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May 2008

Our 2008 AGM was another success, although the numbers who could actually make it to the Queen Inn at Dummer were less than last year.  Our Association is still growing but we really do need more volunteers to help us. 

The Rally season has now started, and we had another very successful Nimbus Power/Maxi Sail joint event in Bembridge.  It was somewhat ironic that the date of this event was the same date when Maxi Yachts was formally sold by the Nimbus Group to Najad, forming a new Group to be known as Linnea.

We are pleased to be able to report that SD Marine will continue their long association with Maxi Yachts www.maxiyachts.co.uk .  At present, details are fairly sketchy but SD Marine say

"Further to the announcement that Najad have acquired Maxi Yachts AB, and a new company has been formed Linnea Yacht Group bringing together Najad Yachts, Maxi Yachts and Aphrodite giving a broad range of models available. We at S. D. Marine Ltd will continue to be the Maxi Yachts contact in the UK, business as usual."

Further information can be found on www.linneayachtgroup.se and some press comments can be found at YM and IBI.

Chris

June 2007

Our 2007 AGM in April was well attended and everyone then enjoyed a a good chat and food at a charming country pub near Basingstoke.    Hugh Rowan, who founded our Association back in 1999, has now retired as Chairman and we are very pleased to welcome John Skipper as our new Chairman.  We're please to report the Association is very healthy, still growing with now more than 130 members and a very energetic committee -  although more volunteers would be welcome! 

All our members should now have received our latest M-O-A Newsletter which we enjoyed putting together, but we now need articles and photos for the next edition!  So please remember to send in your ideas while you enjoy your summer sailing.  Don't forget to look at our Biggest and Best rally programme in the members area, and try to join us for at least one or two events.  By the way, we were disappointed to have to postpone the first joint Nimbus Motor /Maxi Sailing event due to horrendous forecasts - we looked as though we would have made quite a picture in Bembridge!  We hope to re-organise this later in the year.

"Live life to the Max"   -  did you read this Yachting Monthly article (pages 90-92, June 2007) about the Ellis's Maxi 1100, Iona?   An absolutely glowing review plus some nice photos.  It is especially interesting for Maxi Owners as it covers their trade up from their previous Maxi, Resolute.  We wish them well with their cruising plans to Ireland, Scotland and beyond.  Sharp-eyed readers may also have spotted Blue Dawn, the new Maxi 1300, as the title picture for the "Do your own Boat Test"  piece on page 28 of the same issue.  Three Maxi's in one issue is pretty good but doesn't beat the record (7 boats) set by YM's "A-Z of second-hand boats"  back in 2003.

Wishing you happy and safe sailing,

Chris

January 2007

We've been very busy on the web-site, so hope you're keeping up to date via the Latest Updates!  Most importantly, we now have a near complete 2007 Rally Programme, in the Members Area, so please check this out and email your feedback.  We hope to post information on a couple of Winter Wheels Pub-Meets in the coming weeks, so watch out!  Last year's events were all a great success so let's make 2007 an even bigger one!  Thanks also to all our members who responded to our Christmas email  -  and please keep your Newsletter Suggestions rolling in.  The deadline for the next one is early February.

The Maxi Winter Boat Show at Hamble Point was well received and should lead to some new potential Members for M-O-A.  In fact, we recruited a few new members from existing owners looking to upgrade their boats.  All this in spite of gale force winds at times! 

Our Association was represented on the special Thursday Late Evening (Free Cheese and Wine!) and over the final weekend where it proved a useful opportunity to exchange thoughts about the planned events during the coming season.  Thanks to Peter, our Rally Co-ordinator for these pictures and our stand, and to Rod for manning the stand.

I also visited the other Boat Show (Excel) on the preview day to buy a new inflatable dinghy.  The jury's still out on the new arrangements but I still heard people remarking about the good old days at Earls Court! 

Finally, if you're still looking for boat bits for the coming season, do look in our For Sale area where there is a long list of interesting "half price" items.

Chris

December 2006

A great deal of news after quite a break, although we have been quietly busy making lots of minor improvements to the web site and its navigation over the last month or so, as well as planning the next Newsletter.

Our first important news is that the Committee, in accordance with their April AGM mandate, has recently appointed John, our Membership & Accounts Officer, as Vice-Chairman and Chairman-Elect.  Your current Chairman, Hugh, is retiring after many years service, having set up our Maxi Owners Association back in 1999.

