Published by the Open Canoe Sailing Group

Ambleside Youth Hostel Is Fine (RoyB)

Youth Hostels have certainly changed over the last 30 years. A bar with a fair range of beers (Hoegaarden, Badger, for example), cleaning ladies (I didn't see any men wielding hoovers), self-serve café, no washing up and really comfy chairs in a spacious lounge open all day have perhaps sapped the moral fibre of the nation, but nobody was complaining. Mind you the bunk beds were reminiscent of a previous era, a bit firm but no more so than, say, YMCA Lakeside, and the three flights of stairs to our lofty bedrooms reminded certain personages of their age. Organiser JanP reported that the staff were helpful, and we had a large comfortable room overlooking the lake at our exclusive disposal. And launching? - no problem with a neat slipway directly by the car park.

Ambleside Youth Hostel in Saturday's sunshine. The slipway is on the far right of the picture. Our rooms were on the top storey.

I suspect that I was not the only member to feel slightly relieved that the accommodation was so very satisfactory after Jan and SteveR had decided to switch from Water Park, Coniston at a late stage to avoid possible financial embarrassment for the OCSG. Well done to both of them and to others who made the weekend a success.

Because the weather forecast predicted low temperatures, overcast skies and no wind only two canoes sailed on the lake. WalterG and I enjoyed wonderful conditions on Saturday as the mist slowly dispersed, the sun broke through to reveal the misty mountains and a gentle breeze sprang up. Sunday wasn't so good - no sun, no wind. Penny and PeterO, Elaine and RodL paddled off in kayaks, DaveS and SteveR pottered about in open canoes.

WalterG glides across misty Windermere as the sun begins to break through.

PennyO paddles serenely down the lake.

Photos by PennyO (2) and PeterO (1)

On Saturday DaveS proposed a new venture, a week on the north-west coast of Scotland, based on an island (yet to be determined), for those of a more experienced and hardy nature. In speaking to me before the meeting he said that buyers of Solway Dory's canoes who were not members of the OCSG did not seem to be attracted by our type of meet, preferring something rather more adventurous. The idea, I gather, met with general approval and prompted the idea of a weekend in which the party spends the first day sailing to a camping venue, returning to the starting point on the second. Sailing the 11 miles of Windermere northwards then southwards, camping at Low Wray overnight was suggested as an example. It could suit families, too. And how about cruising down the Thames? Clearly imagination had been stimulated. Let's hope that members turn such ideas into reality so that the club avoids stagnation.

We then turned to a memorial for BernardO, whose loss was referred to throughout the weekend. People suggested an annual cruise, an annual trophy for a presentation describing a trip made in the preceding year, a tree or bench at Rutland Water (a favourite stretch of water for Bernard), a memorial OCSG mug . In the end we decided to submit the short list to ChrisO and family to see what they would think most appropriate. So we shall see. In the afternoon the AGM took place.

At the evening dinner just over 30 people sat down to eat, followed by presentations. The Iceberg Trophy was awarded jointly to WalterG and RoyB for fortitude and hardiness on the water that day. The ACA Trophy for a special contribution to canoe sailing went to JeffB for designing and building his beautiful and effective canoe Njuzu (see Gossip, Oct 2005) which won second prize at the Beale Park boat show. Finally the OCSG Trophy for best racer found its way back into the hands of DaveS. The Commodore, KeithM, gave a very brief state of the union speech saying that although our membership is not as great as it has been, he is encouraged by the variety of meets and activities which the OCSG offers; we are not in bad health.

We then retired to our special room where we were treated to no less than two illustrated presentations of trips made during 2005. First of all SteveR described the crossing he made with a colleague in a double kayak from the Isle of Man to Walney Island (Barrow ) in August. It took them 14 hours to cover the 50 statute miles, sitting and paddling in their craft. At one point Steve suddenly felt overcome with lethargy which was immediately relieved when he was sick. His anti-sea sickness pills had masked the fact the his stomach was queasy. When their canoe grounded on the Cumbrian coast he felt relief at the end of the ordeal and doesn't envisage repeating the experience in the near future!

Before KeithM showed us the delights of sailing amongst the islands off the west coast of Sweden, Honest RodL raised £40 for the OCSG through his usual lottery. Then we feasted our eyes on

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