With the venue meaning a sail to the West for everyone, it was unsurprising to find a Westerly wind forecast, but fortunately it wasn’t quite on the nose so sailing was less of a beat than expected. The consolation for the wind direction was that it was a beautiful summers day, so a slightly longer sail didn’t seem a hardship.
With some boats travelling to Lymington a day early, the Saturday arrivals found drinks were already on the go, so the afternoon was spent onboard Titian for many members, where the traditional anchovies on fried bread made an appearance. Afternoon drinks led on to tea (or Pimms) and cakes on the pontoon, where the four legged contingent of Cookie and Basil were ever hopeful for some crumbs to drop.
The Dan Bran was a great pontoon for the rally, as it allowed all eight boats to be moored close to each other, and made socialising easy. It also meant that the display of Battle Flags was pretty impressive.
Rally attendance was boosted by four boats who were already based in Lymington, even if they elected to stay on their home mooring. Further attendees arrived by car, proving that lack of a boat isn’t a barrier to socialising.
The evening was hosted by Lymington Town Sailing Club, where we swapped a burgee (proudly displayed in out ‘virtual club house’.
The tides meant that there was no rush to depart in the morning, so a walk through the salt marshes was a popular choice.
The wind had remained from the West, so a down-wind sail was on the agenda for those returning home. Most boats opted for a leisurely single-sail option, but Navy Blues chose a less direct but faster approach and gained some good Jibing practice.
Three boats elected to stay on in Lymington, two using it as an opportunity to head further West, and one to continue their extended South Coast excursion.
23rd – 24th July 2022