Dear friends & members of Alcyone Circle,

All good things come to an end, an introductory review…
With a new board in the early nineties, Alcyone Circle steadily was going through a truly revival. Till then the brothers Joost & Herman van ‘t Hull tried hard to keep the association alive. A tough job because the elitist Alcyone Circle sank away in bygone times. But when Arjen met Joost in 1992 and offers him a helping hand things tend to change rapidly. At the first winter meeting he visit as a new member in March 1993 at the Apollohotel in Amsterdam-South, Arjen displayed a videotape about the restauration of Alcyone I Avalon he and Rienkje bought in 1991. During the buffet images of rotten steel in ship’s hull and centreboard case passed the revue. All members present freaked out! The old guard couldn’t believe the same could happen with their own Alcyone or Cormorant. It makes a big impression and from that moment on the new board made her entrance. The rejuvenated administration turned around the ship just in time, because since 1989 there was no longer any enthusiasm for a Rally. Trying to get all members back together again (inspired by her curious history and the atypic design, remarkable worldwide adventures and sea voyages of Gunning-yachts) actuel it was the duo Arjen and Joost that organized from 1994 onwards with fresh courage pleasurable Rally’s and cozy Wintermeetings. By trial and error the Alcyone Circle slowly made her comebeack with a growing number of participants. In this way we’ve builded up over the years a large circle of friends, sharing the beauty of a Gunning-yacht. And that connected us till now.

Alternate for Valentijn shipyard “Gerardus Majella” Langeraar
After all these years (most ships were build in the fifties/sixties) Gunning-yachts needs more and more significant maintenance. Many times we adviced and helped members from our own experience with restoration projects to keep the fleet as cultural heritage and preserve ships for the future. Still some owners thought so a Gunning-yacht cannot rust because she is made of Cortensteel. A myth because only since the late 60 s”a few yachts were build with this expensive steel. In the fifties all steels including notably Cortensteel were scarce due to the reconstruction after World War II. Above that also cortensteel continual in contact with condensed water corrode. Most risky are the pieces of steel in the kimmen hidden behind the concrete above the thick bottomplate and on the inside of the centreboard case above the waterline. After 50/60 years the steel often turned out to be paper thin there. Just at the 300 years old shipwarf of Haiko van der Werff in Buitenstvallaat in total 12 Gunning-yachts were renovated to keep them save and sailing: Avalon (Lara), Woest maar Kalm, Caecilia, Harmonie, Majella, Cormoraan, Alcyone II, Adriana van Texel (Hotspur), Meermin, Zeekoet II, Sayonara and Vrouwewezand.

But we did more…
We brought still available historical data together in a well documented archive included whiteprints, schedules and lines plans of all Gunningyachts build at the Valentijnwerf ‘Gerardus Majella’ in Langeraar.

On the initiative of Brook Westover († August 27th 2019) from Florida, then owner of Cormorant Puffin, we’ve take over and relaunched in 2003 the website alcyone-archive.org. In 2013/2014 Arjen and Bert did a great job by renewing the site in its present form with technical IT-support of Rienk W. Kuipers. Since then it brought us a lot of worldwide contacts, receiving data of Gunning-yachts abroad and interesting photo’s of Sir Percy’s voyage around the world(1964-1969) with Alcyone I Spurwing.

In co-production with Peter Hoogenberk († June 17th 2018) we developed in 2012 our own club flag (in the colours oranje, blanje, bleu) with symbols that refers to the Greek myth of Alcyone, one of the seven nimphs (stars) of the starcluster Pleiades and daugther of Aeolus, god of the wind. After her tragic dead supreme god Zeus would revived her in a kingfisher.

From 2009 till 2015 Arjen wrote the book Alcyone Odyssee and published with the help of Bert in 2015 also an article in Spiegel der Zeilvaart. Last but not least we are still grateful Renske van Driel several times made beautiful clay sculptures handed out by special occasions.

HIGHLIGHTS IN THE PAST 30 YEARS

♥ Millennium meeting Grand Café ‘t Smelnehûs Drachten Nov. 1999

Till then the chique Apollohotel in Amsterdam-South was our home base. After a long tradition of having the Wintermeeting on the same weekend as the HISWA boatshow, it was decided by the administration to bring about some changes in that. Arjen and Joost want to meet eachone in an other setting, less stiff and distant. It turned out to be a golden move and big hit. More then 40 guests came to Drachten for this great event with lifemusic of dixielandband The Suffles. Everyone was enthusiastic.

