Fine weather and light SW winds. I had to wait till noon for the tide, and with fickle headwinds took six hours to reach Wootton entrance. Motoring up the creek with my outboard ploughing a furrow in the mud, I spotted ‘new’ member Roy Rolfe’s 18 footer, with smart green and white paint and red furled sails reflecting the evening sun. Roy launched his folding tender and accompanied me to the bridge, where I met ‘J’ Milbourne and Chris Jenkins. Roy and I ate in the pub, while ‘J’ stayed in his boat, and Chris turned in for an early night.

Next morning Chris was away at crack of dawn. The rest of us made a more leisurely departure. Then, with the wind still in the west, enjoyed a splendid sail home.

Oxey Lake, Lymington — 9/10 September 2000

Dramatic forecasts of gales in the north, or total lack of wind, could equally have contributed to the low attendance at this rally. I later heard that lack of wind had prevented several members from reaching the venue. Without my outboard, I would probably have been amongst them. I launched at Swanwick, on the Hamble, on the Friday and sailed to Ashlett Creek for the night. Next morning I motored as far as Pitts Deep before a light breeze let me sail the last couple of miles. Reaching Oxey Lake at low water I anchored for lunch. No DCA boats; just a post sticking up behind the headland where we were to rendezvous, which later materialised into Chris Jenkins’s Potter AX mast. Alan Glanville’s arrival in Ness Yawl Lowly Worm made a rally of three. Together we walked the mile to the Chequers, where we met Bruce and Sue Longstaff, and David and Peta Morl, who had come by road.

Next morning after Chris and Alan had departed, I wandered across Pennington Marshes. While sorting out my warps later, I was vaguely aware of a small yacht approaching, but didn’t take much notice until someone said, “Good morning Liz!” It was John and Linden Kuyser. In company we battled against a light headwind and a contrary tide, occasionally resorting to help from our outboards, until I stopped for lunch in Pitts Deep.

Bursledon — 23/24 September 2000

Having seen too much of Swanwick hard the previous week-end, I sailed from Chichester Harbour to this rally. By 7am on Saturday Tessa and I were heading close hauled for the Chichester bar. Outside, although the wind was light, there was a considerable swell, but a fair wind SE 3-4, so it was a relief when I could bear away and feel our speed increase. An hour later we were bouncing about off Portsmouth in a F4 while I anxiously threaded Tessa through a fleet of yachts towards Gilkicker. Now in the lea of the land the seas went down, but the wind was rising and off Hillhead I put in my first reef. Half a hour later I pulled down the second. We roared into the Hamble with a F6 up our tail and white horses everywhere. I grounded on the mud on the last bend before Bursledon and stayed there for lunch, where Peter Clover, rowing his dory, found me later. I failed to see Len Wingfield sail past but met him later at Lands End hard, and Keith Holdsworth, having moored further upriver, walked back to join us in the Jolly Sailor, where we also met David Sumner and Chris Jenkins who had come by road.

Our Sunday cruise to Curbridge was marred by heavy rain, but it stayed dry until 10.30. At Curbridge the pub was shut — but it was only 11.30am and the ebbing tide, as much as the rain, encouraged a speedy turnaround. Keith and I stayed half an hour longer and shared hot drinks and biscuits under our tents until signs of emerging mud obliged me to press on. I had expected Keith to follow, but he stayed put, obviously happy to remain dry and enjoy the scenery until the tide refloated him later. As Tessa drifted downstream a man under a colourful umbrella emerged from the trees and solemnly took our photo. Later I witnessed an elegant courtship dance performed by a pair of little egrets.

South Coast Winter Meeting

Sixteen south coast members assembled at The Crown, Emsworth on Sunday 28 January for a very enjoyable evening and first class food. Beforehand, two of our more intrepid members, Len Wingfield and Alan Glanville, had spent the weekend sailing in the harbour and camping — yes camping!!! — in their boats at East Head. Seriously, though, I would have joined them had I not been too tired following a busy week at work, because the weather, although frosty at night, was beautiful.

I started the evening by showing a few slides of recent rallies, and a French-style rally of old open sailing boats I had observed at Landerneau, up the river from Brest and held at the same time as the Brest festival. Alan Glanville showed photos of his cruise in the Rade de Brest, and John and Linden Kuyser their dinghy cruise amongst the Scilly Isles.

Peter Baxter entertained us with a ‘conjuring trick’ with a sea anchor he’d bought at the Boat Show, and David Jones demonstrated several useful gadgets, including how to straighten a sail with a shrunken bolt rope, and his tiller fitted with the DCA self steering device. It’s brilliant! I know — I’ve tried it too. Liz Baker