N o .124
There are two events in quick succession
in the autumn. The Sir Reggie Bennett
event at Seaview and the Arrow Trophy.
The Seaview weekend on 16 th /17 th
September was a great success. It was
the 21 st anniversary of this event,
started by Noel Dobbs in 1997. The
OW team consisted of Noel Dobbs,
David Anderson and Alastair Morley
(Boat 1), Jim Eynon, Olly Stevens and
Richard Darley (boat 2) Robin Garton,
Ed Knight and Calum Sillars (Boat 3).
Peter Hunter was race officer. We had
the usual enjoyable dinner on Saturday
night (with 24 Wykehamists, OWs,
wives and Dons) and then raced in a
light but good breeze on the Sunday.
OWs beat both school (The Sir Reginald
Bennett Trophy) and Old Radleians and
Win Coll beat Radley. It was particularly
pleasing to see three Wykehamist wives
and various small children for what was a
very happy event.
A month later eleven OWs were in
Cowes for the Arrow trophy, sailed
against 23 other schools in Sunsail boats.
It was a very enjoyable weekend in light
airs but the trophy eluded the team.
T he T rusty S ervant
The 2017 year will end with our AGM
and dinner at the Royal Thames on
Tuesday 28 th November. All WSC
members are encouraged to come.
OWTC
OWTC is calling OW runners of all
ages and speeds. Our two-race fixture
card includes the Alumni Race (5
miles) over Wimbledon Common on
Saturday 16 th December and a match
against the school (TBA). The Alumni
Race includes both Old Blues and V65s
battling it out in south-west London.
Running ability is useful but not
important. Enthusiasm and a taste for a
post-race pint are more highly-prized. If
interested, please do get in touch with
Anthony Doolittle tony_doolittle@
hotmail.com.
Obiter dicta
A hot was held at Scolt Head on the
North Sea shoreline (Burnham Overy,
Norfolk) on Sunday 10 th September 2017
by PGG Dear (C, 74-79), HGB Derrick
(C, 74-79), and JC Hanson-Smith (F,
75-79). Against wives! All played in VIs
or XVs in 1979.
Viscount Younger (F, 69-74) recounts: Well,
this set of OW travellers has returned
and we had a wonderful and interesting
trip. We were in a group of 80 on board a
converted Russian ice-breaker following
in the footsteps of Sir John Franklin’s
voyage to find the NW Passage. We
enjoyed some fascinating lectures on
board and we had many trips off the ship
to view polar bears (about 20 seen) and
beluga whales plus numerous species
of birds, and to hike. Our journey took
us by plane to Greenland via Canada,
then by ship across Baffin Bay (800
miles!) on to Lancaster Sound, Devon
Island, Somerset Island and near to King
William Island where Franklin’s ships
have been found recently on the ocean’s
bed (divers are working on HMS Erebus
now). We discovered that more people
have climbed Everest than have been to
this part of the world.
In August, a hot was held at the
northern-most point of an expedition by
ship up the North West Passage in the
High Arctic, following in the footsteps
of Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated voyage of
1845. The co-ordinates were 74.49 N;
88.40 deg W in Maxwell Bay, on Devon
Island.
Peter Hunter, David Anderson, Robin Garton, Alastair Morley, Noel Dobbs
Front row: Richard Darley, Olly Stevens, Ed Knight, Calum Sillars
22
Those present were: NG Mills (E, 49-
54), HM Priestley (E, 55-60), AC Lovell
(B, 67-72), JEG Younger (F, 69-74), AH