Why I think the Adult Cobnor weekend is a must for the Weir Wood members.
If I was asked for an elevator pitch promoting Cobnor I would say ‘A fantastic value for money weekend socialising with great people and some of the best sailing you just cannot experience at Weir Wood, you should really give it a go’.
This was my second visit to Adult Cobnor Weekend and I will be going back if not for the sailing, certainly for the great social atmosphere. The sailing is challenging and I learnt so much that I am sure will help me move from the back of the racing fleet at Weir Wood…. So watch out, I might even get to finish a race… those at the back have been warned.
Describing the Cobnor weekend is not easy as it offers everybody that attends individual experiences and we all get something different back. As a venue we would all agree the sailing can’t get any better. The setting is dreamy and several times over the weekend you hear ‘it would be great to have the view and location everyday’. The company is always cheerful the food, plentiful, the cakes, greatly appreciated and hugely calorific. The pub, how it makes any money is beyond me, but the range of Ales is great.
So if you are reading this and wondering why I should sign up then this is what happens over the weekend.
The Friday evening start is a great excuse to get away from work early and make the trip to the centre. I always have a feeling of great excitement travelling down wondering what events and experiences I am going to have, it’s like being a kid and going to camp…. Arrive at Cobnor in the dark so the expectation for Saturday is heightened. We gather for a quick overview of the weekend from Tony and Allan, general 5 minutes chit chat, and the shout out for ‘who’s coming to the pub’. Remember you don’t need any baby sitters or worry about what your teenage kids are up to, this is an adult weekend. Slight dilemma on Friday night, do you go and have just one too many pints and really start to relax, or think about the affect of the beer on your head and stomach on Saturday whilst sailing. What the hell, let’s have too much to drink and talk about our sailing stories and expectations. Closing time is called and some retire to the bunk house whilst the a few stand up for a crafty night cap (well done Tony).
Let’s just break to mention the ‘bunk house’ If you are expecting 5 star luxury its not., you have a bed, a basin and a light in each room, sharing with up to 3 others (remember its an activity centre and not the Ritz), but then when you are so knackered after a night at the pub or a hard days sailing you just want warmth and somewhere to sleep, and that’s what you get. They are modernising the centre considerably over the winter months so next year maybe even better. Yes it’s basic, but warm and dry. If only they could improve the sound proofing – Martin you snore too much, I thought I was bad at times, but this was enough to shake the foundations.
So back to the actually happens.
Everybody mucks in over the weekend, duties are assigned, mainly cooking – if you get the morning shift – 7.30am call for breakfast at 8am then your unlucky, and if you get the evening shift then your unlucky as you as so tired after a day on the water your just want to sit down and relax. Neither is better, its just part of the weekend and everybody helps so it is not an onerous task.
Saturday morning begins with a hearty breakfast at 8am sharp and some sore heads, but then everybody is raring to go sailing. After breakfast is packed away and the flasks filled, cakes and rolls packed, briefing is at 9 to 9:30am, plan for the day discussed, boats and crews assigned and on the water by 10.30am at the latest. Just a word about the boats…… these are not, how shall I say, the fastest, sleekest, lightest boats in the world, they are Bosuns. This year we were 2 in a boat on Saturday and 3 in a boat on Sunday (means you need to practise tacking with 3 in the boat and moving 3 adults around from side to side takes some coordination).
So boats rigged, with an interesting reefing mechanism!!! And down on the beach for the big off. Tony always says that there is no competition or racing, the weekend is not about that, but we know all the helms are thinking how much faster they are going to be than everybody else. And were off, this weekend the wind was up and we head initially for East Head, not that far away but excellent tacking practise, with a head wind, incoming tide and swell it is great sailing (would seriously recommend a dry suit for the weekend, it is October after all and you need to keep warm). So come midday we reach East Head without any dramas on the way. Tony shoots away in the rib to see if we can make Hayling Island, but comes back saying the weather is too heavy for us. We all grumble but soon the conversation on shore is about the morning’s hard sailing, individual stories and lots of hot drink and cake…. Heaven does not get much better than this. But it does as the afternoon results in a downwind run up the estuary past Itchenor on towards Chichester Marina and if lucky up to Dell Quay. The routes planned are very weather dependant so no two days are totally the same. With a swell and heavy boat, balance becomes an art form and we all shoot off leaving Allan in the support boat (known as the Chugger) way behind us, do we wait, do we continue on as we are all supposed to stay together. We decide to harden up, come up on the wind and wait ultimately we all end up in close proximity of the other boats. Its great experience and something you will not get at Weir Wood. Sailing continues, changing helms and crew in each boat so those that want to get a go at helming and those that don’t can carry on doing what they feel comfortable with.
We tie up outside Chichester harbour for lunch, and recover some much need energy and then set off back towards the centre threading our way through a large number of very expensive boats tied up in the estuary. At about 4.30 we come back to the centre, where everybody helps pack the boats away and then for those on dinner duty they get in the changed first. Some off use (well one) goes for quite nap (lightweight) and the rest change and gather in and around the kitchen to enjoy some good banter. The atmosphere is one of adults being as excited as children are at Christmas. Dinner is a round table affair, all sitting down together to eat a hearty meal, the decks are cleared away and by 8.30pm the call out for a walk to pub... Some don’t, some do, this year I was so tired I did not, but from experience the walk to the pub is about 30 minutes and you don’t come back until after closing time when the walk back is about 45 minutes as the legs are tired and the brain is suffering from intoxication and its very dark.
The clocks change and we all get an extra welcomed hour in bed, and again a hot breakfast served at 8am. Yes it’s early for a Sunday, but I know what is coming for the day so doesn’t mind. There are certainly a number of fuzzy heads at the breakfast table, but lots of coffee, sausages, beans, eggy bread and everybody is ready to go.
The Sunday briefing (as Saturday does) covers weather expectations, planned route, times, tides and crew swaps. Sunday was 3 to a boat, more challenging; as we are all adults and the boats whilst they can accommodate 6 children easily, struggle with 3 larger proportioned individuals (we know who we are). Again boats rigged and out on the water by 9.30. As the wind had shifted again overnight and picked up to a steady F5 gusting F7 we decide to make for East Head then Thorny Island Sailing club and then back to Cobnor. That takes several hours, and my experience this time is helming up to East Head in what I would say is the heaviest swell and wind I have sailed in. We manage to fill the boat about 5 inches of water (no self bailer – note to self – remember to take a bailer next time). Again a cake and hot drink break, and this year it helps to ensure the anchor is actually in the sand properly as Martin ends up swimming out to his boat as it drifted of the beach as the tide was rising. We all set off towards Thorny Island on a reach making sure we stick to the channel markers (several boats over the two days run aground) and then we turn round and head back towards Cobnor. On the downwind run this year we chickened out of the gybe as most of the other boats did, but we did see a spectacular broach caused by tacking on top of wave and being gusted just at the wrong time, the boat recovers well, hoots and screams of laughter are heard and the boat is on its way again. The wind has really been full on today and we are all glad to get on shore and recover. The boats are tucked away for the next group to use and we retire to the centre to change and get ready for lunch. Lunch again is a hearty feast and with full tummies we start to clean the centre. Once completed we all convene to have a closing debrief with Tony and then it's home for a well earned rest.
So why should you go, its great fun, its safely managed, its great value for money, its an experience you wont get on inland water, it’s a great social event for club members.
So I encourage you to give it serious consideration and drop Tony a note booking a place on next years Adult Cobnor Weekend.
Kind Regards
Andy Genders
