Ken Hickling writes:
What a great weekend we have had with Solent Gaffers!
Originally, we planned to sail to Beaulieu but were hampered by the late arrival of a baby who was both the Grandson of my crew and my Great-nephew. So, we ended up driving down to Gins Barn – the Solent refuge of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club – on the Friday night, to ensure we wouldn’t miss out on the BBQ that we had signed up for. It turns out that driving there is much quicker than sailing, unless you are locals like ‘High Barbaree’ and ‘Meagan’ who drifted downriver on the tide to be part of our group for the weekend. The food was excellent and the company even better. Liz pretended to ask if we wanted a singalong after our supper, but clearly there wasn’t an opt-out! So even an old curmudgeon like me found himself singing along with gusto to the Sloop John B and other familiar tunes, some with specially modified lyrics.
The following morning we headed a day late to the boat (moored at Marchwood YC) to make the voyage to RSYC, where the bosun – a super helpful chap called James – had a space on the pontoon waiting for us. For those like me, who learned to sail on rivers, sailing up the Beaulieu river, spotting birds and looking out for the seals, is a great joy and feels very natural. As for the previous evening, we assembled at 18:00 on the pontoon and were able to enjoy a few drinks together and the usual Gaffer discussions including “is there any more of that wine?”.
As a mainland destination, the Beaulieu River presents a great opportunity for smaller gaffers (dinghies and day-sailors) to join in the fun, arriving by trailer. So OGA event regulars were mixed in with smaller craft along with a certain amount of varnish appreciation (as always), and even some envy, as tales of excursions up the river to the village of Beaulieu and shallow waters were swapped over a sunset beer (or two). We also heard tales of sculpture on the far shore (https://www.theoldie.co.uk/blog/they-that-go-down-to-the-sea-in-ships-derek-frost) and the ‘Egg’ that it replaced.
If you haven’t been to the RSYC clubhouse at the end of Gin’s Lane, I can recommend it to you for an excellent sunset, a warm welcome from the team there, a good selection of beers and a good dinner too. I can’t speak too highly of their organisational skills for fear of correction from our own Secretary Grant Morris who, ably assisted by his wife Amanda, delivered a very enjoyable weekend – convivial, relaxing and free from extremes of weather (are you listening Yarmouth?). As members, we are always grateful for the work of the committee in putting these events together for us to look forward to, plan for and participate in. It is always good to meet other members, both old and new, and to swap tales of adversity and achievement.
As Sunday morning gathered momentum we all set out for home, earlier than we might have liked, in order to get on the right side of the Spring tide.
…Next Month: Lymington!
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