40th Anniversary Rally

One of the largest UK gatherings of Contessa 26s took place at Lymington at the end of July for the 40th Anniversary with nearly 40 boats.

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A number of boat owners and crew also came from afar to participate, even though it was too far for them to travel by sea for just a couple of days. Amongst them was the American woman Tania Aebi whom twenty years ago became the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe alone aboard a Canadian built Contessa 26 Varuna.

There was a BBQ on Friday evening held in the grounds of Jeremy and Fiona Rogers house. After one had viewed the fleet on Saturday a number set sail for Bucklers Hard up the Beaulieu River for lunch then caught the ebb back to Lymington in time for dinner at the Lymington Town Sailing Club.

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On Sunday morning Jeremy Rogers viewed the fleet and decided that Dolores Clovers boat Belmore should win the prize as the most seagoing vessel, having recently sailed across the Atlantic. This was followed by a race to Yarmouth which was won by Tania Aebi aboard Rosina of Beaulieu, crewed by Jeremy and Fiona Rogers. Lunch was held at the Royal Solent Yacht Club in Yarmouth where the prizes were awarded.