This year, we have seen some very well supported rallies and - as a result of Peter, our Rally Co-ordinator's initiatives - we have adjusted the Regional designations and appointed new Regional Co-ordinators to nearly all the vacant slots.  We wish everyone all success in their new roles. Do please be sure to look at the 2006 rally reports in the Members Area, and take time to review the Outline Rally Programme for 2007.  This is much extended with a variety of week-end and potentially longer cruises to fit in with your own sailing plans.

We hear that the new Maxi 1300 is being well received by customers and the press alike. Although Maxi will not be at Excel this year, the 1300 will be on show, together with its sisters the 1050 and 1100, at Maxi's own Winter Boat Show at Hamble Point, where S. D. Marine will have their new extended walkway plus a heated marquee.  S.D. Marine's show runs from 5th to 14th including Sat and Sun, with a late night on Thursday 11th Jan 2007 where we hope to have a representative from the M-O-A.

Finally, we would like to wish all our readers and Members a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Chris

September 2006

Welcome to our new full-colour MaxiOwners Newsletter!  All members should have received this by post, and many more prospective owners and members may have picked one up at the Southampton Boat Show from the Maxi stand. 

We do hope you like it, and we would love to get your feedback and suggestions: just email us!  We are planning to publish it twice a year so we welcome all ideas for articles and contributions, long or short.  This first edition has been put together by Rod and Chris but we hope to find a permanent Newsletter Editor so Rod can focus on the production side, and Chris can go back to webbing!  We also want to attract some more advertising to allow us to expand the size and content.

If you are a Maxi owner, but at present not a member of M-O-A, then please contact us and join us.  It doesn't matter if your Maxi is old or new, or whether you race or cruise: we endeavour to cover all interests! 

Our other news this month is that our rallies have so far been very successful and well supported.  You can read about the Cowes rally in the Newsletter, and the East Coast event is already reported in the Members-Only area: read how they braved force 6 plus to complete both the course and the BBQ!  We'll have reports of the Folly Inn and Lymington rallies next month!

Chris

August 2006

Well, the weather really did turn out well this summer at all, didn't it.  Perhaps the winds were not always ideal, and on Vouvray, we had to use the engine rather more than we would have liked.  We got as far as the Helford and then back to Woolverstone on the East Coast without any dramas, but we do owe some strongly crewed 38 footers who were just starting a race off Cowes an apology.  We were the 36 foot white boat with a little dog towing a dinghy and fishing rods.  We're glad we managed not to get in your way or upset your start, but we are very sorry we had to do this by going faster and pointing higher than the rest of you.  I hope this did not spoil your day.

Finally, our latest rallies are getting strong support from members, but as ever, we all tend to leave it rather late before expressing interest or registering which makes it difficult for our volunteer organisers.  It looks as though we will have a very respectable number of boats at West Cowes this coming weekend, and even stronger support for the East Coast Event on 2nd Sept.  All we now need is good weather!

Chris

May 2006

Like last year, this season doesn't seem to be getting off to a good start weatherwise but there's still plenty of time for it to get better.  S D Marine's Summer Event at Hamble Point was - for the second year running - hit by terrible forecasts so their water-based aspects had to be called off.  However they still managed to put together a very enjoyable 'indoor event' with hog roast, drink, live music, quizzes, and prizes where even the booby prize was a bottle of Boat Wash!  A surprising number of people turned up, with some from quite a distance.  Apart from the guests, the RNLI also benefited from a raffle with a variety of donated prizes raising £149.00 on the night.

 [CLICK THE THUMBNAILS TO SEE LARGER IMAGES, & USE YOUR BROWSER BACK BUTTON TO RETURN]

Our 2006 AGM in April was well attended and the report is available in the Members-Only area.  We have strengthened the Committee by adding a Rally Co-ordinator (thanks to Peter Stonestreet for stepping forward) to help generate ideas for events, especially those who are more thinly spread.  Another decision was to re-establish a printed Newsletter, so we are now looking for a permanent Editor  -  please look in "Your Committee in the Members Area for details!

This website continues to generate quite a lot of traffic from both members and non-members alike: it's always nice to get messages from Maxi's far afield (Mediterranean, Scandinavia, and beyond) as well as people thinking about buying a Maxi.  We seem to always exceed 100 true visitors per day, with something approaching 15,000 page requests per month.

Many thanks also to those who have responded to  "Information Wanted" in our Technical Section, and we've also made quite a lot of minor updates across the whole web site  -  enjoy!

