Rally Report by Peter Manning

This years Summer Rally was held at Plymouth at the end of May and was timed to coincide with the start of the Jester Azores Challenge.

Four boats came to the rally, Bertrand Fercot's catamaran PHA, Robin Blain in his Macgregor BUNNY, Alan and Ginni Wells in the Colvin designed TAI SHAN, and Tony Smither in his Coromandel TENMOKU.

Members met at the Mayflower Sailing Club before leaving on the boats to view the start of the Jester Azores Challenge in which, out of the 40 or so entrants, there were four junk rigged boats including GOLDEN DRAGON, the Kingfisher 22, of Graham Jewitt, a regular at our Scottish Rally.

Robin helping Tim McLoy fit jointed battens to his Jester-lookalike sail
on CHINA BLUE, before he took part in the Jester Challenge
in which he was first junk to arrive in the Azores!

Having watched the challenge boats leave in light winds we were returning to the Mayflower Sailing Club when two dolphins appeared and for about an hour entertained us and a few other boats which had gathered around to a wonderful display of aquabatics darting in and out of the boats and jumping into the air. Despite serious attempts to photograph these beautiful mammals performing their tricks, we only managed a few shots of them re-entering the water.

At this rally we normally dine at the Mayflower Sailing Club. However, this year, due to an unfortunate double-booking, we were unable to do so. Instead the club arranged for us to dine at the Mountbatten Centre across the water with whom they have an arrangement. This proved to be a very nice venue with an almost private room (no door) with adjacent bar.

The meal was very disappointing due mainly to agency staff which had to be brought in to cover for the absent resident chef. However, we did enjoy a most interesting illustrated talk given by Alan Mayne on his experience of moving from junk rig sailing to canal boating.

He described many of the different aspects and considerations involved in taking up this past-time. It was most interesting learning about the great variety of canal boats, the different types of locks and the wide variety of scenery encountered. It transpires that quite a few of our members have already experienced canal boating and others have spent time in their own junk rigged boats on canals, with their masts removed. In the UK many of the canals are very narrow and therefore limit the width of boats that can use them. Consideration must also be given to air heights so that the boats can pass under bridges.

We are all used to having fairly substantial fenders on our boats but due to the limited width of the canals their fenders have to be very slim. However, they do have very substantial bow and stern fenders permanently fixed and usually made of rope,

When passing through locks the flow of water can be quite turbulent and great care must be taken to ensure the boats are securely tied up.

Some of the pictues of flights of locks that Alan brough along looked extremely daunting and the mechanisms for opening and closing them varied a great deal.

One of the tunnels Alan showed us is so long that the boats have to be linked together and towed through by an electric tug. This was just one of the many fascinating facets to this form of boating.

For those who fancy a change to the challenges of sailing on the sea, the canals and rivers provide a relaxing and fascinating alternative.

On Sunday we had a departure from our usual programme of sailing in Plymouth Sound and had a sail up the river Tamar to have lunch at the Saltash Sailing Club. This was a great success and we were made very welcome by the club who even made their pontoon available for us. This was particularly helpful as TAI SHAN is over 50' in length and otherwise would have had to remain on a mooring in the fast-flowing river.

After lunch we had a pleasant return sail down the Tamar and back to the Mayflower Sailing Club jetty where we bade our farewells.

This rally report and related photos were taken
from the Junk Rig Association Newsletter 51.