The Old Gaffers Festival is an annual events which takes place at Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight.  This year it will be running from Friday 31st May 2013 until Sunday 2nd June 2013 and it will also be celebrating 50 years.

What are old gaffers?  Well it can mean an old men or work foremen, but these old gaffers are traditional  boats in which the sailing rig (configuration of sails) is four-cornered not triangular.  This type of rig is held across the top by a pole called a gaff.  A gaff rig is a very traditional rigging system and was replaced by the more popular Bermudan rig (with the triangular sail) in the early 1900.  Thanks to the Old Gaffers Association we are lucky enough to be able to see a plethora or old gaffers at the festival in Yarmouth.

The Old Gaffers Festival is a weekend dedicated to all things gaffer.  Old Gaffers from all over the UK come to take part in races and to show off their beautiful lines.  There are various races throughout the weekend not just for the old gaffers but other boats as well.  As if viewing the spectacular classic and gaffed rigged boats in the harbour was not enough, there are also shoreside activities.  There will be street entertainment, a flower festival, live music, a craft fair and market, a continental market, lifeboat demonstrations, classic cars and much much more.

For travel across to Yarmouth, there are several ferries to choose from.  The Red Funnel ferry from Southampton which docks at Cowes or The Wight Link ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne.  With these options you will need to take the car across to drive to Yarmouth on the West side of the Island.  Alternatively you can catch the Wight Link Ferry from Lymington and this docks in Yarmouth.  You could take the car on this route or travel as a foot passenger, leaving the car in Lymington.

For more information visit Yarmouth Old Gaffers Festival

Image Courtesy of Compflight

The post Old Gaffers appeared first on Lovesail - Sailing and Dating.

As a follow on to our Nautical Terms article, we have compiled another list of  interesting sailing terms and their origins.  It’s not always clear as to the exact origin of the saying, some have several, so as always a pinch of salt is required!

Clean Bill of Health

Of the many popular sailing terms this one has its origins in a document.  The document in question was issued to a ship showing that the port it sailed from suffered from no infection or epidemic of any kind at the time of its departure.  To give someone a clean bill of health means they are well.

Batten down the Hatches

This means to prepare for trouble.  Hatches are openings in the deck of a ship and were very commonplace on sailing ships.  They were normally either open or covered with a wooden grating to allow ventilation of the decks below. When a storm was coming, the hatches were covered with tarpaulin to prevent water from entering the decks below.  The edges of the tarpaulins were nailed down with wooden strips, known as battens, hence battening down or batten down the hatches.

Toe the line

This saying means to behave or conform to a rule or standard and was a favourite of my Fathers during my childhood!  The line in question is the line (seam) between the planks of wood on the deck of a ship.  The seams were filled with oakum (untwisted rope fibre which was tarred) and then sealed with pitch and tar to make it watertight.  Whether for group punishment or inspections, the crew were ordered on deck to line up in formation.  The crew were directed to stand with their toes just touching a particular line or seam, hence toe the line.

Boot camp

A boot camp is a camp for training new recruits or juvenille offenders, usually consisting of intense physical activity.  During the Spanish-American War, Sailors or Marines wore leggings called boots, which came to mean a Navy or Marine recruit. These recruits trained in boot camps.

Between the Devil and the deep blue sea

One of my favourite sailing terms is the expression between the devil and the deep blue sea.  This means to choose between two undesirable situations.  The devil was the longest seam (joint between two planks of wood), thought to be the first plank on the outer hull of a wooden vessel from stem to stern. When at sea and the devil had to be caulked (filled to prevent leaking), the sailor hung from a rope over the side of the ship to do so. He was suspended between the devil and the sea – a precarious position, especially when the ship was under sail.

Footloose

To be footloose means having no attachments or ties, free to do as one pleases. The foot in question is the bottom of a sail.  the foot of the sail has to be attached to the boom to keep it stretched so as to catch the wind. A sail that is not attached to the boom is said to be footloose and is very difficult to control as it moves with the wind.

