There were three rallies planned for last season,and revival of club cruises seems to be well and truly under way. The first of these proved to be a fine occasion as the club was fortunate in obtaining one of the finest venues in the Solent, at the Royal Southampton Yacht Club at Ginns Farm on the beautiful Beaulieu river.

The turnout was fantastic with over 20 members and guests arriving mainly by road due to the adverse weather conditions. Only a few boats braved the awful conditions, with wind and tide making exit and entry into the Beaulieu river very tricky indeed. The supper at the Royal Southampton yacht club base was first class and Robert, James and their crew coped very well on what turned out to be a busy evening for them.

The second event, at Bembridge was once again affected by bad weather with only Ian Ward braving the large seas and strong tides. Even Ian opted to cut the journey short and have an early beer in the shelter of the Medina. (Not that Ian needs an excuse to visit a bar).

U nfortunately I was unable to make the final cruise (or the work party) but the weekend trip to the Folly was very well supported. As usual the Folly was alive with yachts from all corners of the globe, with only limited moorings available.

The promise of a beach BBQ and party for 2008 is all but a memory, lets hope that the 2009 season brings better sailing conditions

Please support us in next years events, details are available on the events page .