Those cruising enthusiasts who prefer to go their own sweet way when making their annual cruise often – surprisingly perhaps – turn out to have the highest regard for the teams that now and again put together a Cruise-in-Company for their own club, and perhaps with one or two other clubs also involved.
For they know that getting just one crew to keep together and be more or less of one mind as to destinations is a challenge. But getting hundreds to crew off many boats from six clubs singing from the same hymn sheet is wellnigh miraculous, particularly when they're clubs of noted individuality of the calibre of the Ocean Cruising Club, the Cruising Club of America, the Royal Highland YC, the Royal Cruising Club, the Irish Cruising Club and the Clyde Cruising Club.
VITAL SPARK
Yet the major ten-day Cruise-in-Company for six top clubs among Scotland's marvellous Western Isles at the end of July has done the business. And while a high-powered committee with a shared chairman's role beavered away for months in advance, it's the general opinion that the vital spark which kept it alive and thriving is Barbara Watson. She's originally of Scotland but now of Florida, yet remains deeply involved with what seems like at least half of the significant cruising organisations in the world.
Combined commodores (left to right) are Jay Gowell (CCA), Martin Clark (RHYC), Alan Markey (ICC), Fiona Jones (OCC), Geoff Crowley (CCC) and Nick Chavasse (RCC)
The secret to a successful Cruise-in-Company is a light touch yet effective organisation. In other words, knowing when to let everyone sail as they please, yet equally remembering that each club will want to host its own shoreside/rafted up event.
Canna Harbour made for a handy overnight in mid-assage to the Outer Hebrides
Carbost on Loch Harbport in Skye was venue for the ICC party.
ULTIMATE FOCUS
And so the Cruising Club of America, the Ocean Cruising Club, the Royal Cruising Club, the Irish Cruising Club, the Royal Highland Yacht Club and the Clyde Cruising Club's combined fleet found themselves coming together for events like the sunflower raft in Loch Drumbuie, the ICC party at Carbost on Lough Harport in Skye, and the ultimate focus of it all, the Royal Highland Yacht Gathering on the flawless silver beach of Vatersay on the southern end of the Outer Hebrides.
Furthest west. The fleet gathers off the superb silver beach of Vatersay
VERTICAL SQUALLS
At other times, individual boats or smaller groups might break away to find an anchorage with a difference, like Loch Scathvaig on Skye, deep in the heart of the hyper-steep Cuillin Mountains where – if the day has been hot – you need lines ashore to moor-points on the cliff, as hot squalls blast down in every direction in he darkness, and orthodox notions of serenely lying to anchor simply don't make the grade.
A time of seeming serenity on Loch Scathvaig in the Cuillin Mountains on Skye, but in hot weather overnight squalls can blast the anchorage. The boat on the right is CCA Vice Commodore Chace Anderson's Hallberg Rassy 43 Bonnie Rye.
The Western Isles provided many experiences and a generous proportion of seafarers' conviviality. As the boats and crews go their many and various ways, they will have many colourful recollections to process, and then file in the personal memory bank for revelation only to those who understand the magic of cruising in a small boat.