Chris

March 2006

  The East Region found an innovative solution when they tried to organise their annual "winter pub meet": they couldn’t find a convenient time or place that pleased everyone so they held two events instead!  As a result, more than 75% of the boats were able to join in, thanks to Rod’s brilliant planning: as he said, finding convenient venues and dates to suit nearly everyone was "more challenging than the Yachtmaster theory exam!"

All members should now have received their AGM papers and renewal forms.  For members who can’t make it on the 6^th April, do please remember to return your proxy forms in good time:  with such a widespread membership across the UK and beyond, we really do need these.  The agenda also identifies some opportunities for more members to help us expand the activities within the Association.

Maxi’s new flagship, the new Maxi 1300, has arrived in the UK and will shortly be formally launched at Hamble Point, and we hope to post some brief reviews with more photos on this web site in the near future.  The overall interest in Maxi boats seems to be steadily increasing with the result that there are relatively few examples of either the newer or older models on the second-hand market. 

Finally, although the warmer weather seems very slow in arriving this spring, let’s all hope we all get rewarded with a good summer sailing season.  There are already a couple of ideas for events in the pipeline for the East Coast and hopefully following the AGM, we’ll have some for the South Coast.

Happy sailing,

Chris

January 2006

A Happy New Year to all our members from your Committee!

Many thanks for all the many messages and feedback which have arrived from as far north as Sweden and as far east as Greece.  All information is gratefully received and will be suitably incorporated into the web in due course.  The web site has been undergoing some updates which are mainly technical to improve speed and ease of use.  One major improvement is the introduction of an email form for contact and feedback: this was all done thanks to Mick while he was in Antigua - the wonders of the web!  The major advantage (we hope!) will be to thwart web robots that trawl for email addresses they can target with their scams.

Planning is already underway for our events in 2006.  Eastern Region members will be having a "pub meet" social one Saturday evening in the Ipswich/Chelmsford area in February or early March where they hope to formulate some rally plans: please contact Rod for further details if you think you might be able to make it  -  and of course members from other areas are most welcome too!  Do please remember that we depend on our members contributing ideas and joining in, so don't hesitate to contact your nearest Regional Co-ordinator or any of the committee, as well as checking the Rallies area in the Members-only Section from time to time.

Next month, we will post details of our annual AGM which we expect to hold - as in previous years - during April: all members hoping to attend are welcome to send suggestions regarding timing and location, especially if previous AGM venues and time have proved inconvenient to you.  We also welcome any items for the agenda, even if you are unable to attend.

Please check frequently for all our latest web changes using the link at the top of this page for updates to our web.

Chris Wildey

December 2005

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous new year.

Here are some pictures from Antigua, views of English Harbour and the boats at the December charter boat show.

Mick Nelmes

November 2005

The Maxi brand has done well in 2005 with the opening of enlarged production facilities on the Swedish Island of Gotland, the strengthening of the network of dealers in mainland Europe, and the final touches being made to its new flagship, the Maxi 1300.  The UK, which has long been a stronghold for Maxi's, will see this 42 foot boat in late winter/early spring 2006 when SD Marine will host its debut in the Hamble.  Pre-launch interest is rumoured to be very strong and supported by some firm orders.  Meanwhile, existing Maxi models are reported to be selling well, both new and second-hand.  By the way, both the 1050 and the 1100 will be at the London Boat Show in January.

I'm eager to start a new photo section on the web illustrating our members favourite Maxi mods, but I need your ideas and contributions!  They can be simple or more advanced, d-i-y or professionally fitted.  Of course, supporting narrative is always welcome, but digital photos are so much easier and quicker so just send me photos and a couple of words.  To start us off, the accompanying photos show a C-80 radar/plotter installation in my 1100 which is angled so it can be seen from the companionway.  Also shown is a replacement shower head in the heads that allows you to switch the hot/cold water on/off together without having to re-adjust the balance: saves water and makes showering on board a real pleasure!

Chris

September 2005

This year has been good for Maxi Rallies: following our Alderney event, thirteen people and five boats met in Nieuwpoort Belgium on the 6/7th August, and then a further three boats made it at short notice to Brixham on 13/14th September. This brings the total participation to more than 30 people and only weather and other circumstances prevented this being significantly higher  -  congratulations to all of those who joined in, and commiserations to those whose plans were thwarted.  Reports and photos of these events can be found in our Members Area. 

There were also a good number of informal get-togethers during the summer cruising season: these are just as important as more formal events as they keep Maxi Owners in touch and swapping information on cruising areas and favourite havens or restaurants.  Do please remember to send us any interesting stories or photos of your adventures this summer! 

And just to inspire you for next year's sailing, do please read Kjempekjekk’s account of the ARC and their Atlantic Circuit in 2003/4!

