… for the Max from your sailing!

Rally Reports 2010

 

Maxi Rally 18th/19th September 2010

After a washout of a rally in October 2009 with only Blue Lightening on the quay but 4 others coming by car, the rally was moved back to September to hope for better weather – and what a result!


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We were greeted with an almost cloudless sky.  Reports of the wind for the day were mixed from boats arriving with some needing to motor part of the time to reports of a brisk westerly 4 to 5 off Cowes, OK for the Solent boats to get to Lymington but good for Chris and Helen on Vouvray out of Poole.  By the time that Lookin Foor Kloos completed her trip to the rally (all the way from Lymington Yacht Haven!), Leda of Hamble, Maxima and Good Time Girl were already moored along the Dan Bran pontoon.  Maxis then started arriving thick and fast and then Blue Lightening and Asante arriving just before the pontoon party; Asante having been competing in a race out by the Nab before coming to Lymington.

 


 

 

 

With 9 Maxis on the pontoon maxi_3_lymsoaking up the evening sun, the pontoon party was boosted by the Lymington based boats with Ken and Jackie (Morvan), Jim and Eileen (Second Rebellion) and Simon and Catherine (Juliette) joining and Rod and Carole (Neroli) from the East coast down for the boat show and to meet friends making a total of 26.  Carolyn managed the catering in her usual style, you can tell she enjoys it.


 

 

 

 

 

 

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Supper was at the Royal Lymington Yacht Club, a mere stagger from the end of the Dan Bran pontoon.  They did us proud with a private dining room to avoid us disrupting the youth regatta they were hosting at the same time.  Nigel and Christian on Misty sailed back after dinner but the rest of us settled in to a calm evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday brought more good sunshine but a fresh westerly wind.  Vouvray was one of the first to leave to take advantage of the tide with the rest of the fleet leaving around lunchtime to catch the tide eastwards.

With Lymington continuing to be a popular destination not only for Maxis but also other clubs, booking early is key.  A date for your 2011 diary is September 17th for next year’s Maxi rally, see you there.

 

 

Boats Represented:

Boat name

Type

Crew

Leda of Hamble

1000

David and Frances Brown

Blue Lighning

1100

Peter and Sarah Sands

Morfan

1000

Ken and Jackie Hay

Lookin Foor Kloos

1000

Julian and Carolyn Trimming

Maxima

1100

David and Sandy Hodges

Asante

1100

Andy and Sara Horwood

Vouvray

1100

Chris and Helen Wildey

Blue Rider

1000

Peter and Sue Stonestreet

Good time Girl

1000

Kevin and Annie Brown

Misty

34

Nigel and Christian Chilcott

Second Rebellion

1100

Jim and Eileen Sey

Neroli

1000

Rod and Carole Minkey

Juliette

1100

Simon and Catherine Pollock

Maxi Owners Association Rally – Chichester 2010

 

The weather forecast over the weekend of the 7th / 8th of August for the rally to Chichester was fair winds, sunshine and the odd shower, which proved to be right.  Not to be put off by the showers we had 8 boats with 17 crew gather in Northney Marina

 

Access to the Marina is restricted around low water which was at 15.00 so the fleet was split.  Some opting for an early start to arrive before LW and some having a more leisurely start arriving soon after LW, with one boat arriving a little too soon after, but with soft mud and a rising tide all was well (apart from being spotted by another maxi owner).

 

The customary “pontoon party” was a splendid affair arranged by David and Sandy Hodges who had also had the foresight to book the marquee at the marina for the event, a necessary luxury in light of the showers.

 

Gathering at 18.00, we were treated to a fine selection of wine and nibbles of gastronomic splendour.

 

The wine and conversation flowed throughout the evening, only interrupted during the short walk across the causeway in glorious sunshine to the Ship Inn where we were treated to good food and even more wine.

 

Sunday dawned with very light winds and sunshine.  We all met up in the marina café for coffee before departing as tide and time allowed.

northney_rally_aug2

 

 

 

Boats Attending

 

Maxima

Asante

Blue Rider

Leda of Hamble

Sea Wolf

Omega

Blue Lightning

Haskins Marine

 1st – 3rd May 2010

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A helpful midday HW, but questionable wind & weather, encouraged 10 Maxis. 8 on Saturday all arriving in quick succession, including Vertigo from Swanage.

The Marina helped by berthing us together so that wem_bembridge20rally20201020001 could mingle and catch-up experiences, including the new website trials with which Graham Bobbit has become involved. The showers kept away providing evening sunshine for the 6pm pontoon party to start the evening. We didn’t sink the pontoon, but kept the other passing crews guessing if they could slip past without slipping into the water. Then a choice of ferry or walking around the causeway to the Brading Haven Sailing Club for a pleasant evening and meal together as 21 people.

We were awoken from a wet night and dull Sunday morning with a cold North wind to the sound of boat heaters! We exchanged Maxima, which had to leave for Second Rebellion, and unexpectedly Magewind put in an appearance too. Magewind was due in a race to Cherbourg. However having thought better of foul tides and an anticipated yachtsman’s gale from the North decided to rush back and enjoy a sheltered Sunday with us. We nearly managed a full committee when it was heard that Vouvray (Chris Wildey) fell short of surprising us, but reached Newtown Creek from Poole after having to replace his masthead sheaves.

