HRSC Cruise in Company to Poole September 2022
Published 13:48 on 6 Sep 2022
HRSC Cruise in Company to Poole September 2022
Every year, we organise a cruise in company or rally and this year was no exception. Once again, the decision was made to exit the Solent and make a pilgrimage to Poole.
Thus, on Friday 2nd September there was an exodus of HRSC sailing cruisers and one motor cruiser westwards.
As some people have to work for a living, some have other things to do and some of us more retired, each of the 8 boats that finally came on the rally made their own way to our first stop in Yarmouth. It was a bright sunny afternoon with little wind, so no one got there fast! First to arrive was John Noë's X-332, "La Nef IV" ably crewed by Paul and Alick.I cannot honestly remember the order at which the other boats arrived but very soon we were all moored and rafted together on the Y pontoon. Interestingly, there was another rally of RNRSA boats moored on the other side of the pontoon. More of this later.
Having settled in an impromptu party gained momentum shared between La Nef IV and James Lutley's Hanse 355 "Pufferfish". I guess it would be fair to say that it was the more elderly celebrating aboard La Nef IV and the younger generation on Pufferfish, the latter being ably looked after by Diana Galpin.
Having seen our party get going, the RNRSA obviously felt that they could do one better and set out tables on the pontoon loaded with food and drink. There was so much on offer that some of it spilled our way too. This made for a fantastic photo showing how we all enjoy ourselves.
As the sun started to go down, a group of us, suitably lubricated found our way to the Royal Solent Yacht Club for our first communal meal. This I have to thank Steph Merry for organising. We certainly got to know one or two of the newer members here including Phil and Deborah Horton who had come on their Vancouver 27 "Kathleen"with a plan to go further afield after.
We all retired moderately early as we had to catch as much of the ebb tide as possible to get us on our way to Poole the next morning.
At 07.00 there was some activity and boats started leaving for Poole. The first to go was Steph Merry in Searider, followed by Wendy Layton in her Elizabethan 23 "Windswept". This was swiftly followed by Kathy and Rupert Smalley's famous Laser 28 "The Flying Fish", La Nef IV, Diana and Mark Galpin/Benton on their First 31.7 "Artemis", Kathleen, and Sean O'Connor and family aboard their Hanse 301 "O Dream Tiger".
Although we call this a cruise in company, everyone made their own decision as which was the best way out of the Solent. La Nef IV chose to go out through the Needles channel. The wind was initially light at around 6 kn from just west of south. As it built a little more, we cut the engine and started sailing. After a couple of short tacks to clear the Shingles, we were able to bear away on a nice reach towards the Poole Fairway buoy in about 12 kn wind.
Those that took the route through the North Channel also managed a one tack reach to the buoy, but initially had much less wind.
In the meantime, Steph in her little motor launch shot directly to Poole only to be told that she should not have arrived before 12.00!
She telephoned me to advise me, as by this time it was shortly after 10 and we were approaching the Fairway buoy. We therefore decided to moor up in Studland Bay for an early lunch. These days the authorities have put down mooring buoys to encourage people not to anchor and risk damaging the sea grass and sea horses that live in it. A couple of other boats also did the same thing.
Having eaten our cheese and ham sandwiches and had a glass of wine, we motored up to the Poole Town Quay Marina and moored up in the bay reserved for our rally. Steph of course was there already. Shortly after the rest of our rally arrived. I think we were by this time a little partied out, so all was quiet.
I had booked a table at the Bamboo Leaf Chinese Restaurant for 13 of us. I subsequently realised that I had dropped a bit of a clanger, as Steph discovered that the restaurant was in fact some 3 miles from the marina. No one was prepared to walk there and back, so Diana gamely rescued the day by booking us 3 taxis for the trip there and back. Fortunately, we all got there more or less together and in fact had a great "All you can eat" meal in a good ambience, returning to our boats just before 22.00 feeling very replete.
The two, family crewed boats had opted out of the Chinese meal and did their own thing.
During the night the wind really blew up. Two boats, La Nef IV and Kathleen had originally planned to continue on to Weymouth, but given the sea-state and 20Kn plus of wind when we had cleared Poole Harbour entrance, firstly Kathleen decided to return to Poole and then La Nef IV chose to do an about turn and return to the Solent. The ride back was somewhat hairy as the sea continued to be a dominant factor causing us to corkscrew our way into the Needles Channel and the calm of the Solent. We elected to then overnight in Lymington whilst all of the other boats returned to their home berths in the Hamble and elsewhere having had an "interesting ride" across Christchurch Bay.
Rumour has it that a good time was had by all and a call for another rally next year was made.
John Noë La Nef IV
Last updated 13:16 on 16 April 2024
