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19th October 2006 Submited By Peter Lowry
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Its amazing how quickly the season comes and goes, I feel we all had a great time on the water, the weather was mostly favorable and rallies well attended. This brings me to the final rally of 2006- the laying up lunch, which fell back into my lap as I have moved back from the post of Sailing Sec to Solent area officer. I particularly enjoy organizing this rally as I don’t have to worry about the weather, booking marinas or trying to squeeze Seals and Parkers onto tight spaces with little water. It was quite difficult to find a venue which had all to attributes of the Swordfish Hotel that is halfway between Poole and Chichester, near the water and the M27/M3 corridor. The Spinnaker Restaurant (opposite Moody’s boatyard) seemed to have all the right things going for it – all of the above including a function room with capacity for 70+ people We had a total of 60 people to dine, the food was excellent and people had a great time catching up and talking about the 2006 season Clifford (commodore) presented trophies with the help of my wife Jenny. The Reeders on” Speedwell” were presented with the Solent Trophy. The Naylor’s on” Shiraz” were presented with the Angus Primrose Trophy. Jonathon Houston spoke about 2007 rallies, and Phil Walden talked about our weekend AGM on the 4th Feb 2007 In Bournemouth. I finished up by thanking the Spinnaker and all for coming. See you all in the spring. Peter Lowry. |
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PARKER & SEAL ANNUAL (NOT) ROUND THE ISLE OF WIGHT RACE 2nd September 2006 Submited By Walter Brown
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With Gale force 8 winds forecast for the whole weekend, the organisers sensibly elected to set a course for the 2006 event to keep the entrants within the confines of the Solent. The hardy crews of the smaller and slower marques were first away from the start line off Yarmouth, sent on an exciting very broad reach north east towards South Bramble buoy, some 9 miles away. “Zephyr” Peter Scrivens Parker 235 making the best of their start, closely followed by “Breeze” the Parker 21 of Nigel Walbank and “Caller’ou” the elderly Seal 28 skippered by Neil Palmer. Flying her spinnaker to good effect, it was not long before “Breeze” established an impressive lead on the water. 30 minutes later, the faster Parker 277/325/335’s, accompanied by the sole Super Seal 26 “Ard Righ” of last year’s winner Walter Brown, set off in hot pursuit. The better of the second start having been made by “Tilikum” the 325 of Jonathan Houston, Martin Hopton’s 335 “Shemar,” and “Ard Righ”, each wrestled to keep their colourful kites in some measure of control as they sped up the western Solent. Conditions were however soon to take their toll, with both “Tilikum” and “Ard Righ” shredding spinnakers in one particularly vicious gust, the former also performing an impressive Chinese gybe and “Caller’ou” contriving to hit South Bramble sustaining significant damage to her bow in her efforts to avoid a number of yachts competing in another race. The close reach to Norris and fetch Gurnard to complete the first triangle, saw the two fleets draw ever closer, though “Shemar” was never to catch “Breeze” who took line honours at Gales HSB buoy, the finish mark, one round later, followed by “Ard Righ,” having finally overhauled “”Zephyr” and “Skylark” the well sailed Seal 22 of Richard Tanner. Next to complete the course was 2005 runner-up, Geoff Harwood in his Parker 21 “Cygnus,” followed by “Tilikum,” and SSA Commodore Clifford Miller sailing his Parker 275 “Abacus”. In the final analysis, the positions on the water were reversed with “Breeze” not quite able to save her time and overall victory going to Martin Hopton, who last won the event in 1988 in a Seal 22. The Association’s thanks go to the committee boat, Mark Goble’s “Delphis” and to the warm hospitality of the Duke of York in Cowes on the Saturday evening after the finish. Results: - 1st M Hopton Parker 335 Shemar 2hrs 23mins 36secs 2nd N Walbank Parker 21 Breeze 2hrs 25mins 51secs 3rd W Brown Super Seal 26 Ard Righ 2hrs 28mins 30secs 4th R Tanner Seal 22 Skylark 2hrs 33mins 03secs 5th J Houston Parker 325 Tilikum 2hrs 38mins 26secs 6th P Scrivens Parker 235 Zephyr 2hrs 42mins 14secs |
