The Westerly Owners' Association - East Coast Group

East Coast Colne Rally 6th & 7th June 2009

The weather dominated the weekend with 12 boats making the trip out of the original 21 intended.

The following boats arrived at various times, from Friday evening through to Sunday morning, with a special mention to Tony and Dave on Wind Singer sailing up from Ramsgate on Friday: Falcon, Lincoln Aries, Stormalong, Dolma, Scarlet, Aries of Lincoln, Westerly Way, Hunters Moon, Ramdys, Norma Ann, and Force Ten.

Due to high on shore winds the planned BBQ on Mersea Stone had to be aborted as getting ashore would have been difficult if not very wet and cold. Some boats retreated to the calmer berths in Brightlingsea, with some toughing it out in a somewhat lumpy Pyefleet anchorage with the F5/6 against the ebb tide.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse Sunday morning woke to a very heavy rain storm reducing visibility down to under 100 metres for a time. However, thanks to the wonder of mobile internet the Met office radar showed the rain front would clear by midday, so 9 persons rounded up by Falcon motored up to Rowhedge for the second part of the weekend.

We arrived as the rain stopped and were met by another member, who came by car, and enjoyed a superb cooked lunch at the local pub The Anchor. The wind had dropped and the sun came out as we returned down the River Colne on the Ebb so all parties could make for their respective destination ports.