So just a few sailing terms for you.  If you would like to read more sailing terms related articles then see Sailing Quotes

The post Sailing Terms appeared first on Lovesail - Sailing and Dating.

The Round the Island Race has been scheduled a little earlier this year on 1st June 2013.  You still have a few days to enter, but standard entries will close at midnight on Saturday 11th May 2013.

Latest news about this years’ Round the Island Race

Amongst the competitors for this years Round the Island Race there will be two Sirs (including a 4 times Olympic gold medallist), one Dame, two Members of the Order of the British Empire and various world record holders!  Sir Ben Ainslie, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Dame Ellen MacArthur, Dee Caffari MBE, Helena Lucas MBE, Alex Thomson, Mike Golding will all be taking part this year along with the 1600 other sailing enthusiasts.

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, is the official Round the Island Race Charity.  It helps young people aged between 8-24 regain their confidence, on their way to recovery from cancer, leukaemia and other serious illness. There will be Trust representatives on hand in the Race Village over the weekend.  they will provide details about how your donations will help young people from hospitals throughout the UK experience life-changing sailing trips.

To gain some local knowledge and be one step ahead of other competitors, why not join Sailing Logic’s pre-Race Masterclass on May 25th.  Tim Thubron will talk you through the tidal gates and how they will affect you, the tide patterns and eddies and highlight key hazards to avoid such as the wreck!  He will also cover reading the weather forecast and preparing your boat for the Race as well as racing rules and how to apply them.

Timex are holding a winch grinding competition for anyone who thinks they can flex their muscles the best.  You could win yourself a watch worth £245.  Find them in the Race Village.

Old Pulteney will be holding various whiskey tasting session.  To try the tipple find them at the Raymarine weather briefing on the Friday night or in the Race Village throughout the weekend.

Last, and by absolutely no means the least, Sir Ben will be signing posters.  It doesn’t say what posters, lets hope they are of him and not his AC45 catamaran J.P. Morgan BAR!  Catch him after the Round the Island Race on Saturday at 17:00 for the signing at the Henri Lloyd stand in the Race Village.

Other related articles Round the Island Yacht Race and Sailing Dates

Image: TH Martinez/Sea&Co/onEdition; free for editorial use.

The post Round the Island Race appeared first on Lovesail - Sailing and Dating.

There are a great many sailing quotes from a great many great writers.  So lets start with a very popular sailing quote and one that gets posted on many a Lovesail profile.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain 

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. - Jacques Yves Cousteau

The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea. - Isak Dinesen

All loose things seem to drift down to the sea, and so did I. - Louis L’Amour

Duty is the great business of a sea officer; all private considerations must give way to it, however painful it may be. -  Horatio Nelson

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. – William A. Ward

When a man comes to like a sea life, he is not fit to live on land. – Dr. Samuel Johnson

There is but a plank between a sailor and eternity. – Thomas Gibbons

The chance of mistakes are about equal to the number of crew squared. -Ted Turner

Mackerel skies and mares tails, soon will be time to shorten sails.” – Unknown

It isn’t that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better. -Sir Francis Drake

There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. – Kenneth Grahame

There is nothing more enticing, enchanting and enslaving than the life at sea. – Joseph Conrad

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. – Antoine de Saint Exupery

More sailing quotes to following over the coming months.

The post Sailing Quotes appeared first on Lovesail - Sailing and Dating.

The annual Beaulieu Boat Jumble is taking place this Sunday 28th April 2013 at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.  Situated in the beautiful New Forest National Park, the Beaulieu Estate has been home to the boat jumble for some 36 years now.

The Beaulieu Boat Jumble is one of the biggest in the country and this year it has 1000 stands of both new and used nautical goodies for sale.

The Boat Mall is relatively new to the jumble and has products from leading marine manufactures including trailerable boats, dinghies, motorboats, clothing and accessories.

