OCC Webinars

‘Travels with Tilman’ Talk summary H.W. ‘Bill’ Tilman's climbing and sailing achievements rank amongst the greatest in the fields of twentieth century mountaineering and high latitude sailing. By the time of his disappearance in the South Atlantic in 1977, he had left a legacy of some of the finest travel books ever written. Quoted as an inspiration by both Chris Bonington and Robin Knox-Johnston, Tilman's books remain essential reading for those who embark on similar ventures. Born in 1898, Tilman was a highly decorated military leader who survived the brutality of the Great War and volunteered for covert operations behind enemy lines leading Albanian and Italian partisans during the second World War. Apart from this extraordinary wartime service, the rest of his life was spent climbing and sailing in remote parts of the world, stopping only to write the fifteen books that document his travels. Bob Comlay was one of only a handful of crewmembers who chose to return for a second high latitude voyage, earning a level of trust that gives him unique insight into the character of this self-effacing legend of twentieth century exploration. The talk covers a brief biography of Tilman with personal anecdotes from the two Greenland voyages of 1970 and 1971. The presentation includes a large number of unpublished colour photographs, archive documents and extracts from personal letters.

In the late summer of 2003 OCC member Clive Woodman set out from Plymouth in his Cornish Shrimper bound for Oslo, Norway. As soon as the first snows of winter arrived he swapped the yacht for a set of skis and spent the winter skiing 2,300 km northwards through the Norwegian to North Cape where he got back in the Shrimper to complete the circumnavigation by sea.

OCC Lecture #10 ‘FAMILY CRUISING IN HIGH LATITUDES AND DURING COVID-19’ by Gavin French - Gavin and his adventurous young family sailed away from home and secure jobs in Newfoundland aboard their catamaran. They chose the Viking Route to Norway which is an unusual choice for family cruising on a multihull. They are currently living aboard under lockdown in Italy.

Barton Cup winner Randall circumnavigated Antarctica and the Americas singlehanded in one very long voyage. His long suffering boat, S/V Moli, has won two Barton Cups

Cruising legend, Pam Wall, gives an overview of cruising in the Bahamas on board her beloved S/V Kandarik. Her talk covers preparing a boat for warm water cruising, getting to the Bahamas and, of course, lots of cruising information.

OCC Lockdown Talk #7: ‘Marquesas and Tuamotus’ by Ellen Leonard - Ellen won the OCC’s David Wallis Trophy 2018 for her writing about spending her 20’s sailing around the world and subsequently cruising the Pacific from the Bering Strait to Hawaii. Her blogs and her videos are exquisite as is this presentation.

Kirk Patterson, a 31-year resident of Japan, did a solo Pacific crossing and then spent six years cruising Japan, including the first full circumnavigation of the Japanese archipelago by a foreigner. 

OCC Lockdown Lecture #5: ‘Chilean Canals’ by Kath McNulty - OCC Rose Medal winners and, until very recently, Roving Rear Commodores Kath McNulty and Franco Ferrero tell the story of their Chilean adventures aboard Caramor their Rusler 36

Dr Charles L. Starke is a physician and photographer. As ship's doctor on many oceanic voyages, and as captain of his own sailing vessel, he has traveled and photographed many places of the world. The talk demonstrates the archeological masterpieces and the living traditions carried on in a continuum from ancient to modern in the form of the Tapati Festival. The following discussion will focus on the practicalities of sailing and anchoring there. 

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Judith is Danish & Haakon is Norwegian and they live in Denmark. They both started sailing as adults. They met on a delivery sail from La Rochelle to Oslo, Norway and bought their first boat together 3 months later. They have owned 3 boats: 9 years in Denmark on an Hallberg Rassy 26’, 7 years in the Med on a Malö 40 (31.5’) and 10 years on Touché, an Island Packet 380.

They have Sailed approximately 22000 nM in Touche but always part time: 3 years in Scotland, 3 years in Norway, 1 season in Scotland & Ireland, 1 year in Atlantic France, then south to Gran Canaria, Crossing the Atlantic in 2018/2019 – The Eastern Caribbean, USA, Cuba, Grand Cayman and Panama. Touché is now in Panama waiting for new adventures.

Future plans (if Covid allows – they had planned to be in Chile around now): Through the Panama Canal, Galapagos, Easter Island, Puerto Montt, Chile and Patagonia. They don’t intend to sail around the world – unless you count as much as we can do ‘vertically’!

David and Andrea McKay, s/v Diomedea, take us on a 3,500 mile journey around New Zealand in their steel Van De Stadt Tasman 48 built by a Kiwi. Their voyage took place in 2013-2014.

Steve Brown recounts the story of his adventures in the Southern Ocean and his dragging anchor on Deception Island.

In 2020 Steve won both the OCC's Vasey Vase and the RCC's Tillman Medal for his account of this voyage.