Autumn Excuse — 30 September '11

30 September –01 October

The end of season rally on the Isle of Wight

STOP PRESS AT 14TH SEPTEMBER: CSO TALKED TO JINNY AT YARMOUTH HARBOUR. THEY HAVE JUST 20 BOOKABLE BERTHS - BUT ABOUT 180 FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED BERTHS, MOST OF WHICH ARE WALK-ASHORE. SO IF YOU HAVE TRIED TO BOOK AND FAILED IT DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD NOT COME ON THE EXCUSE. MERELY THAT YOU WILL NOT HAVE A RESERVED BERTH. AT THIS TIME OF YEAR 'YOU WILL GET A BERTH', SAYS JINNY.  

Friday 30th September

Sailors gather in Cowes and join-in with our friends at Royal London YC at the regular - and hugely popular - Friday Evening Supper. Cost of the basic supper is only £14.50 and over the course of this season this has proven to be a very popular and enjoyable evening. The supper is held in the Drawing Room (upstairs) with drinks beforehand at the bar and on the Balcony.  Dress code for the evening is 'smart sailing': open-neck shirt, woollie-pullie, un-salt-stained trousers. No need for jacket-and-tie.

The point of gathering in Cowes is to take part in the Autumn Excuse NavEx from Cowes to Yarmouth on the Saturday -  see more details below.  Necessarily and to preserve the ambience of the evening the size of the Drawing Room precribes a limit on our numbers - 25 to be precise - so to reserve your place complete the booking form now and send it to the CSO at sailing@royalthames.com.

Shooters and Golfers meet in Yarmouth for supper at The George. There is a choice of fixed menu: £36 or £40. Like the Royal London Supper this is a PAYE - Pay As You Eat - function. Please settle your own bill.

Saturday 1st October

With High Water Portsmouth at 1443, the tide serves perfectly for a liesurely start to the day's sail from Cowes to Yarmouth.  As so successfully pioneered at the Spring Excuse, the CSO will set a (deceptively?) simple Navigation Exercise for the afternoon using the rules and format so ably developed by John and Delphine Stork for the Festival of Britain Challenge Cup in April. You may start when you wish, and all you have to do is arrive off Yarmouth at 1600.  The yacht that crosses the finish line closest to 1600 will win the Royal Temple Seymour King Trophy, to be awarded at the Club's Prizewinners' Dinner on Tuesday 8th November in Knightsbridge. What could be simpler?

The Instructions for the Autumn Excuse Navex are here.

The accompanying Autumn Excuse Quiz is here.

Berthing in Yarmouth  It is now to late to book in advance on the walk-ashore pontoons, all fifteen bookable berths have been taken. Other berths are available on both the walk-ashore and the mid-harbour pontoons. If not doibng the NavEx, make sure you arrive in good time: Yarmouth is a popular destination, even this late in the year.   

THE AUTUMN EXCUSE SHOOT will again take place courtesy of Peter and David Jennings at Tappnel and Wimnell.  In the interests of safety and comfort, this year there will be a maximum of 11 guns with supporters limited to one per gun. At 16th July 2011 there were just two pegs left - contact gwynne.lawrence@richemont.com if you wish to join-in the Shooting.

THE AUTUMN EXCUSE FOR A GOLF MATCH.  The Autumn Excuse Golf Match has been delayed for a year to give the team more time to practise.  Practice begins this year, with several Golfing Members gathering at Freshwater GC for an informal round, or two.  Contact Richard Bundy for more details on the Golf.

Sailors, shooters and golfers are all together invited to gather in the bar of the Royal Solent Yacht Club (dress again will be smart sailing - no need for reers-and-ties) before moving on to...

THE AUTUMN EXCUSE SUPPER  at On The Rocks, the hospitable and deliciously eccentric cook-it-yourself restaurant handy to the Quay and the Square.  If On The Rocks has a drawback it is only that its intimacy constrains its capacity to a maximum of 65 - so book early for On The Rocks. We have securd an excellent deal with Richard, the proprietor for a single price of £26.00 per person to include your choice from the main course menu, pudding and coffee. You will be billed for this through your RTYC monthly statement. Wines at On The Rocks will be your choice, to suit your taste and pocket.

Sunday 2nd October

Yachts return to home ports.

HW Portsmouth 1527 so East going stream begins 0830ish

Download the Booking Form HERE, complete it and email it to sailing@royalthames.com

The £10 person Rally Booking fee is used to cover the cost of prizes, yacht plaques, commemorative glassses and other incidental expenses incurred in organising the Excuse.  Supper at the George in Yarmouth and at the Royal London in Cowes on Friday is PAYE - Pay-As-You-Eat. The cost at the George is £36 for the fixed price menu and at the Royal London £14.50 for the basic supper: wine etc extra in each case