Chichester Day Sail — May 16

With an inshore forecast f5-6 southerly, possibly gusting 30-35 knots, and rain, I wondered whether anyone would turn up. However, sailing up Emsworth Quay we found John Perry and Josephine with their heavy 15 foot Perry Special, with its alternative heavy weather rig of small Bermudan mainsail instead of the usual gunter. Also on the hard was Geoff Wright and his 12 foot Tideway with a boy scout and girl scout as crew.

As expected, tacking down the exposed Emsworth Channel with the ebb was a rough wet business, and even under reefed main only I was glad that a new member had come along as my crew. It was quite a relief when we could cut across the drying Pilsea sands to our venue at East Head. The Tideway followed later — unreefed!

To our surprise, waiting for us was Mark Tingley in his Roamer and Don Alexander in his Mirror 16. Mark had launched at Dell Quay, but Don had sailed singlehanded from Warsash the previous day. In view of the cold grey windy weather most of us walked the mile round the peninsula to the warm and comfortable cafe at Wittering, with its picture window overlooking the saltings. After sailing over to Sandy Point, we returned with the new flood, my 14 foot Leader planing at times, even with only a heavily reefed main.

Not a bad turn out for such marginal conditions.

Chichester Harbour Camping and Family Weekend — June 5/6

This weekend was shared with the Leader Class, to make up the numbers, but by chance their great rivals the Wanderer Class had booked in too. As usual, this event attracted a very wide range of boats from cruiser-racers to a traditional lugger.

On the Saturday, our first leg was from Cobnor up to Bosham, but the return to the main channel with light winds and the spring flood both against was difficult, and some of the smaller boats were happy to call it a day and return to Cobnor. Richard Hignett’s 14 foot Hignett Special gave a good account of itself against the cruiser-racers, however, and Liz Baker with two 14 year olds in her 12’ 9” Mayfly joined us at our lunch rendezvous at Dell Quay. Returning to Cobnor, most of the Leaders got way ahead and extended the cruise to East Head, confident of their ability to return against the spring ebb.

On Sunday the weather was again superb, but initially without a breath of wind to take us against the spring flood to our first venue at East Head. I rowed the first couple of miles, as did Liz Baker and her two lads, but Wendy Newton, singlehanded in her Leader, managed just paddling against the fast flowing flood, Canadian canoe fashion, taking advantage of every little waft of breeze, in a way I would not have thought possible.

Meanwhile, hoards of Wanderers passed us under motor, en route for Langstone. (If you see a Wanderer without a motor it will probably be Margaret Dye’s!). At East Head there was no sign of the other boats, but all three sail and oar (or paddle) skippers agreed to push on to Langstone, where we were joined by Mark Tingley’s Roamer, but saw none of the others. I later found that the Baileys had arrived late with their inflatable catamaran of Hebridean fame, but had shipped aboard one of the Wanderers.

I made it a total of 25 DCA members and their families attending at various points, plus 15 Leader people.