Holy Island and the Farne Islands Sunday 28th August - Friday 2nd September
(Some skippers will arrive earlier and leave later)

Yes, this is a weekdays Rally!
 
This date is chosen to give spring tides with late afternoon HWs, being most convenient for the liveaboards and will allow:
• Circumnavigations of Holy Island and Farne Island passages (7M)
• Excellent low water creek crawling
• Our mainland landings may be partly restricted due to late breeding terns. See me on arrival for latest info.
 
Mid-tide streams in H.I. entrance and in the vicinity of Farne Islands will be 3kn. Outboard motors advised.
 
This is the most adventurous rally on the DCA calendar. Yet it remains suitable for the novice or the skipper with a young family, as s/he can safely mess about in the sheltered water of The Ouze and out in the natural harbour at slack tides. The high water expanses of Fenham Flats and Holy Island Sands become estuary-type sailing, or you can explore the fascinating LW channels to view Eider duck, Grey seals and late terns!  The kids will enjoy the evening beach barbecue and driftwood fire. This year Chris will lead a remote camping expedition to Budle Bay.
 
Organisers Tim, Bill and Ed are happy to offer advice. See them also to rustle up extra muscle for your launch/recovery if necessary. Experience-seeking sailors might offer to ‘work their passage’ on Farnes-bound, or round-the-island boats.
 
We have a good relationship with the Harbour Master and Nature Warden. To remain on the right side of the fishermen we must not obstruct their work. Harbour/launching/beach car parking dues are £6/week all in. I normally collect on behalf of the HM. All of this is in an area of outstanding natural beauty and nature reserve. Non-sailors will find plenty of interesting places to visit locally: Berwick on Tweed, Bamburgh Castle, the Grace Darling Museum, the delights of wandering H.I. village, H.I. Castle with its Lutyens interior, a Gertrude Jekyll garden and hikes round the Island. Bad weather is an opportunity to go out in the vehicles and make sense of Flodden Field (1513) a Northumbrian battlefield as sad and spooky as they come. Evening HQ is a pub/hotel in the village. Liveaboards who overnight in remote corners will be far from artificial light. A clear sky will give a fantastic starry night.
 
For experienced skippers only, and in good conditions, there will be a night sail leaving the Farne Islands on the last of the ebb and arriving H.I. on the young flood. This short (7M) passage is a thorough test of night navigation skills. Trinity House acknowledge the hazards with generous siting of navigation aids. We have: Occulting lights, 3 lighthouses, 2 sectored leading lines, plus both cardinal and lateral buoyage. These you may supplement with an aero beacon (3 vert reds) and Bamburgh Castle ramparts (7 sodiums). Sailors seeking experience, especially if they can steer to a compass course, might offer to team up with a night-sail boat, thereby freeing the skipper to concentrate on navigation. Charts and Pilots will be made available for your passage planning. Skippers will assume full responsibility for their boat and crew.
 
Rally Phone contact = 07813 106792

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