Quick trip - Wednesday 5th June

After the rally I got home only to find I had left my works mobile on the boat. (Not used to having to carry two any more.).

The bonus to this was that the first fine day when I had some time I set off for Chichester. I had intended just to get the phone, lounge about on the boat for awhile and then set off home but as I got near the opportunity for a quick sail seemed too good to be true.

Problem - works clothes - solution - the high fashion section at Tesco - so food and clothing sorted I arrived at the boat and was soon calling upon the VHF to lock out.

'There's only 1.5 m in the channel' was the response.
'That'll do me fine' I replied and set off.

It was pleasing to meet another gaffer coming up the channel as well as seeing a deep keeled yacht anchored, waiting for a couple of hours until the tide turn and there was sufficient water for them to get in.

A cracking sail down to East Head where I had a brew and lounged in the sun for an hour or two.

I decided to get back to the marina for supper and had a very nice sail back up the harbour, that was very quiet and serene, quite unlike the hustle and bustle of the weekends.

Very quiet - not like the weekends

 Once in the marina I spied this old gaffer up on the hard  - she'll take a lot of work.

Supper was very posh - fresh pasta and cheese sauce - eaten sat in the sun on a glorious evening.

Finally however it was time to face the motorway but even this seemed OK - all the traffic had gone and I had a straight run home - all in all a lovely afternnon/evening.

Chichester Marina Rally 24th - 27th May 2013

Thursday 23rd

Managed to escape from work early and having already packed the car, took off for Chichester mid afternoon. All day at work the rain had been hammering down, interspersed with a few bright and dry periods, so with one eye nervously on the skies I stocked up at Tesco.

It was relatively dry and bright when I got to the boat and loaded clothes, stores and fuel aboard. Brad, Peter Tiplady and Colin Wood were already in their berths so general drinks and nibbles were consumed until Brad Colin and I adjourned to CYC for a meal were as well as good company, good food and too much beer we enjoyed a fantastic sunset.

Sunset at CYC

Don't forget - you can click on the photos to see them full scale.

We adjourned quite early that night and got a good nights rest.

Friday 24th

Tony needed some supplies so he and I de camped early to Tesco where we also had breakfast - very welcome it was to......

We returned to the marina and Brad did sterling work, helping launch the continual stream of boats that seemed to arrive in ones, twos and in one spurt 5 together. This was in between showers and cold strong winds - I don't know if we were wetter and colder on the pontoon than we would have been had we just jumped in...


Almost all were launched by late afternoon and the camp site in the field behind was set up and flourishing. We all adjourned as planned to CYC for a group meal, where I made a short, hopefully, welcome speech and introductions were made. Brad and I seemed to make it our mission to make sure all the bar staff had finished before we left as well.

Saturday 25th

What a difference! The day dawned bright and sunny with not a lot of wind. By briefing time the wind had piped up a bit but just right for a first day out. In spite of best efforts to miss the Bank Holiday queue for the lock we could n't leave our berths for sometime - then almost as soon as we had been called the lock went to free flow so the whole fleet popped out into the harbour quite quickly. As a result, after about 20 minutes I abandoned the idea of heading up towards Dell Quay - the wait for the lock and the free flow departure had ensured the flood tide was slackening and the fleet was quite tightly bunched so we turned down the harbour and headed for our lunch time stop at East Head.

The light wind required some judicious tacking in the moorings and more than one resorted to the engine.

5M Peterboat and a Dabber

Moonstone leading the pack

A collection of Coasters

Wide angle - Itchenor Reach

Lunch was taken at East Head and the fleet set off for the journey back to the marina by about mid afternoon - all apart from Little Dipper who had got someone's warp stuck up inside the centreboard casing.
Valiant efforts by Richard Goldsmith trying to tow them off resulted in him falling in and all too soon the ebb had left them high and dry with a partially down centre board. There was nothing to do apart from ensure they had food and water, warm clothing and wait for the water to come back - Roger and Anita are very experienced and when I phoned to check on them later they were sat on the beach having a BBQ and drinking wine ......

