Our third frostbite rally this year took us to our own clubhouse at Gins.
The proximity to St Patrick’s Day suggested an Irish theme for the evening; I had not realised that the evening was also the last match of the Six Nations and that England were due to play Ireland with a possible Grand Slam as the outcome.
The Gins team responded in splendid style. The club was decorated in Shamrock Green, Irish stew was on the menu and a fiddler brought in for the evening. Best of all the match could be watched by all on the big screen before the evening commenced.
During the day the boats gathered, Alana 3, Aquarius Ventures, Selene, Smoothtorque, Zara,Latimer Lady, Prop Rider, Rise n Shine too, Arabesque and Coralie filled the pontoon or picked up moorings.
The outcome of the match was a disappointment to the English but the drinks and nibbles laid on by our hosts James and Pam Hanratty brought the smiles back to the faces of the group. As we gathered on the balcony for this pre-dinner treat the elements offered a bonus.
We knew that the full moon that evening was a Super Moon and close to its perigee but the high pressure that day had given us little or no wind and clear skies so the moonrise over the Eastern Solent was the spectacle that only Gins seems capable of producing.
The evening continued in fine form with a two course meal and some lively entertainment.
As Yachtsmen we know that spring tides are two days after the new and full moons; a super moon will have a small influence to extend the range but the high pressure will lower the mean sea level so times of arrival and departure required careful consideration to safely cross the Beaulieu bar.
The super moon last occurred 18 years ago and with the clear skies this rally was really a once in a Blue Moon event. Well not quite; the last Blue Moon occurred in this country on New Years Eve.
Note. A Blue moon is defined as a second full moon in a calendar month.
Words by Brian Hinde
Photos by Gordon Agnew