No categories assigned

GYC Online

GYC Online

Looking for something?

As you will likely be aware, the club experienced a catastrophic failure of the members portal website. We are in the process of building a new members portal, but will provide some temporary solutions for things that were there. Watch this space... and we will announce on the TNA.

There is however a new Events Calender which you can see under the members corner menu on the left.

We are still working on updating our Web / IT infrastructure and since we are volunteers it might take a bit of time. If you have a question or suggestion please email: [1]

Merchandise

You can order a GYC burgee from Ensign Flags.

You can buy | GYC branded clothing here. here, but ignore the link to buy burgees on that page (will be updated shortly to Ensign Flags)

Books recommended by members

Book Title Author Member Comment Available online
Magic of the Swatchways Maurice Griffiths A classic account of east coast sailing and a good read https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magic-Swatchways-M-GRIFFITHS/dp/0713656913/
Sailing alone around the world: A voyage beyond imagination Joshua Slocum I just finished listening to Captain Slocum on Audible! 😀 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0722YJ54Q/
Alone through the Roaring Forties Vito Dumas The opposite of above. What a character https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alone-Through-Roaring-Forties-Dumas/dp/0229642012/
*Anything* Maurice Griffiths Anything by Maurice Griffiths is pretty good mind you https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maurice-Griffiths/e/B000APC0H6
Swin, Swale & Swatchway H. Lewis Jones a Victorian account of sailing the Thames Estuary - a predecessor of Maurice Griffiths https://lodestarbooks.com/product/swin-swale-swatchway-2/
Sailing Just For Fun A C Stock https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sailing-Just-Fun-Adventure-Budget/dp/0953818063/
On And Offshore : Cruising The Thames And The East Coast Dick Durham Ex-editor of Yachting Monthly who loves east coast sailing. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Offshore-Cruising-Thames-East-Coast/dp/B00AV5GAJE/
Swallows and Amazons (series) Arthur Ransome We didn't mean to go to sea seems particularly relevant, though having grown up on the Norfolk Broads myself the Coot Club and Big Six have always been my favourite emoticon https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0891WSSSP
Cruise of the Nona Hilaire Belloc https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08X4V8Q2B/
Voyages of a Simple Sailor, Ming Ming & The Tonic of Wildness Roger D. Taylor Roger Taylor’s books on sailing his junk-rigged Corribee and Achilles 24 long distances, including to the Azores and up to Svalbard (Ming Ming) are a good read too and shows what can be done with small yachts https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roger-D.-Taylor/e/B00404KTUI
A Single Wave Webb Chiles https://www.amazon.co.uk/Single-Wave-Stories-Storms-Survival-ebook/dp/B01BNZMHRE/
Close to the Wind: An Extraordinary Story of Triumph Over Adversity Pete Goss Pete Goss and Ellen McArthur and of course Francis Chichester on sailing round the world - character building stuff https://www.amazon.co.uk/Close-Wind-Extraordinary-Triumph-Adversity-ebook/dp/B004TG6XDE/
Taking on the World Ellen MacArthur Pete Goss and Ellen McArthur and of course Francis Chichester on sailing round the world - character building stuff https://www.amazon.co.uk/Taking-World-Ellen-MacArthur-ebook/dp/B004LLIHGS/
Full Circle Ellen MacArthur Pete Goss and Ellen McArthur and of course Francis Chichester on sailing round the world - character building stuff https://www.amazon.co.uk/Full-Circle-Ellen-MacArthur-ebook/dp/B0040QDMLE/
Gipsy Moth Circles The World Francis Chichester Pete Goss and Ellen McArthur and of course Francis Chichester on sailing round the world - character building stuff https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gipsy-Circles-World-Francis-Chichester-ebook/dp/B009H64A6I/
This Precious Isle: One Man's Journey Around Britain Kim Sturgess A rather more achievable circumnavigation. https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Precious-Isle-Journey-Britain/dp/1848766823/
The Unlikely Voyage of Jack De Crow: A Mirror Odyssey from North Wales to the Black Sea AJ Mackinon And for sheer oddness AJ Mackinon’s Jack de Crow on sailing from Gloucester to the mouth of the Danube is a good read. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unlikely-Voyage-Jack-Crow-Odyssey-ebook/dp/B01E7Z7FLA/
The last grain race Eric Newby Eric Newby, who went on to become a famous travel writer, signed up for 18 months with the largest sailing fleet still in existence in 1938. This is his account of his first voyage in the final great sailing "grain race", leaving from Belfast on a four masted square rigger bound for Australia to bring back several thoudans tonnes of antipodean grain. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Grain-Race-Eric-Newby-ebook/dp/B00KFEH12G/
Coasting Bargemaster Bob Roberts Bob Roberts' engaging first hand account of life skippering sailing cargo barges on the Thames Estuary pre and during the second world war, including on one that tried to kill him and his crew. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coasting-Bargemaster-Sleightholme/dp/0953818012
Last of the sailormen Bob Roberts Bob Roberts' first hand account of skippering during the last days of hauling cargo around the Thames Estuary by sail alone. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Sailormen-Publisher-Seafarer-Paperback/dp/B00SLSUJJ0/
Riddle of the sands Erskine Childers Reputedly the first ever spy novel, and written as a warning about the massing of German naval power before the start of the first world war. A great read, and although fictional his great personal experience of sailing shoal draft craft around the eastern North sea coast shines through. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Riddle-Sands-Erskine-Childers-ebook/dp/B01KY1YZ2S/
