Rival Owners Association

Events

ROA West Country meets - 2006

The West Country group had its end-of-season meet in Fowey over the weekend of September 23rd/24th.  Attendance was about half the usual level but twelve people, representing six Rivals, were sufficient for a lively conversation over dinner at the Royal Fowey.  Only two yachts (R41 Cuchulainn and R36 Minka) sailed in, in spite of the favourable conditions. R32 Lontano had to turn back with engine problems but her crew drove down, as did R34 Rivalee, R34 Rival Spirit and R34 Williwaw.

Williwaw was unable to attend because she had been lifted out a fortnight earlier in Trosa, a small, pretty town about an hour south of Stockholm, after a successful 1500 miles cruise from Plymouth through six countries. There were two on board: Bill Douglas (R34 Soldemar) crewed as far as Amsterdam, where a Portuguese friend took over after the three of us had enjoyed the experience of the night convoy through the city centre canals.  Another highlight was an encounter with a Dutch R34, Shiant of Armadale (Leo and Cobi Eggink) at Utklippan, an outlying skerry off the south-east corner
of Sweden.  We sailed in company to Karlskrona and met again in Kalmar a few days later.

After five years of arranging the West Country rallies, I wonder whether the events have become too routine - might that explain the reduced attendance? If anyone has suggestions for other styles or dates of events, instead of the spring and autumn meets, I shall be pleased to listen!
 

Michael Smith. email