20th Anniversary Reunion Weekend

Skipper – Chris Matthews, MATE – Duncan Farrant
Port Watch - Pete, Steve, Sheila, Richard and Alan
Starboard Watch - Andrew, Nick, Wayne, Derek, Frank and Maggie

Written by Maggie Cole...

I arrived onboard Donald Searle at 1830 and it was super to see so many familiar faces as well as some new ones. Sadly, some of the volunteer crew dropped out for various reasons, so there were just 13 of us. Lucky for some.

Donald Searle was moored alongside the Pontoon close to the Pontoon Gate and was, therefore, easy to reach. There was plenty of hustle and bustle getting everything onboard and then storing it all in the correct place, as well as bagging a bunk. Just before we set sail Nick Nell from the Rona Trust, congratulated all of us on our support to Gemini over the last 20 years and wished us a great trip.

We slipped the moorings at Universal Shipyard at 2015. The weather forecast had not been good, but, miraculously, all changed at the last minute and it was almost perfect for the whole trip, although perhaps a little more wind at times would have been welcome.

There was a perfect sunset over Fawley and we almost stopped off at Cowes for the night as we would have normally done, but then remembered that this trip was for the volunteers! We had our first experience of putting up all the sails and after firm directions/signs from Chris, we were sailing at last! But not for too long as we were not making enough headway, so we had to motor again.




Foodwise, we started off with the usual pasties and baked potatoes, which were consumed exceedingly quickly. Starboard Watch took up their positions at about 2100 while Port Watch got their heads down. Our Watch Leader, Andrew, kept us on the straight and narrow and our spirits high with his good humour and expertise, gently guided by Chris.

There was the most beautiful moonrise just passed Yarmouth. I am sure that none of us will ever forget sailing passed The Needles with a full moon above. It was just magical. We passed a number of ships in the night and could see them and then hear them eerily chugging by in the moonlight. For most of our Watch we had to motor, but, eventually, did manage to hoist the sails before going off watch at midnight. It was such a lovely feeling being gently rocked to sleep in the bunk as Donald Searle danced over the waves. Duncan, Sheila, Andrew and me were in the after cabin and there was quite a competition as to who snored the loudest between Andrew and Sheila, but I felt Sheila had the edge!!

We were back on Watch at 0400, and lucky enough to see a perfect sunrise at 0503, but had to turn on the engine as the wind was too light. It was to be the start of a memorable day with a clear, sunny morning, if somewhat chilly. Regular mugs of hot chocolate and biscuits kept us going through the Watch and finishing with a delicious breakfast of scrambled egg and baked beans, which was very welcome. We all took turns on the wheel, as look-outs, making a brew and adjusting the sails and sheets as necessary.

Some of us had a few hours’ kip before being woken up to be told by Chris that we were entering the waters off Cherbourg. For me, I really felt a sense of achievement that we had reached France. Once we passed through the breakwater, we heaved a sign of relief and started thinking of hot croissants and delicious French coffee, which spurred us on even more.

We went alongside the Marina pontoon at 1035 with Peter showing great skill on the wheel and guided in by Chris and Duncan. A perfect operation. Chris wanted to put on the sail covers, but there was almost a mutiny and I am afraid he lost! There was a Hobby Tiger National Event, so as we were near the entrance we saw these fine catamarans heading out to race, as well as a steady stream of yachts, fishing boats, motor boats, dinghies coming in and going out of the harbour. The tide was ebbing fast. The weather was wonderful with blue skies and hot sunshine.

Most of us went ashore for a welcome shower at the Marina, followed by a 1664 Blanc beer at the Yacht Club, just to help us get acclimatised! Shoals of huge mullet could be seen in the Marina swimming so close to the surface. It was fascinating watching their antics. We returned for lunch onboard and once well fed and watered, Sheila and I were given the task by Chris of finding a suitable restaurant for dinner. In the end, we split up into 2 groups, the culture group (Andrew, Peter, Nick, Wayne, Duncan, Chris, Derek and Frank) that wanted to have a look at the nearby Submarine Museum and the shoppers. Cherbourg is a bustling port with a maze of small shops, wonderful fishmongers, bakers, delicatessens, butchers, fashion shops, bars AND restaurants etc! Steve, Richard, Sheila, Alan and I explored many of the streets. We all said how nice it was to see families, young and not so young people enjoying themselves, shopping, having a drink, playing with the children.

