Arun Daysail — 7th May

We met up at the Pulborough public launching ramp at 10am sharp, about 1½ hours after high water, timing being important. Mine was the only 14 foot Leader, although another owner came to see us off. The other dinghy was Martin Corrick’s sprit rigged 13’ Torch. Colin and Diane Newnes brought their Canadian canoe and Liz Baker and Slade Penoyre each came in their kayaks. Owing to drought the river level was very low and the wind was light, fluky and ahead. The Torch was therefore rowed all the way down, but I had John Everett as a crew and he persuaded me to sail, shooting the bridges when we came to them. Tacking in the narrow and shallow river was difficult at the best of times, but negotiating the Houghton Humps, low water mud islands with almost vertical sides, and wind ahead was really tricky.

The scenery all along this stretch of river is superb. When we reached the old chalk cliff quarries, now wild and romantically overgrown, the hungry members dived ashore at the first picnic spot, a somewhat muddy procedure at low water. We had planned to use a better landing place further downstream. After lunch the incoming tidestream swung the boats, and soon after we re-embarked to sail back with the flood. The wind was now free most of the time, but even on the windward legs the Torch without its mizzen sailed surprisingly well. It reminded one of a Norfolk wherry lee-bowing a foot or so from the bank. Shooting the bridges was easier with a fair wind, in fact a doddle with a crew to steer while the mast was lowered.

The tide stream held to within half a mile of Pulborough Bridge. Getting the two dinghies up the steep right-angled ramp was quite a problem even with teamwork. In future we would advise canoes and very light boats only for this rally.

Newtown Harbour — 24th-25th June

Saturday forecast NE 4-5 gusting 6.

The wind was up to forecast strength at times, making the Solent crossing difficult for some. The writer came full reefed from Swanwick, and even so dropped his mainsail halfway across and sailed into harbour under jib only. Despite the rough conditions there was a satisfactory attendance including Mark Tingley — Roamer, Chris Jenkins — GP14, Bill Jones and crew — wishbone ketch, Joe Scott — Tarpon, Richard Hignett and nephew — 14’ OD, John Perry and Josephine Street — 15’ OD, Len Wingfield — Leader. David and Jenny Jones walked in. The weather was cold but there is excellent walking here.

Sunday forecast was the same which worried those returning to windward. The plan therefore was to sail or motor out to the entrance and there wait for slack water in the Solent at HW + 4, in order to make the board across to the weather shore in relatively calm water, and then tack up the Solent under some shelter from the land. However the wind soon moderated and later died leaving some of us to row, but eventually picked up again to a useful south-easterly.

Chichester Harbour Cruising Weekend — 8th-9th July

There was some concern that the boat park loos being put strictly out of bounds to campers might lead to a fall in attendance, but with the good weather twenty four people, including friends and kids, turned up. There was the usual wide selection of boats including Peter Francis’s 8’ 6” junk rigged twin centreboard pram dinghy, Bill Jones’s 13’ sprit rigged Torch ketch, Bernard Popham’s sailing Canadian canoe, the John Perry one-design and Mark Tingley’s Roamer, the rest of us with production boats. Being allocated a weekend with midday low waters limited our choice of lunchtime venues somewhat, but East Head still proved popular on the Saturday, and Liz’s suggestion of Oar Rythe, more seals than people, as the venue for Sunday was very appropriate, since then East Head was terribly overcrowded. The Leader class, who gave us our original entrée to the Cobnor site, were not well represented, but those who did turn up were very helpful.

Folly Inn, River Medina — 22nd-23rd July

We had hot sunny weather and winds which varied initially but settled down to north‑westerly f5. Those present included Richard Hignett and Joe Scott who had sailed from Keyhaven round the Isle of Wight in a borrowed Shrimper, John and Linda Kaiser in their Westray 16 from Southampton, David in his Falcon and John Buckley in his Nimrod from the Hamble and Chris Jenkins in his GP14 from Lee-on-Solent. The others included two singlehanded septuagenarians had sailed from Chichester or Langstone Harbours. Colin and Diane Newnes in their Walker 14, Bruce Longstaffe and crew and John Fairclough in WW Potters, Liz Baker in her 13 foot Mayfly, Mark Tingley in his Roamer, Len Wingfield in his Leader, 14 in all.

The Sunday morning forecast was ‘variable’ which in the Solent usually means calms, but in fact we had a fresh and steady westerly and again hot sunny weather.

Wootton Bridge — 5th-6th August

Again hot sunny weather to encourage members’ attendance but also mention of force 7 winds in the forecast to discourage them! The WW Potter squadron, Bob Lomas, Arthur Burton with George Taylor, also Bruce Longstaffe, launching in Langstone Harbour, arrived early at Wootton Creek and carried on to Cowes, struggling gamely under sail against a lightish wind and strong tide to get back. Others including Peter Glover — Mirror and Liz Baker — Mayfly from Chichester, Joe Scott — PBK14 from Keyhaven and Len Wingfield from Swanwick. Of particular interest however was John Everett in his lovely and innovative Scandinavian style 14’ clinker yawl. As usual Nick Street sailed up in his sprit rigged Gloucester Dory to meet us, and other locals welcomed us too.

On the Sunday members departed early to avoid being grounded by the exceptionally low high tide, most were away by 0730. The almost empty Solent was certainly a change from the Cowes Week races of the Saturday. Winds in the creek were exceptionally fluky and approaching Southampton Water the north-easterly came in alternative warm and cool puffs.

Christchurch Harbour — 26th-29th August

The forecast of strong winds combined with strong tides may well have put some members off. Liz Baker started off a day earlier from Cobnor, Chichester Harbour but the tidal difficulties plus headwinds of up to force 7 led her to eventually giving up at Wootton Creek. Len Wingfield launched from Warsash, found it hard going in the Solent chop and was run down by a motoring yacht off Hurst. He survived the encounter with a ripped mainsail and the yacht’s antifouling smeared along the top of his gunwale! He carried on by reefing over the torn section of the sail and got through Hurst very close inshore, but found it very rough a couple of miles beyond Hurst. Richard Hignett and Clare in her Cornish Shrimper had sailed from Keyhaven, sensibly negotiating the Narrows before the overfalls built up too much. Mark Tingley in his Roamer and John and Linda Kaiser in their Westray, a commodious ply 16 footer, had launched within the harbour. The weather was lovely but for the boisterous winds, even well-found yachts had their mainsails reefed 50%, so the last of us, after waiting for any late arrivals, returned to the shelter of the Solent on Sunday evening.

East Head, Chichester Harbour — 23rd-24th September

The weather forecast was fine with moderate winds for the Saturday, but very wet and windy for the Sunday. Nevertheless, although members had the option of treating the rally as a Saturday daysail, most stayed on to brave the wild conditions on the Sunday.

Colin and Diane Newnes were in their Walker 14, a bigger version of the Tideway, Chris Jenkins in his GP14, Bob Lomas, Bruce Longstaffe and Phil Nash in their WW Potter, George Saffrey and Len Wingfield in their Leaders, John Perry and Josephine back from their adventures in the Scillies and Arran in their Perry OD, and of course Liz Baker in her Mayfly.

Saturday sailing consisted largely of drifting with the current with little more than steerage way in warm sunshine, but Sunday morning brought wind and rain, sometimes in savage squalls. Those who launched from Northney or Langstone left early to fight the spring tide and strong headwinds to reach the Emsworth Channel. Liz and Len, with fair wind and tide for their return to their Cobnor and Dell Quay launching sites, left later and had time to sail around in a period of sunshine, but were both chastened by a vicious squall off Dell Quay.