Wintermeeting 1985
We hope to have the wintermeeting this year on
SATURDAY THE 9TH MARCH 1985
again in the clubhouse of the “Koninklijke Amsterdamsche Roei- en Zeil-Vereeniging De Hoop” Weesperzijde 65, Amsterdam. Start about 5.30 o’clock in the afternoon. We can have a drink there and a meal. On the same day the HISWA boat show is going on in Amsterdam, so everybody might combine the HISWA and the Alcyone Circle.

Please advise the undermentioned member whether you intend to come and with how many people:
Mr. G. van ‘t Hull, Amsterdam, tel. nr. 020-445587

SAIL AMSTERDAM 1985
although we use to have a rally of our boats every 2 years and did not intend to have one this year, Sail Amsterdam 1985 is something we should not miss. So we kindly invite our members to be present there. A place will be reserved for our circle in the harbour of Amsterdam from
August 1 to August 6, 1985

It is important for us to know how many ships and how many people will be present, so we kindly request our members who intend to be present to complete the form hereunder and to return it in an envelope to Mr. J. van der Flier, Ossendamweg 1, 3768 CV Soest.

News about Ships and Owners
Again in the period since our last newsletter some ships got a new owner. These are the following ships:

ALCYONE owner is now Mr. PJ Giele, hilversum, Holland

GWENLLIAN now owned by Mr. JJ van Leeuwen, Heemstede, Holland

HOOGE SPRINGER the new owner is Mr. IA Hooke, London

SESAME John Shedd sold the SESAME with which he made so many fine cruises to Mr. and Mrs. Andrew and Joanne Kuzcewski-Howes of Atlantic city (NJ) USA

TAAINAGEL The TAAINAGEL of Mr. and Mrs. May of Basingstoke (Hants) has a new name and is now called MERHONOUR

All the new owners are very welcome in our circle. We gladly wish them fine sailing in their ships.

We regret to inform our readers that our member for many years, the former owner of the DOTTERBLUME Mr. Friedrich W. Lühl of Münchengladbach died in April 1984. The DOTTERBLUME was often present at our rallies and we always again were surprised by the way she was kept. She always looked spick and span on the deck and underneath. Our sympathy to Mrs Lühl and the children.

Alcyone Circle Rally 1984
A summary of the events of the rally held in Enkhuizen and medemblik during the weekend of the 1st and 2nd September 1984.

Due to last minute cancellations the fleet was reduced from 14 to 11 vessels, 5 Alcyones and 6 Cormorants. Nearly all ships left their homeport on the previous Thursday or Friday. Some even after 18 o’clock on Friday and sailed during the night. In the daytime most of us could profit from a strong southwesterly wind force 6-7. In the evening the wind died away to about force 4. Particularly the Cormorants had an uncomfortable voyage as a result of the high waves.

Only 7 ships spent the night in the Buyshaven in Enkhuizen, where we were supposed to meet. The others went to Hoorn or moored outside of the Enkhuizen locks and arrived in the Buyshaven next morning.

At 10 o’clock the palaver was held on board of the Helena Anna, where it was decided to leave port at noon and to proceed to Medemblik.
The weather, clouded and again wind force 6-7 southwest, did not enable us to include other activities.

It turned out to be a rough sail. Due to the direction of the wind participants had to tack, but all arrived safely in Medemblik, between 15 o’clock and 15.30. Most of the Cormorants before the Alcyones. Everybody was very wet and happy to be in the port. Wil Valentijn with the “Sans Rival” was so unfortunate as to tear his jib and to overheat his engine. He was fortunately picked up by the Vita Nova of Mr. van ‘t Hull and safely towed to the port. Mrs. Ida Scheltema with “Marmara” and her two companions left Lelystad very early on Saturday morning and sailed directly to Medemblik. In view of the weather conditions this was quite an achievement. They arrived at 17 o’clock.

Captains dinner was served in the “Radboud” castle, where an excellent dinner was served. 36 persons participated. During the drinks we made a tour through this small, charmingly restored castle. The historical and romantic surroundings gave a festive air to this dinner party. It was a pleasant evening.

Because most of the members had to be back in their homeport Sunday evening and had to sail to Muiden and even to Langeraar, it was decided that no sherry party would be held on Sunday and that everybody was free to leave as it suited their own convenience.
The wind died down to about force 4 and disappeared completely in the afternoon. It was a fine reunion.

List of participants:
H. Remmers – VROUWEZAND
WA Valentijn – SANS RIVAL
OLM Bijjvoet – PHOCA
AJ Scheltema – MARMARA
HK Bolte – MARGARETHA
J van der Flier – JACQAN
KG Gerdt —–
RB Santbrink – ZEEKAMEEL
Messrs. van ‘t Hull – VITA NOVA
H Liebert – MAJELLA
PJ Ide – HELENA ANNA
J van den Hoogenhof – SPURWING

Subscriptions.
To pay the expenses of our newsletters and of our meetings we need some money.
So yacht owners are kindly requested to pay their contribution of P. St. 2,- US $3.- D.M. 10.- or Fl. 10.- to “postgiro” account nr. 37.21.241 of the Alcyone Circle, Amsterdam.

An Automatic Pilot
Mr. Jos. van den Hoogenhof has an automatic pilot for sale of the Gunning type. If anybody is interested she or he might contact hem. His address is found on page 5. his boat is the “Spurwing”.

Rally Alcyone Circle in 1986
Hereunder you will find a reproduction of the kind letter we received from Dr. Klaus-Gerrit and Algin-Solveigh Gerdts of Neuhaus about a possible place for the 1986 rally. Indeed fine possibilities for a next meeting, though for most of us rather far away. But it is quite interesting and worthwhile considering. We request you to read it well, so we might speak about it on our meeting in March, as suggested in this letter. Besides we also received a chart which we shall show you at the meeting.

“To all members of the Alcyone Circle.
Dear friends,
Unfortunately, we cannot attend the 1984 rally personally due to professional duties. However, our parents will participate and we wish you all a very pleasant weekend.

We are writing to ask you all to consider whether a 1986 rally to Germany might be an acceptable suggestion. Our Cormorant “Harmonie” has her home berth here on the river Oste, just a few miles away from Cuxhaven, the Kiel Canal (gate to the Baltic) and the North Sea. Elgin and myself are “huisarts” here in Neuhaus, a small village with a picturesque old and a comfortable new yacht harbour.

We have prepared a choice of alternative routes to Neuhaus that might suit as well the expert sailor with sportive ambitions as well as the crew of true holiday-seekers who wish to avoid stress and hard work. As you will see, the trip can be made over the High Sea – perhaps with the rock island of Helgoland as a stop point – through the “Waddenzee” with sheltered but tidal waters and a somewhat tricky navigation for the unexperienced, or, very quiet and very recreational, via the German canal system. These canals are virtually unused by commercial craft and do not require any vast experience.

As we are “Waddenzee” fanatics, we should also be willing to meet the fleet at Delfzyl or Emden and pilot the yachts through the tidal waters to Neuhaus. We have made this trip several times and always enjoyed it very much.

From Neuhaus it is just half a day’s sail to the entrance lock of the Kiel Canal, with another day to the Baltic Sea – so why not make the rally to Neuhaus the beginning of a holiday tour of the Danish islands? We meet more and more boats from Holland travelling through the Kiel Canal every year.

The trip to Neuhaus would take about one week (one way) if recreational “soft” sailing is preferred. Please consider this suggestion – perhaps we may talk about it in March in Amsterdam.

Kindest regards,
Dr. Klaus-Gerrit and Elgin-Solveigh Gerdts