AROUND THE REGIONS GIBRALTAR
John Alcantara - International
Boat & Yacht Brokers
http://www.boatshedgibraltar.comGibraltar - Morocco
Smir Yacht RallyThis year will see the 15th
edition of the annual Gibraltar- Morocco Smir Yacht Rally
taking place around the long
Bank Holiday weekend from
Friday 12th to Sunday 14th//
Monday 15th June. Since its
inauguration in 2000, the Rally
has been building each year in
both popularity and success
and, for the first time, in 2014
the Rally Committee was able
to make a sizeable charitable
donation of just over £2,000 to
the Gibraltar Branch of the Red
Cross. This was largely made
possible due to a great team
of sponsors for the event, led
by Ocean Village and Boatshed
Gibraltar, supported by
generous donations from the
Gibraltar Tourist Board, Eroski,
CEPSA, GibOil and many other
local businesses.
Now, as we leave winter
behind, the Committee is up
and running once again and
working hard to build on lastyear’s success, with Ocean
Village and Boatshed Gibraltar
having agreed to be main
sponsors again for the event.The Rally is seen as a kick start
to the summer sailing calendar
and, over the last few years,
has grown in reputation, such
that it has been dubbed one
of the world’s most sociable
Rallies. While initially it was
mainly the yachting fraternity
which took part, the event
has since diversified to also
include power boats and last
year saw a record entry of
around 34 boats of all sizes.
The event traditionally gets
underway on the Thursday
evening before the race, with
the Skipper’s briefing which
this year will take place again
at Dusk Champagne Bar in
Ocean Village. All skippers and
crew are encouraged to attend
this important briefing which
includes the programme of
events for the weekend, a chat
about the safety issues and
the weather to be expected en
route. A free bag of goodies
goes to every boat entry which
includes the now coveted
Skippers Rally Polo-shirt - while
it also offers an opportunityfor some camaraderie over the
generously donated drinks
and nibbles.On Friday at 1pm, there is
some friendly jostling for best
position at the starting line –
located between the Runway
and the Centre Buoy - with
the MOD kindly providing
a RHIB or, as last year, HMS
Sabre was made available to
sound the starting klaxon with
the sail boats off first, quickly
overtaken by the slightly
delayed motor contingency.
Last year’s weather proved a
challenge for the start of the
journey to Smir with some sail
boats becalmed and having
to resort to a little engine
power to get them well out
into the Strait and into what
little breeze was available.
The sometimes fickle weather
can depict the time of arrival,
though the majority of boats
normally make it into Smir in
time for the popular evening
sponsored ‘meet and greet’
wine and cheese party. This
arrival event marks the start
of a very sociable weekend,
with the Saturday morning
given up to free time and
while some people drift offto the nearest beach, others
take the opportunity to visit
M’Diq or Tetouan and the local
souk. Some fun and games are
made available late afternoon,
while in the evening the ever
popular and much anticipated
fancy dress party takes place
along with the coveted prize
giving – with all prizes donated
by local businesses – and
awarded for everything from
the fastest boat in, to the
youngest skipper and best
fancy dress etc. On Sunday, the
boats begin to drift off slowly
for home, although others take
advantage of the discounted
berthing offered in Smir to
stay an extra night and extend
the trip to a little sight-seeing.
This option may be particularly
popular this year with the
added benefit of the Bank
Holiday Monday.It’s not too late if you would
like to be one of the generous
sponsors for the 2015 rally, or
perhaps you’d like to take part
as a skipper or crew. Either
way, you can find full details
of this year’s event on the
Boatshed Gibraltar Facebook
page. We look forward to
seeing you in June!