Happy sailing,  Chris (Vouvray)

June 2005

The summer season now looks as though it is under way although we could always wish for warmer weather without some of the nasty winds.  The Alderney Rally was a great success in spite of horrible winds at the start of the Bank Holiday week-end: members can read about the five boats that managed it across the channel in our Members/Rallies Area.  The SD Marine Summer Event also took place the previous weekend with again weather proving that a marquee was a wise move!  Quizzes and games managed to raise over £200 for RNLI and added to everyone's enjoyment.

There are outline plans for other rallies later in the year, so do please try to respond with your ideas and preferences when your Region Co-ordinator sounds you out about timing etc.  Also, do look out for other Maxi's while you're on your summer cruises - we've had some very enjoyable ad-hoc drinks or meals when we've met other boats outside our usual home patch!  Do make good use of the maps and members list that you will find under "Members & Boats" in the Members Section.  And please remember to send in some photos!

Don't forget to fly your new Pennant - quite a few members already have them so if you haven't ordered yours yet, just click the pennant above for details at the special introductory price.

Happy sailing,  Chris

April 2005

We had a very successful and enjoyable AGM/Social event in Otterbourne on 14^th April, and we’d like to thank all those who managed to come as well as those who sent their apologies and proxies. The full results will be posted soon in the Members Area but the headlines are that we have new Regional Co-ordinators  for NW England (a new area!), West Solent, and East England.  Several other committee posts were also formally confirmed together with some Honorary memberships.  The other big news is that we now have a smart new M-O-A pennant and members will shortly receive details how to get hold of one!

The new season is now getting up to speed and we can hopefully look forward to some good weather and sailing.  There will be another big SD Marine Maxi Event at Hamble Point in May, and some M-O-A rallies/meets later on, so there should be some good opportunities to meet and share our enthusiasm for sailing on Maxi's!

There are various updates in the web site including some interesting maps in the members-only area showing the distribution of members and their boats, so don't forget to please check frequently in our Latest Web Changes.

Happy sailing,  Chris

February 2005

Yet another successful London Boat Show for Maxi!  5 new Maxi’s sold – one 1050, three more 1100’s plus one of the new Maxi 42’s.  SD Marine are particularly pleased their first 42 order is from an existing 1100 owner, once again exhibiting strong brand loyalty.  This new 42 foot flag-ship will undergo first sea trials during the summer in Sweden and then make its UK debut at the Southampton Boat Show later this year. 

Other news is that two committee members have taken on new tasks.  John Skipper has taken over as Membership and Finance Officer thus easing our Chairman’s load, and I have finally taken over from Mick as Webmaster.  Please remember that all our committee work as volunteers and need your active support, so please never hesitate to provide feedback or suggestions, and more importantly, please try to participate in your Association’s events.  An active members association helps you to get maximum enjoyment out of your boat as well as being a real asset to maintaining it's value.

We hope over the coming months to provide new information in the members-only web area on several subjects.  Planned topics are the continuing saga of Propeller anodes, lessons from VHF DSC upgrades, and possibly some guidance on free Internet Telephony which we’re experimenting with to facilitate committee and event planning.  If any of you would like to contribute to these or other matters, please email!

Chris

New Year 2005

First of all, your committee would like to wish a Happy New Year to all our members!

Now that the Christmas and New Year festivities are over and the days at last getting longer rather than shorter, we can begin to look forward to a new season’s sailing and hope for a much drier summer this time! The London Boat Show, for those of us fortunate enough to be able to attend, helps to start the new year in a nautical frame of mind with hopefully not tremendously long lists of bits to buy, or jobs to do. If you need some inspiration for the new year, have you read Jean’s breathtaking account of their sail around the IOW?

Please remember that we will hold the M-O-A AGM on a weekday evening in early April in Otterbourne near the junction of the M27 and M3, so it would help if those who hope to attend could email our Chairman with preferred days. We also need some draft rally plans before the AGM, so again please forward us your proposals and thoughts. I hope some East Region ideas will form when we meet up for an Essex pub supper on 29th Jan, so please feel free to join in or email me your ideas

If all goes according to plan, I will be taking over as webmaster later this month and I’m truly grateful to Mick who has continued to run it while I get up to speed with web software. Any ideas or contributions are always most welcome, so please forward them direct to me.

Do we have your right email address? If you’re not sure, please just click here now, add the name of your boat, and I’ll check it against our members list.

Chris Wildey, Vouvray

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Last modified: January 17, 2008