A first rally in Lymington, in front of the Isle of Wight

The first International Cross-Channel Pogo Event was held on 20 July 2024.

It was under a bright sun that we arrived in Lymington, in the Solent; I thought England was rainy but we enjoyed the English summer, which was on the Friday. At Randall’s invitation, nine pogos had registered. Eventually, due to unforeseen circumstances (incl. Covid…), five boats were able to join us in Lymington and two owners came without their boats; Alice and Henning (Pogo 30), who own a holiday cottage behind the harbour, welcomed us very kindly and hosted our AIP sponsored Apero in their garden, and we spent the evening until quite late talking about … Pogo. (I exaggerate! Our conversation is more varied anyway.)

The next day Keith (Pogo 30, Loulou) prepared a course for us. The Solent is full of permanent regatta buoys. You just have to choose your marks. Aboard Loulou, Keith played the role of the start boat while at anchor, starting us in front of Lymington. He then hoisted sails and chased. With the Isle of Wight to starboard, we set off downwind with a nice breeze, sailed up and across the Solent, turned back and returned to Lymington. We passed an incredible number of other regattas, on all types of craft. Keith gradually brought the whole fleet up, using his local knowledge, his star studded crew, and Loulou (the most spartan Pogo30 ever made!) to close down on the leaders. The two Pogo 36s, Firefly and Steren Du, swapped the lead a few times and despite numerous errors were able to hold off the rampaging Loulou. Firefly finished first, and anchored to establish the line and time the other finishers.

Lymington Town Sailing Club hosted our crew dinner (typically British) and prize giving, but those errors on the bigger boats told the truth as Keith and his crew on Loulou took home first place by less than a minute on corrected time and with it the regatta winner’s flag. Other prizes, gifted by kind sponsors and suppliers, were awarded, and the discussion turned to the next edition of the event to be held in 2025. The evening again ran quite late, as the stories of the day were told and retold, embellishments growing with each new bottle of wine. Before leaving, we made a date for a second edition next year, this time on the other side of the Channel, with a challenge to the Pogos of all the nations along the Channel.

Claude (Balou)
Randall (Firefly)