Sunday was a free time day for crews to enjoy the area. Colin of Huggy Bear felt he deserved the prize for effort. He joined the Round the Island cycle ride. Well done indeed, cold and wet, but full of beans. Christine made the more comfortable option of remaining onboard for a quiet read. Others took to the buses to Sandown & Ryde. Our visitors on their Beneteau 411, Imagine enjoyed the excellent Roman Villa at Brading.#

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m_bembridge20rally20201020011The Marina staff again assisted with a tent to shelter from the winds as well as an effective gas BBQ with which all 24 of us managed to cook our meals together. Wisdom prevailed as it became dark for the desert and coffee onboard 2 larger boats.

Bank Holiday Monday returned to a sunny, but cold wind and we all made our way as planned to the Baywatch café for a final gathering before departures. Those bound for Portsmouth head to wind under power, those further west took to sail and a spanking good fine reach, including Vertigo off to Swanage.

     

 Maxi Rally Bembridge 1/2/3 May 2010

  Boat Name Model Crew
1 Huggy Bear 38+ Colin & Christine Summerfield
2 Imagine B’teau 411 Ian & Pauline
3 Blue Rider 1000 Peter & Sue Stonestreet
4 Blue Lightning 1100 Peter & Sarah Sands
5 Maxima 1050 David & Sandy Hodges
6 Vertigo 1050 Graham & Wendy Bobbit
7 Asante 1100 Andy & Sara Horwood
8 Look in for Kloos 1000 Julian, Carolyn & Nic Trimming
9 Second Rebellion 1100 Eric, Patricia, Kiera & Cameron Sey
10 Magewind 1050 John Skipper
 

 

Maxi Owners Association Rally – Easter 2010

 
 
The season got off to an early start with the MOA Easter rally taking part over the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the Easter break. The early season weather took its toll on numbers and, due to a combination of a poor forecast and a cold winter delaying launch dates for some boats, the number of boats attending fell from 8 bookings to 5 making it on the day, although some members did join in for the first part of the rally at Gins Farm, Beaulieu by car.
 
Five boats rafted up on the RSYC jetty at Gins Farm on Saturday afternoon and were quickly joined by the Stonestreets (Blue Rider) and the Sey family (Second Rebellion) for drinks on board Asante. With the Easter weather somewhat changeable, we were thankful for Asante’s cockpit awning and were able to squeeze 23 people on board for pre-dinner drinks and nibbles – probably a record for a Maxi 1100! The wine flowed and tales were exchanged, in between the gas alarm being set off by mulled wine, then it was time to move on to the RSYC clubhouse for an excellent meal and continuation of conversations.
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Sunday morning dawned bright and mainly sunny, if a little breezy and a skippers briefing was held to issue the course and instructions for the passage race to Yarmouth. A course was set with various turning marks tacking down the western Solent with Magewind of Roke acting as ‘gate boat’ for the start allowing everybody to compete. The start mark was East Lepe, with Peters & May the first windward mark. Magewind set off on port, with the rest of the fleet passing between her and East Lepe and we were off! Boats set off on various directions, with those staying inshore out of the tide finding some advantage. Good racing was had by all, with Asante first round the mark and the rest of the fleet in pursuit. On reaching the penultimate mark (BWM) we discovered that both this and the final mark (George Hotel) had not yet been laid for the season. Fortunately a large ship was anchored close to the expected location for BWM and a wreck buoy was spotted close to where George Hotel should have been, so a quick call on the VHF informed the fleet and Asante was able to take finish times for the rest of the fleet. Corrected times for handicaps showed the first three boats to be very close, with Vertigo first, beating Asante on Corrected time by about 15 seconds and Magewind of Roke following closely behind. Shearwater finished about a minute later, whilst Blue Lightning made the undoubtedly sensible decision to retire from the race and get into Yarmouth as quickly as possible.
 
After some delay, berths were allocated at Howard Hayles jetty in Yarmouth – time for a clean up and rest before the safari supper commenced at seven o’clock. Peter and Sarah hosted 14 people for starters and drinks on Blue Lightning, supported by contributions on the catering front by John and Alison from Magewind. After the presentation of prizes for the race, crews split off onto Shearwater and Vertigo for the main course, with everybody reconvening on Asante for desserts and coffees – plus a few more drinks!
 
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Mooring up at Howard Hayles

 
Easter Monday dawned bright and breezy again and crews slowly set off for home ports. A downwind sail for all (except Vertigo) meant a relaxing sail back for most under headsail alone, with the fresh breeze clearing a few heads from the excesses of the previous evening! With the promise of the wind backing South Easterly later, Vertigo were considering their options of a later start back to Swanage to take advantage of the wind and tide, or possibly staying another night to enjoy the hospitality at Saltys bar on Monday evening….. Despite the obvious temptations, they opted to leave after lunch on Monday and enjoyed a good sail home in the sunshine.
 
Members attending:
 
Andy & Sara – Asante
Peter, Sarah, Hannah & Tim – Blue Lightning
John, Alison & Ellen – Magewind of Roke
Steve, Jane & Dan – Shearwater
Graham & Wendy – Vertigo
Peter & Sue Stonestreet – by car
The Sey family – by car