The Westerly Owners' Association - East Coast Group

The East Coast Group hits Brugge - August 23-27, 2009

Since Derek Wapshott lead a rally to Ostend in 2004 attempts to arrange another foreign trip have met with little interest and so it was with some trepidation that Bill Miller tried again – this time using a guided tour of Brugge as the carrot.

Blankenberge

The Royal Scarphout YC

Brugge

Dinner at the RSYC

Sunday 23rd August saw five boats congregate in Ramsgate – Arion [Tempest], Quintet [Griffon], Stormalong [Storm], Goshawk of Mon [Centaur] and Hunters Moon [Konsort].

The pontoon party that evening provided an opportunity to get to know one another and discuss passage plans but, due to an early start for some (and the absence of Angela Dawn [Centaur]), was relatively quiet.

Monday saw a very pleasant sail to Dunkirk and a leisurely start on Tuesday gave late starters a good sea breeze to Blankenberge whilst the rest of us motorsailed. In Blankenberge we found Angela Dawn who had raced ahead for a party in Zeebrugge. We were guests of the Royal Scarphout YC and welcomed by WOA member Peter Vanderschaeghe aboard Marika M [Corsair] as well as Carl, the RSYC restaurant owner who misinterpreted a request that he bring his own glass to the drinks party on Stormalong and turned up with trays full of litre tankards of beer as well as a case of 24 bottles. This together with our own copious supplies resulted in a hilarious party with Stormalong heeling at 20 degrees and various nameless members being restrained by the guardrails from a swim.

The next morning a brief walk to the railway station saw Bill Miller playing Fat Controller and handing out 17 tickets for the journey to Brugge where we were met by Eric, our private guide for the morning. For 50 Euros he gave us a fascinating 2½ hour tour and proved exceptionally knowledgeable about the history of the town, the region and the buildings, including the only Michaelangelo statue outside Italy. Most of us then had a quiet lunch, bought chocolate and returned to our boats before the final event.

Dinner was held at the RSYC where Carl gave us an excellent meal to accompany the wine following which we faced up to paying the berthing fees. These were the subject of a large discount on top of which every boat’s beam was altered by the HM to ensure that it fell into a cheaper band!

Stormalong and Quintet left at 0500 the next day for Harwich and Ramsgate respectively whist the rest were going to coast hop back. Some were stuck in Nieuwpoort for Friday’s strong winds but Stormalong made the 85 miles in 13½ hours of exhilarating sailing and motorsailing (Marta having wisely decided to return via Eurostar).

The event proved worthwhile organising and we hope will be followed by more adventures next year – Westerly Club Nederland here we come?

Our thanks to all the participants who made the rally such a success, and to Peter and Marta for providing a berth for the organiser on Stormalong.