Cruising
The Club has an active and well-supported Cruising section, enabling members to take part in organised and informal cruises with fellow members.
During the year there are also talks and presentations at the Lightship on all aspects of cruising. These include members or visiting yachtsmen entertaining us with personal accounts of their cruising, near and far. and other topics of interest.
Each year we have a programme of cruises, which can be found on the HPYC website www.hpyc.com These include (usually) weekend trips to local destinations on the East Coast and/or its many rivers. We also organise extended cruises to destinations further afield (eg the South Coast of England or the European continent (The Netherlands, Belgium, France, the Channel Islands, and beyond)).
As well as organised cruises, there are opportunities for informal cruises eg a few boats getting together at relatively short notice to make the most of a favourable weather forecast. For informal cruises, members taking part are responsible for making their own berthing arrangements.
The Club also operate an HPYC Crew Pool (which has its own WhatsApp group) for crew looking for skippers or skippers looking for crew.
Each organised cruise has an organiser who, a few weeks beforehand, will publish a flyer for their cruise. The flyers are added to the club website, notified in the regular newsletters emailed to members, and also posted on the HPYC Cruising WhatsApp group.
Cruises are booked though the HPYC website, and bookings normally open 5+ weeks before the event. (and close on the Sunday before the event). If you would like to join one of our cruises, please log into the Members section of the HPYC website, have a look at the calendar of cruising events, choose the cruise you are interested in, and (when the cruise opens for bookings) book yourself and your boat onto the cruise a very simple process! As we can only reserve so many places at marinas or harbours, there has to be limit set on the number of bookings. If a cruise is oversubscribed a waiting list will be maintained, and places released if/when other booked boats cancel.
Meeting up in the Lightship the night before a cruise is a great way to chat about where we are going, what the latest forecast is and usually the most important question, what time is everyone leaving! There is always a lot of helpful advice for members, especially those who may be new to the area, and its a really good way to get to know fellow Club members. It doesn't matter if you have a small or larger sailing yacht or motorboat, all are very welcome to join in.
If you decide not to sail for any reason, or if you change your plans en-route, all we ask for is a courtesy call. It is always the skippers responsibility to plan their passage and to decide whether or not to continue. We hold this to be absolute; no explanation is expected. When the forecast is dire or for some other reason the organiser considers the arranged venue unsatisfactory, there will usually be a plan B - these often turn out to be great fun and can make the most of an otherwise frustrating weekend.
When we arrive at our cruise destination, we usually have a meet-up/gathering for welcome drinks and nibbles, and swap yarns about the trip, and then sometimes go out to dinner to the local yacht club or to a pub for those that wish. We may instead have a BBQ or a Safari Supper, or a visit somewhere. If a longer cruise is organized, eg Blackwater Week or to the Channel Islands, Brittany or the Netherlands then boats can dip in or out and rendezvous as they choose.
Whether you choose to cruise with other HPYC yachts or on your own, the Lightship is a great place to meet up and share your stories with likeminded sailors. Have a look at the website for reports of previous cruises.
The HPYC Cruising WhatsApp group, is also used for sharing general cruising news and photos as well as putting together informal cruises. Temporary WhatsApp groups may also be established for some of the organised cruises.
One of the best things about cruising with HPYC is the friendly and relaxed atmosphere. For new members, its also a great way to make new friends, gain experience and confidence.
Check the dates on the Cruising Programme (which may change), and join us if you can, youll have a great time!
Apart from cruising in company some cruisers like to race. In the HPYC Racing programme there are Sunday races in the Spring and Autumn, Wednesday evening races in June, and interclub races throughout the Summer aimed at lightly crewed yachts with white sails. Why not join in and fine tune your sailing skills!
The Clubs Risk Statement for Cruising with HPYC can be found here: HPYC Risk Statement for Cruising.pdf , please read this before booking onto an HPYC Cruise.
Please contact me if you would like to have a chat about cruising with HPYC:
Peter Ingram, Rear Commodore Cruising), email: cruising@hpyc.com
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Last updated 15:28 on 19 February 2025
