Old Gaffers' Annual Race and Rally 2012

For something like 54 years old gaffers have gathered in the Solent for a race and rally.  This year the event started in Lymington on Friday evening, with a race to Island Harbour on the Medina on Saturday.  Toucando's crew on this occasion all happened to be based on the Isle of Wight.  They came over on the Red Jet on Friday morning and joined Toucando at Shamrock Quay for lunch before we set off.  We motor sailed most of the way (there wasn't a great deal of wind, and as usual it was from the wrong direction), although we did do a bit of sailing in the western Solent.  We were also slightly hampered by the lack of a staysail - it is being serviced by SO31, who are putting on a new UV strip.  We had a comfortable passage and crept into the Lymington River between the large ferries which ply between the mainland and Yarmouth.  We saw a lone gaffer sailing out by a minor channel as we went past the Enticott starboard post:

We got to the Dan Bran pontoon where we moored alongside Rula (Aeolus later moored outside us).  We were just in time to get ready to go ashore for our evening meal of fish pie at the Lymington Town Sailing Club.  There were a few announcements about the race, some music from a local band, and from the gaffers increasingly good shanty singers.

We were not taking part in the race, which meant we could have a leisurely start in the morning, enjoying the fine weather on the pontoon.

We were joined by John, a friend of Carole and Paul, so we had four on board when we set off.  It was a light airs morning.  We got the sails hoisted east of Lymington and had a good couple of hours sailing in the western Solent, practising tacks and gybes, and being carried ever closer to our destination by the rising tide.

Eventually the tide dropped to virtually nothing, and we were happy to drift while we had lunch enjoying the view of other gaffers trying to race.

 We dropped the sails off Gurnard and motored into the Medina.  Island Harbour has a lock, and because we wanted maximum flexibility regarding departure times we decided to moor on one of  the Folly Inn's pontoons.

John, Carole, Paul and Andrew aboard Toucando at the Folly

We caught the water taxi ashore and joined the festivities at Island Harbour... starting off with some excellent beer aboard Susan J, a 28' Falmouth Working Boat. Like Toucando her hull was built by Martin Heard of Gaffers and Luggers in Mylor, and also like Toucando the remaining work was done elsewhere.  Mike and Dan Shaw (respectively the National and Area Presidents of the Old Gaffers' Association) sailed Susan J around the UK and actually saw Toucando being built in Howth.



After the boat party we went to the Breeze Restaurant, where prizes were awarded, Miss Ningi an 18' open boat skippered by Bernard Bowes, coming first overall.  We enjoyed a chilli and were entertained by a bluesy cover band.  Eventually we caught the water taxi back to Toucando's pontoon.

On Sunday we left the Medina in very light winds and motored round to Osborne Bay where we dropped the anchor, enjoyed the view and had lunch.  Whilst we were doing so the wind gradually picked up, to a Force 4 in the bay, which meant it would be stronger out of the lee of the island.  We raised the hook and motored back home in a Force 5, gusting 6,with a couple of slight showers thrown in.  The main excitement on the way back was some high speed air sea rescue activity at close quarters (practice we presume).

We got back to the Itchen and returned to Toucando's home pontoon.  Thank you to Carole and Paul (and John on Saturday) for being an excellent crew.