Cruising for 100 Years

Publisher: Bosun Press; £19.99 (members receive a significant discount)
Publication Date: 2009

This reflection celebrates the first 100 years of the Cruising Association and its position as the original and continuing advocate for the cruising yachtsman. It still has the cruising sailor more at heart than the much larger RYA which it predates. In a wide ranging collection of material a picture of the development of cruising itself is built up by passages from CA publications from the past, some with commentary and comparison with experience we now have. Current material from the activities of the varied geographical sections demonstrates how members are able to take advantage of their membership.

The whole work is hung on the skeleton of Brian Hammett’s thoughtful history of the Association and its development. This has been expanded from the article prepared for the 75th anniversary and the early years. Pen portraits of some of these remarkable early figures especially the autocratic Hanson are clear. The CA would not exist without the man nor would it have survived the trauma of the two world wars. Despite his authoritarian approach “he was loved”. Some interesting extracts speak of the concern among some members in the first half of the 20th century of the notion that centralised facilities remote from members outside London should justify a differential subscription and accounts show the CA in times of pressure as outgoings exceeded income; plus ca change ……..

I was particularly interested in the members’ experiences which show the wide range of craft and skills that are the backbone of the CA. The flow of information available to members has been at the core of the value to members whether that be from sailing logs, reports from voyages and passages or the wonderful collection of books and charts that is prized world-wide and cherished from the early days when new members were encouraged to donate material on joining. How the ever widening scope of information exchange is developed for the cruising sailor is key to future success and the CA must keep its game ahead of others to ensure the future success. The Honorary President, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston CBE emphasises this in his Foreword and suggests that the same level of adaptability shown in the first 100 years will be there to sustain the next.

By its nature this would always have been a retrospective and, in this light, it is difficult not to see this on the shelves of every member. Its graphic and generally well-chosen articles from the past are fascinating to a wider audience. I would like to have seen a broader focus on the future and how the CA sees itself developing. – Michael Davey