After a gap of over 30 years, Cody returned to Wales, to a wild site on the banks of the Cleddau River and a few miles upstream of the oil refineries of Milford Haven.

Our camp site was the same field as that used in 1992 although under different management. The farmer had prepared everything for us

• a track round the field to our site at the western corner leaving as much of his crop undisturbed as possible
• a gateway to the beach had been restored
• a water tap and waste water collection point provided at a passing place in the approach track.

All we needed (memories of an earlier visit!) was good weather!

The first week was dominated by a sequence of windy weather and storms, with the result that little long distance dinghy cruising took place until later in the week. The weather in the second week was much better although there was one thunderstorm that provided much in the way of lightning displays.

The second week was dominated by spring tides and consequent large tidal range. Despite this, a good number of cruises took place.

The first cruise was on the second day of camp with 5 boats going upstream to the Tidal Mill at Carew. The next few days saw strong winds and it was not until the fifth day that there was a relatively short cruise downstream to (first of several visits) the Jolly Sailor on the opposite side of the river.

The following day saw an upstream cruise to Hook on the West Cleddau river and then, on the Friday a much longer sail with a fleet of 10 boats sailing to Dale on the northern shore at the river entrance

The middle weekend saw lighter winds and a further cruise to the Jolly Sailor, two cruises to the pub at Lawrenny (for dinner) and an Under 16s race and a water Rocket competition (see Alan Mill’s account in this Newsletter). On Monday there was an early (0630) departure to explore the river up to Pembroke Dock. Later on, despite very light winds, there was a Chicken Run, involving a drift up to the yellow buoy off Lawrenny, and then a hard sail back against the flooding tide. Despite the strong likelihood of being very late back for the camp BBQ, 10 entered, each having the option of choosing their own return time, but of course, no means of controlling the wind. The winner, with an error of only 7 seconds, was Roy Chilvers, followed by Jamie and Cora with an error of 22 seconds. A special mention needs to go to Harry, who persevered against the strong flood tide and scarcely any wind.

In the evening, there was a communal BBQ, followed by presentation of awards to the U16 competitors and to the Chicken Run winner and also a belated presentation of the Peter Martin trophy to Ginny for building her lovely dinghy and of the Commodore’s Cup to Anna and Adri. After a very tuneful performance from the camp choir, we were treated to a very spectacular thunderstorm.

Later in the week 6 boats and a kayak went to Hazelbeach Beach (downstream of the bridge almost opposite Pembroke Dock) and on the following day there was a 7 boat cruise to Angle Point. On the following day, with much stronger winds, another cruise (5 boats) returned to Dale. On Friday the (16th) several boats went upriver to explore the quarries (actually a bird reserve) and on the last Saturday a small fleet went to Cresswell Quay for ice creams.

No account of sailing at this camp would be complete without mentioning the repeated visits across the river (by all manner of craft) to Rudders Yard for excellent coffee and bacon rolls!

In addition to the sailing there were several notable land-based activities, a walk to Stackpole quay, led by Katy Stones, a theatre visit at Pembroke Castle, a camp fire (safely contained in a portable fire pit) and singing led by Mel (with some support from the Rear Commodore!) and a thought-provoking evening quiz organised by Ash.

And now for the U16 race

A trio of boats took to the water for the under 16 race. Harry in his Laser, Isaac in his Topper and Joshua in the club Trio (with his dad, Alan, acting as crew). Jenny had set what appeared at first glance to be a relatively simple triangular course. But a steady tide and some unexpected shallows in the starting box made for a challenging event.

After a few minutes afloat to get the feel for the conditions, a whistle signified the beginning of the starting sequence. Harry showed calm determination in positioning his craft in the right place for a quick start. Isaac meanwhile seemed to be troubled by those pesky shallows. Seizing the opportunity, Joshua made a bid for the line, crossing it at full speed just moments after the whistle sounded.

Joshua maintained his lead as he rounded the windward mark, adjusting well to the shifting wind. The downwind leg was more challenging, with the boat not making up its mind whether or not a gybe was required. Joshua couldn’t hold his lead forever, and by the end of the first lap Harry had all but closed the gap. Isaac’s boat positioning gave him the right of way in the congested waters of the start line. Joshua had to keep clear and Harry pounced, pulling ahead and away from the melee.

All 3 sailors raced hard for the next 3 laps, showing both determination and some excellent boat handling skills. Eventually the whistle blew, signifying the end of the contest. Although all 3 boats continued for at least one more lap, leaving some wondering whether they knew they had finished!

In the end, Harry prevailed, winning the U16 trophy, which was presented at camp the following evening. Congratulations to Harry and to Isaac and Joshua for some first-class sailing skills. Thanks to Jenny for organising and to those who helped with mark laying, etc.

On rockets…

In what has now become a regular fixture in the camp programme, Alan M facilitated another bottle-rocket competition. This year’s competition required precision engineering and careful launching, to ensure that the rockets landed in the limited space between tents and the precious un-mowed grass.

The class of summer 2025 did not disappoint. A multitude of entrants took to the air, powered by nothing more than water and fresh air (and some bike-pump-action). The design and ingenuity that went into this year’s competition was unparalleled, with some entrants relying on carefully-crafted precision (even down to the exact amount of water to be added). Others opted for designs that deployed parachutes, rotorcraft or (for the first time, this year) an uncrewed drone.

The competition was intense, with some early first-flight successes. For others, the opportunity for a second or third launch allowed for some refinement in launch techniques.

But almost every entrant achieved at least one flight. A success rate that many of the world’s space programmes would surely aspire to.

Thanks to Joshua, Lewis and Donna for recording flight times and to everyone for their enthusiastic participation.