Chichester Rally - 10 July 2021

Published 01:00 on 13 Jul 2021

Our rally to Chichester this year was limited by the numbers that could be catered for in the Chichester Yacht Club. Continuing covid restrictions and staff difficulties being faced by many in the hospitality industry meant we were asked to keep the rally to a maximum of 24 headcount. Initially we looked like being full although there was capacity for additional vessels. Unfortunately, Stewart & Helen got the dreaded ping into isolation just before the weekend, and a couple of other boats had to pull out. This left us with a small fleet of only 6 boats.

Saturday morning dawned with the forecasted pouring rain and Grahame and Phil elected to stay put in Haslar. It was good to see them drive round to Chichester and join us for the evening meal. Misty Moon and Blue Moon motored all the way, no wind and drizzle all morning. The others elected to wait and had a dry run in the afternoon.

Sadly, the marina admin process for berth allocation seems to ignore the fact we book as a rally group. The advanced printing of "welcome letters" with berthing information and codes seems to preclude any later changes in berths. The result was that our 6 boats were spread across the marina from AA to I and no 2 boats on the same pontoon. A letter has been sent to Premier customer service pointing out our general disappointment.

Everyone assembled in the Chichester Yacht Club for the evening meal, once the strays had been rescued/located from the Boat House bar and the beer garden. We welcomed new members Oli & Kylie. An enjoyable meal was served up by Tom and his team, with the club contributing to the table wine.

Attendees:

The evening ended with a glorious sunset over Chichester Harbour. Perhaps a fitting conclusion as we will want to see some improvement in berth allocation before organising the next Chichester rally.

Stephen

Vin Rouge

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• Chichester Rally - 10th July 2021 (10 - 11 July 2021)

Last updated 09:37 on 27 November 2023