I was delighted when Roger Andrews invited me to crew for him on his Wayfarer on the occasion of the Easter D.C.A. rally to Thurne, especially as I am at the moment boatless, having sold my West Wight Potter to Jack Whitby.

Unfortunately, Roger was unable to get Good Friday off, so we arranged to meet at Thurne on Saturday. However, I travelled down from my home at Watford and was at the rally point at Thurne at the arranged time — 6 o’clock on the Friday — hoping to greet the other Midland members. Disappointment! Perhaps they were put off by the weather. At Thurne it was cold, blowing hard and snowing.

I settled for bed and breakfast at the Lion Inn. Saturday morning I went along to the slipway and found that Roger had just arrived. It was still very cold: Roger estimated the wind to be about force 5 gusting to 6 or 7. By the time we had got the Wayfarer rigged and into the water, the thought of sleeping on the boat seemed very unattractive to put it mildly. When Roger suggested we try and get the use of one of the caravans on the site, or go bed & breakfast, there was no hint of mutiny from his crew. We got a caravan and moved in. Very hardy types these D.C.A. lads!

Most fortunately it was now pub time, so we went along to the Lion for lunch. In the afternoon we sailed, reefed down until the D.C.A. burgee was almost bigger than the main sail! We surged out of Thurne mouth round to the dyke to look again for any D.C.A. arrivals, then had a hairy sail down to Upton, and were pleased to meet some friends on their Felicity sailing cruiser who invited us to have tea. There was no slackening in the wind as we sailed back up the Bure. It was not the strength of the wind that troubled us, but the constantly changing direction of the gusts. It seemed that the moment Roger said “Gybe-oh!”, the wind would slam hard from the wrong way. We didn’t fancy going in that icy water!

Roger did the catering and cooking. I began to feel that he did not think I was heavy enough to keep the Wayfarer upright, he fed me so well. We turned in early, after a visit to Potter Heigham by car, thankful we were not afloat.

Sunday — after a large breakfast, of course: Roger saw to that (feed the crew and get the weight outboard) — we had a good sail down to Ranworth for lunch. The weather was a little better by this time as we sailed to S. Walsham Broad, then out to the main river and down as far as Acle Bridge. We even had the sun on our backs for a few minutes, to make up for a heavy gust that nearly had us in!

Monday was again a wild, very cold day. We walked up to Thurne mouth and watched the keel boats and Enterprises racing. The sight of the Enterprises planing at quite fantastic speeds was something to see. All of the crews, boys & girls, had been in the water at least twice, one couple four times. There was a broken mast, a stove-in gunwale, and an Enterprise finishing, sailing in on its buoyancy bags after being holed below the waterline.

Tough, these dinghy racers — they had the almost certain prospect of more duckings on the return race to Horning.

Roger and I were unable to sail at all this day. We did get the Wayfarer ready for a last sail before I had to leave for home, but the wind piped up again, and the hail and rain fell in torrents, so that was that.

Thank you, Roger, for a most enjoyable Easter rally, but a pity there were not more D.C.A. members to enjoy suffering with us! It was grand sailing.

MIDLAND GROUP REPORT by Jim Smith

The Norfolk Broads rally was attended by one boat only, owing to the inclement weather, and also to the fact that Jim Smith could not come as one of his children was seriously ill.

REPORT ON THE AVON RALLY - APRIL 18/19th 1970

Joe Amos in his Mirror 16 and myself & family in the Wayfarer launched at Bathursts Yard, Tewkesbury. This was harder than it sounded as we had to haul the boats across 100 ft. of boggy grass to reach the advertised slip, which was also in a dreadful state. Gil Taylor from my home club arrived, and we were very grateful for his help, and in fact without his help we may not have got in at all.

We eventually set off in fresh winds for the first stop at The Fleet Inn. Gil sailed up with Joe whilst his wife went round by road and met us there.

We waited at The Fleet until John Deacon & Ernie Bailey arrived, and after helping them to launch (another lousy slip) we pressed on in strengthening winds to the overnight mooring at Strensham. Just as we set off, a Lark & a Mirror capsized, and John stood by the Mirror until they righted it. Strensham was reached at about 16.30, and here Ian Bevan in the Tarpon joined us for a short while, then later John Henderson & his parents arrived by road, and we all retired to the local in Eckington.

Sunday the weather continued bright but cool, and Roger Andrews arrived by road to crew Joe back to Tewkesbury. The winds were much lighter and we had a very pleasant sail back to the Fleet, where we were joined by John Henderson & his parents and some interested newcomers from the home club. We helped John Deacon to recover his boat, then after lunch we set off in dying winds to Tewkesbury. John & Ernie met us there, and it was a good job they did or we should not have got out at all. The sun had by now come out and it was quite warm, so after a last cup of tea we all went our different ways. A quiet weekend, a tame weekend, but thoroughly enjoyed by all. It is a pity more of our members won’t try this very safe rally eminently suitable for the family; and, who knows — like my wife, they may want to come again.