What do some of our members think?

​Michael: 
​The DCA provides me with, in no particular order:
  1. An excellent magazine, worth reading, and a source of solace and inspiration when sailing is not possible.
  2. A friendly Facebook page, where I can get advice, support, encouragement and information from experienced and well intentioned people, free of charge, and within hours (sometimes minutes) of asking any question.
  3. A chance to meet like-minded people in a semi-structured way: a rally, a camp or a day's sailing.  You can "socialise" remotely, sharing the same stretch of water whilst choosing your own level of solitude.
  4. A chance to meet like-minded individuals because we get to "know" each other well enough to make actual contact and meet up.  (So far, I have not taken anyone up on this, but the idea is there for this season.)
  5. A sense of belonging.  I am not just some middle aged saddo living out Swallows and Amazons fantasies in an old fashioned boat.  I am a "dinghy cruiser" and a member of an association that most other sailors have at least heard of.
  6. A sense of legitimacy.  We live in times where anyone who does anything unusual — let alone risky — is the object of suspicion and criticism.  People's reactions soften when they find that in fact there are many thousands of other people who do the same.
  7. Social activities.  Having a chat and a laugh with other sailors who can reminisce about a long row back in an unexpected flat calm or the quiet of a favourite anchorage is a different thing from talking to racers about equipment and techniques.
As things stand, I think the DCA is a pretty good thing, I value my membership, and the club is worth cherishing. 
​
​Steve:
​The unique selling point of the DCA is its events. It's at the events that specialist knowledge is exchanged, either by admiring a home-built or extensively modified vessel being proudly explained by the owner, or around the camp fire over a beer and a BBQ dinner, or at an annual meeting. I believe that the members of the DCA are the most knowledgeable, experienced, inventive, creative, adventurous, interesting (I could keep going) collection of individuals with incredible specialist knowledge. The DCA brings specialists together. It gives a voice to and encourages the dissemination of expert information to other members. Easily overlooked from within, astonishing to view from outside.
Lottie, age 11 , pictured  enjoying a lunch break with her brother, wrote a beautiful poem  after  their day out sailing.
​Here are some extracts from...    The Deep Blue

​The deep blue, 
A mystery to me
But all I know is...

The sight of white horses  skimming the waves
Mermaid's hair beneath the boat
Gliding away to the bottom of the deep
The sound of seagulls   soaring above
Crashing waves   upon the hull
​The deep blue
A mystery to me
But all I know is...

The smell of salt   hits me full on
Musty seaweed   never ever gone
​The feeling of plunging   your hand in cold water
The sand in between   my frozen toes
​The deep blue
A mystery to me
But all I know is...

The taste of salt  on my cracked lips
A McDonald's Happy Meal   after a long hard trip
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