# Cruiser Fleet

I am here to prevent the first-page-empty bug!

At GYC we have both deep water and drying trot moorings. The drying moorings allow access three hours either side of high water and the deep water moorings are accessible at any state of the tide. Members have a range of sailing and motor yachts, from light displacement racers to traditional blue water cruisers. There is rarely a waiting list for moorings and we can usually accommodate boats up to a maximum of 12 meters and ten tons.

We can sail upriver as far as Tower Bridge and there are no restrictions downriver; it is possible to sail to the Thames Estuary beyond the Medway on a single tide.

The club organises yacht races about every two weeks in the summer and about every month during the winter. Racing is open to all classes under the Byron handicap system. GYC has a friendly relationship with other clubs on the Thames, and there are inter-club racing events, regattas and open races at other Thames and Medway clubs. Our races are usually around cans, downriver to Erith, Thurrock and Gravesend, and beyond to Sea Reach and around the Isle of Sheppey.

Each summer, we organise the ‘East Coast Cruise’ where a dozen or so boats spend a week sailing together to destinations beyond the Thames such as Burnham on Crouch and the River Blackwater. The club also has a well-equipped yard with hardstanding for 20 boats and a brand new boat lift. Berth holders also have use of a workshop, engine shed, sail loft and storage lockers. As we rely on our members volunteering for all aspects of our management and maintenance, we are able to keep the prices for moorings and yard very reasonable indeed!

## Gallery

## Race Rules

## Handicap System

The club uses the Byron handicap system. The system is based on measurements taken from thousands of yachts along with race data - which is used to calculate a boats theoretical hull speed and a handicap which adjusts race finishes.

The Byron James website includes data for most yacht classes - but they also provide a calculator that works with the specific data from any particular boat. It is the responsability of the yacht owner to apply for a BJ handicap certiticate and you must re-apply if significant changes are made to the boat, such as adding a spinnaker.

The certificate should normally be renewed every three years and submitted to the captain of the cruiser fleet who will make sure these are used to handicap races.

### Current handicap data for the fleet

Download Spreadsheet (view history)

## Cruising in company

Members of the club join a number of informal cruises in company over the season including a much enjoyed day trip to Erith Yacht Club and back, enjoying the hospitality at Erith over lunch. Such events are very sociable as well as being excellent opportunities to gain experience on the river.

## Summer Cruise

The East Coast Cruise as it is usually known is an annual institution at GYC – a popular and enjoyable week long cruise in company out of the river and into the Thames Estuary and occasionally beyond. Destinations usually range from the Swale on the Kent side to the Blackwater Orwell and Deben, to name but a few, on the Essex and Suffolk side. Over the years the cruise has taken the fleet further afield and to other destinations but where-ever, the intention is to follow an itinerary suitable for a range of boat sizes and range experience of skipper and crew. The cruise is an ideal way for those less confident in sailing further than the Thames itself at Greenwich to gain experience and benefit from the support of other club members and the fleet.

In recent years the cruise has been following similar itineraries visiting the Essex and Suffolk rivers and including enjoying the hospitality of the Royal Harwich Yacht Club just upstream from Pin Mill on the Orwell for a rest day mid week. Our changeable weather means plans for the week often have to change mid week to suit - but that’s part of the pleasure.

The estuary crossings are usually the longest day’s sail of the week and can be testing in strong winds but with careful passage planning and making best use of the tides we get there.

Individual skippers are responsible for their own passage plans and crews but the overall itinerary, optimum start times, expected arrival times at destinations and details along the way are sh ar ed before hand.