After a diversion to help a RIB back to its mooring I got back to the marina and soon the tented village on the green emerged and the BBQs were lit.

Note the ladder rack BBQ set up

Bill Pidgeon brought his rather unique fair ground gazebo and the band were soon in full swing.

Setting Up

At one point it seemed that anyone who entered the bandstand picked up an instrument and started playing - on occasions more players than audience.....

Many of the passers by stopped to stare and even take photos - we certainly caused a stir.

Sunday 26th

Another sunny and warm day - quite a bit of wind but nothing too much to handle. Roger and Anita had finally made it back at about midnight and so the maintenance crew set to . Many hands make many decisions...

"I reckon if you just pull this......"

Stewart manfully pulled and others pushed and banged.....

before we decided (I think it was Bill P) to put a rope around from the stern under the boat. After a couple of near misses pulling on both end (when one end relaxed un-expectedly you can imagine the result on the other.....) we tied it off on a cleat at the end of a finger pontoon and all pulled the other end on a much wider and longer main walkway - RESULT.

The plan was to go up to the top end of the harbour beyond Dell Quay and then down to the Thorney Channel for lunch but many of us had a nice sail up and then picked up a buoy and spent a lazy lunch and early afternoon before heading back in.

Stephen and his father

A small party of 5 had set off for Bembridge - to return the next day - by all accounts it was a rough and slow crossing with the potential for much hilarity and rumour with one wife being stuck on a boat over night with a man she didn't know  'that' well - tow inside the harbour on the beach and three outside on anchor waiting for the late tide - food, clothing and bedding on the wrong boat etc etc. however all ended well with a meal in the pub and the correct sleeping arrangements sorted.


 Most of the remainder at the marina decamped to take advantage of CYC hospitality again and after much wine and beer another day was done.

Monday 27th

 Another bright and sunny day - some went sailing but most had to pull out and be away but all in all a great success - 24 boats and about 45 - 50 people, skippers, crews and visitors - a great weekend.

Experiment this season

Just like Facebook it is nice to be able to publish photos to the blog quickly and easily. They do say that the best camera to use is the one you have with you at the time and as that, for many of us, is the one on our mobile phone so I've decided that this season 'm going to try to use the camera on my iPhone to take all of the photos on the blog. It will require a different technque but we'll see how it goes.

Chichester Harbour Rally Friday 3rd - Monday 6th May 2013

Having moved the main rally to the Bank Holiday at the end of the month, this weekend's event was really set up in order to provide motivation for me, and others, to get their boats ready for the season. The last few years have seen quite poor weather over this weekend, hence the change of dates for the main event. Little was I to know how good the weather would actually be. As the week progressed and the weekend drew nearer hopes raised and blossomed.

As it was I got to the boat on Thursday to finish some servicing that I hadn't got the tool for when I had been down the previous weekend. (Note to self - 7 mm spanner is the most useful tool in the box).

The impeller and oil filter changed,  I topped up the oil and then used the trick taught me by Crabbers to blow the fuel back around the system pushing the air out in front of it. Batteries on - key in ignition and ...hey presto... started first time.

Daislebee ready for sea - almost

I had spoken to Tony Wood (Martha), who was out in the harbour with his brother, and set out down the Itchenor reach to meet them. When we met I decided to continue down the Harbour Master's pontoon ti get a new 'rent' sticker for the harbour dues.

Back in the marina Tony and I barbecued and drank red wine as the sun went down.

Sunset over the marina

Friday - Next morning we waited for Adrian Kneller (Torridon) to join us and met Stewart Brown on the pontoon who had brought a clients boat down (another Adrian) to rig and launch for him.

The three of us set off down the harbour to East Head where we met up with Richard Goldsmith (Egret).

