FROM THE COMMODORE

Life is so predictable!  It’s the Easter weekend, the first rally of the new season and what’s the forecast: near freezing temperatures, a howling northerly gale and the possibility of snow showers.  I sincerely hope that this isn’t the harbinger of things to come.  The bad news is that the first part of the Easter rally has, wisely I think, been cancelled because of the poor weather forecast, leaving the trip to the Folly Inn on Easter Sunday and Monday for the strong willed.  Unfortunately my B32 ‘Another Fantasy’ is not yet ready for sea so I travelled to the Folly Inn as crew on Andy and Sara Horwood’s Maxi 1100 ‘Asante’.  Even though the forecast for Sunday and Monday was pretty foul we still made the perilous crossing from Hamble Point to Cowes in what turned out to be quite pleasant if not rather cold conditions.  In all five boats made it to the Folly:  Sohar, Asante, Sundance (all the way from Chichester), Bondi Blue, Halcyone and Mirabeau (who came by car!), all enjoying the now obligatory pre-dinner drinks on the pontoon on Sunday evening.  This was followed by an excellent meal in the Folly, with the standard dancing on the tables routine thrown in for good measure!  Many thanks to Jim Stott for organising the rally, which was a great success despite the weather and having to cancel the first part.

Having spoken of the foul weather here in the UK it was only a couple of weeks ago that I was basking in warm sunshine and 18 degrees, in the city of Bucharest, Romania.  Not on holiday I hasten to add, but working as a consultant to the Romanian Air Traffic Control authority, providing assistance in upgrading the ATC system in Romania.  Bucharest is a city well worth visiting, if only to see the transformation that is taking place in the post-Ceaucescu years and since the Romanians joined the EC.  Huge amounts of money are being spent cleaning and refurbishing magnificent old architecture, upgrading the transport system (which is excellent) and so on. Also, international standard restaurants which are, by UK standards relatively cheap!  One thing that must be seen is the ‘Palace of the People’, Nicolai Ceaucescu’s attempt at designing and building a palace better, bigger, more ostentatious and more hideously ugly than anything I’ve ever seen.  It’s reputed to be the third largest building in the world, like the Great Wall of China visible from outer space!!  But a warning: if you do chance to visit Bucharest be warned, driving is an experience like no other.  Simply close your eyes, press your right foot hard to the floor and one hand hard on the horn and GO!!!

Enough of the travelogue, back to the Owners Association.  Past Commodore Geoff Cutts’ message has covered a number of things that I would have mentioned, suffice to say thank you to all those who have joined or renewed their membership.  Please note the new password ‘saildrive’, which becomes operational from April.  Thanks too to Jim Stott who has put together this year’s rally programme, I look forward to meeting members on the water at the various events, provided I can get ‘Another Fantasy’s’ extensive (and expensive!!) systems refit completed sometime soon.  One can only hope that this perverse British weather gets its act together soon and we can enjoy a better season than last year.

To those members who sail in more distant waters (and I include here members in the UK who manage to avoid the crowded waters of the Solent!) may I wish you a successful, enjoyable and above all safe sailing season.  For me, next week it’s back to Bucharest for another stint.  Oh well……

Ian Culley
Commodore, Bavaria Owners Association