theyachtskipper.com has a busy summer 2016
Summer 2016 may be over but we are looking back on some great sailing memories. Incredibly almost, the weather through May, July and August was consistently fine along the south coast and our trips, events and cruises were blessed by sunshine and warmth though not always great sailing breezes. Here we recall some of our highlights – and made us look forward to next year’s adventures. Why don’t you contact us to discuss your next sailing project?
Panerai British Classics regatta
Simply amazing. Beautiful boats, lovely antipodean clients, cracking summer sailing. Graham skippered Gryphis, one of three Morgan Giles 43′ sloops run by Classic Sail. These boats were fresh from refit and Gryphis, particularly, looked lovely – she won an award for the most handsome newcomer to the regatta. The crew were made up of lovely people from the Classic Yacht Club of New Zealand with some representatives of that from Australia and they enjoyed simply stunning sailing conditions. The round the island race, sailed eastabout, was a particular highlight – especially a beat back through the Needles Channel against the west going tide.
Cruise to the West Country
In May an intrepid group of Austrian sailors arrived in Lymington for their annual sailing holiday. Graham welcomed them aboard one of LYC’s yachts and a plan was quickly hatched to head west. We had remarkable weather, sunny and warm for the most part, with reasonably favourable winds. Destinations included Dartmouth, Brixham and Weymouth – a Mexican meal in the evening sunlight at Brixham Yacht Club and an evening entry into Dartmouth estuary were particularly memorable moments. Another was anchoring in Worbarrow Bay for the night only to be moved on by the range patrol folk warning us that live firing was about to commence!
Cruise to the Channel Islands
Sometimes you have to pinch yourself and remember that you are sailing in the UK and not in the Med or Caribbean. A cruise to the Channel Islands in August with clients from First Class Sailing had moments in which everyone on board was inclined to forget – strong sunshine, fickle breeze, beautiful anchorages. Both Channel crossings – outbound to Cherbourg, return from Alderney – were smooth and rapid and allowed everyone to get plenty of sleep. Quite remarkable! A longer stay than planned in St Peter Port due to a gearbox problem was no hardship, it being such a lovely place to hang out. We enjoyed a fun night out in St Helier which included sipping drinks in baking evening sunshine on the terrace of the St Helier Yacht Club and discovering the epic Lamplighter pub. Another very memorable moment was picking our way through rocks into a lovely anchorage on the eastern side of Sark – fog lifting just in time.
Summer 2016 really was one to remember!
