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RYA SPRING 2021


Dinghy cruising is a great way to see parts of the coast in a new light.


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River Severn is one of the few that has always championed cruising. Beyond its slipway stretches an implausibly diverse cruising ground: bucolic daysails up with the tide for picnics in fields; adventurous weekends down across the Bristol Channel to Portishead or Ilfracombe, even to Lundy Island. Member Annabel Dance has written a guide to the area, Dinghy Cruising in the Bristol Channel. There’s just one catch: the River


Severn. Fast tides (the Bristol Channel has the world’s second-highest tidal range) plus an uneven seabed make this, the club’s blog notes wryly, ‘an exciting place to sail’, perhaps why Lydney members are an affable bunch. Club commodore Sarah Evans believes the challenge is part of the appeal. ‘A spring tide can be anything from six to nine knots – you have to get it right coming back to the slipway!’ she explains. ‘And often there’s no water in the river at all. So cruising here isn’t for the faint-hearted; it’s a real challenge for sailors who come from lake sailing. But our experienced sailors take out newbies and they have a great time.’


explore the shore


Sheltered waters offer gentler days. Roger recommends Cornwall’s Carrick Roads and River Helford, as well as Milford Sound, the creeks of North Norfolk and the Lake District. And this is where the RYA comes in. Inspired by


the paddling guides of British Canoeing, the association launched a series of free downloadable dinghy cruising trails last August. The idea is so brilliantly simple you wonder why no one has done it before. Alongside information about distances, sailing times and launch sites, each trail chart is packed with information: details of navigation or anchorages; who-knew-that facts; insider tips about stellar views or best picnic spots. Everything you need for a terrific day out, basically. All trails are under six hours’ sailing. Safety is paramount – each graded trail has been created with local experts and includes refuge exits in case of problems. And just as critically, trails are selected because launching is free or available at nominal charge. ‘We’re great advocates of finding inexpensive ways of getting on the water,’ explains Michelle Gent, RYA Programmes Manager. ‘And there are so many beautiful areas of the country where you can explore the shoreline. This is to show sailing isn’t just racing. It’s about discovering the great outdoors.’ The first dinghy cruising trail, a 15-mile loop around Ullswater, was launched last August in collaboration with Edmund Clarke, sailing manager of Ullswater Yacht Club. He has sailed on the lake literally his whole life – his parents took him aboard their Sonata


“rya dinghy


trails will give families that bit of confidence to do something different, to have a little adventure”


dinghy within his first year. You couldn’t find a better source of local knowledge. ‘People always think of Windermere for sailing but that’s so much more commercial,’ he says. ‘Ullswater lends itself really well to a cruising trail. It’s safe because there are always other boats, but it’s also quiet enough to let you have a shallow lagoon to yourself.’ The scenery’s not too shabby either: comely hills in the sheltered north; Helvellyn among stacked mountains as you sail south; three islands for Swallows And Amazons adventures. I expected Edmund to have been reluctant to share his favourite spots with the RYA, but that’s not the case: ‘It’s all about local knowledge, so it was fantastic to tell people nice places to stop.’ He recommends Kailpot Bay in The Narrows and Sandwick Bay,


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