ELYC member Ellen Clark is rowing the Atlantic! She writes:
"In December 2026 I will be part of a team - Saltire Tides - rowing unsupported across the Atlantic as part of the World's Toughest Row 2026. Over 40 days at sea, we will row 3,000 miles from La Gomera to Antigua, facing 40ft waves, sleep deprivation, unpredictable weather, and salt sores.
We are an all-female trio who met living together in Dundee. Myself and Lauren are physiotherapists and Jenna is a paediatric surgical trainee. We have bonded over a shared love of adventure and being on the water, as well as a strong belief in human potential. This row is an amazing challenge that none of us could resist. We hope that our journey will inspire others to push their own boundaries and say yes to the opportunities life has to offer, no matter how big or small.
We will be raising money for The Archie Foundation, a charity supporting children and their families across Scotland through life's toughest challenges. They provide many services, from bereavement support and counselling to funding essential new equipment across NHS sites. We have witnessed first-hand the benefits they provide to families when navigating their healthcare journeys.
Our training is now underway and we are seeking sponsors to help make the crossing possible. There are Title, Gold, Silver and Bronze opportunities available for larger companies, as well as sponsoring an oar, or joining the £250 Club (a great option for smaller businesses, groups or individuals who would like to have their name on the boat!). We also have a GoFundMe for individual donations.
We are grateful for any bit of support, no matter how big or small!
Follow our journey on Facebook (Saltire Tides) and Instagram (@saltiretides).
Website: http://www.saltiretides.co.uk
Sponsorship enquiries: saltiretides@gmail.com
GoFundMe: Saltire Tides Atlantic Row 2026
We are a members club run by the members for the members which means all of us should be doing something to help run the club and look after our infrastructure.
Recently — after many years of service — committee members have stepped down from their roles and more will do so at the AGM. New people have joined and are doing an excellent job.
We have not found members to take on all the work done by those who stepped down, some of the committee have taken on two or more “jobs” and are now doing too much.
The pool of people with some experience of running the club is diminishing, more members need to be involved otherwise there will not be enough experienced members to run the club in the future and our activities will be reduced.
We need more members to participate in running the club. You would not be taking on sole responsibility for any activity or need to become a committee member just helping where needed.
We need help with:
There is a real risk that without more help from the membership sailing sessions will be lost, our buildings and RIBs will deteriorate and revenue generating regattas will not be run.
Please think hard about this - we need active members to maintain the success of the club which has been achieved through all the efforts of earlier generations. Being more involved is rewarding, social and fun if there are enough of us doing it! Don’t leave it to someone else volunteer yourself!
Please send me an email if you can help with any of the activities listed above. I will record names and sort them into groups and contact you again.
Thankyou Stewart Gibbons secretary@elyc.org.uk
Minutes of the recent meeting between NBHT and several ELYC Flag Officers are available here.
The Hole in the Wall Fun-draiser event was held at the club on Saturday 16th December. The organisers hope everyone that attended had a great time and enjoyed the music, games and special Christmas cocktails. Photographs from the event can be viewed here.
The evening was a huge success, raising a fantastic £1541.10 for the cause, and would not have been as successful were it not for the generosity of the following people
Finally, a huge thank you to everyone who attended, purchased tickets, dragged friends along and contributed to the cause by helping out. It's a long list.
Members gathered on Saturday December 2nd for the annual prize giving, which recognises not just on the water achievements, but those off it as well. Warmest congratulations to all our trophy winners this year and to those who contributed their time to make 2023 a successful year.
You can view pictures of the prize giving here, and also a list of who won what, here.
The Coates-Walker Quaich is awarded for submission of the best cruising log during a sailing season. You can read the submissions for the 2023 season by clicking the link(s) below. You can submit your logs by emailing them to a committee member.
Aquila
The Club is saddened to learn of the passing of long standing member, Betty Millar.
A keen sailor in her younger years, Betty began her sailing career crewing for younger brother, Jim Strudwick, in his graduate. Although to secure the coveted crewing spot aboard Jim's boat, she had to buy her way in by agreeing to purchase the sails for the boat, which Jim had built from a kit.
After two or three seasons Betty then crewed for husband and former ELYC Commodore, David. They sailed a variety of boats together including Thames Estuary One Designs (TEOD) and Skuas until they eventually purchased a Hunter Europa named Topsy. The Hunter Europa was partly aimed at introducing Betty's son Bruce to sailing.
Betty was also heavily involved in running Championships and club racing, known for running races (OOD) singlehanded.
Sail on, Betty.
Derek Braid has kindly provided us with pictures from the recent crane-in, taken on Saturday 1st April. You can view them here.
We are writing to advise that crane in will take place on Saturday 1st April. The crane will be setting up ready to commence lifting by 8.30 am. All lifting activity should be completed by early afternoon. Please note that access to the Granary, Fishermen’s Store, the Dinghy Park and Esplanade will be severely disrupted during this operation, so we apologies in advance.
Harbour Management Team
The Coates-Walker Quaich is awarded for submission of the best cruising log during a sailing season. A few of our more intrepid sailors have submitted the following logs for the Committee to review, and already there have been many positive reviews. You can read the logs by clicking the link(s) below.
Dreamcatcher - Rachel Scarfe
East Lothian Yacht Club | 36-40 Victoria Road | The Harbour | North Berwick | East Lothian | EH39 4JL