Author: Graham Cross

Sunday 6th February saw Round 8 of the Harkers Yard Gig Series at Wivenhoe Sailing Club on the Colne, with 17 gigs taking part. Elettra arrived early, despite a late night for some of the team at the Winter Ball! Due to the narrowness of the river and the short tidal window, the races were, once again, time trials with pairs of gigs starting at one minute intervals. The course this year was downriver to Alresford Creek and back, a distance of nearly 3 nautical miles. Elettra’s Ladies team raced first. Coxed by Cap’n Kev with Edyta Hayward (stroke) Sophie…

The IWM Duxford has a major new exhibition; “Hurricane: Unsung Hero”, celebrating one of the Second World War’s most hard-working fighter aircraft, the Hawker Hurricane, which destroyed more enemy aircraft during the Battle of Britain than all the other air and ground defences combined. But did you know that one of these iconic planes lies just off Osea Island? In the early hours of 31st August 1940, the RAF’s 56 Squadron of Hurricanes were scrambled at North Weald airfield to meet an incoming German force of 200 enemy aircraft. They clashed over the Dengie. At 0845 Hurricane, V7378, flown by Flight…

Sunday  22nd January: Round 7 of the Harkers Yard Gig Series at Maldon. As Elettra remained in Maldon following the Fancy Dress row we were able to have a lie in! Sunday dawned extremely cold and frosty though and we found Elettra up to her gunwales in the mud and full of ice! Martin and Tim soon had her bailed out and after bacon rolls at Maldon Little Ship Club then we just had to wait for the tide. The Maldon races are time trials, with boats setting off in pairs based on their previous performance, at one minute intervals.…

Sunday dawned bright and sunny, unlike the predicted forecast, and the fancy dress rowers of Elettra made their way to Hythe Quay, Maldon for makeup and final costume adjustments; for some this involved balloons!This year’s theme, The Addams Family proved a very popular choice but as judging took place on the quay there was some stiff competition from Popeye, Olive Oil and Bluto, a particularly stylish pirate, two groups dressed from the 80’s, Spidermen on paddleboards and of course the ladies of the Basin Oars in a retrospective of previous year’s costumes!After bacon rolls and coffee, the team took to the water in…

Now that The Third Day TV series has finally premiered on Sky Atlantic we can reveal some exclusive on-set images taken during the production in November 2019. The last episode of “Winter” was filmed at Marconi Sailing Club with Naomie Harris in and around the White Hut. **SPOILER ALERT! ** Harris plays a mother who escapes a religious cult on Osea Island by swimming across to our shore with her two daughters in tow aboard a tender. She then takes shelter in the white hut which was decorated by set designers as a harbour masters office. Thanks to all those…

Sadly we are unable to have a Cadet Week in 2020 despite the heroic efforts of our CW Team in the face of insurmountable odds. We’ll all have to wait a little longer to be together again smiling, laughing, learning and of course sailing. CW2021 will be the most iconic experience – it’s going to be truly unmissable! Meanwhile in order to make you weep salty tears here’s a nostalgic collection of photos to help you remember the good times from over the last 13 years or so……make a cuppa, grab a biscuit and enjoy! ……..and remember…..you were all Starfish…

Filmed on Osea Island and at Marconi Sailing Club…the wait is soon over…..starring our very own Sophie Clayton (on helm)….oh and Jude Law, Naomie Harris etc etc…. THE THIRD DAY Official Trailer (2020) Jude Law

Elettra rows The Great River Race by Larry Walters. It can take a long time to forget pain, aching limbs and sleepless nights, but clearly twelve months is long enough… On the 14th September MSC entered Gig Elettra into the 32nd annual Great River Race, London’s 21.6-mile river extravaganza starting at Docklands and running along the Thames past some of London’s iconic sights to Ham in Richmond. The race attracts crews from around the world in traditional boats that include Celtic Longboats, currachs, Cornish gigs and Hawaiian war canoes. This year not only included entries from across the UK but…

A full set of Cadet Week 2019 photos are now available to download HERE. Many thanks to Sally Hitt from The Moment Images and all those that snapped these on and off the water. What a wonderful week!

In an apt discovery for the 75th anniversary of the D Day landings here’s a photograph of B-26 Marauders over the Blackwater estuary discovered in a book by member Pat Black who says, “Marauders were flown out of many air bases in Essex and East Anglia, I like to think that the two were flying home to Earls Colne airfield where many were based. The aircraft at the top of the picture was named Wolf Pack 2 (323 bomber group) the other appears to be un-named. If you look carefully just above midships of Wolf pack 2 one can make out Bradwell…