Sheila did a brilliant job in finding La Cendre restaurant and the young woman there could not believe that we wanted to book dinner for 13, but after a phone call she agreed. After our hard work we all thought it was time for a drink, so we found a bar close to the beautiful Cherbourg theatre and sat outside in the sun and consumed some ice cold beers! We had to be back at the boat by 1800, boat time, 1900 shore time! Enough time for a wash and brush up. I was given the task of navigating the way back to the restaurant, so with fingers crossed and a little help from my friends, we located La Cendre again. We all sat at a huge oblong table and proceeded to enjoy a most scrumptious dinner with lots of local wine, plenty of warm French bread and fish soup, duck pate, rillettes of shrimp etc to start with, followed by local fish and meat dishes and a selection of the most delicious desserts. I had Floating Island which was a sort of meringue floating in a sea of creamy custard, not so good for the figure, but perfect! We were looked after so well by the restaurant staff with their good humour and serving piping hot food with no delays. After coffee and feeling very full, we walked back to the Marina, It was a calm evening with wonderful reflections in the water of the various yachts in the basin. We all felt in need of a nightcap, so stopped yet again at the Yacht Club, then back to Donald Searle, where most of us crashed out for the night, trying to catch up with our sleep from the night before.

Sunday dawned to the delicious aroma of breakfast cooking and we all ate heartily. Sheila, Alan, Steve, Richard and myself were tasked with visiting the supermarket for last minute supplies of cheese, wine, sultanas, requested by Peter for his bread and butter pudding, and bleach!! We set off at 1150 and headed for Alderney, sailing for just under an hour until 1253 . It was a grey morning and the visibility could have been better, but it was warm and dry. We followed the coast, passing the controversial nuclear power station on our port, and en route had a delicious snack of the croissants and pain au chocolat that Frank had bought from the local boulangerie before leaving. The tastes were out of this world and yet again not good for the figure, but what the hell!

We had to motor for the last lap of the trip as the wind dropped and the currents became stronger, reaching Braye harbour on Alderney at 1530. We picked up a mooring buoy close to the sea wall and then had another gastronomic success of a lunch with l ocal cheeses, French bread, red wine etc, watching the local sightseeing train chug along the coastal route, blowing its whistle. Chris summoned the water taxi and after 2 trips we all arrived safely ashore at 1650, except for Peter who had volunteered to stay onboard and prepare a roast lamb dinner. While we waited for our ‘ferry’, 3 French yachts arrived all about the same time all sailed single handed and in turn they very skilfully picked up the mooring buoys first time, watched in awe by all of us from a distance.

On reaching the harbour side we walked up the hill passing a couple of pubs, hotels and new buildings being erected. The island is very green with lots of beautiful flowers and shrubs and plenty of birds (the feathered kind!), although there were notices around saying that there was a severe water shortage. Looking out to sea it was possible to see on the horizon a yellow mist which is apparently the result of the emissions from the steady stream of diesel driven ships passing by, which was rather worrying. We reached the shops, although thankfully closed, and it was interesting to see there were the usual souvenir shops, estate agents, cafes, restaurants and mini supermarkets. The houses are all very traditional in their style and really quite attractive, obviously using the local stone. We made our way back to the harbour, but not before dropping in to the local pub for a final glass of their local brew to set us on our way.

We arrived back onboard at about 1700 to the wonderful aroma of roast lamb! Peter told us that we were early, so Chris suggested that we finished the last bottles of red wine and we all readily agreed! The final dinner was a treat, tender slices of lamb, lots of veg and most importantly gravy, made with pasta mix, which according to Sheila is another name for flour, but you pay more for it!! This was followed by the best bread and butter pudding I have ever tasted with lashings of custard. What a treat!


Sadly, we left Braye at 2145 and hoisted the sails at 2205. Starboard Watch got our heads down first as we started our voyage back across the Channel to home. It seemed no time before it was midnight and time to be on Watch again, but we were SAILING. Hurrah! There were many more ships passing by through the early morning and we had to be on our guard at all times, with Duncan keeping a weather eye. We all had a go on the wheel and Donald Searle was cutting through the waves and reaching 9 knots on occasions. What a wonderful feeling! It was a long 4 hours, but an enjoyable one. Again, plenty of hot chocolate and biscuits kept us alive and kicking, plus the singing of sea shanties with Nick and Derek taking the lead, ably supported by Wayne, Duncan, Nick and Frank. An interesting breakfast was served by Steve at 0800 of delicious porridge, then scrambled egg and a mixture, out of a tin, consisting of baked beans, meatballs, salami etc. Evidently, it is also meant to be very good as a filling for pizzas!!






Once again with the wind slackening we decided to put the engine on at 0810 and we ended up motoring the final leg of our return trip. We moored up on the Fuel Barge at 1220 and took on fuel, as well as assisting another yacht who had got into difficulties there. At 1305 we arrived safely alongside at Universal Shipyard after an absolutely awesome time. We all agreed that we were already looking forward to the next Anniversary whatever and whenever it might be, so we could repeat ‘the exercise’!

A special thanks to Chris from all the Crew for making the Anniversary Trip possible and so much fun, whether ashore or afloat, sailing or motoring!