♥ Special Wintermeeting havezathe Overcinge Havelte January 2002

At that moment the old havezathe was a private property of a businesspartner of Arjen. He could arrange Havezathe Overcinge was all ours for one weekend for free with a very low rate for using the beds for a night over. We had 36 guests, our own barkeepers (Sanne and Erik van Boekel), a tasteful selfmade 3-course Grande Alcyone-buffet and a fine bed and breakfast. Saturday night 23.00 pm the heating automatic switched off in the very cold winter of 2002 (minus 15˚ Celcius). An amazing experience.

♥ Rally Lauwersoog to Neuwerk July 2013
In co-production with Klaus Gerdts and great hospitality of Bert and Janneke Glazenburg at their home and garden in Lauwersoog. For all participants a memorable Rally and great experience under deft leadership of or fleetcommander Klaus, who made a perfect itinerary.

♥ Summermeeting 50 years Alcyone Circle Hindeloopen June 2014

♥ Book presentation Alcyone Odyssee KNZ&RV Muiden Sept. 2015

ALCYONE ODYSSEE

the ultimate story of a modern steel-built grundeljacht

BOEKPRESENTATIE

U heeft zich aangemeld om

Zaterdag 26 september tussen 16.00 en 18.00 uur in de Pampusbar Koninklijke NZ&RV Muiden (begane grond)

aanwezig te zijn bij de presentatie van het boek Alcyone Odyssee.
Er worden rond de 70 genodigden verwacht en ook de pers is aanwezig. We hopen u omstreeks die tijd te mogen verwelkomen. Het betaald parkeren in Muiden kan lastig zijn, dus hou daar rekening mee en vertrek op tijd van huis.

Het eerste exemplaar zal zo rond 16.00 uur worden uitgereikt aan Wim de Bruijn, auteur van diverse maritieme boeken en oprichter van het klassieke watersportmagazine ‘Spiegel der Zeilvaart’. Daarna vindt in gezellige sfeer de boekuitgifte plaats. Kunstenares Renske van Driel heeft voor een ieder die bij voorinschrijving een boek heeft besteld een bijzonder aandenken gemaakt. Een must-have die u zo mag meenemen!

In de Pampusbar wordt u bij aankomst namens het bestuur van de Alcyone Circle een hapje en drankje aangeboden.

Vanaf 18.30 uur heeft de Alcyone Circle bij het nabij gelegen restaurant De Doelen de prachtige Sluiskamer gereserveerd. Een groot aantal gasten heeft zich aangemeld voor het feestelijk diner. Het wordt vast allemaal heel gezellig en we zien er naar uit u te ontmoeten.

Met hartelijke groet,

Arjen van Boekel & Joost van ‘t Hull

Bestuur Alcyone Circle

♥ Wintermeeting kasteel De Essenburgh Hierden March 2016 and 2019

♥ Wintermeeting Landgoed De Kippenburg Oudemirdum Febr. 2020

But times have changed now (“tiden hawwe tiden” we say in Frisian)

So over the years we did a lot of funny things, sharing all good memories. But something is going on. Over the past few years a considerable number of members with the same passion passed away or had to sell their yacht due their age. Ships got new owners and most of them have none or didn’t seem to have much interest in sharing the pleasure, history and beauty of a Gunning-yacht. In the meanwhile a number of members getting older or have other different reasons not longer participating at a Summermeeting or in a Rally to sail somewhere together. On the whole, we have reached a point to face these facts. Therefore the board has to consider what to do and made their final decision. From 1st of January 2024 Alcyone Circle becomes a dormant union. It makes no sense keeping the Circle alive while there is too little real interest. That means we’ll stop organizing Summer-and Wintermeetings and shall cancel our website. A good alternative could be keeping the website in the air for 5 years, so till 1st of Januari 2029. Then the site goes black. Therefore we need in total € 375 to pay running costs for webhosting and domain name. In that case we will actualize the website till then for the dynamic part. Our Kippenburg-app stays in the air as long as it goes, to keep in touch.

Hear hear…60th anniversary Alcyone Circle, our last act!
On 14th of December 2023 our association precisely exists 60 years! We would like to celibrate that with all of you during a family-like Wintermeeting in style on Saturday 3th of February 2024 with dinner and if you like a night over at the iconic Landgoed Duin & Kruidberg in Santpoort-Noord, nearby Haarlem. That jubilee will be the grande finale. Please let us know a.s.a.p. if you want to contribute to the website (your gift to bankaccount NL44 INGB 0001 9670 67 in the name of A.C. van Boekel) and for the reservation we have to make in time, if you will join this very last Wintermeeting (number only dinner or number dinner included a night over) to say farewell Alcyone Circle.

Best regards,
Arjen van Boekel, Bert Glazenburg & Joost van ’t Hull
Board of Alcyone Circle