The Westerly Owners' Association - National Rally: May 2008

“A Bilge rat’s tale!”

In summer 2007, a message appeared in an email from someone we had never met. Did he want us to exchange money for him at a very good rate? No. Did he want to sell us a Rolex watch for £5? No. He wanted to sell us and other Westerly members a place in the sun for four days during May 2008 at very little cost. Too good to be true I hear you say, well the North Wales Group and other Westerly members took up his offer and thoroughly enjoyed a late bank holiday weekend on the Isle of Man. To be precise, 17 boats enjoyed the sun in Port St. Mary and one, whose crew mutinied after a difficult crossing, berthed at Douglas. However we all enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of the Isle of Man Yacht Club at Port St Mary, and the island's Tourist Board.

Boats arrived from various ports in Wales, North West England, Northern Ireland and Eire. Many of the crews had never met before and some had never participated in a Westerly Rally. But there was a shared goal, to enjoyed the weekend and explore the island.

The harbourmaster and yacht club members worked hard to ensure that everyone was happy with their berth. The bilge keelers dried out in the inner harbour and enjoyed the shelter it afforded them. The hardy fin keelers rafted up in the outer harbour and their crews enjoyed scaling the ladders which are not for anyone suffering from vertigo!

As with all Westerly rallys, someone and it may have been the WOA Rear Commodore, suggested an impromptu quay party on the Friday evening for those who had arrived. We all felt obliged to attend and partake in the wine and nibbles. After all, there is nothing more sad than seeing a Rear Commodore drinking alone as the sun sets. As always, introductions were made, there were debates on the weather forecast, tales of the sea and invitations to view each others boats during the weekend.

More Rally pictures

Saturday heralded the arrival of the remainder of the ‘fleet’ and a chance for everyone to explore this very pretty island either on foot or using the various forms of public transport. In the evening, the Yacht Club hosted a buffet kindly sponsored by Hamblin’s Recruitment to mark the eve of the annual ‘Around the Island Race’ and our arrival. The Commodore and the Sponsors welcomed us to the Island and in particular Port St Mary. The buffet was excellent and entertainment was provided by local musicians. It all added up to a wonderful evening which was enjoyed by all.

Despite the wonderful hospitality, only one of our boats (Sal Darago) was tempted into signing up for the Casteltown YC race the next morning. The remainder looked forward to a lie in and perhaps a hearty breakfast. We need not have worried, the wind picked up overnight and was near gale force in the morning, the Casteltown YC race was cancelled and only a handful of Round the Island racers braved the weather. All had to retire from the race pretty quickly and the majority decision to have a lazy morning was vindicated. The weather meant that the planned barbecue had to be held indoors, but this did not detract from the excellent quality of the food or the enjoyment of the night. Views were shared on the various places visited and the best source of kippers.

Monday was the last day of the rally and the Isle of Man Tourist Board had generously funded a coach to take us on a tour of the island. First stop was the Visitors Centre at the Calf of Man. The views are stunning and the scones not bad either! Mike Pollard, co organiser of the rally explained the correct and safest way to navigate the Calf in answer to questions posed by a number of members. We drove through the little resort of Port Erin (which I had last visited as a five year old) and had a whistle stop tour of busy, vibrant Douglas before arriving for lunch in Peel. Dependant on the venue chosen some only had chance to get a sandwich whilst others managed to include a trip to the motor museum in the allotted time. Our driver took us along the TT circuit and many wondered whether the buffers placed in strategic places would do their job efficiently when riders hit them in excess of ten knots! Mike and our driver gave us an excellent commentary throughout the day which finished mid afternoon in Castletown. Some of us visited the Nautical Museum which is well worth the entrance fee and strolled round the picturesque harbour playing ‘spot the Westerly’.

We returned to Port St Mary via the local steam train, which is an adventure in itself. It evoked childhood memories for everyone and also reminded us how efficient the transport system on the island is. On Monday evening we held our ‘End of Rally Dinner’ in the yacht club. Again the food was superb and the hospitality excellent. The Rally officially ended with speeches from the Commodore of the Port St Mary Yacht Club, David Hill and the Rear Commodore WOA, Peter Boylan who presented a WOA burgee to the club. Of course, the evening couldn’t truly end without a rendition of the Westerly song - including a specially penned last verse for the island. Whilst we sang with gusto, I don’t recommend that anyone contemplates a change of career or even an appearance on ‘Britain’s Got Talent.’

On Tuesday morning the majority set sail for their home ports or for the lucky few the next destination on their summer cruise. Friendships had been renewed, made and built upon. Many have now realised how good a WOA rally could be, both in support and entertainment. In two years the IoM Yacht Club will be celebrating its centenary and hopefully at some stage Westerly members can help them celebrate.

It would be very remiss if I did not acknowledge the hard work that goes into organising an event such as this and a special thank you must go to the Commodore (David Hill), Rear Commodore (Russell Armstrong) and Committee at the IoM Club at Port St Mary, and in particular the originator of the first e mail Mike Pollard (Bosun). Mike also sourced a few much needed spare parts for members and kindly ferried them round the island in their hour of need, (the owners - not the spare parts ) and a big thank you must go to him.

My best wishes go to the following yachts and their crews that took part in the Rally; I hope to see you back on the Isle of Man in two years time and hopefully somewhere on the water before then.

Fougere, Wizard of Windermere, Ospray of Aberdeen, Miesque, Zebek, Puffin, Domino, Elgar, Jacqueline, Talisman, Helvellyn, Sal Darago, Blue Mantra, Opal, Silvery Moon, Aureus, Small World, Beyond Mehalah.

Mary Boylan, Beyond Mehalah
Pwllheli, North Wales Group