The weather was fantastic and we were joined by the incoming West Solent fleet, Jim Hopwood (Hippo), Marcus Niner (Salicorne), Ian Cowie (Moksha), Andy and Annie Cooper (Gadfly), John Gingell (Lucille), Steve Hill (St Jovhill) and Peter Tiplady (Siesta).

We then made our way back up the harbour to the Itchenor Visitors pontoon to spend the night were we were joined by Martin and Jane Lings in their Coaster and Arian Wyatt, who Stewart had launched at the marina, in his Drifter 22.

The wind was meant to get up over night but in the event it stayed calm and Tony and I managed to smoke most of the fleet out trying to light and cook on last seasons BBQ's - in the event the frying pan proved quicker and safer......

Saturday - The next day the wind was strong and we spent most of the day on the pontoon, with various shore parties using the water taxi to get ashore for a walk.

The entertainment in the morning was provided by some very skilful and brave Mirror dinghy sailors from Itchenor SC.

I can confirm the water was ......cold!!!!

The wind died significantly later in the afternoon and we made our way (minus Adrian W) down the harbour to the creek behind Hayling Island Sailing Club.

Sunset in the creek

Sunday - The following day dawned fine and sunny but with little wind. The creek is very tidal and we had all dried out over night and sat watching the water creeping back again until all but two of us floated again (no names....) In fairness I found out that the tide was significantly lower than forecast that day due to hte weather conditions and 20cm is a large margin on a flat sand beach.

Hayling Island Creek - click on photos to expand

The remainder of the fleet waved across at the two neaped boats and set off for Bembridge on the Isle of Wight. We didn't feel too sorry for them - dry flat sunny beach in a very sheltered location about 100 yds from the club house, bar, showers etc......

It was generally a motor across to the island but the wind did pick up and the last hour was a very pleasant sail. We laid up on the beach on the port hand as you enter the harbour and spent a lazy afternoon in the sun. where we were joined by Roger and Anita Whiffen (Little Dipper) and Charles and Rachel van Oppen in their open Deben Lugger (Debutante)

In the evening we adjourned to the Pilot Pub and enjoyed a good meal before tired but happy we returned aboard out boats.

Monday - The next day initially dawned very foggy but cleared within the harbour as the sun burnt it off, although I understand it descended again later.

Foggy beach in Bembridge

The rally really concluded at Bembridge as it was a useful jumping off point for those bound for Southampton and Newtown as well as those who needed to get back to Chichester.

Siesta, Little Dipper and Daislebee set off at about 08.00 in mist which soon descended into pretty thick fog. Ordinarily we would have turned back but armed with a chart plotter and an AIS app on my phone we could see the shipping channel was clear and there were only a couple of yachts who were heading in the same direction. We continued on and as forecast the yacht 'Peggy' crossed our bows as we neared Chichester and the Bar Beacon appeared directly ahead of us as we motored safely into harbour.

Once inside the fog cleared as if by magic and hundreds of boats could be seen playing in the sun.
We parted company with Little Dipper and continued up to the marina. Having tied up I was just showing Peter the AIS app when the phone rang...it was Brad who had been monitoring our passage back from the island and could see I was back in the marina...spooky....

A great weekend, great company and some adventure thrown in.  Roll on the next rally.

Season approaches....

Sunshine at last and it must have galvanised me and hundreds like me.
Almost finished putting together the details of a rally I'm running in the harbour over the May Bank Holiday - a job I should have done during the long cold days of winter but there just didn't seem any point.
Now it is nearly upon us and the days are longer and warmer I need to get them out this week.
Others are also in the same boat - forgive the pun. I sent out a pre-emptive email as well as a note on our Facebook page and received dozens of replies, quite obviously from people  like slumbering bears who are just waking up for the season.
I've arranged a launch date with the company doing some work on the boat and ordered a service kit for the engine, so it really is all systems go.
Let's hope it is a lovely warm sunny summer with good winds and clam seas.....