Nominally scheduled for 15th to 22nd July, it was in fact a more protracted event, with people and boats around well before and after these dates.

Present for all or part of the times — or before and after — were: Roger Barnes and Helen Stanton — Tideway Baggywrinkle John and Vera Brookes — Dr. Lugger Sandpiper John Balmer and Dennis Doran — WW Potter Windbelle John and Babs Deacon — 14ft clinker Jady Lane Albert and Joyce Hattersley — (with Brookes) Les and Molly Higgins — Tideway Gemini Steve Husband — 14ft Mongrel (he says!) Serendipity David and Jenny Jones — Beaufort Speedy Keith Jones and Tony Sheridan — WW Potter Kaipara Brian and Kath McClellan — WW Potter Water Mouse Phil Swain and family — 14ft Hardy variant

We were visited by the following non-DCA guests: Graham Cox (WW Potter Assn) — WW Potter Roamer Andrew Stott — 40 ft Rustler Dalua

The Tretham Mill campsite was superb and Pascoe’s boatyard very friendly. Thanks are due to Richard and Carol Allen who suggested them when the rally was first mooted last year. We received useful prior information from John Deacon and David and Jenny Jones. The weather was generally kind and warm, and we had some excellent sailing, though a strong SW wind funnelling through St Just Creek made launching on the first two days a little difficult.

The aim of this rally was to allow sailing to an attractive point, disembarkation for a walk and pub meal, followed by a return trip or a night aboard. In fact we sailed a lot and walked little, but many cream teas were had — generally by Tideway crews waiting for Potters to catch up — and genial pubs generally turned up on cue at supper time.

The tide governed activities — more so than in most of our previous experience. A misjudgement left Tony and Keith on the putty for three hours when they should have been visiting Trelissick House.

Most of us visited some creeks, some of us all of them in a rather hasty exploration of the Fal and Helford rivers. The DCA burgee was seen at Ruan Lanihorne, Tresillion, Truro, Devoran, Mylor Bridge, Penryn, Percuil, Helford, Gweek and Gillans Harbour. Possibly in future it would be nice to cover less ground but to explore in more depth.

Generally the creeks are crowded with craft in their lower reaches, but the upper reaches are delightful a couple of hours either side of high tide. They differ widely as to the mixture of pasture, woodland, dwellings and villages which border them. To overnight in an uninhabited section and to awake to the song of curlews, sandpipers and other waders was a magical experience. Every few hundred yards a heron stood fishing, occasionally taking off with a loud croak and ponderous flight.

In contrast we had some brisk winds from time to time in the Fal estuary and between the Fal and Helford rivers which made for exciting sailing.

Up Mylor Creek one evening we rowed, poled and tried to sail along the twisty, narrow channel instead of anchoring off and waiting for the tide. It was very juvenile, but great fun, especially when two of us fell into the rich, glutinous mud and had to be hosed down to make us pub-worthy.

On one or two nights there were wonderfully clear skies and a most magnificent starscape and view of the Milky Way.

As to the boats, possibly the most noteworthy was Steve Husband’s Serendipity, bought as a wreck a couple of years ago and converted by him into a splendid long-keel sailer having the legs of most of us. At St Clements in the Tresillian creek lay Eel. Whether it was an Eel or the Eel we are not sure, but we would like to think she was the one which Hugh Clay sailed the Norwegian coast.

We rounded things off with a nice meal at the Kings Head at Ruan Lanihorne on Saturday the 22nd July. It was a varied rally, but one which people seemed to enjoy.