelled and crews attended the onsore activities or spent time in their cabins and the bar!
  • Sunday 6th Dartmouth Gin OGA Jubilee Race: The approaches to Harwich, Rivers Stour and Orwell provide plenty of scope for some exciting and thoughtful racing. Ih the end the extreme conditions restricted the race to the Stour and Orwell. For those that took part it was a great race!

Jubilee Cruise - Monday 7th to Saturday 12th August

  After the Jubilee Party OGA60 many boats joined a Jubilee version of the annual East Coast Summer Cruise. 

  • Monday 7th August. Boats sailed into Walton Backwaters, made famous by Arthur Ransome's Swallows & Amazons, where they anchored for a bring-your-own-food BBQ on Stone Point Beach;  
  • Tuesday 8th August. The passage race to West Mersea was a bouncy affair with a strong breeze blowing against the flood tide.  Many got there but many decided to wait for better weather.
  • Wednesday 9th August. The fleet split. Some sailed on to The Medway, some returned to Harwich and a few had a rest day in West Mersea.
  • Thursday 10th August- Saturday 12th. A great time was had in Chatham by the boats that got there. Sadly the marina lock gates broke and the boats were delayed from leaving by 4 days, some longer due to crew work commitments.

Core Activities included with Entry

  • Thursday 3rd Civic Reception Ipswich: Ipswich Borough Council and ABP kindly hosted a Civic Reception in front of the Customs House to welcome the RBC60 fleet and kick off the Jubilee Party in style. 
  • Thursday 3rd Evening Get Together: We gathered in our Ipswich Jubilee base in the St Clements medieval church (deconsecrated). There was a specially commissioned ‘OGA60 Jubilee’ beer and plenty of space to socialise.  After dinner Charlie Haylock gave a talk about his work on the Netflix film "The Dig" about the longboat excavations at Sutton Hoo.
  • Friday 4th Paella, Dave Selby and Open Mic session: After the Parade of Sail to Suffolk Yacht Harbour there was an al-fresco paella dinner followed by entertainment from Dave Selby, impracticalboatowner.com, and then an 'Open Mic' session.
  • Saturday 5th Trinity House talk. 
  • Saturday 5th Auction. The auction for donated, new, and secondhand items raised over £2500 for East Anglian Sailing Trust. 
  • Sunday 6th Prize Giving and entertainment: Everyone toasted the OGA’s sixty years and took part in the Jubilee Party Prize-Giving. After dinner there was a Hog-Roast served on the dock side) there will be musical entertainment.