Round Guernsey report 2010

On Friday 9th July the RCIYC ‘fleet’ arrived at the Beaucette Marina:  Altair, Greta
Cygonie, Siesta, Eclipse, Bilbo and Jean Pierre.

The expedition began, as all expeditions should, with a feast. 

Bilbo led the way with hors d’oeuvres, Cygonie cooked the main course and delicious sweets appeared from Altair.  All other boats added to the feast (but at this stage I can’t remember who brought what).  The crews arranged tables and chairs (rather precariously) on the pontoon and the evening began. 

Bunting along the pontoon and a case of wine were provided by the Beaucette. 
It was one of those perfect cruising evenings with ribbons of light reflected on the water, delicious food, plentiful wine and sparkling conversation (so it seemed at the time). 

SATURDAY MORNING
Good visibility is good news when circling Guernsey!  At 0800 we followed Altair into the Doyle passage keeping Corbette d’Amont between Herm and Jethou.  (I find back marks like this trickier to spot from inside a motor boat than from the cockpit of a yacht.)   After the breathless calm at Beaucette the sea was surprisingly ‘roly’ just here.  As a ‘Vale’ girl I am always amazed at how difficult identification of these low lying familiar bays and headlands proves to be from the sea.  La Platte Fougère lighthouse, my parents’ favourite fishing area, left behind us we wiggled through the treacherous rocks off Grande Havre.   I clutched my hand bearing compass and strained to recognise marks.  Jeremy kept a firm eye on the GPS.
 
Anchored at Cobo for coffee Sarah was the only mariner brave enough for a swim!  Three crews gathered on John’s boat for coffee then, in a rather surreal way, Sarah appeared from the cabin bearing a birthday cake complete with lit candles and everyone sang for me ‘Will you still need me when you’re ...........’.  Say no more.

We headed out of Cobo between Petit and Gros Etat and had considerable trouble spotting St Matthew’s Church lurking behind tall trees, but before we knew it we were ’hand railing’ around Lihou, identifying  Nipple and Round Rock and then dropping anchor at Portelet Bay for lunch.

As the sea was so calm, before following John’s final cryptic instruction “Find Trois Peres and Round Rock @350° & OUT!” we all motored right up to the Hanois lighthouse to have a really good look at it.  After a photo shoot here the fleet set off along the south coast of Guernsey towards afternoon tea at Fermain.

It was a lovely, sunny, calm day and a terrific outing.  Great fun.
Thanks to Stuart for making all the arrangements and getting us organized (not a task to be underestimated!) and to John for keeping us off the rocks.
Jane S

RCIYC Cruising 2010

Sailing

Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club, Clegg-Gifford Dielette Rally

Fifteen boats – a mixture of both yachts and powerboats – headed to Dielette in Normandy for the Clegg-Gifford Rally over the Bank Holiday weekend.  Organised by the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club (RCIYC), this is an annual event where the club renews friendships with our closest French neighbours.

Very much a cruising rally, the 27-mile passage to Dielette involves a nautical quiz that has to be completed on passage since some of the questions include pilotage marks and navigational information found en-route – sometimes not so easy if the seas are rough.

Several boats crossed on Friday morning in rain, mist, head winds and lumpy seas, while others made the journey on Saturday and had the benefit of a fair north westerly wind.  Two yachts from the Solent area took part – overseas members anxious to join in this popular annual event.

A reception was held at the Hotel du Phare in the village, where the competition results were announced and the Clegg-Gifford glassware presented.  First place honours went to Calypso (David Mitchison), with Persuation (Dominic Clark) in second place and Banjaard (John Falla) finishing in third place.

A ‘departing reception’ was held on Sunday evening in the marina garden where the Harbour Master for Dielette thanked the large Guernsey contingent for renewing the contact and expressed his wish that this annual event and friendly relationship should continue in 2011.

On Sunday, the wind hit Force 7 at times and spray from the big seas even reached the boats moored safely in Dielette marina but the wind died to a Force 4-5 on the Monday and, with a favourable northerly direction, this ensured a pleasant and fast sail home to Guernsey.

The next cruising event in the RCIYC calendar is on the 25th September and takes the club no further than Beaucette Marina - with more interesting navigation problems anticipated!

John Frankland

R.C.I.Y.C Cruising 2009

Beaucette Cruise, September 2009

Previously called the Beaucette Winter Cruise, this event was brought forward from November resulting in a weekend of fantastically fine and sunny weather – the word ‘winter’ has now been dropped for good!

Only six boats – somewhat disappointing perhaps - took advantage of the excellent conditions and neap tide to stay the night in Beaucette Marina.  All arrived around lunchtime and berthed on the Visitors’ pontoon that had been cleared especially for us.  Beaucette is only a short distance from Town but once through that narrow entrance, there is a real feeling of seclusion and being on holiday.  The ‘voyage’ itself is full of interest and Saturday afternoon was mainly spent in relaxing and comparing notes about the different routes that were taken – some so close inshore they were able to pass the time of day to blackberry pickers near Bordeaux! – and how long the trip had taken – 10 minutes seems to be the record but it was something like 35 minutes for the yachts.  Alison and the Commodore entertained quite a few club members aboard Altair prior to the dinner at the Marina Restaurant and a communal breakfast (full English +) was enjoyed in the sunshine by all the boaters the following morning.

‘Going by car’ was the other option and many did just that.  Some late entries were also accommodated and in all, a total of 37 members and guests sat down for dinner.  It was a great social evening with everyone in good form.  The raffle was well supported and the prizes included the wines that were donated by Le Legue earlier in the year.  Interestingly, the prizes also included some homemade jam, cakes and a bag of pears!  In a special ‘boat draw’, a bottle of Bubbly was won by Craig Shorto in Vagabond and a free mooring donated by the Marina, was won by the Smithies in Jean-Pierre (on her maiden voyage).  Much later, someone was heard to be playing a rusty old cornet – thankfully that didn’t last for long.

A credit to all the members for their support for this excellent social and cruising event – bound to be on the schedule again for next year.  Thanks go to Stuart Crisp for his help in the organisation and also to Rick and his Marina staff for being so helpful with the boats.

The French Connection – RCIYC revisit Dielette

Once again the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club (RCIYC) recently held their annual ‘Clegg Gifford Rally’ to Dielette in Normandy.  The now well-established connection between the club and the authorities in Dielette was further strengthened when 14 Guernsey boats of all types invaded the port for a three-day visit.  The weather was good for the 30 mile crossing to the French coast – the fairly calm conditions allowing the boat crews to take part in a Nautical Quiz which had to be completed en-route. On arrival, the 50 or so crewmembers gathered outside the Hotel du Phare for an evening reception overlooking the harbour as the sun was setting. This was followed by a fantastic and typical Normandy style meal held in the hotel. 

After the Fruits de Mer, the cheese and the Calvados, Clive McEwan of Clegg Gifford presented prizes to the winners of the quiz – Craig Shorto in Vagabond who scored highest with Julie Ball (Meltemi) second and Dominic Clark (Corona) in third spot. 

The following day, a ‘departing reception’ was also arranged at the popular Raz de Blanchard hostelry where the Dielette harbour-master and the Mayor of the district addressed the Guernsey contingent.  The Mayor indicated the importance of this annual visit and said that he was very keen to send a fleet from Dielette to St Peter Port on a reciprocal event soon. 

All savoured the difference in the culture - just 30 miles from Guernsey, and the RCIYC and Clegg Gifford have promised a repeat performance in 2010.

J Frankland

Sept 2^nd 2009