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Sat 9th Sept 2006 Submitted by Peter Lowry |
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The forecast was not great, southerlies force 3 to 5 Cleo left the Hamble at 2pm and had a lively sail to Cowes to pick up some provisions (thing I forgot to get on the mainland) We were planning to be off the bramble post by1730hrs and see the bank expose itself. As the tide ebbed away it was clear that it was going to be too bumpy to get close to the bank so we all decided to abandon the idea as we would have done damage to rudders or prop shafts as we backed up to the south facing part of the bank. Heart of Glass went earlier to see and again decided it was to rough Sunflower decided the same at Calshott Phillip in Rascal motored round to the north side but this too proved still to lumpy so off to Wootton creek and a meal in the Fishbourne Inn and a night cap it the sailing club and listened to the Last night at the Proms. Perhaps next year it will be better. Boats in attendance;
CLEO |
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Report of the Bembridge Rally 1-2 July 2006 Submitted by Peter Lowry |
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Summertime and the weather is fine, fish are jumping and the cotton is high, well the forecast was just fab, The Irish area officer (my Dad) had decided to come and visit for a long weekend, so it looked like a boy’s weekend to this lovely harbour at the eastern end of the Isle of Wight for our rally Jenny, Mum and Robert wanted to stay at home and just relax in the garden and sunbathe and soak in the paddling pool Wind was easterly about a 3 so a nice beat down the Solent with the rising tide in our favor , we arrived into Bembridge to find several boats had arrived and just the right time to just touch the bottom of the beach along side Harlequin who kindly took our bow anchor up the beach. As the remainder of the fleet arrived we rowed around in dinghies and visited all other boats and caught up with old friends and met some new, many of us went for a swim the water was 18 degrees. The evening started with a glass of Pimms on the beach (Pimms bucket kindly supplied by Christina from Ard Righ (Thanks) We were booked into the Bembridge sailing club for a meal for 1930hrs, Again the club did us proud, We finished up at the club about 0930hrs and a few retired for the evening and some had a night cap or 2, very kindly supplied by Shemar (again thanks for your hospitality) After a very pleasant and peaceful night we awoke again to glorious weather. It had been decided to have a Bbq breakfast to commence at 0900hrs which duly happened. As we waited for the tide to lift us we pottered and said our farewells and carry on for home. A great weekend had by all!
Boats attended CLEO BREEZE VOL AU VENT CLAIRE LOUISE NOSEY PARKER SHEMAR ARD RIGH SHIRAZ MANY MOONS ZEPHYR HARLEQUIN CALYPSO MACOMA STAMPEDE
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17 - 18 JUNE CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF PARKER YACHTS with HONOURED GUEST - BILL PARKER Submitted by Phil Walden
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The Beaulieu River rally at Timbrells Quay is always a popular event for
Solent Seals and others who may be passing by at the time. This year, as
details for the 2006 programme were emerging, the
Committee were reminded that it was 25 years since Parker Yachts (led by Bill
Parker) had taken over the role of Seal builder from John Baker. The Committee
decided this was something to celebrate in style. Ken Surplice took up
the cudgels, ably supported by the commodore and others and a national rally was
created for the middle of June.
