May 22, 2026

Overview

Celebrate the Spring Bank Holiday with fellow members on a yacht rally along the beautiful East Coast. The itinerary combines scenic sailing, land-based activities and plenty of time to unwind — whether you’re arriving by boat or joining us ashore.

Itinerary

Saturday 23 May — Arrival & Welcome

• 10:00–15:00: arrive at Shotley Marina, settle in and relax.
• Afternoon: optional short sail around Harwich Harbour and up the River Stour, or a coastal walk on the Shotley Peninsula.
• 18:00–21:00: welcome BBQ at Shotley Marina — good food and a chance to meet everyone.

Sunday 24 May — Coastal Exploration

• Morning: cruise to Felixstowe Ferry (approx. 2–3 hours), passing the impressive Felixstowe Docks.
• Lunch: beach picnic at Felixstowe or Bawdsey — bring your own or order locally.
• Afternoon: explore ashore — Felixstowe town, the Bawdsey Radar Museum, or a walk along the River Deben.
• Evening: optional group dinner in Harwich Old Town at a traditional pub or seafood restaurant. Overnight in Harwich, or return to Shotley.

Monday 25 May — Scenic Sail & Farewell

• Morning: a leisurely sail up the River Orwell towards Pin Mill, for classic East Coast scenery.
• Lunch: riverside meal at the Butt & Oyster pub.
• Afternoon: return to Shotley Marina to prepare for departure. Farewells, and off to home ports.

Additional Notes

• Safety: plan VHF communication and tides for the Deben and Orwell.
• Land options: non-sailing members can join at Shotley or Harwich for the social side.
• Weather contingency: land-based activities are lined up in case conditions rule out sailing.

Voyage Briefing

Wednesday 13 May, 20:00–21:00 — join us to get all your questions answered before we set sail.

Notes for Skippers

Your host is Jonathan Harbourne. Any questions, email eastcoast@gaysailing.org.uk. The itinerary is flexible — there’ll be time to make suggestions and changes.

Getting Help to Join Us

Skippers seeking crew, and crew seeking a boat or berth, are advised to use the club’s WhatsApp channels first. If you don’t have any luck there, contact the event host at eastcoast@gaysailing.org.uk.

Land-based members are always welcome to join for the social side of the event.

What You Need to Do

1. Register your attendance via the S&CA website by 1 March 2026.
2. We already have a couple of boats needing crew — register, email us, or use the WhatsApp channels so we can allocate space.
3. On approach, skippers should contact the harbour or marina by VHF for berthing instructions, stating you’re part of the Sailing & Cruising Association (S&CA) Rally.
4. You can bring along friends — just add them as a guest when you register. Guests can only be added at the time of registration. If you want to add a guest later and the event didn’t require payment, cancel and re-register with your guest added; if payment was required, contact the event host.

Event Safety and Alcohol Consumption

We’re very much a social club, but please be mindful of the dangers of alcohol consumption near water. There have been incidents at past events of people falling from pontoons into the water after drinking — each could have ended in tragedy but for luck. Please pace yourself at club events, and take extra care getting safely back on board at the end of a social evening.

We look after each other: if you notice another participant showing signs of intoxication, let their crewmates know, and make sure they aren’t heading back to the boats or pontoons alone.

The same care applies to dinghies and tenders, which have also been the cause of people ending up unintentionally in the water.

For further safety advice, see the RYA and RNLI guidance.

Cancellations and Refunds

We’ll aim to give a full refund for event charges when you cancel through the website in good time — normally at least a week before the event.

If the club has already made third-party bookings, paid deposits, or taken on other commitments for the event, only a partial refund (or none) may be possible.

If you’re requesting a refund because you were unhappy with a third party’s goods or services, we can only refund you if the third party refunds the club.