Western Cruise Rally - 18 Boats attended overall - 15 in Lymington, 16 in Weymouth & 12 in Portland - 44 crew plus visiting guests at dining locations
The Western Cruise replaced the annual cross channel cruise this year due to Covid, it was planned to attract both sail and power and was almost an even split between the two types, many people we met made compliments about the variety of our members Sail & Power mixing, age, interests and the welcoming feel we make to others, more on that later!
The format of choosing which locations to attend the western cruise seemed to be a popular one, with many boats choosing to join for parts of the rally while a majority joined the entire rally. Some boats (Stardust, Nick Nack, Amoret and Riptide) opted to travel on further west after the rally, to enjoy the delight of Devon, Cornwall and the Scillies, while others chose to use the opportunity to take some extra days on the water before joining the Bembridge BBQ the following week. I think this was a popular format which we will adopt in the future, and it was a good “middle distance” trip for both sail and power to enjoy providing options to cruise further afield as well.
Essentially, this was 3 rallies rolled into one event, so I’ll write this by location….
Lymington, Friday - 15 Boats
We chose to stay at the Dan Bran Pontoon as it provided a good sail and power distance to shake down any problems with boats and crew before taking the longer journey on to Weymouth. Unfortunately Ade and Alyson on Never Enough rightly decided not to continue as Ade had damaged his wrist, we hope he has now recovered and was well missed by all. Pontoon drinks was well attended by all and some discussions then ensued about what time everyone would leave to head west the following day, the sailing contingent decided that 5am was a perfectly good time to catch the tide and went off together joining up with several other sailing boats on route who had anchored at Newtown and Studland. Meanwhile, the power contingent took a more leisurely option to have a lie-in and leave at 1230. No plans were made for dinner which met with approval from the sailors as they needed their beauty sleep and they kindly headed off quietly in the morning to allow the motor boats to enjoy their slumber too!
Weymouth, Saturday & Sunday - 16 Boats
Now you would have thought that with all of us departing at different times, locations and speeds we would all arrive at Weymouth at different times too……. absolutely not! The entire rally (apart from Peter and Carolyn on Karolina (who were already in Weymouth the evening before) arrived within 5 minutes of each other! This made for a "wacky races" rafting procedure, but the harbour staff led by Jan handled us really well and it also helped that we had a rafting plan, albeit rather thrown out of the window as we arrived all at once, we knew what we were doing and Jan complimented us on our organisation and ability. We were placed at the south end of the long pontoon on Town Quay which was the best place for a little more privacy but a short walk to the thick of everything the town had to offer and certainly the best place to be. Once safely rafted and with no Pontoon drinks organised for the afternoon, various boats cracked open wine and beer and settled down for the afternoon in the sun before heading out to dinner. I had been bragging about my new flybridge fridge which was fully stocked with Cobra beer and was duly joined by Gite, Valiant and Gracie May who then helped to drink it dry!! Some might say I deserved that??!! Drinking up on the flybridge gave us a commanding view of the rest of the fleet doing the same thing, I noticed the main party boat was Frankie B 3, with Shiraz & Cooper Buoy being close contenders too! Dinner at the Ship Inn was a might of planning and execution, 40 diners across 9 separately booked tables and at different times made it a logistical feat, especially after several Cobras in the sun, but everyone got in and the food and company was well liked by all. On Sunday, everyone went with their own plans, but again some informal parties sprang up on boats, while others explored the area - a more sedate day which was welcomed after the previous day activities!
Portland, Monday & Tuesday - 12 boats
The cruise from Weymouth to Portland gave us a chance to see the various cruise ships anchored off the harbour which included the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth, it was a good sight to see that slowly their business is recovering. Arrival in Portland went without a hitch with Riptide choosing to spend the afternoon at anchor in the sunshine drinking wine and eating lunch, while many others explored Chesil Beach and took the convenient bus to Portland Bill for the excellent views in the lovely weather. Pontoon drinks were held at 5 and we were joined by a couple of scots who took full part in the celebrations becoming our latest victims being duly "press-ganged" by almost everyone into joining the club, you cant say we at PSYC are anything but welcoming! Dinner at The Boat That Rocks! followed and was well and easily organised into tables of 4 by the staff, dinner was a great set menu, reasonably priced and the service was fantastic. Tuesday saw many of us taking in the sun, sharing various drinks and going on short tours of the area at a leisurely pace for all with many choosing to eat on board and relax. The departures that followed on Wednesday saw our onward cruising in fabulous and sunny conditions for both power and sail.
My thanks to everyone who took part in the rally and who helped to make it a great success… Teau in the Water, Riptide, NickNack, Gracie May, Never Enough, Stardust, Gite, Enterprise, Cooper Buoy, Frankie B3, Quirky Lady, Vortex, Valiant, Amoret, Shiraz, Kimya, Freya, & Karolina
PS, thank you Gite for the gift of a male to male hose connector!!! :-)
Graham
Stardust