Jaws Peter Benchley https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jaws-Benchley-Peter-July-Paperback/dp/B015YMLWFA/
Eight Bells and Top Masts Christopher Lee https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eight-Bells-Top-Masts-Diaries/dp/0747264201/
Down to the Sea in Ships Horatio Clare About modern life on a container ship out of Felixstowe. Worth it if only for the incredible precision navigation. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Down-Sea-Ships-Ageless-Oceans/dp/0099526298/
The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History Of Britain, 1649-1815 N.A.M. Rodger Fascinating account of british naval history. On the reading list for potential RN officers. How I discovered the origin of the term "Gunboat diplomacy". https://www.amazon.co.uk/Command-Ocean-History-Britain-1649-1815/dp/0141026901/
The book of tides William Thomson Non fiction, written by a graphic artist who has travelled the coasts of the uk with his young family in a camper van to surf. It's written in a refreshingly direct style, and is full of intriguing observations, facts and trivia about everything to do with tides, all explained with expert diagrams. It's not a text book, nor a travelogue. The reviews on Amazon give a flavour of what to expect. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Tides-William-Thomson/dp/1786480794/
The lonely sea and sky Francis Chichester https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lonely-Sea-Sky-Francis-Chichester/dp/184953201X/
Cruising Under Sail Eric Hiscock https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cruising-Under-Sail-Eric-Hiscock/dp/0713635649/
Yacht Cruising Claude Worth https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/yacht-cruising/author/claud-worth/
The Cruise of the Falcon E F Knight https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cruise-Falcon-Edward-Frederick-Knight/dp/0469173211/
A World of My Own Robin Knox-Johnston The story of the first ever non-stop solo circumnavigation of the world. https://www.amazon.co.uk/World-My-Own-Non-stop-Voyage/dp/1472974409/
Sailing all the Seas in Idle Hour W H Johnson
Building a Little Ship W H Johnson
Attention All Shipping Charlie Connelly Charlie Connelly wittily explores the places behind the voice, those mysterious regions whose names seem often to bear no relation to conventional geography. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Attention-All-Shipping-Journey-Forecast/dp/0349116032/
LodeStar Books Publishing house New and neglected nautical writings - a good range, some listed below - printed and ebooks available https://lodestarbooks.com/
For the love of Sauntress Martin O'Scanlon Saling an engineless classic yacht https://lodestarbooks.com/product/for-the-love-of-sauntress/
The Marine Quarterly Journal The Marine Quarterly is 112 pages of intelligent sea reading, they say (£7.50 an issue) https://www.themarinequarterly.com/
One Summer's Grace Libby Purves A family voyage around Britain https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Summers-Grace-Libby-Purves-ebook/dp/B0043VDID8
One Wild Song Paul Heiney Sailing to Patagonia after losing his son https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Wild-Song-Voyage-Lost-ebook/dp/B00U0YXV6G
Last Man Across the Atlantic Paul Heiney Singlehanded transatlantic race in a cruising yacht https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Man-Across-Atlantic/dp/1845960556
To the Baltic with Bob Griff Rhys-Jones Sailing a classic yacht to St Petersburg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baltic-Bob-Epic-Misadventure/dp/0141012862/
At One With the Sea Naomi James the first woman to sail single-handed around the world https://www.amazon.co.uk/At-One-Sea-Alone-Around/dp/009136860X
Once is Enough Miles Smeeton Classic account from the Smeetons sailing their yacht - including being pitchpoled twice in the Southern Ocean https://www.amazon.co.uk/Once-Enough-Miles-Smeeton/dp/0007535104/
Old Man Sailing John Passmore Retired man sails off on his own to escape Covid lockdown https://www.amazon.co.uk/Old-Man-Sailing-dreams-lifetime/dp/B08TQ9KV48/
The Long Way Bernard Moitessier The man who would have won the race that Knox-Johnston did, if he hadn't decided to do another lap https://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Way-Bernard-Moitessier/dp/1493042785/
My Lively Lady Alec Rose The greengrocer from Portsmouth who did what Chichester did https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lively-Lady-Sir-Alec-Rose/dp/0245595651/
Maiden Voyage Tania Aebi The youngest woman to sail solo around the world when she did it in 1985 aged 18 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maiden-Voyage-Tania-Aebi/dp/1476747725/
One Girl, One Dream Laura Dekker A 16 year old sailing on her own around the world in 2012 https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Girl-Dream-Laura-Dekker/dp/1775540995/
Maiden Tracey Edwards The all-female crew on the 1989/90 Whitbread round the world race https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maiden-Tracy-Edwards-ebook/dp/B01AHOFWQK/
Salty Dog - Nautical origins of everyday expressions Richard McGlosky If you are chock-a-block, battening down the hatches in weather cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey then I would not touch this one with a barge pole! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Salty-Dog-Talk-Nautical-Expressions/dp/0713687495
Learn about Sailing and Boating Ladybird Books Reported to be one half of the library of our very own Steve Wilson, qualified RYA instructer! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Learnabout-Sailing-Boating-Ladybird-1972/dp/B004CM2A64


Members external content

Greg Penoyre Sailing Blog