The August Rally at Christchurch Harbour in many ways encapsulated the variety of experience that is dinghy cruising. The weather fluctuated between baking sunshine with breathless calm, dramatic sunsets, lowering skies, thunderstorms, blustery showers and winds from everywhere but in the direction of travel.

On a sparkling Friday evening, Mudeford Quay was lively with tourists, fisherman and dinghies as I launched my floating yawl rigged bed, The Flying Pig. Having avoided the traditional faux pas in front of a critical audience, a light wind spirited me across the harbour to the shelter and tranquillity of Hengistbury Head. A full stomach, the onset of darkness and the gentle rocking of the boat brought about almost instantaneous sleep when most holidaymakers were emerging for their evening’s entertainment.

Saturday dawned grey and blustery but offered a perfect opportunity to test a new jib and mizzen, fabricated from a redundant poly/cotton window blind. With a bit of fine tuning, the aesthetic and propulsive effect was most satisfying.

Jay Milbourne’s Star Trekker was glimpsed through the distant greyness ploughing upriver for re-victualling after returning to his home port from one of his extended south coast summer forays. Jay’s choice of dinghy is a cabin boat with sails and outboard plus every imaginable home comfort and navigational aid. It is instantly recognisable by its many flags, including a version of the Stars and Stripes, a Jolly Roger, and even Jay’s own personal ensign.

With rain threatening, sail trials were declared over and I anchored near the water’s edge at the end of the avenue of whimsical beach-houses that is Mudeford Spit. Jay eventually joined me, selecting his position like a cat selecting the comfiest spot on the sofa.

John Kuyser, a man seemingly with a boat for every occasion, made a flying visit in his yellow kayak and was gone again before the familiar blue triangle marking the top of a Leader’s sail began threading its way towards us through the crowded anchorage. Accompanying it was the equally familiar Len Wingfield, arriving after a frustratingly windless sail from Keyhaven. Eschewing the use of engines, Len prefers to extract nuggets of forward motion from still air like a prospector panning gold from a river bed.

The Saturday evening entertainment comprised a dash up a darkened River Stour into the noise and bright lights of an open air swing band concert, followed by a fruitless search of local hostelries for the perfect ginger beer shandy.

Sunday again dawned damp and murky, but gradually the emerging sun tempted me into the open for more sail trials and ultimately to a quiet inlet in Stanpit Marsh. Through binoculars I picked out the blue triangle wending its way out of the harbour, accompanied by the Star Trekker as they commenced their return journey towards Keyhaven.

Lunch was consumed peacefully afloat amongst a horde of unconcerned waders until the spell was broken by the roar of a yellow stunt biplane. With a man astride the top wing it proceeded to perform an acrobatic tour de force above the astonished spectators on Mudeford Quay. It was a fitting end to a weekend of contrasts. Keith Holdsworth

Bembridge — 17/18 August

A dream quality rally thanks to Liz selecting a weekend with peachy winds and weather, neapish tides, Tall Ships Parade of Sail, and the Red Arrows! [I thought ‘peachy’ sounded more like a description of someone’s complexion, but David tells me it’s a hang gliding term — Liz].

Attending were: Liz Baker Cormorant Tessa Peter Baxter Drascombe Lugger Jenny Dave Sumner Mirror Curlew Len Wingfield Leader Rebel Mike and Tom Still Coypu David Jones Beaufort Speedy Jay Milbourne in his ‘other boat’ John and Linden Kuyser in their ‘other boat’

Jay had to depart for Portsmouth on Saturday afternoon but the rest of us enjoyed an evening of good food, ale, chat etc in the nearby Pilot Boat Inn, which had been reccy’d the night before by Dave.

Photo: John Kuyser

On Sunday morning, Mike and Tom were the first to leave, followed later by Peter, John and Linden. Liz, Dave, Len, and David left together after lunch. There was no stated intention of sailing in company but Liz, Dave and David were able to keep each other in view for the whole passage and regrouped shortly after arriving at the entrance to Chichester Harbour. A pause was made for a cuppa with biscuits and cake to make a pleasant finish to a great week-end. David Jones

Hurst Point — 31 August / 1 September

Steve Bradwell Enterprise George Strube Drascombe Peter Boat Golden Eye Alan Glanville Ness Yawl Lowly Worm III Liz Baker Cormorant Tessa John and Linden Kuyser 23’ Yacht Sea Jay Chris Jenkins West Wight Potter AX Gispy

What a cracker! A beautiful week-end in the Western Solent and a glorious anchorage with spectacular sunset and sunrise. Chris Jenkins and WW Potter Gispy had appeared at the slipway at Bucklers Hard as I was about to depart on the Friday. Chris spent the Friday night in the marina there, and cruised down to Hurst Narrows on the Saturday before sailing to Yarmouth for lunch. I set off triple-reefed in a SW 5/6 and enjoyed a thrash across to Newtown. On Saturday day I visited Alum Bay and the Needles before returning to Hurst Point.

