A First for the Autumn Rally 2025

'All’s well that ends well,' springs to mind, as I sit here watching storm Benjamin do its worse to the garden, having unloaded the car in a hailstorm.

This year our Autumn Rally was planned for the Monday to Friday just before the clocks went back. Having looked at the tides our intention was to go from the Hamble, possibly go west into Poole Bay if the weather gods were kind to us, have the rally dinner at Lanes on Wednesday evening and then have a nice sail back, calling in at Beaulieu for lunch and possibly staying in Cowes before returning to the Hamble.

As the first rally falling to me to organise, I was a little concerned to be starting off with only six people, but in the end we were a 'small but perfectly formed' group of thirteen across two charter boats (from Fairview) and one privately owned boat. This was also the first rally to be a collaborative event, in that we were able to welcome Eamonn Sturgess (Shustoke) and Pyers Tucker (NOSCA) on board.

Before the week even started, however, there was much discussion amongst the skippers as to how spicy the weather was likely to be, with one low pressure system after another advancing across the Atlantic. In the end we decided that there was little point getting up at the crack of dawn to get down to the Hamble and Bernie (in Fulmarks at Haslar) decided to continue with the never-ending job list.

So we arrived at lunch time really not knowing if we would be going out that Monday afternoon. As things turned out the weather improved and we had a cracking sail to Gosport in a south westerly F4, being treated to stunning rainbows and an ethereal emerald sea. We caught up with Bernie’s crew and some ate on board whilst our boat went to the Castle Tavern (excellent!) One learning point from the day was not to eat hot pasties on deck when its wet and windy. Our cockpit was well-oiled with lard and we were skating around like Torvill and Dean.

Tuesday arrived with the promise of F5 and gusty conditions. Bernie headed for Bembridge and then East Cowes whilst the other two boats headed for Yarmouth. Both ended up putting three reefs in as the gusts hit 29kts. As this was, again, from the south-west there was plenty of opportunity to practise tacking, including a rather hasty one as we got a bit close to Ryde Sands (fortunately we were approaching high water on a spring tide!)

On arrival at Yarmouth there was again discussion amongst the skippers as to how best to plan for the next approaching storm and which weather model was to be believed. Windy was beginning to look like a rainbow for Thursday with some models predicting F8/F9 gusts. The issue was getting back from Lymington to the Hamble later on in the week. Although Friday looked doable could the forecasts be trusted? In the end we decided the best option was to get back to the Hamble on Wednesday night and drive to the restaurant. Bernie’s crew, meanwhile, made their way to Lymington.

Wednesday itself was the 'calm before the storm'. Some of our crew were in T-shirts and, despite the lack of wind, we enjoyed looking around Newtown Creek and going up Southampton Water. We also speculated on the fate of the 57’ yacht whose mast was sticking up out the water close to the Beaulieu river entrance.

Safely back at Fairview we all got ready and set off for Lymington. The meal was excellent (as it was last time) and we all got drenched walking to the restaurant (as we did last time)! This was the first real opportunity for all three boat crews to catch up properly and it was great to share stories and get to know our new members better. By the time we were ready to drive back the storm had started with Google maps deciding that a trip through the depths of the New Forest was a good idea. One car had a very close encounter with a deer, putting ABS to the test, and we were all glad to be back on the boats and settle in with a night cap.

When we woke up on Thursday morning, there was a sense of shared relief that we had definitely made the right decision. The wind was howling through the rigging and a leisurely cooked breakfast was the order of the day before making tracks back home. Bernie also decided to stay put in Lymington and return to Haslar when things had calmed down.

So a successful rally? Most definitely yes, even though we had to cut it short - well that's sailing for you!  Some great sailing and socialising and, hopefully, the start of further collaborative events.