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Meetings are normally held on the second Monday of each month at Badgemore Golf Club (Click for directions) with the bar opening at 19:30 ready for a for 20:00 start. Visitors and New Members are always very welcome so please encourage your friends to come along - they can either pay £5 for the one meeting, or join up for the whole season for just £25 (£35 for families).

2010-2011 Programme Outline

Some dates and subjects are not yet fully detailed, so please visit this page again to check the details!

DATE	SPEAKER	TOPIC
11 Oct	Ian Hudson Having acted for 7 years as Gavin Menzies’ chief researcher, Ian could be considered to be the brains behind the thought provoking books from Gavin, author of “1421” and “1434”, both regarded by many as books which are “rewriting history” “1421” is subtitled “The Year China discovered America” whilst “1434” is subtitled “The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance” Both volumes contain many fascinating facts and just as many intriguing theories. Definitely not a session to be missed!	Chinese Admiral discovers America 70 years before Columbus! In the first talk Ian Hudson will discuss the great Chinese navy of the Ming dynasty, under the command of Admiral Zheng He. Over the years Gavin Menzies and the 1421 team have collected a mass of evidence which shows that the Chinese had been exploring the world for centuries before the European "Voyages of Discovery". Ian will present a variety of maps which show that the whole world had been charted by the Chinese with considerable accuracy before Columbus set sail. The maps will be supported by evidence including shipwrecks, artefacts, plants and animals and DNA which the fleet left behind in their wake.  In his second talk Ian will discuss the Oriental influence on the Italian Renaissance. This came about via "Silk routes" of the land and sea. However, extensive research has revealed that a Chinese delegation's visit to the Papal Court in Florence in 1434 provided the spark which was to set the Renaissance ablaze.
8 Nov	Jimmy Cornell 200,000 mile before the mast! Jimmy crossed the Pacific twice and will talk about his Antarctic cruise taking him 15,000 miles north to Alaska.	A Pacific Marathon A 15,000 mile voyage from Antarctica to Alaska accomplished by Jimmy Cornell and son Ivan in just four months so as to take best advantage of sailing conditions on both sides of the equator. After three weeks spent in Antarctica, they landed at Cape Horn, navigated the Chilean Canals, stopped at Easter Island, Pitcairn, the Gambier, Austral and Society Islands, the Line and Hawaiian Islands and finally reached Alaska. This is Jimmy’s best illustrated talk as it also includes full coverage of their Antarctic cruise.
13 Dec	Club Members Night/ Gordon McBride (Quiz) Mulled wine and mince pies.	AGM at 7pm then at 8pm: We are asking all of you to take some pictures of the sailing you do this summer and will ask for 3 volunteers to take 10 minutes to share your adventures. Gordon McBride(founder member and Yachtmaster Offshore Instructor) will then share with us the answers we often get wrong during the Day /Coastal Skipper theory course and why? So please take lots of photos during you adventures afloat this summer.
10 Jan	Shirley Billings Shirley and Peter Billings sold up in their mid 40's to sail for 3 years.It lasted 25!! They wrote "Seize the Day" and are guest lecturers on the new P&O AZURA	THE SOUTH PACIFIC "Sleepy lagoons, wahines beneath the palm trees? Yes it's all there, but so are sharks, stinging shells and unchartered reefs. For us, the peaceful Pacific lived up to its name. Pineapples, papayas, pork and coconut crabs were shared by the generous remote island people although they have so little in the way of material goods, what they do have they share. Hear our story of paradise and shipwreck"     THE INDIAN OCEAN     "From fabulous Phang Gna Bay in Thailand across the untidy Indian Ocean to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, oil prosperous Oman, and war-torn Yemen. From Aden we sailed up through "The Gate of Tears" into the Red Sea where, anchored off Eritrea we were arrested from our boat at gunpoint, interrogated and detained for a month under suspicion of spying. When we disappeared from the radio schedule our international yacht friends hassled the British Vice-Consul and we eventually managed to contact an authoratative friend whom informed the media. An article in the London Times secured our release. Then on to Sudan, Karnak, the Pyramids, Israel, Jordan, Petra 'Rose red city, half as old as time', and eventually to safe Larnaca Marina in Cyprus. "
14 Feb	Tristan Gooley Tristan is the founder of a natural navigation school, author of “The Natural Navigator” book and the only living person to have both flown and sailed solo across the Atlantic. He is a Fellow of both the Royal Institute of Navigation and the Royal Geographical Society and the Vice Chairman of Trailfinders. See his website at www.naturalnavigator.com	A talk that starts with solo crossings of the Atlantic in a light aircraft and then a small yacht, before plunging into the very rare art of natural navigation. Tristan describes how his love of the subject grew from realising that electronics were getting in the way of a good journey and explains how he learnt to find his way using the sun, moon, stars, weather and animals. He describes the extraordinary techniques that have been used by the Pacific Islanders for centuries to find their way, the same methods that left Captain James Cook deeply impressed, and how natural awareness can enrich all nautical journeys to this day.
14 Mar	Rodger Brydges Rodger Brydges from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch will give a fascinating talk on “The Work of the MAIB”.	The Marine Accident Investigation Branch investigates accidents involving ships fishing boats and leisure craft on behalf of the UK government.  Roger Brydges has sailed all his life and has worked for the MAIB for the past 14 years.  During that time he has been personally involved in several investigations into sailing boat accidents, and some of these will be described in detail, together with the lessons learned.   Roger will also describe the wider context of the MAIB’s work including the increasing use of voyage data recorders (marine “black boxes”) which has revolutionised the way in which investigations are conducted.
11 Apr	Nigel Irens TBD	More details on Nigel’s talk to follow.

Please do try and support the events as we are a relatively small group and need your attendance in order to attract good speakers. Please spread the word to your friends, who as you know, are always welcome to attend for a very modest entry fee.

For more information, please send an email to info(at)henleyoffshore.org
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