KEY DATES

1. Fri 22 May – Mon 25 May - Deauville Race and Rally
2. Saturday/Sunday 6/7 June Rally to Submarine Museum in Portsmouth Harbour
3. Saturday/Sunday 11/12 July Rally to Itchenor Sailing Club
4. Sunday 9 August Commodore’s Rally to Royal Victoria Yacht Club
5. Mon 24 Aug – Sun 30 Aug Seahorse Rally to Deauville

OUTLINE DETAILS

The Deauville Race and Rally from 22-25 May will follow the traditional pattern this year. Hosted by the Deauville Yacht Club, the event complements the traditional annual Cowes - Deauville Race with participation by the Royal London Yacht Club, the Royal Southern Yacht Club and the Junior Offshore Group (JOG). The Rally is open to both Sailing and Motor Yachts. Participation is strongly encouraged by both boating and non-boating RLYC members in order to support the Club’s presence in Deauville, and in particular attendance at the splendid dinner at the Normandie Barrier Hotel on the Saturday night. For non-boaters Deauville is easily reached by car and ferry or by train. Scheduled flights from Shoreham to Deauville have been discontinued this year, but SKY LEISURE (01273 464422) can provide charter flights from as little as £220 per head (return) for groups of up to 7 people.

The Rally to the Submarine Museum on 6/7 June is a new initiative this year. On the Saturday, we shall berth together in Haslar Creek, and then have a late afternoon tour of the Submarine Museum including the diesel submarine HMS ALLIANCE. This will be followed by evening drinks and dinner in the Museum. On the Sunday there will be opportunities to visit the Gunwharf Quays Outlet Stores and/or the Maritime Heritage attractions in Portsmouth (HMS VICTORY, HMS WARRIOR and the MARY ROSE etc). It is also planned to have a late lunch in Gunwharf Quays before dispersing.

The Rally to Itchenor Sailing Club on 11/12 July will follow the very successful formula of last year’s event. We shall arrive at Itchenor on Saturday. Once again Peter and Anne Taylor have very kindly offered to kick off the evening’s entertainment with a drinks party at their nearby home, and this will be followed by a dinner in the Itchenor Sailing Club. On Sunday Members will be free to disperse at will, perhaps taking in a late lunch at the Seaview Yacht Club on the Isle of Wight on their way home.

The Cowes Week Commodore’s Rally will be on Sunday 9 August. This year it has been decided that the Rally will be held at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club in Fishbourne. We have arranged with the RVYC to have the use of their jetty for this event, and this will provide about 4 hours of deep water for deep draught yachts to berth around lunchtime. There are also mooring buoys in the main stream, and the Club RIB will be in attendance. The format will necessarily be slightly different this year from the recent past. Roger and Bev Sutton live nearby, and have very kindly offered to host pre-lunch drinks at their home, before we all repair to the Royal Vic for lunch. Afterwards members will be free to return to their boats to continue the party until the falling tide dictates their departure. Non boating members will also be welcome to attend.

The Seahorse Rally will take place in Deauville from Monday 24 August to Sunday 30 August. This is a prestigious and great fun event, and this is only the 3rd year that it has been staged. After 2009, the event will only be held every 2 years. The Rally is jointly hosted by the Deauville Yacht Club and the town of Deauville. Selected Royal Yacht Clubs, including the RLYC, the RSYC, and the RSoYC, are invited to send boats and non boating members to join in a full programme of sporting and wining and dining and sightseeing and shopping! Key events include private facilities to watch 2 good horse racing events, and a top polo competition. There is also an inter-club Golf Competition, and an inter-club Sailing Competition in J20s. Quite apart from the obvious opportunities for intra and inter club socialising, the formal social events are excellent with 2 cocktail parties hosted by the town of Deauville and also by the Deauville Yacht, and a splendid gala dinner at the Normandie Barrier Hotel. In addition there are ample opportunities for private dining in one of Deauville/Trouville’s fine restaurants. Overall this is an excellent week’s entertainment by any standard. Transport options for non-boating members are the same as for the Deauville Rally in May (see above). .

CONCLUSION There is a varied and entertaining programme of Rallies planned for the Club this year, with plenty of opportunities for boating and non-boating members to join in. Clearly, the more Club boats and members who attend, the more fun it will be.

PLEASE PUT THE DATES IN YOUR DIARIES NOW AND WAIT FOR FURTHER DETAILS

Neil Robertson - (Club Rally Coordinator)