We decided to join the OGA Rally at Southwold Sailing Club at the end of June, 2024, taking ‘Cachalette’ and the kayak.

Steve prefers to sail ‘Cachalette’ single-handed and Bev enjoys kayaking so the Rally presented an ideal opportunity to enjoy ‘messing about’ on a different river. With Steve towing ‘Cachalette’ behind the Freelander, Bev drove the campervan for overnight accommodation in the Sailing Club’s dinghy park, cleared for use by eight Gaffers’ campervans. Having experimented with the kayak inside the campervan for the Deben Rally we found an even better solution with it stored inside the dinghy for the journey to Southwold.

Friday evening found everyone invited by the SSC Commodore, Henry Walker to an excellent barbecue outside the SSC clubhouse where hay bales were available to sit on in the sunshine as the sun went down and the bar was drunk dry of beer. We were entertained until late in the evening with live music. On Saturday, SSC volunteers were cooking again. This time there was an excellent selection of ‘full English’ to choose from. Fully satisfied with a good breakfast, the OGA had arranged a gentle sail in company for the smaller boats upriver to Blythburgh and back with the tide. The weather was idyllic . . . sadly, after losing the rig on ‘Cachalette’ and, having fixed the issue, missing a crucial turn in the route upriver, we found ourselves stranded in a muddy meadow with Bev even aground in her kayak! Having managed to extract ourselves, PTK came to the rescue. Bev joined him in the smacks boat for a tow with her kayak but as Steve motored round a bend in the deepest part of the river our trusty Torqeedo jumped off the transom, never to be seen again. With both of us in tow, we finally arrived at the pub.

Sunday dawned and it seemed our short summer had ended. SSC planned an offshore race in three classes: small gaffers, big gaffers and cruisers. The Club set a course in Walberswick Bay starting and finishing south of the Harbour entrance and turning at marks off Southwold Pier. Bev joined the safety boat crew with her camera while Steve rode his bike up the riverbank in a vain search for the outboard.