If it’s a second hand boat you are looking to buy, then pop along to the Boat Mart to see nearly new crafts for sale.

Tickets to the Beaulieu Boat Jumble cost £8.50 for an adult and £6.40 for a child if purchased in advance (plus a £1 handling charge) from the Beaulieu website.  Tickets purchased on the day will cost £9.70 for an adult and £7.50 for a child.

The ticket will also give you access to the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu Abbey and Palace House and gardens, and at a great reduction off the usual standard ticket prices normally payable to gain entry to these attractions.

The motor museum is well worth a visit when you have spent all your hard earned cash on new fenders and forestays.  The Bond in Motion exhibition is still running and who wouldn’t want to see the iconic 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III from Goldfinger or the buzzing autogyro, Little Nellie, from You Only Live Twice.

The Abbey and Palace House should not be missed either, and for all you WWII history buffs there is a very interesting Secret Army exhibition, detailing the training of secret agents by the SOE around the Beaulieu Estate during WWII.

Opening times for the Beaulieu Boat Jumble are 9am for the BoatMall and BoatMart and 10am for the jumble.  There is ample parking at Beaulieu but it can get quite busy so try to get there early to avoid the queues.

For more details of other Boat Jumbles around the country see our list of dates and venues.

The post Beaulieu Boat Jumble appeared first on Lovesail - Sailing and Dating.

Last weekend I attended a wedding in Devon.  Not unusual I hear you say.  According to the Office of National Statistics there were  277,740 marriages in the Uk in 2010.  What made this wedding special was the fact that it was two people that had met and fallen in love on the Lovesail site.  Once they have wed they plan to take the longest honeymoon in history.

Wendy best describes what happened in an email she sent to me back in October 2012…..

I am just writing to you with regards to our Lovesail success story.  One of your members contacted me on 28th February this year. We both had never been on the site before and signed up for one month.  I had had a string of bad relationships and was living back with my parents at 45yrs old. Sobbing on my Dads bed one night, feeling really sorry for myself, I thought, what really makes me happy.  I’ve always loved sailing and messing about on the water, so I googled date sites for sailing people and Lovesail.com was the first site that came up. I met up with a wonderful man called Ian “Captain Silver” was his site name, on Chichester Marina on March 8th 2012.  His yacht was called “The Silver Slipper “a beautiful Moody 422.  After a number of dates, he sent me a text asking if he could be my Peter Pan? (my name is Wendy) so I texted back,”Can I be your Cinderella if the silver slipper fits?  We have now been dating for 7 months, have fallen madly in love and are getting married next April 2013 in my home county of Devon and going on the longest honeymoon in history sailing round the world with my beautiful bearded collie dog “Bumble”

I was so touched when I received an invitation to the wedding and accepted without hesitation.

The setting was Mount Folly Farm, Bigbury on Sea, Devon.  It was the most beautiful location, high on a cliff top overlooking the estuary and Burgh Island.  The weather was sublime, sunny with a gentle breeze rising up from the sea.  A marque had been erected on the top of the cliff and guests were greeted with strawberries and cream on arrival.

The ceremony was carried out by a friend of the couple and was filled with laughter, cheers and tears and not forgetting Bumble the dog who was ring bearer for the day.  It was the most wonderful atmosphere, friends and family all genuinely happy that Ian and Wendy had found each other.

The rest of the day and evening was filled with dancing, singing (Tom Jones no less!) and entertainment on a grand scale.  This lists, most definitely, as one of the best weddings I have ever been to.

Ian and Wendy now have last minutes preparations to carry out on Silver Slipper before they depart from the UK in May.  They will sail down to Gran Canaria ready to join the ARC Race in November.  Once across the Atlantic it’s off around the Caribbean and then through the Panama Canal to the Pacific and then who knows.  Most definitely the longest honeymoon in history.

Bon Voyage Ian and Wendy, wishing you safe and happy adventures in your new life together.

