Tag Archives: Activities

WSC Cadet Development Squad 2022

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by Frank Thorogood

The Waldringfield Sailing Club Cadet Squadron has long been a source of pride for the river. As well as giving a lot of young people a great deal of fun over the 70+ years of its existence, it has also launched many into lifelong sailing careers and underpinned success for some at international level. Former Waldringfield Cadet sailor Daisy Collingridge is currently part of the British Olympic squad sailing a Laser Radial. Six of the ten boats who will be competing in the Cadet World Championships in Australia this winter will be from Waldringfield.

Cadet sailing is age-dependent. Its essential feature is two young people sailing together: a ‘helm’, typically aged 12-17, and a ‘crew’ who may be as young as 7. It’s obviously important to keep the youngest children coming in but also to support the transition period between crew and helm. Here, RDA and WSC member Frank Thorogood describes the Cadet Development Squad programme, which was conceived as a response to the impact of the pandemic on this process, and which has also succeeded in reaching out to a group of new sailors and bringing them in to the Cadet ‘family’.

The pandemic only saw relatively short periods of the cadet sailors at WSC being completely kept off the water. With a mix of single handing, sibling sailing and “Better than Nothing” racing we kept going whenever the rules allowed and had some great competitions along the way. The 2021 Nationals in Brixham got by with minimal covid impact and will be long remembered by everyone there, especially for the two days of big wave sailing when easterlies piled into Tor Bay. Continue reading →

You Too Can Go To Sea: River Deben support for Suffolk and the Sea Day

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by Julia Jones

I was sitting on a bench overlooking Suffolk Yacht Harbour at Levington and the River Orwell beyond. It was a lovely afternoon with a breeze just getting up and some classic sailing vessels on the river, contrasting with the more modern yachts moored near me and the towering cranes of Port of Felixstowe downriver. I was trying to explain to a friendly cameraman the ways in which I felt there had been such a profound shift in Britain’s attitude to her maritime heritage during my lifetime. His name’s Jon Swallow and he’s volunteered to come and record some of the sessions at the forthcoming Suffolk and the Sea Day (Felixstowe Book Festival ‘fringe’ sessions at Trimley St Mary, June 25th). We had met to discuss developing the 5th session, entitled You Too Can Go To Sea, into a film which the organisations supporting Suffolk and the Sea day could send out to schools, youth organisations, clubs, support groups. It would aim to explain that sailing and sea faring is not an exclusive activity but can be enjoyed at many levels. We want to kindle an interest and excitement in sea-going opportunities, remind people that we are not only land dwellers.

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River Deben Festivities 2021 and before

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By Julia Jones & Archie White

We publish this RDA Journal post on the eve of a new River Deben Festival – a new style of weeklong festival where many of the river businesses, clubs and organisations come together to do something special.  The Deben Summer Festival is the inspiration of Moray McPhail, Matt Lis, supported by the committee of the River Deben Association and many others.  Until the festival begins, the best place to visit is the website which continues to grow as organisations add their events. https://www.debenfestival.org/events

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Summer Holiday Ideas and Contacts 2021

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Prepared by the River Deben Association (July 2021)

Summer 2021 is another summer where it’s going to be hard for families to make plans. Government restrictions have been removed but Covid 19 infections are rising again and everyone has been asked to behave responsibly and with consideration for others. Many people will already have decided to enjoy their holidays in the UK rather than go abroad. Spending as much time as possible out of doors is likely to be a good choice though we’ll need to be extra-sensitive to pressure on the river environment.

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Family Activities 2020

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Summer Holiday ideas and contacts for students at Farlingaye & Woodbridge schools and their families

Prepared by the River Deben Association (July 2020)

Summer 2020 is a summer where it’s going to be hard to make plans. The country’s opening up from Covid-19 lockdown but there’s always a fear that this might not last. Maybe too easy to get negative and resign yourself to being bored for the next two months. But don’t. We live in a beautiful area and there’ve been worse things that have happened here in the past. Think of the Black Death!

The River Deben Association (RDA) is a local interest group which was formed to represent all concerned with the future of the Deben. Obviously that means you. We have over 800 members and links with many local organisations as well as individual knowledge. This summer we feel – like many other people – that we want to begin to do things a bit differently. We’ve therefore introduced a new category of Household Membership and we’d be glad if you’d think about joining us. We know you’ll have a lot to offer, especially when we’re thinking about the environment.

This long letter (it ought to be a leaflet really!) is to make a start offering ideas from us to you. But as soon as you have ideas of your own to recommend, please share them so we can improve this list in future. Emailing our magazine editor at [email protected] is a good way to start but you’ll find other contacts at the end. We often use Facebook for updates.

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