With a larger than normal number of boats expected, the event was moved to Bucklers Hard. A barbeque with drinks was to be laid on at the expense of the association and Bill Parker and his wife, Janet were to be invited as honoured guests. Sue Surplice volunteered, probably with both arms twisted behind her back, to organise the catering. Jonathan Houston arranged the moorings and the location for the barbeque. A week before the rally, the weather forecast predicted guaranteed sunshine. Such a forecast is almost unprecedented and totally at odds with the two weeks of strong westerlies a few weeks before. Such a forecast, and the prospect of a free drink, will always encourage Seals to a rally and the few days before the event saw the numbers grow from 50 to over 100 with 30+ boats attending. Mild panic rattled round the organisers with questions such as, ‘where do we park them all,’ and, ‘how much extra food do we need’. Friday saw the advance party arrive with Poubelle and Ken struggling round from Calshot in the evening twilight with an overheating engine. Sue watched from the shore to make certain all her efforts and her list of ‘things to be done’ arrived at the Beaulieu River. Poubelle, the water taxi, was carrying much of the food and equipment and was an essential part of the logistics. Saturday dawned with brilliant sunshine which was to be with us all day. Shiraz arrived and moored to the piles as directed by the harbourmaster. Not an easy task when you are the first boat. Then she was asked by the harbourmaster to move to another set of piles! Well done to Royce for keeping his cool as the sun climbed into the sky and everybody else’s temperature rose. Ard Righ arrived somewhat low in the water. However she was carrying one of the essentials of a good party, the drink. We were all glad to see her safely berthed in the marina. Preparing the food and keeping it cool was going to be a problem. Macoma was plugged in at the marina and food preparation organised in her cabin with the fridge working overtime. Sue ‘the caterer’ had to partake in her local carnival with her children during the afternoon but thankfully she had left detailed notes informing the helpers of what to do and when. More and more boats arrived as the day progressed. Poubelle and Ken were kept going all day, helping to moor boats, ferrying people ashore, moving food and drink from the marina to barbeque and not forgetting the tour of the fleet by the Commodore and his guests. The number and variety of boats, many dressed overall, made a spectacular sight in the brilliant sunshine. Almost miraculously it seemed, drinks were poured, barbeques lit, food cooked and served. It was early evening and the sun was still intense. Tod (Seal 28 owner) and others toiled over the charcoal cooking all sorts of delights for the assembled masses. Strawberries and cream for afters went down well. The Commodore raised himself up on top of a concrete mooring sinker to address his audience. He thanked all those present for attending and especially Bill Parker. He recalled many examples of Bill’s contribution to the Seal ideology and the development of Parker Yachts. Bill responded by thanking the Association for organising such a splendid event in his honour. He recalled his first thoughts when he heard about the owners’ organisation. ‘A pressure group to cause me grief’ was the initial reaction but he soon came to realise it was mutual benefit relationship. He had very much enjoyed his 25 years with the Seals and especially the discussions with owners and the modifications they had suggested. Clifford then orchestrated a 25 fog horn blast salute in Bill’s honour. Bill and Janet then cut the celebration cake created by Sally and Carol in honour of 25 years of Parker Yachts. Eventually the sun drifted down below the tree line and the temperature began to drop. It had been an excellent day and all those attending seemed to enjoy themselves. Poubelle and Ken were still hard at work into the darkness ferrying people back to their boats. Sunday morning was sunny as promised with light winds. It was ideal for a sail past. Peter Lowry was given the task of keeping everyone in order. Smallest and oldest first was the order of the day. The Commodore and Bill Parker took up station on the promontory on the bend at Bucklers Hard. The review was led off by the 22s, Baby Seal, Kekeno and Shiraz. Seal 26s and 28s followed. Then all the Parkers sailed in succession, 21s, 235s, 26s, 27s, 275s, 285s, 31s, 325s and 335s. ‘Other craft’ tucked in at the end. What a splendid sight they all made. Good people, good food, good wine, good venue, good yachts and unbelievably good weather. Thanks to all those who attended and especially those who helped to make this such a memorable event in Clifford’s reign as Commodore. Boats/People attending are listed on the attached sheet. In summary, 35 Seal member yachts were moored at Bucklers Hard with another 9 owners coming by car which with crews gave a total of 100+ attending. This was about twice those expected and something of a record on all counts for one of our events.
