SOCIAL Cup | Northern Rivers Sail

Fitting Out Lunch - Hoveton Village Hall

Lots of hard work went into preparing a delicious spread for the Fitting Out Lunch. As well as the fabulous food there was a boat jumble, book stall and plenty of opportunities to catch up. Thanks, as always, to Mike M for the great pictures.

Visit to the International Boatbuilding Training College in Lowestoft

More than 20 club members enjoyed a fascinating and informative tour around the International Boatbuilding Training College in Lowestoft. Thanks to Mike, Lynn and Alan for taking the time to lead the groups around and explain how the college is keeping centuries-old boatbuilding traditions alive.

We all picked up some top tips on the best way to varnish wood and paint GRP and enjoyed a delicious meal at the Wherry Hotel afterwards. Thanks to Glyn for organising the event.

New Year's Lunch

The first social event of 2024 saw members gather at the Brick Kilns in Little Plumstead for a delicious meal and catch-up. Plans were hatched for the start of the racing and cruising seasons and everyone had a good chat between courses.

Thanks to Julia M for organising and Mike M for the photos.

AGM Annual Dinner and Prizegiving

A great turnout at the Old Rectory in Crostwick for the AGM, Dinner and Prizegiving.

Thanks to Maggi F for organising the event and to Mike M for taking the pictures.

Fitting Out Lunch

It was wonderful to see more than 40 members thoroughly enjoying themselves at the Fitting Out Lunch at the Thurne Lion. Thank you all for coming along and for those who couldn't make it for one reason or another, we hope to see you at a Club meeting very soon.

Pictures by Deirdre Sutherland

Many thanks to Neil & Deirdre for organising the lunch, to Malcolm & Maggi for managing the book and bric-a-brac stalls, and to Annette for running the raffle. Also, thanks to Mike for the slide show, and we are sorry that the technology was on strike! So many people help with these events, and we are grateful to you all.

This year we were delighted to be able to show you a rail of clothing from dd Health & Safety Supplies (ddHSS) in Norwich, all of which can be embroidered with the Club logo, and your, or your boat's, name. Many thanks to Mel for making an excellent selection from the literally thousands of options in the ddHSS catalogue.

Whether it's polo shirts, fleeces, sweatshirts shorts or caps, there's something of high quality for everyone. As a present for a loved one, a selection from the list will always be very welcome indeed.

Members have been emailed an electronic copy of the list, including prices and measurements; but don't forget, you can order anything you fancy from their catalogue, with or without embroidery, and in a wide variety of colours. If you are in Norwich one day, why not call in for a browse? Or call them up for a chat. The staff are very welcoming.

Once you have made your selection, simply telephone the shop, mention you are from Northern Rivers, and the whole thing will run like clockwork.

In closing, let me remind you that our next trip will be a wonderful Spring Walk with John B in the Norfolk Brecklands on 15th April. Also, April sees the recommencement of Sailing in Company, so do join Brian's Whatsapp group for the latest plans.

Watch out for the Club's March Newsletter, which will be arriving in your inbox, and on the website, very soon.

All the best

Mark

Winter walk and lunch - St Benet's Abbey

We've all sailed past St Benet's Abbey but this was a chance to have a guided tour around these ancient ruins.

Alison Mc T and her dog Florence were the only ones who walked both ways from Ludham so she gets the award for stoicism.

The rest walked one way and returned with other cars. There were some very cold winds blowing up there but the sun came out after a short shower while our expert guide, Barry, showed us around.

A lovely Lunch was served by the Staithe n Willow team and everyone had an enjoyable day.

Deirdre.

New Year's lunch at the White Horse

Lots to talk about at the first club event of 2023. Thanks to Deirdre and Neil and all at the White Horse for such an enjoyable occasion.

Congratulations to the winners of the raffle prizes and well done to all who organised the publication of the Red Books which were distributed to members at the meal.

Pictures by Mike Morcher

Pictures by Deirdre Sutherland

AGM Dinner and Prizegiving

Great to see such a good turnout for the AGM and Prizegiving at the Old Rectory. It was a sellout with members attending from far and wide.

As always members enjoyed excellent food and service from the attentive staff, a good choice of menu and the evening was very well organised by the social secretaries. Everyone had a memorable time.

We were all very sorry that John Redding was unable to attend due to ill health to receive his award and he was greatly missed.

Pictures by Mike Morcher

Commodore's Call - a great club fund-raiser

We had a magnificent turn-out for the Commodore's Call at the New Victory Hall in Neatishead. The event was expertly organised and run by Neil and Deirdre with an army of volunteers helping to serve up a delicious dinner. Everyone present was automatically entered into a prize draw with a chance to win a beautiful water colour by Surinder Beerh entitled Wells-Next-the-Sea Evening.

We had a talk on the new-look website, which resulted in traffic to the site spiking at a record high, and a fascinating talk from the Commodore on the history of the Northern Rivers.

Grateful thanks to Mike M for the pictures: