The Dinghy Cruising Association will be 70 years old in 2025. You can read how it got started on our main website: How the DCA Began. We are encouraging all our members, to celebrate in someway during the year. Maybe a birthday cake at a rally or something more organised? Plans will be announced in the Forum and highlighted on this page. You can also see which rally has been selected for a celebration by looking for the special symbol on the rally pages of the main website.
North America
As our North American group continues to grow and flourish they have offered noted author and sailing videographer Roger Barnes, President of the Dinghy Cruising Association, an opportunity to visit the United States. Roger will be teaching a class at the Wooden Boat School from 6 - 12 July, and speaking at the Wooden Boat Show in Mystic, Connecticut, 27 - 29 June. He will also be sailing with our New England Chapter throughout his visit.
The group hope to have a Dinghy Cruising Association booth at the Wooden Boat Show where people can meet Roger, talk about small boats and have a good time. If you bring a copy of his book, The Dinghy Cruising Companion, he will be more than happy to sign it.
To facilitate these plans the NA Regional Group has raised funds to help underwrite some of the costs associated with Roger's trip. Thanks to many generous donations they are able to help cover his airfare, lodging, car rental (if needed) and the cost of renting an information booth during the Wooden Boat Show. Any unused funds will go to the Dinghy Cruising Association for future activities. If for some reason Roger is unable to come to the US, donations will be returned to donors as per GoFundMe policies and procedures.
In addition to bringing Roger to the USA, the DCA North West Chapter will co-sponsor the second Small Boat Festival at Port Ludlow Marina. The Festival will take place on Saturday 31st May with dinner following that evening in the marina’s big Pavilion tent.
For more information about this event and to sign up Click here
France
The club’s anniversary falls in late May at the same time that 45 DCA boats will be participating in the famous Semaine du Golfe du Morbihan sailing festival. French members have organised a number of commemorative and celebratory events.
To mark the club’s appreciation and gratitude for the opportunity to sail in one of the world’s greatest small boat festivals, the French branch of DCA will be presenting a commemorative gift to the organisers in the form of a handmade oar, suitably inscribed and painted in DCA colours, intended for wall mounted display in the event organisers’ office.
In recognition of the DCA’s involvement with 45 boats, members attending from 8 countries and a team of DCA volunteer flotilla briefing translators, the organisers have awarded the club the opportunity to form a DCA flotilla to sail in formation in the event’s Opening Parade. It’s a unique honour which has not been granted to any club before.
A supper party has been organised for all members and their crews taking part in the festival. It will celebrate both the gathering of so many members in one sailing event and the 70th anniversary of the club. It will take place at one of the main event hubs at Port Blanc and is expected to bring together over 70 sailors.
French based members are also organising a meeting place at the festival’s traditional picnic day on the île d’Arz where information on the club will be available for prospective members and the Press and broadcast media.
England - South Coast
An early celebration of the DCA's 70th anniversary took place at the 2025 RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show at Farnborough. Manned by volunteers from the South Coast group, the DCA stand showcased dinghy cruising and had on display two beautiful boats - Graham Neil's Morbic 12 and Ginny Harvey's brand new self-built John Welsford Walkabout.
On Saturday afternoon a giant birthday cake was cut by Ginny and another of our intrepid women sailors, Mary Dooley, at the stand to celebrate the Association's 70th Anniversary. Well done to all!
Celebration Rallies
England: South Coast 5-6 July Folly Inn
England: North East 1-3 August Hartlepool Bay
Wales: 26-28 June Traeth Bach
S&E Baltic 23-25 May River Wisla in Warsaw
