Have you never been on a GXSA Rally ?

Are you thinking of coming, but are uncertain what to expect?

This page aims to help….. But it’s new, so may need a bit of tweaking !!! Please bear with us.

What is a Rally?

Unlike motor racing, a GXSA Rally is very much a chance to meet friends, socially.

The general points to know are:

• Organisation:
  • The Rally comprises several boats that rendezvous at a nominated marina, where the crew meet up for a party and dinner
  • Each event has a nominated host that organises the rally: Marina, Restaurants, Skippers, etc.
  • NB: We use webforms (like a paper form, but on our webite) extensively, as this makes organisation much simpler for the host/organiser, with all information being automatically collated onto a spreadsheet.
• Boats:
  • The fleet consists of GXSA member-skippers with a boat – either their own boat, or a boat they have chartered (rented) for the event.
  • Boats are normally berthed at any of the many marinas scattered around the Solent
• Crew:
  • GXSA members and friends volunteer/request to join the skipper on his/her boat for the event. There are generally 3 ways that this happens, but they all result in a webform being completed on the GXSA website:
    • The skipper asks friends to join him/her
    • Members ask their friendly skippers if they can join the crew
    • People add their name to the waitlist, and the host for the event asks skippers if they have space for the person to join their crew.
  • Each member completes their details on the webform, to include contact details, next-of-kin, etc.. Sometimes the restaurant will want us to pre-order dinner selections from a restricted menu. This information is also collected on the webform.
• Equipment – What will I need to bring?
  • The easiest thing is to imagine that you’re going camping, on a walking holiday, afloat:
    • Bedding, Change of warm clothes, wash gear
    • Waterproof & weatherproof clothing – sometimes it rains unexpectedly, and you will be outside when it happens!
    • Waterproof boots, gloves, etc.
    • There is a saying: “Everybody gets seasick. Some people haven’t been seasick YET“. Bring seasickness remedies (we find Steugeron / Cinarazine tablets are extremely effective if the instructions are followed). Other remdies are available, but please follow the instructions. A lot of people don’t follow the instructions, then get seasick, and blame the remedy. Take responsibility for yourself.
  • Bring something for the boat
    • Food, Booze, Cash
    • Remember that you are a guest on the skipper’s extremely expensive toy/love/passion. Be gentle and careful with it. It’s not a rental. Repairs are difficult, so treat it like your own best toy.
• Meeting:
  • Sometimes, crew may decide to meet up before the event to get to know one another – especially if they’ve not met previously. It depends on the skipper’s preferences.
  • The skipper tells crew when and where they should meet up. Most marinas have secure access requriements, so it is essential that crew arrive on time.
  • The crew make ther way to the boat, and the skipper will make sure you’re familiar with the equipment – in partucular the marine-toilet (pay particular attention to this item), and safety equipment. All boats are different, and skippers can be particular about the way things are done.
• Rendezvous
  • The skipper will usually helm the boat from the dock, and into the dock at the destination marina
  • Most crew will be encouraged to get involved with all the active sailing of the boat, including mooring, sail control, and steering.
  • Eventually, all the fleet will arrive at the agreed destination marina, usually mid-afternoon.
• Party
  • Usually there will be a Pontoon Party around 5:30pm until 7:00pm. This can take many forms, but usually one boat becomes the focus for the party, and people either sit on the boat or stand on the pontoon, with a glass of something interesting to drink.
  • Usually, the Pontoon Party is a BYOG (Bring your own glass), as the party-boat rarely has enough glassware for the attendees. Sometimes you will be expected to BYOB (Bring your own bottle). Sometimes, refreshments (food and/or drink) are provided by the organiser (for the cost of a small financial contribution by each attendee). Make sure to ask what form of drink or cash you need to bring; remember to buy it before you board ship.
• Dinner
  • Dinner is usually at a restaurant nominated by the rally host, but sometimes it could be a takeaway eaten onboard the boat(s).
  • Dinner usually starts around 7pm, at a restaurant a short walk from the marina, although sometimes a taxi-ride is involved.
  • After dinner, people amble off back to the boats, and do their own thing.
• In the morning
  • The return trip to the home-port for your boat is usually a repeat of the previous day

If you think of anything that could be added/improved to this article, please comment, below.

Thanks for reading.