THE SEAHORSE RALLY 2008 Monday 25 August – Sunday 31 August 2008
Once again this year, the Deauville Yacht Club, supported by the Town of
Deauville, hosted The Seahorse Rally from Monday 25 August to Sunday 31
August. The Royal London Yacht Club was one of seven Royal Yacht Clubs who
sent representatives this year for what turned out once again to be an
outstanding week of social and sporting activities.
Our participating boats, QUAYLINE II (Vicki Wyatt, Philip Wyatt and Neil
Robertson), CENTIME (Rear Commodore Mark Fear, Kenneth Kendall, Simon
Chides and Jeremy Seale), and CENTIME TOO (Richard Gough and Kate Christie)
arrived together at Deauville on Sunday 24 August, having passaged in
company, following an excellent weekend in St Vaast, where Vice Commodore
Philip Shears and Sarah Shears had joined in by road overnight on Saturday
for Dinner, Bed and Breakfast! An excellent weekend had been enjoyed by
all, and the renowned trader Monsieur Gosselin had been relieved of a
number of cases of fine wines and calvados!
A traditionally superb welcome from the Deauville Yacht Club greeted all
the boats on arrival in Deauville. In all some 20 boats and 70 people
attended the Rally from the seven Royal Yacht Clubs.
Events got off to a flying start on Monday 25th with a day trip to the
races at Clairefontaine. This is a very smart horse racing facility on the
outskirts of Deauville. We were provided with a private location in the
Grandstand for a fine lunch and drinks, and we were able to watch the races
in style and comfort, whilst wrestling with the form and fancy of the
runners and riders. That evening the Deauville Yacht Club hosted a Welcome
Reception where Vicki Wyatt was awarded with a massive chocolate inscribed
medallion in recognition of her record number of attendances in Deauvillle
in QUAYLINE II in the past 2 years, and for her generous hospitality to all
and sundry on each occasion.
Tuesday 26th saw the first of two visits to the Polo at La Touques, in the
heart of Deauville. This is a top International Polo venue, with top
International Teams competing for the prestigious “Coup d’Or”. Today
was quarter-finals day, and we were privileged to watch the oldest Polo
Club in the UK, Cirencester, beating the French team, Talandracas, after a
very closely fought game. This was followed by a marvellous reception
generously hosted by the Mayor of Deauville in the magnificent “Villa
Strassburger”, once owned by the Rothchilds family.
The main event on Wednesday 27th was a day trip back to La Touques, this
time to watch a gala day’s horse racing. La Touque is the jewel in the
crown of French horse racing venues, and the Royal Yacht Clubs had been
provided with a private marquee with a superb buffet lunch, private bar,
private betting facility, and easy access to the railings of the
racecourse. Each of the Royal Clubs sponsored one of the day’s races with
the award of prizes, and Rear Commodore Mark Fear supported by Vicki Wyatt
were delighted to present the owner, jockey and stable hands with their
prizes for the sixth race, the Royal London Yacht Club Stakes, on behalf of
the Club. We must have got the hang of the French betting system by then
because a number of RLYC punters were comfortably “Up” at the end of
the day, courtesy of some useful tips!
Thursday 28th was Golf Day. An 18 hole Stapleford Competition was organised
by the St Gatien Golf Club of Deauville, and all seven of the Royal Yacht
Clubs and the Deauville Yacht Club all participated. The RLYC team
consisted of Vice Commodore Philip Shears, Richard and Sonia Carver and
Neil Robertson, the first three who had driven up from “chez Shears”
for the day. This was an entertaining event, despite the indifferent
weather, and was followed by an excellent lunch in the Golf Club. At the
subsequent prizegiving, the RLYC team came 4th overall, and Neil Robertson
won the individual award for the first male player, having been beaten into
3rd place by two of the ladies!
Friday 29th was scheduled to be the first day of two days inter Royal Yacht
Club yacht racing in J80s. These are open racing yachts with a bowsprit and
an asymmetric spinnaker, and they can perform well in any sort of a breeze.
In very light airs, six boats were towed out to the start line.
Unfortunately, as last year, the wind never really developed, and three
hours later the boats were towed back into harbour, in order to catch the
lock gates, without a race having been started. That night the gala social
event of the week took place, a thoroughly enjoyable dinner in the
magnificent “Salon des Ambassadeur” in the impressive Casino Barriere
Hotel. This was a splendid occasion that enabled new friendships to be
formed and strengthened amongst the Rally participants.
Saturday 30th was the second and last day of the two day J80 sailing
regatta. The aim had been to hold three races on day one and three more on
day two. Sadly the weather was unkind once again and the fluky winds
allowed only one race to be started. It is no real consolation that after a
frustrating race the RLYC boat, crewed by Bob Milner and Neil Robertson and
a local French owner’s representative, was in the lead with 50 metres to
go to the finish line when the race was abandoned due to the 60min
timescale having been reached! The award of a magnum of champagne to each
of the RLYC crew helped to ease the pain, but the cup remains in Deauville
with the Deauville Yacht Club who won it last year!
Sunday 31st was the last day of the Rally. The highlights were another trip
to the Polo to watch two UK teams, Cirencester and Emlor, contest the Coup
d’Or, and a final farewell reception hosted by the Deauville Yacht Club.
For the record, Emlor won the Polo after a superb tussle, and the farewell
reception was warmly attended by the hard core of attendees who still
remained in Deauville, many having taken the fair weather window earlier
that day to return to the UK.
In summary this was another outstanding week of excellent social and
sporting events, enthusiastically and efficiently organised and run by the
Deauville Yacht Club, headed up by President Bernard Gorgeu and Vice
President Nils Andersen, and most generously sponsored and subsidised by
the various organising venues and by the Town of Deauville. There are ample
opportunities in the programme to do one’s own thing, and the attractions
of Honfleur, the Normandy Beaches, and Bayeux are all close at hand by hire
car. There are literally dozens of excellent sea food restaurants in
Deauville and the adjacent Trouville, and we discovered a favourite spot
that offered an excellent three course menu plus wine for as little as
13.50 euros per head!! We became well known there!! The event will be
scheduled once again at the same time next year, but thereafter it is
intended to hold it every other year (eg 2011,2013,2015 etc). The cost of
the week’s events was extremely modest, even if one participated in every
event, and berthing for up to ten days was free in the Basin Morny in
“Centre Ville”. Transport to and from Deauville is easy and
inexpensive, and there are nearby ferry terminals at Le Havre and Caen, a
nearby airport at St Gatien (served by Shoreham), and a train station
adjacent to the marina (2 hrs to/from Paris). It really is an excellent
“Run Ashore”, with something for everyone, and brilliant value, so
please put it in your diaries for next year, and thereafter, and let’s
see if we can achieve a larger turnout from the Club in future.
NEIL ROBERTSON
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