South coast member Tony Howarth finally gave his long awaited talk on Hopefull’s trip to the Channel Islands at the first London Winter Meet. He also took the opportunity to advise me of an error in his address given in the last Bulletin, so if you have written a propos SC Winter Meetings but had no reply, try again to Museum Road, Pompey. As it is obviously too late for details to be given in the Bulletin, contact will be on a person to person basis.

My request for details of aborted rally attempts has produced response from two members; adding one of my own, this indicates a success rate for rally attempts of over 90%. Causes for the decision to abort were in one case too much wind, another too little, and the last insufficient tide. No gear failures or mutinies, hurrah!

Liz Baker and John Peel get full marks for initiative in changing boats when their own did not suit. Crewing for someone else setting off from another direction is a good way of ensuring rally attendance for people whose boats are on a mooring. Where foul conditions make a trip next to impossible for one boat another may have an easy trip.

As South Coast Secretary I probably feel under more pressure than many to attend rallies in what was generally considered to have been a poor season weatherwise. I have made some mistakes, notably at Priory Bay rally. After balmy breezes from the south west made a delectable evening for the barbecue, a poor night was had; except for Rodney Levick who spent the night ashore. A night breeze from the mainland bent the wind to expose the boats to an over the tide popple; in itself of no consequence except to Jack Whitby who felt the need to let go another anchor. However the four remaining boats were handicapped by following what is common practice at rallies in more sheltered waters. Liz Baker’s windrode 12’ Mayfly swung from my largely tide rode Dabber’s transom on a moderate warp and the other two boats anchored, at first rafted together, then changing to swing head to tail as they were being jostled together. Unfortunately the increase in length meant my peering out in the night to find the rear boat swinging uncomfortably close to my own. Further, as John’s boat had a proper cruising tent and was the tow and Greg’s, the anchor man, was under a makeshift boat cover, these otherwise similar boats too were utterly incompatible in the prevailing conditions.

Whilst neither Greg nor I felt the need to lay out extra ground tackle as we were already using heavy anchors, it was rather foolish of me to have moored us for the night so close together (done to allow conversation) when of course the extent of water was sufficient to accommodate several hundred boats.

I feel little extra risk is involved in anchoring off the coast for the night instead of sailing perhaps miles up a creek to have a safe berth, but I do take extra precautions for my own boat in that I use less overhead protection, so there is little to be done if a quick getaway is needed. Also I have faith in my ground tackle, which is the best sleeping pill if a light breeze puts up a popple. Which is probably why Jack put out another anchor while the others rode with one anchor to two boats. Lesson learned: just because Bryan Collins’ heavy 16’ Mirror and my Dabber have swung for hours in the same manner without trouble, it does not mean I can do it with any boat!