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Report of the Rally to Topsham 27 May - 10 June Submitted by Clifford Miler
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1 To Topsham “Three yachts dismasted and one sunk on the Solent yesterday” was the dismal report from the Harbourmaster at Bucklers Hard as Abacus left on Tuesday 30th May to catch up with the half term cruise and head on west to Topsham. With two reefs and the blade jib we had an easy sail to Poole (Studland too bouncy) and anchored behind Brownsea in Blood Alley with Harlequin, Mayflower and Shemar. Dinner on board (baked sweet & sour duck with golden caraway rice-thanks Tod), drinks on Shemar for all and a walk for all round Brownsea the following morning set the pattern for some really relaxed cruising over the next 12 days. Therafter it was Weymouth where we found Vol-au-vent and were joined by Lady Penelope, Lyme Regis where we found Ariel in the harbour and then to the Exe on Friday. With little wind the Lyme Regis to the Exe sail should have been uneventful but a messed up foresail change resulted in a busy Saturday morning with a trip to the sailmaker for a repair( Chris at Sails & Canvas, Topsham who advertises in our newsletter-very helpful), a new halyard and a winch up the mast to fix everything! 2 The Topsham Rally-2nd 3rd & 4th June
Our first time into the Exe at LW+2 and the passage up to Topsham was interesting
and quite straight forward. On arrival at Trouts pontoon we found most of
the visiting Seal fleet already there and were nicely greeted by Kate Hattersley
our Area Officer for the South West who races and cruise Parker 275/ 21 Beeline
from Topsham Sailing Club. The rally was a great success with 9 visiting yachts ( a few less than those expected due to the previous weekend’s weather) which with crews, members by car and local owners added up to about 50 attending the barbeque at the Sailing Club. We were made most welcome by the Commodore, Vice Commodore and members, so sunshine, Pimms, barbeque and a Jazz Band made for a very cheery evening! A list of the 9 visiting yachts is given below and it was particularly nice to see one smaller yacht, Seal 22/91 Hylje from Totnes with skipper Stephen Munday. Kate Hattersley saw us off on Sunday morning and our thanks to her, husband Andrew and their three children for the organisation, hard work and music which made such a great weekend. 3. Salcombe presentation to Gerry Turner and west Six “Seals” carried on west and stayed together for a few more days. Most went Dittisham then Salcombe where we met Gerry Turner (Parker 21/18 Dawn) who has been greeting Seal Sailing Association members at the Yacht Club for nearly 20 years. We numbered 5 visiting yachts including Seal 28 “Caller Ou” who we found undergoing some repairs and so, 10 of us were able to be present for the presentation of a “Seal” Caithness Glass Paperweight to Gerry in recognition and thanks for his long reign as Area officer for the South West from about 1988 to the end of 2005. After Salcombe, Abacus went on to Newton Ferrers with Mayflower Parker 325/38 now owned by Graeme Lindsay who came from Bahrain (where he has a Seal 22) to move his 325 from Harwich to the South Coast and joined the half term and Topsham rallies. We went via Burgh Island and Abacus did a short trip up the Avon to Bantham en route (a bit shallow at HW neaps!). After Newton Ferrers, Abacus continued west to Mylor with night stops at Polperro (on visitors buoys in the rocky entrance), Helford and Falmouth. En route we rounded the Eddystone Lighthouse (caught/ate 6 mackerel), popped in to Mevagissey for coffee/postcards, sussed out Gorran Haven, hove to off Dodman point (caught/ate Pollock), and had a great spinnaker run from there to the Helford River. 4. Conclusion I had almost forgotten the pleasures of cruising the West Country! Braking the Lyme Bay crossing at Lyme Regis and Topsham meant “no pain” and only 20 to 30 miles per day with plenty of time each day of the cruise for shoreside exploration, dinghy forays, lunch stops and fishing. 264 mile logged. Yachts at Topsham: Seal 22-Hyjle, Seal 26s x 2-Tara of Arun, Ariel, Parker 27/275s- Harlequin, Stroller, Lady Penelope, Abacus, Parker 325/335s-Mayflower, Shemar. Others met enroute; P275 Vol-au-vent-Weymouth, Seal 28 Caller Ou-Salcombe Clifford Miller, Abacus, Parker 275/58 Crew leg 1- Tod & Peter (Seal 28/66 Minimosh), leg 2-Dennis & Mark |