2006 Rally at Portsmouth (Friday 9th to Sunday 11th June)

Dear Seaward Owners,

PORTSMOUTH RALLY 2006

The following boats made the voyage to the Royal Clarence Marina for the rally:

TERN (35)

ALCHEMY (35)

BRAVEHEART OF POOLE (35)

CRESSEY III (29)

LIZ PAT (25)

JUMPER (25)

STORMRIDER (25)

BLUE PETER (25)

LADY RUTH (23)

A strong southerly wind was blowing on Friday June 9th and mooring on the lee side of the pontoon was not without difficulty. In the evening the launch taking us to Portsmouth for dinner at the Old Custom House made several unsuccessful attempts to moor on the lee side of the pontoon and in the end a berth had to be cleared for it on the windward side of another pontoon. It was gratifying to learn that even professionals sometimes come unstuck. I am sure it was not the large and appreciative audience of Seaward owners that un-nerved the skipper of the launch.

The weather moderated for the Saturday and in the evening we were joined by other Seaward owners who arrived by car for the dinner at the Royal Naval and Royal Albert Yacht Club. The Index of Achievement Award went to LIZ PAT from Jersey. The last section of the voyage was from Alderney and was made on the Friday in the strong wind which would have deterred most of us. A consolation award of a pair of folding binoculars donated by Navigators and General was made to LADY RUTH from Guernsey. A bottle of single malt also donated by Navigators and General was awarded by drawing lots to BRAVEHEART OF POOLE.

GUERNSEY RALLY 2007

Arrangements have been made for us to moor in the Victoria Marina at St.Peter Port for the rally which starts on Friday June 8th. High tide is at 12.34 BST. In the evening dinner will be at the Guernsey Yacht Club. On Saturday June 9th if the weather is suitable there will be a lunchtime picnic in one of the bays around Sark, to which we shall travel on Seaward boats locally based. Roger Goldsmith has agreed to use TERN for this purpose and so has Richard Villalard the owner of LADY RUTH and I hope for others. I will take my boat if there is any shortfall.

I hope that dinner on the Saturday evening will be at the White House Hotel on Herm to where we will travel by Trident Ferry. As the hotel is now closed for the winter I am having difficulty in getting confirmation. The cost of the dinner including the ferry fare will be about £25.00. On Sunday the rally ends but there will be an optional cruise in company to St.Malo either directly or via Jersey for those who can spare the time. The early afternoon high tide is convenient for this.

OTHER NEWS

2006 has been a very busy year for the factory with many launchings. The last of these was the new 29 for MDL (the owners of many marinas in the UK) named MUCH ADO in a ceremony at The Royal Yacht Squadron on November 22nd. Orders for new boats are holding up and include one for a 25 for a very well known TV personality. The brokerage side has also been very busy and there are just not enough used Seawards coming on the market to satisfy demand.

The Index of Achievement Award given at our annual rally was inaugurated when the Company was building only 23s. The formula then drawn up put a strong emphasis on horse power. Following this today it is inevitable that the award goes to the smaller boats. Now that there are many 25s, 29s and 35s there is a feeling that the basis of the award should be changed to enable the larger boats to stand a chance. One idea would be to base the award not on just the voyage to the rally but on the whole seasons voyaging. This would entail owners keeping a log and submitting this if they wished to be considered for the award. As an example I know that 35 ALCHEMY owned by David Harland has in her first year cruised extensively and has travelled for over 2000 miles. I should be grateful if anyone who has any suggestions to make for bringing the situation up to date would communicate with me.

It is that time of year again and although I am writing this in mid November I am already bored with the commercial impact of Xmas. However that doesn't stop me from wishing you a happy and relaxing Xmas holiday.

Yours sincerely

J Hickman