Urgent notices
Urgent crew vacancies
We still have some spaces next week (23-27 May – £200). Please contact the office urgently if you want to go! The good news, however, is that we do have enough crew members for the trip to go ahead.
We may also still have spaces on voyage 20 (6 – 11 June), though we are at least getting some expressions of interest. We have bursary funding for this trip, via a donation designed to help ensure that we don’t have to cancel the voyage – largely because we have sea staff who have have taken annual leave to sail. So this voyage is now being offered at the amazing one-off price of £125 per person for five days. If you have any suggestions for finding individuals or groups to fill this voyage, call David Salmon urgently on 0870 241 2252.
International Festival of the Sea (IFOS)
Thurs 30th June – Sun 3rd July: We still need more volunteers for the OYT stand at IFOS in Portsmouth. It will be a fantastic experience, with a chance to see round the rest of the festival as well as helping to promote OYT South. David Salmon needs to know by next Monday if you can help as it will take some time to arrange security passes – please call him on 0870 241 2252.
Storage space needed
Does anyone within about 30 minutes or so drive from Gosport have any spare, clean and dry storage space? We would like to re-locate the OYT South files archive from David Salmon’s garage! Again, call 0870 241 2252.
Voyage news
A day sail last weekend for a few of the suppliers who help us keep John Laing going: it was great to see four people from Raymarine, who have helped us so much with equipment; plus Tim the rigger (and his girlfriend). Skippered by Dave Carnson, it was a typically relaxing day!
On Monday, we were joined by another crew of siblings from CHASE Children’s Hospice: two leaders and six young people, three of whom had sailed with us last year. Sea staff were Yvonne Taylor, Graeme Cole, Andy Royse, Phil Runchman and, following Monday’s desperate Pan Pan message sent out when Craig was signed off sick, Oli Clements came along to help out, and the next day we were joined by Gizmo as bosun. Special thanks to both of them for helping out at such short notice.
The voyage is still under way, but so far they have sailed from Southampton to Yarmouth, and then to Weymouth. Here they had a delicious BBQ on the beach and played lots of games. One of the highlights was a sand sculpture competition, won by Jess and Billy with their dolphin. Sea staff Andy and Graeme still maintain their effort should have won: a sculpture of a mermaid using Gizmo as their muse.
From Weymouth they sailed to Poole, where this afternoon they were focussing on training for Competent Crew and Start Yachting certificates – I’m told that everyone should get something by the end of the trip.
Also going well, I gather, is Phil Runchman’s second mate’s assessment. Currently employed as the surgeon on board HMS Invincible, Phil will evidently be a valuable addition to the OYT South team!
Sea staff vacancies
First mates still needed for: 31 May – 4 June; 24-28 June; 12-17 August; 26 Aug-2 Sept; 3-9 Sept; 12-16 Sept; 19-23 Sept; 24-30 Sept; 10-14 Oct; 15-20 Oct; 21-25 Oct; 26-31 Oct; 1-5 Nov.
Second mates needed for: 10-11 Sept; 2-7 Oct; 26-31 Oct; 1-5 Nov. Not all of these are entirely straightforward as it may be essential to have a female second mate on some of these trips.
Any remaining third mate vacancies will be allocated once we have sorted out the remaining demand for assessment berths,
We still have spaces for future prospective sea staff on a familiarisation voyage 12-16 September (£200); and there are also spaces on the mates’ training weekend 16-18 Sept (£100)
Please email me or call 07986 354697 if you want to do any of these voyages.
Future crew bookings
Apart from the urgent vacancies advertised above, we still have spaces on the following voyages:
JL05-30: 10 nights, 16-26 Jul, Cherbourg to Newcastle, £600
JL05-31: 9 nights, 27 Jul – 5 Aug, Newcastle to Fredrikstad, £585
JL05-32: 4 nights, 6-10 Aug, Fredrikstad to Bremerhaven, £260
JL05-34: 5 nights, 12-17 Aug, Bremerhaven to Ipswich, £325
JL05-40: 4 nights, 12-16 Sep, Southampton, £200
JL05-41: 2 nights, 16-18 Sep, Southampton, £100
JL05-42: 4 nights, 19-23 Sep, Southampton, £220
JL05-46: 2 nights, 7-9 Oct, Southampton, £110 (whole boat group booking available)
JL05-47: 4 nights, 10-14 Oct, Southampton, £210 (whole boat group booking available)
JL05-48: 5 nights, 15-20 Oct, Southampton, £225 (whole boat group booking available)
JL05-49: 4 nights, 21-25 Oct, Southampton, £200
JL05-51: 4 nights, 1-5 Nov, Southampton, £160
For information on latest vacancies, please contact the office on 0870 241 2252, or email office@oytsouth.org.
We are now taking bookings on the 2006 programme, also available from the office, or on the website at www.oytsouth.org.
Dates for your diaries
Sun 5th June: John Laing maintenance day, Poole (call Wolf 07771 771864).
Weds 29th June: John Laing maintenance day, Portsmouth (call Wolf 07771 771864).
Thurs 30th June – Sun 3rd July: IFOS, the International Festival of the Sea, in Portsmouth: volunteers needed on the OYT South stand for all four days, and to show visitors around John Laing on Thursday and Friday, before she sets sail for Waterford.
Thurs 11th August: John Laing maintenance day, but this one is in Bremerhaven so we don’t expect many casual helpers to drop in!
10th and 11th September: More John Laing Open Days.
Friday 16th Sept: OYT South annual dinner, Royal Southern YC, Hamble, held jointly with two local children’s hospices. Tickets £65 each.
16th – 25th September: Southampton Boat Show: volunteers needed for the OYT South stand.
Saturday 1st October: John Laing maintenance day, Southampton (call Wolf 07771 771864).
For more information on any of this, email me or contact the office on 0870 241 2252, office@oytsouth.org.
Don’t forget the OYT South link to Amazon!
At the bottom of the OYT South home page (https://www.oytsouth.org/) is a link to Amazon. Use this link whenever you order anything from Amazon and they will give a percentage of the price to OYT South funds.