Cruising Association

3

3reefs

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 Jan 2003
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278
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Cyprus
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CA wanting £120 this year.

This is almost a no-brainer as I hardly ever visit London, so make zero use of their expensive E14 premises. Also quite happy with my red ensign, thanks.

Or am I missing something.........
 
From the CA website
[ QUOTE ]
There are big moves afoot to make the Cruising Association more useful to cruising sailors wherever they are. It stems from a recognition that London isn't the centre of the world for the cruising sailor! The web provides a basis for a much better service and we are working on some exciting new services. Some of these involve negotiations with other organisations which we obviously can't announce till these are settled.



[/ QUOTE ]
 
In Defence of the Cruising Association

Depends what you want from it, or can contribute to it. The CA is popular with long-term cruisers and has active sections in the Baltic and the Med. For them, and for members outside of London, the cabins provide basic but inexpensive accommodation in the capital, with reasonably priced grub and beer. In my experience the people are friendly and unpretentious. Lectures that I have attended were extremely well presented, entertaining and informative.

I came into sailing relatively late, and have learnt a lot from CA members. I'm also quite happy with the red ensign, as are most CA members that I know. We fly ("wear"?) the CA burgee and have been pleased to enjoy the companionship of CA members in anchorages.

I cannot contribute the expertise, experience or commitment of other members. While subscription levels for any organisation will always be an issue, I feel that, as long as I can afford to do so, my subs are helping to maintain an association that puts a lot into cruising. The CA library, the publications, the local representative system are all worthwhile.

It's a personal choice - like the RYA and RNLI, the CA is a "worthwhile" organisation. Or a local sailing club. How do you quantify the value of expertise and friendship?
 
6% discount off Marina fees at Levkas ( Med Marinas) gives me a net profit of £30.00, so memberships just about worth it! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Handzup - I'm a member.

Most use I make of it is attending one or two Solent section rallies a year, and very occasionally going to a Limehouse Lecture.

But I don't mind the sub, because of the generic work on behalf of cruising yotties that CA does. Its competitor for my money, the Royal so-called Yachting Association, covers a much broader church and doesn't devote as much effort to sailors like us.
 
We live aboard and like the comfort of having an english speaking person local to most ports and one knowledgable about how to deal with any tricky probllem which might crop up. I suppose its insurance.

Cost? I get loads of discount from the marine trade and it more than pays the fees. I recall that Eastbourne would give 5 or 10% (not sure which) on berthing costs to CA members.
 
Active Baltic ???????

Ho Hum ... and all that palaver .....


I live and work in Baltic ......... have connections with the ports etc. in Baltic .... I offerted my assistance ---- FREE of charge ........... was told that I would most likely be offered Honary Status .... which I never asked for ...... what happened ? SFA.

Yep - put it simply - Nothing.

I even checked the Baltic section and found the same old garbage as before ......

CA - kiss my ****** ......... you don't know which way you are looking .... I offered and you didn't even have the courtesy to reply to the Officer responsible for Baltic or the Web-Site - which STILL to this day has links that don't work.

I was under impression after discussing with Baltic CA guy that CA was interested in first-hand assistance .... seems not.

Their loss not mine - I'm OK jack !
 
Re: Active Baltic ???????

Bear in mind that the CA is almost entirely voluntary, Very small core staff (cf RYA). So if things don't go smoothly, maybe it's because the volunteer who should have dealt with it had other more pressing real-life things on hand at the time.

And don't give me the line about "you shouldn't volunteer if you can't hack it". If volunteers for just about anything were req'd to be 100% available and 100% efficient, there'd be precious few of 'em.

Why not go back to CA and repeat your offer, politely?
 
Re: Active Baltic ???????

As a CA member I was one of the first to report on the alterations to the jetty on Petersfield Lake, and included detailed sketches and an aerial view plus postcodes

I'm horrified to see that, 2 issues later, I haven't even seen an acknowledgement
printed in their tacky rag

Their loss
 
Re: Active Baltic ???????

[ QUOTE ]
Useless without lat and long

[/ QUOTE ]

Never give out a position close to home. They can so easily be added to a mission by a ham-fisted pentagon or whitehall aerial technician, on a promise but still short of 13 waypoints before they can escape the office
 
Re: Active Baltic ???????

I think it is all organisations. I sent a load of amendments to imray after this years cruise to correct problems with the Irish Sea Lundy pilot. Still not appeared in any fashion on the update page.

Did get a thank you email, but that was it.
 
Re: Active Baltic ???????

I have always understood that, if you send corrections to the likes of Imray or Reeds, they always get them checked before putting them in to print. If they didn't then, particularly these days, they would end up printing all sorts of spams/jokes from people with malicious intent. Maybe they haven't been able to check it out yet?
 
Petersfield Lake .....

Used to go Fishing there years ago .... Day Tickets were available from a Ironmongers shop in town ...
 
Have done ...

On a number of occasions ... even via personal contact ....

I even pointed out the fault on the web-site very nicely and was thanked ... still nought happened.

It all started when I found out they were intending a few boats to come up here ... so being connected to the ports etc. - I offered to assist ... had a few e-mails go back and forth and it fizzled out at their end ...

Trouble is it fell into the similar to many other things nowadays ..... you offer free assistance and end up working / slaving at it - you end up doing all the work.

I may offer again .... maybe ....
 
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