The post Longest Honeymoon in History? appeared first on Lovesail - Sailing and Dating.

Tall ships, by nature, conjure up images of beautiful examples of historic, traditionally rigged sailing vessels from bygone days that sailed the seven seas in all their grandeur.  In those days however there were many outside influences that made sailing in these tall ships a hazardous journey.  Take for example the perils of pirate intervention and disease that ran rife due to the small amounts of water and food that could be carried on board.  Plus these tall ships were prone to capsizing in heavy seas and storms.  A very different story from today’s Tall ships, the opportunities they offer today – and their modern day meaning.

Nowadays the definition of  ”Tall Ships”  has become more closely associated with a an actual event or race for tall ships.   So let’s take a look at how this all came about.

In 1955 a London solicitor, Bernard Morgan, had the idea of organising a race to bring together the last of the world’s great square-rigged ships.  He obtained the support of Earl Mountbatten, and together with influential people in the sailing world, an organising committee was formed and went to work.  The result was a spectacular race from Torbay to Lisbon in 1956 which caught the imagination not only of the public, but also of the media who coined the phrase “Tall Ships’ Race.” It was judged to be such a success that the Committee formed the Sail Training Association,  in order that the Races could be put on a more permanent footing.

For over 50 years Sail Training International has been organising Tall Ships Race events for those vessels engaged in providing sail training to young people (ages 15-25).   There are estimated to be about 1,000 Tall Ships around the world working either full or part-time in sail training. Some of these vessels are specially adapted to provide places for trainees with physical or mental challenges which would normally preclude them from such adventure based activities.  They also cater and provide a number of tall ship places for young people from socially or economically deprived backgrounds.

Many young people participating in these Tall Ships race events describe it as making a real change in their lives with opportunities to develop key life skills such as team work, increased self-esteem and confidence, personal responsibility and leadership skills.  And because the opportunities are worldwide they can also develop a greater awareness, understanding and respect for people from differing cultures and socio-economic backgrounds.

Today there are numerous Tall Ships events held all over the world including the Mediterranean, Adriatic, North America and The Caribbean, alongside the well-established North Sea and Baltic events.  Public interest is immense – making Tall Ships Race Events one the world’s largest spectator attendance of any sport of exhibition worldwide.

And don’t worry there’s plenty of opportunity for those over the age of 25 to experience the wonder of sailing on these tall ships.

If you’re more of the adventurous type looking to take part in a hands-on role in a leg of a Tall Ships race there are a number of organisations worldwide that organise these trips.  Alternatively at the other end of the spectrum you can also enjoy a luxury experience aboard a tall ship in the Caribbean – where you can dream of swashbuckling pirates without the fear of actually seeing them!

The post Tall Ships appeared first on Lovesail - Sailing and Dating.

Here is a list of boat jumbles that are taking place in the UK over the coming year.  For those of you not familiar with the boat jumble, think jumble sales but for boating bargains!  The opening times are normally 10:00 to 15:00.

April 2013 Boat Jumble

• Sunday 7th April NORFOLK, The Royal Norfolk Show Ground, NORWICH, NR5 0TT
• Sunday 7 April PLYMOUTH, City College Plymouth, Kings Road, DEVONPORT, Devon, PL1 5QG
• Sunday 14 April IRISH, Carrickfergus Sailing Club, Rodger’s Quay, CARRICKFERGUS County Antrim, BT38 8BE
• Sunday 14 April GLOUCESTER, The National Waterways Museum, Gloucester Docks, GLOUCESTER, GL1 2EH
• Sunday 21 April  SUFFOLK, Trinity Park Events Centre, (A1156) IPSWICH, Suffolk, IP3 8UH
• Sunday 28 April Beaulieu Boat Jumble, The National Motor Museum, BEAULIEU, Hampshire, SO42 7ZN

May 2013 Boat Jumble

• Sunday 5 May SCOTTISH, St Mirren Football Club, Greenhill Road, PAISLEY PA3 1RU
  
