The Victoria Shadow Association

Royal Southampton Yacht Club - 2010

John Tyer, our South Coast Regional Organiser, is also a member of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club and he had arranged that we moor our boats in 'The Pool', which is a part of Ocean Village Marina right by the club house.

The first boat to arrive was the Victoria 30, 'Widgeon', belonging to Tim and Dee Clarke and based at Marchwood just a little way up Southampton Water. Frances 26, 'Jenter' sailed in from Port Solent with Peter and Jenny Cosker aboard. Jerry Bottrill sailed his Victoria 30, 'Tracker' from Chichester Yacht Haven and then Roy Dawkins and Alf sailed in from the Gosport Marina aboard the Frances 26, 'Felicity'.

As you can see from the first photograph, the weather was splendid but, perhaps, we could have done with just a little more of a breeze.

Our last two yachts were not long in arriving.

Alan Pindar sailed in on his Frances 26, 'Panache', which is based in the marina at Weymouth, to be followed shortly afterwards by Nicholas and Bridget Hillier from the Hornet Sailing Club in Gosport with their Victoria 30, 'Gracious Lady'.

All of the yachts were double-enders with not a Victoria 34 in sight. What happened to all our Victoria 34's?

It seemed a good idea, at this stage, to visit the Royal Southampton's bar and possibly take a photograph or two from their their terrace looking down on the boats. The photograph was rather spoilt by the modern yacht in the left hand foreground but the 6X went down well!

Tim and Dee were kind enough to offer 'Widgeon' as the host boat for the obligatory, pre-dinner drinks party. Nicholas Hillier is prominent in the photograph of the gathering, shown below.

Dinner was taken at the Royal Southampton, where our table had been laid right by the window with a fine view of the whole of Ocean Village.

We were pleased that fellow sailors, Malcolm and Yvette were able to join us for the dinner. Along with John and Lynda, the four of them are all members of the R.S.Y.C. and were to set out for France shortly after the rally in Malcolm's Moody 36, 'Corolie'. We later learnt they had already visited St. Vaast-la-Hougue, Cherbourg and Diélette.

The Pool in Ocean Village and the Royal Southampton Y.C. made an excellent rally venue which we will surely re-visit. Our thanks go to John Tyer for making all the arrangements and for putting on such a fine rally.