Autumn Rally to East Cowes - November 2015

26 boats registered for the Autumn rally to East Cowes marina, with 20 boats turning up on the day.  A total of 44 people attending the evening dinner at the Island Sailing Club. The last stragglers turned up during the afternoon, and by 4pm most of the fleet were settled in front of a television set somewhere to watch the World Cup rugby final between New Zealand and Australia. Your correspondent watched in 'the Lightship', the marina's pub.

Brian Dunton, our Events guru, had somehow resurrected the now defunct Sally Ferry to convey us across to the ISC. The catering and hospitality were to the usual high standard, and our commodore departed from his usual style to deliver a very tongue in cheek highly amusing speech.

The crew on my boat 'Fuga' were somewhat dismayed to wake up to the alarm at 0730, and fairly thick fog. We had an interesting crossing back to Haslar, being first terrorised by a fishing boat off Osborne Bay, becoming disoriented and run aground, finally making it back to our berth at 1000 hrs, enabling us to make it to an 80th birthday by 1200!

John Walker