• Monday 6 May PRESTON, Near GARSTANG, Lancashire, PR3 0TB
• Sunday 12 May SOLENT,  The Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley, SOUTHAMPTON, Hampshire, SO31 5GA
• Sunday 19 May HUMBERSIDE, Carlton Towers, Snaith, GOOLE, Yorkshire, DN14 9LZ
• Saturday 25 May DEVON, Newton Abbot Racecourse, NEWTON ABBOT, Devon, TQ12 3AF
• Sunday 26 May FALMOUTH Boat Jumble, Penryn Rugby Club, Kernick Road, Penryn, FALMOUTH, TR10 8NT

June 2013 Boat Jumble

• Sunday 9 June SOUTH ESSEX, Eastwood Nursery. BASILDON, Essex, SS6 7LR
  
• Sunday 16 June ARUN, Beach Road, LITTLEHAMPTON, Sussex, BN17 5JH

July 2013 Boat Jumble

• Sunday 7 July TITCHFIELD, Hound Hill Farm, Segensworth Road, Titchfield, FAREHAM, Hampshire, PO15 5DY
  
• Sunday 28 July NORTH WALES, Bodelwyddan Castle, Bodelwyddan, RHYL, Denbighshire, LL18 5YA

August 2013 Boat Jumble

• Sunday 25 August PORTSMOUTH, Fort Purbrook, Portsdown Hill Road, Cosham, PORTSMOUTH, Hampshire, PO6 1BJ
  

September 2013 Boat Jumble

• Sunday 1 September ESSEX, Battlesbridge Antiques Centre, BATTLESBRIDGE, Essex, SS11 7RF
• Sunday 8 September NORTHERN, MIDDLEWICH, Cheshire. CW4 7LN
• Sunday 15 September WEST SUSSEX, Selsey Road, CHICHESTER, Sussex, PO20 1NP
• Saturday 21 September DEVON, Newton Abbot Racecourse, NEWTON ABBOT, Devon, TQ12 3AF
• Sunday 29 September SOLENT, The Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley, SOUTHAMPTON, Hampshire, SO31 5GA

October 2013 Boat Jumble

•  Saturday 5 October WEST OF SCOTLAND, Irvine Water Sports Club, 66 Harbour Street, IRVINE, Ayrshire, KA12 8PY
•  Sunday 6 October HUMBERSIDE, Carlton Towers, Snaith, GOOLE, Yorkshire, DN14 9LZ
• Sunday 13 October KENT, The Friars, Aylesford Priory, AYLESFOTD, Kent, ME20 7BX
• Sunday 20 October SOUTH WALES, Margam Country Park, PORT TALBOT, Glamorgan, SA13 2TJ
• Sunday 27 October SUFFOLK, Trinity Park Events Centre, IPSWICH, Suffolk, IP3 8UH

November 2013 Boat Jumble

• Sunday 3 November EAST HAMPSHIRE, Havant Leisure Centre, Civic Centre Way, HAVANT Hampshire, PO9 2AY
  

Image courtesy of Riebart

The post Boat Jumble appeared first on Lovesail - Sailing and Dating.

Once you have caught the sailing bug it’s a very hard one to shake off.  But what do you do if you don’t have a yacht or a sailboat?  How do you go sailing and quench that insatiable thirst for wind and speed?

Go sailing at work

One way to go sailing is to work in the sailing industry.  A change of direction would mean you could  go sailing 24/7.  There are many opportunities out there from teaching in a sailing school,  hosting  on a charter yacht or being a galley chef on a super yacht.  It’s never too late to change your career.  If you truly want to have a job you enjoy then it can be done.  With a bit of planning and a dash of enthusiasm, anything can be achieved.

