The summer season was in full swing, highlighted by the soaring temperatures, meaning it was time for the Summer Rally. The destination was Cowes, the west side for a change.
Our Rear Commodore may be relatively new to the post, but understood that the weather was important. He kindly organised plenty of sunshine, although the wind element seems to have slipped his mind. Reports on wind strength on the Saturday varied, but words like ‘sprightly’ and ‘lively’ were commonly used. Most boats opted for fully reefed sails for the short hop across the Solent.
With eleven boats in attendance, there were plenty of people to enjoy the refreshments on the pontoon. Unsurprisingly, the Pimms was heavily favoured, but there were a few brave souls who opted for tea.
We enjoyed a delicious meal at the Island Sailing Club, with views across the Solent from the roof terrace.
Sunday saw a balancing up of the wind situation, with ‘gusts’ maxing out at about 5 knots. There was limited, if any, need for sails, but it made for perfect conditions to anchor off Ryde, which about half the fleet chose to do. The Red Arrows were kindly putting on a display for us! They weren’t deterred by the low cloud, and it was a very impressive sight.
28th – 29th June 2025