The Victoria Shadow Association

 

John Tyer, our South Coast Regional Organiser, had arranged the rally for Saturday, 23rd May and what a beautiful day it turned out to be! Not a great deal of wind, as the flag in the photograph shows, but unlimited blue skies and sunshine. The particularly fine weather encouraged many of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club's own members to visit and several large motor boats occupied the section of the pontoon that we had hoped to use. This was not the problem that it might have been, as a remote pontoon had been installed where the old fore-aft moorings used to be. Gins' Bosun had agreed to work late and was able to ferry our members back and forth, as required. By the time we latecomers had been ferried out to the pontoon, all four of our yachts had been safely secured alongside. We landed just astern of Roy Dawkins' Frances 26, 'Felicity' before walking past Tim and Dee Clarke's newly restored Victoria 30, 'Widgeon' to find Jerry Bottrill's Victoria 30, 'Tracker' rafted outside John Cade's Morris Yachts Victoria 34, 'Cadenza' right at the end of the pontoon. John had offered 'Cadenza' as the host boat and drinks were about to be served...

Gins Club on the River Beaulieu

 

Dawn on the pontoon  greets Roy and Lynn aboard 'Felicity'		'Widgeon'

 

John Tyer and Jerry Bottrill		Lynn, Roy and Alf, Crew of 'Felicity'		Anne Grubb, Chairman Yachting

 

Other guests present included John Tyer's wife Lynda and friends Jeff and Jackie Rayner as well as Tony Howard, who was the speaker at the Sarisbury Social earlier this year. Brian and Dawn Smith came by road bringing Peter and Jenny Cosker with them, as 'Moonfleet', their Victoria 34 had not yet been launched. It was good to see Eileen with Jerry aboard 'Tracker', although she seems to have avoided being photographed! Anne Grubb, our Chairman Yachting, had sailed with John Cade aboard 'Cadenza' and was to continue aboard 'Cadenza' for a few days after the rally Our party thus amounted to eighteen and when the time came to go ashore it would require two trips to get us all there.

'Cadenza' and the party spills over onto the pontoon

 

Before leaving the pontoon, we all took another look at Tim and Dee's 'Widgeon', which had been in a very poor state when they bought her but which looked absolutely splendid now; the results of a great deal of hard work of which they can be justly proud.       The evening meal in Gin's Club was excellent and the wine flowed freely in such good company. We should like to thank everyone present for coming along and making the event such a success and especially thank John Tyer for making all the arrangements.     We end with a few embarrassing photographs taken in Gins Club during the dinner.

Dee and Tim alongside their Victoria 30, 'Widgeon'