Go sailing as a volunteer

There are many worthy sailing charities that are crying out for volunteers.  Give some of your spare time and expertise to help others go sailing.  Whether it’s helping to provide respite days or holidays out on the water to teaching young people with and without disabilities to sail a tall ship.  The list is endless as are the rewards you will receive for helping others less fortunate than yourself.

Join a sailing network

There are many on-line social networking sites on the world wide web where you can meet others that share your passion to go sailing. You can even join a sailing dating site.  Lovesail is both a dating and social networking site for boating fanatics.  If you are an experienced sailor then why not join some of the crewing sites and help deliver a yacht to some far flung region of the world.

Go sailing on holiday

There are more holiday charter companies than you can poke a stick at.  A search on Google for “sailing charter companies” results in 30,100,000 possibilities!  One sure fire way to go sailing would be to hire a yacht with some friends and go sailing around the many island destinations of the world.  If you want to improve your sailing skills then a flotilla holiday might just be the ticket.  You’ll meet other like-minded souls with the urge to go sailing but can relax in the knowledge that you have a lead crew to advise you and also tell you the best the secret caves and coves to visit.

Join a sailing club

Lastly this advice has been given to me by my Mother throughout my childhood and well into adulthood.  What better way to meet people with similar interests than to join a club.  Wherever you live in the world you will be a stone’s throw away from a sailing club.  Usually they are named after the town or area where they are based ie Chichester Sailing Club or Melbourne Yacht Club.  So just search the internet or local library for details of your nearest club.

So just a few suggestions to get you out on the water, but whatever you decide, fair winds and following seas.

The post Go Sailing! appeared first on Lovesail - Sailing and Dating.

Annapolis Sailboat Show Spring edition, will be held from Friday 26^th April through to Sunday 28^th April, 2013 and will cover a number of locations including the Annapolis City Dock, Ego Alley and Susan Campbell Park.  This is the second Spring event for the Annapolis Sailboat Show, and this year it has expanded the footprint in order to accommodate an even more impressive array of exhibitors and products on display.  Last year the show welcomed visitors from over 30 US states as well as from all around the globe.

This exciting event will cover over 2000’ of floating dock area where over 80 new and brokerage sailboats, both mono and multihull, will be on display.  Visitors to the Annapolis Sailboat Show will have the unique opportunity to board and inspect virtually every new model on the market, make side-by-side comparisons, and talk to experienced representatives in the industry about all the aspects of buying and owning a boat.

To complement the floating dock area there will be a line-up of over 100 exhibitors at the Annapolis Sailboat Show, covering virtually all aspects of marine services and accessories including boating equipment, electronics, clothing and footwear, finance and insurance and much more.

The Annapolis Sailboat Show will also feature the very popular Cruisers University, a four day educational event designed to introduce and train you for life aboard a cruising boat.  The event, billed as “The Ultimate Aid to Navigation”  will feature renowned cruising experts who will teach attendees over 120 hours of elective classes.

Attendees can choose from classes covering  one, three or all four days.   Topics include: Crossing the Gulf Stream, Hurricane Preparation,  Modern Navigation, Blogging and Web Communication On Board, Collision Avoidance and Short Handed Sailing. For anyone sailing, be it near or far, and just needs that extra burst of knowledge then this is the place to be.  The classes will be held at the Annapolis Marriott Waterfront Hotel and the Annapolis Recreation Centre and will start on the 25^th April.

All visitors to the Annapolis Sailboat Show will be able to register to win door prizes donated from various sponsors and exhibitors.  Prizes range from sunglasses and boat supplies through to the Grand Prize Draw, where the winner gets a two hour private charter for 48 people aboard the Annapolis Schooner Woodwind, courtesy of WRNR Radio.

Anyone with an interest in boating and yachting will enjoy a day out at the Annapolis Sailboat Show, and with entrance fees of $12 for an adult, $4 for children 7-12 years and free entry for children under 6, it’s a great day out for all the family.

Image Courtesy of Glenway Rauth

The post Annapolis Sailboat Show appeared first on Lovesail - Sailing and Dating.