Captain’s Supper 21st April
The first sailing event of the year kicked off the season
in great style. 14 boats came to Lymington, with 2 more crews by land. The day
was glorious, and no objections were heard to the strong foul tide that most
faced, as it was just so nice out on the water.
We had the new
Dan Bran Harbourmaster’s visitors’ pontoon all to ourselves. Admittedly, there
were some who were worried that others might have put their towels out on the
best deckchairs, and so came at night just to be sure of bagging a good spot.
Our Captain was heard saying that he had left at 4.00am just to be sure of
taking everyone’s lines!
The new Moody battle flags could be seen well out in the
river, and our fleet was a very impressive sight. The new pontoon was very wide
and stable, which was just as well when it came to the pontoon drinks. Liz
(Halyards), Joy (White Whisper) and Lesley (Dulcibella) caught us all by
surprise with an amazing range of canapés. Against the usual leisurely approach
taken by relaxed sailors, Allan rushed around dragging us out of our cabins, the
reason only becoming clear as we approached a laden table in front of Halyards.
The Royal Lymington Yacht Club did us proud with the
meal. Having given us their Library for the evening, both the food and the
service was outstanding. It made for a very relaxed atmosphere, as both the
Captain and Richard Beeson found when it came to making speeches! Allan had
wisely gone first, and then invited Richard to outline the arrangements for the
hastily rearranged Dixon 1 race for the next morning.
Having sought to dignify his status with his
usual headgear, there was an excellent quality to the barracking that the
appreciative audience bestowed upon him.
The dinner was
also the first formal (!) event for Zoe, our youngest attendee for a while, who
kindly allowed her parents Nick & Anne (Empty Sky) to crew for her on the event.
There was actually a healthy attendance on the pontoon on Sunday morning
for the race briefing. Unfortunately, the omens were already there, with bright
sunshine and no wind, (probably the reason that Doolittle just attended the
briefing for a quiet smile). By the time we motored out to the start, it was
evident that the second attempt to run this race was to suffer the same fate as
the first. Richard prudently called the race abandoned, and crews headed off.
This was a great
shame, not least as we had a number of crews trying their first Dixon. I had
looked forward to seeing how the 2 Eclipse 43’s (Solar Eclipse & At Last) would
fare, and we also had Moondance with new owner Kevin Harley, and Summersong.
Our thanks go to
the staff of both the Royal Lymington YC and the Harbourmaster for making this a
very good event. Thanks also to Neil Eccles for the introduction to RLYC, and to
Annemarie for arranging the event.
Dixon 1
This was due to run on 14th April, but had to be cancelled due to lack of
wind. Being lateral thinkers, the Sunday following the Captain's Supper seemed
an ideal opportunity to reschedule it. The sentiment was rewarded with a very
healthy entry, notwithstanding the fun of the previous night, including many new
boats to the Dixon series. However, early misgivings on the uncertain wind were
borne out at the start line, and not wishing to add to the already numerous
stationary racing fleets already out in the West Solent, the sensible decision
was taken to abandon the race.