Cruising in company .. out of control ?

Badger

Badger

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A friend told me that his yacht club has 30 boats registered for a cruise in company to Bembridge on March 22/23rd. Are we at risk of "tourist syndrome" and spoiling what we have come to see and enjoy ?

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Flotillas for beginners I can understand. Rallies etc certainly does not appeal to me but everyone to their own. Certainly been an increasing trend towards this during the last few years. Pity the neighbours when they arrive. Its like finding a quiet anchorage and a flotilla comes round the headland an hour later!!!

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I think cruising in company is OK but it depends on seamanship, If a yacht is 1/2 a mile away thats OK.
But when it comes so close that I have to put fenders down it's a different matter!

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Like you, I rather think of cruising as something you do alone. I have, however, stood in the capitainerie of a French marina and listened while two Englishmen disputed with the manager as to why they couldn't have two adjacent berths. Revolting.

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I don't completely agree. I do the majority of my sailing alone but like getting together with a group of mates for a passage and a good few beers in the bar at the end. It is also an ideal way of novice skippers gaining confidence of a new port or anchorage. We all start somewhere.

You rarely arrive all at the same time anyway. Its more of a social thing than a "follow me, i know the way"!
IMHO. Horses for courses.

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Last year we arrived at Oostende entrance to find that a "Rally" of 18 boats was just ahead of us, waiting for shipping movement to allow us in. The advantage of Oostende is that we could wait to see where they went and then go somewhere else, but this is an option not often available. I think that simultaneous arrival of this number in normal circumstances is a bit much.

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Sounds as if it might be my club. If it wasn't 30 boats from one club it would be 30 individual boats taking up marina space instead. What's the difference apart from the fact that some marinas allow clubs to book in advance ? Even I find that irritating if it's me that can't get a space in the marina. You'll find that the cruise in company are a mixture of the experienced and not so experienced , the reason for cruising in company being more of a meeting-up-for-booze-up rather than anything else. If you're beef is with the fact that marina space is tight enough without this sort of thing happening, then the people to complain to are the marina operators themselves who allow pre block booking.

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Check out the Solent Meet forum here. You may find your complaint falling on deaf ears as we seem to be doing almost exactly what your complaining about.

Its just a bunch of people getting together for a few drinks & a laugh.

Martin

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I don't have a complaint or a beef, it was merely an observation open for comment and discussion. Bembridge is a small pretty harbour with much birdlife. I was posing the question that the simultaneous arrival of this number in normal circumstances could be seen as a bit much. Looking further afield, I know that the Blue water rally caused some consternation amongst other independant cruisers at anchor in a remote spot when they arrived en masse.


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I must admit that this is the first time I have been involved in anything that big. The cruises in company that I have been on are excellent opportunities for the relative novice to learn from the more experienced or for everyone to try new experiences. However the thought of thirty boats turning up in your favourite anchorage is pretty daunting. Can you imagine anyone in Newtown Creek on 10th May when we all turn up to commune with nature en mass. How peacful it will be.

Martin

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It has become a little larger than the 5 or 6 boats initially envisaged last year when a few of the Mobo forumites met in Wareham, and discussed a beginning of season meet.

We won't be at Newton that long though, as we're overnighting at Mercury. The original idea of staying at Newton overnight was impracticable with the number of boats that have joined.

Just this evening I've closed the meet to any more unless people drop out, as we're pushing limits for number of boats and people we can accomodate comfortably.

I'm going to have to go back through all the posts and find out who volunteered me for this in the first place. They'll be buying me beers all night! I've even given up putting details to the forum, too many people to make decisions, so when it all goes wrong, I'm going into hiding!

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My mind conjures up pictures like a coach load of Japanese tourists these 30 or so boats arrive to relish the peace? of Newtown Creek. Will the harbour look like the aftermath of a visitation by a plague of Locust after the event.

I remember all the talk os Yarmouth being quiet at that time of year. Then it was discovered that another, similar sized, rally was being held there that weekend. This months YM says there is a try a boat weekend also. There will be hundreds of novices zooming around, all being cared for by the Royal Solent Yacht Club. It looks like Mercury was a good decision after all.

As to your going into hiding after it all goes wrong with, 30 or so, boatloads of people searching for you, not to mention the Police, Coastguard & the National Trust Rangers, I doubt you will find anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere thats safe.

I don't want to worry you at all Brendan.

Martin

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