May Day Bank Holiday Cruise to Ramsgate 2013

With prescient foresight your Sailing Committee opted to keep the destination free for this cruise and in the event the chilly April meant hardly any boats were available and not many people fancied venturing out either.

This did not stop people asking us where we were going when we clearly did not wish to choose until we had a weather forecast. Even when we had a forecast it was not much clearer but a move to go to Benfleet emerged and this had as many takers as non-takers!

Bizarrely I think we had a better outcome than if we had set a destination to please everybody. This way seemed to have something for everybody. The Benfleet fleet hardened up and were not going anywhere else. The non Benfleet faction split into Ramsgate v Fambridge and all this with me organising not very much but struggling to get my own boat ready to sail.

We still had very few boats committing and a couple only coming out on the Sunday! Benfleet was justified on various counts including being a destination for our smaller boats. So we got a 58' barge as well as a Spice Cat and a Centaur, well done Mike!

Physeline was in Belgian Bar or bust mode and had the wind to back up the choice and so Aurai thought that was not a bad idea and we got a text on Saturday to tell us that Maia had made it to Fambridge.

Neil Walters on course for the Belgian Bar!

So, with Ticha III, and Woodstock Hi getting to Harty on Sunday afternoon, Aurai/Physeline arriving at Harty Sunday evening via Ramsgate, the three in Benfleet so happy they may never come back and our Fambridge correspondent checking in we ended up with a very decent turnout.

Tried drunken calls to everyone with Tony C and Tony L wise enough to turn their phones off at night. Highlights included yours truly going for the Orinoco trophy big time and needing to write nice letters to Thames Coastguard, Border Agency, Police and the local Fishing Fleet at and around the Copperas Channel.

Aurai in the Swale

Sorting out Forestay at Ramsgate so we had full sail for brilliant sail home, now using IPhone to navigate tricky bits!! Anchoring at Harty and getting anchor to hold first time, not my usual experience, bonding with Neil. Not turning phone off and being woken up very early by Tony L, and lovely dawn and early morning motor in near still conditions at back of Sheppey.

Crew Member Jane fixes Aurai's Forestay

Can't wait for next one

Chas

See all of Neil Walters' photographs from the trip

Date Published 11th May 2013