The Ocean Cruising Club
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Welcome to the OCC
A Vision for the Future: this attempts to define who we are as the Ocean Cruising Club, and what we stand for.
The people in the Ocean Cruising Club represent the distilled essence of the cruising community, a potent combination of accomplishment, experience, idealism, eccentricity, generosity and humility. The sole qualification for full membership, the only ticket to entry, entails stepping aboard your boat, casting off the docklines and making a continuous ocean passage of at least 1000 nautical miles, measured along the rhumb line, in a vessel under 70 feet.
It is open to anyone aboard, either as skipper or certified as competent by the skipper.
There are two additional classes of membership; associate for those aspiring to cross oceans, and senior for those who have set their anchors ashore at a venerable age. Membership is about achievement, and the OCC welcomes those who qualify without restrictions; to this end, it has always enjoyed a high proportion of experienced and competent female sailors amongst its ranks.
4 OCC boats in Bermuda 1-2 Race
Four OCC skippers and boats participated in the Bermuda 1-2 Race this year. Along with Kiwi Spirit (Stanley Paris), Halcyon (Dan Alonso), Bluebird (Gust Stringos), Panacea (Peter McCrea) started off just as the tail-end of TS Andrea blew past.
And the results just in show Kiwi Spirit 1st with line honours, Halcyon 3rd in class and 9th overall, Panacea 2nd in class 4 and 13th overall, Bluebird 3rd in class 4 and 14th overall! As well as that, Dan Alonso did "a masterful job sailing to rescue Jan Steyn whose boat had to be abandoned." What can we say? All in the spirit of the OCC!
Jeanne's almost home!
1st June, 2013 - Jeanne Socrates
Who am I? I have been sailing solo for quite a while now without touching land, since October in fact. An amazing number of pieces of equipment have already failed or are beginning to fail. I've made do. I have passed the famed capes of the Southern Ocean and am now in the Pacific. Here is what has broken so far, as I remember:
Help track effects of climate change
Seafarers are being encouraged to take part in a unique global study, using a mobile phone app to record the effects of climate change.
The marine phytoplankton account for approximately 50% of all photosynthesis on Earth and, through the plankton food web that they support, they both underpin the marine food
SSB Radio Nets - listen in
The OCC Med Net: on 8104 Wed and Fri at 06.00Z, Susie & David(Kookaburra), David & Julia (Daq Attack).
The OCC NE USA Net: on 4045 at 07.30EDT (11.30UTC), under Mary Verlaque (I Wanda) and Moira Bentzel (Equinox).
The OCC Atlantic Net: on 8131 at 13.00 UTC and 12353 at 1400 UTC under John Franklin (Al Shaheen).
Upcoming Rallies and Events
AZORES CRUISE 1-17 July 2013
WEST COAST of SCOTLAND CRUISE JULY 2013
MEDITERRANEAN MEETINGS, THRO SEPTEMBER 2013
Look at the Events Calendar in the Main Menu for details, or click on the link.
Where are our Port Officers?
Have you ever wondered where all our Port Officers are based?
Here's a quick easy look at a Port Officers' map to show you - just click on this link and it will show you the current status. No details, as for that you need to login to the website and select the Port Officers pages from the Menu of the left hand side of this page.
Meet our Members
The next biography features Tony & Coryn Gooch, adventurers who like the idea of going to places where people aren't, where flora and fauna are relatively untouched, and where a sailor's preparedness and resourcefulness may be tested daily.
OCC Communications
Join our vibrant, enthusiastic, helpful and entertaining OCC facebook page! Did you know we also have an OCC Kids fb Page, for anyone under the age of 14 aboard out there who'd like to stay in touch with their own age group.
What do the various OCC publications contain? To whom should you send your articles, news or small ads, and when are the deadlines? What, Who, Where & When; Contributor's Guidelines to Flying Fish. Save yourself (and us!) time and trouble by getting it right first time -- we look forward to hearing from you! And if you want to download to your Kindle, go direct to Flying Fish in the Publications menu
Founder Members, Allen; Loomis; Nicolson; Mudie - Hum's Boys
Derrick Allen (joined as Associate 1954)
Initially I fitted out a 52’ ketch (Fedoa) to sail to Antigua in order to start a charter business. In Lymington, before I left, Humphrey Barton made contact and made me the Club’s first Associate Member and a full member only when I had completed the crossing! Mrs Jessie Barton was a great help with victualling my vessel: Crosse & Blackwell were having
Read more: Founder Members, Allen; Loomis; Nicolson; Mudie - Hum's Boys
Biggest flood since 1839, Clarence River, NSW
David Plumley, Port Officer Noumea
Ex-tropical cyclone OSWALD came down the coastal regions of both Queensland and New South Wales, flooding Bundaberg (where we cleared into Australia) with over 9m and washing away a marina in the town, boats and all... Hospital patients were evacuated and residents had to be airlifted to safety by RAAF Blackhawk helicopters using night vision equipment...See also Tenaya's video clip of Coffs Harbour waves...
Here in NSW, we were revisiting the Clarence River – and a couple of days before Australia Day 2013, we anchored behind Munroe Island. This island lies of the left bank across from the