George Strube was enjoying the sunshine and sailing around the waters off Keyhaven where he had launched. John Kuyser and Linden were at anchor in their yacht, having sailed in Friday’s blow from Hythe to Cowes. Steve Bradwell was the next to arrive, direct from Warsash in his Enterprise. Finally at 19.15 the brown sail of Liz Baker’s Cormorant Tessa was seen over the shingle bank. Liz had cruised all the way from Cobnor, having slept aboard at a mooring on Friday night. John and Linden lit their bar-b-que, and boats were discussed… On Sunday Chris and I beat against the gentle easterly and the outgoing tide for most of the way back to the Beaulieu River. The other sailors waited for the tide to slacken before setting off. I later learned that David Sumner had gone to the Kench and wondered where everybody was! Alan Glanville

The Kench — 14/15 September

This was the rally chosen by Vanessa Bird, working for a company called Orbit Productions, to come along with her team and make a film on dinghy cruising, to form part of a series they are producing on various aspects of sailing for the Discovery Channel of multi-channel TV.

The northerly wind created gusty conditions for the whole week-end, and made our venue at the southern end of Langstone Harbour a lee shore.

The tide was still low as I approached from the direction of Langstone Bridge, slithering over the shallows in the upper reaches of Stocker Lake. I found Dave Sumner and his Mirror anchored at the outer end of the shingle spit which forms a useful landmark hereabouts. Together we meandered up the creek and spotted Keith Holdsworth (own design) and David Jones (Beaufort) anchored just out of shouting range to the west. At this stage conditions were ideal, with warm sun, calm water and a large flock of oystercatchers wheeling about. Chris Jenkins arrived in his Potter AX, and Alan Glanville in his Ness Yawl with his young grandson as crew.

There were now five dinghies lined-up, but still no camera team. I decided to phone Vanessa on my mobile and learned they were all up at Langstone Bridge filming Len, having had to wait for the tide to rise before he could sail from his favourite launching site at Warblington. Yes — that’s right — Len Wingfield, in his 80th year, has become a film star! By the time they reached The Kench, the saltings had covered, the wind increased, and our boats were bouncing about making conditions unsuitable for expensive photographic equipment. However, they interviewed several of us ashore, and were particularly interested in Alan’s Ness Yawl. Len arrived and was filmed dropping anchor and raising his tent, and about the same time Tom Hart, and John and Linden Kuyser, joined us by road.

As the light began to fade several of us investigated a lagoon which had filled inshore of us as the tide rose, and in one unanimous decision, we all upped anchor and moved to its shelter before adjourning to the Ferry Inn for our evening meal. Liz Baker

Bursledon — 28/29 September

As I had to collect a new mast on the Saturday morning, there wasn’t time to sail from Cobnor, so I launched at Swanwick rather late in the day and rowed across the River Hamble to Lands End Hard where I found Tom Hart and crew (Wayfarer) and Dave Sumner (Mirror) who had sailed from Langstone and Chichester harbours respectively, John Perry and Josephine Street (Perry own design) who had just returned from an ambitious cruise to France, George Strube (Drascombe Peter Boat) and Len with Bluey. This must be a record for an end-of-season rally, but the sunny weather had encouraged us all onto the water. Chris Jenkins came by road and joined us in The Jolly Sailor.

On Sunday morning David and Tom set off back towards their starting points. The rest of us waited for the tide to turn, and then proceeded under the bridges to the peace of the upper Hamble. We were enjoying our lunch on a sunny bank when Roy Rolfe sailed up in his beautifully built pram dinghy, and he and George Strube realised they’d met before at Beale Park Boat Show, where they had both won well-deserved prizes for boat building.

Once the tide had risen sufficiently, we continued upstream to Curbridge where we enjoyed a pint in its pleasant little pub. Half-way up the Curbridge arm an oak tree leans across the river, which becomes more difficult each year to get past without lowering one’s mast. You’ve heard of it raining ‘cats & dogs… well… this time it rained acorns… thousands of them! Liz Baker