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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

Web site activity report:

Each unit () represents 200 requests for pages or part thereof.

Busiest month: Aug 2004 (7,399 requests for pages).

November 2004

It was a dismal summer for rallies this year. Bad weather and poor attendance helped little to stoke the enthusiasm of the organisers. Many thanks to the members who helped, lets hope for good weather and enthusiasm next season. Please remember to renew your membership promptly next March, chasing for renewals is no joke for those unpaid members who run the association.

October 2004

The Boat Show is over! The new Maxi brochure features a new Maxi, 42 feet in length with twin wheels. This summers rallies were plauged with bad weather or disinterest. Weymouth was cancelled, the Folly had bad weather and only one boat made it, they did have a very good time though. The Yealm rally was cancelled due to bad weather.

September 2004

Well the Weymouth Rally went off like a damp Squib. Only two members expressed an interest and then the weather forecast let us down.

Need a Solent weather forecast when you are hiding up at the Folly, the Hamble, Cowes, Chichester Harbour? Well the Solent's Bramble Bank WEST marker post now sports a weather station. This can be accessed at www.bramblemet.co.uk and updates every ten minutes with vital wind speed and direction. You can also access this date via your WAP Phone, visit the site for details. The site also links to the similar data from the Chichester Bar beacon www.chimet.co.uk. You can also get weather data updated every 3 seconds from a private site located at Lee on Solent www.ivegotwind.co.uk

Enjoy the boat show and don't forget the September rallies.

August 2004

Don't forget the Weymouth Rally in August, the Folly rally and the Yealm rally in September. If you are to secure your berth and place at a table in a Restaurant then we need some feedback from those intending to participate. Please see the Members' section for further information.

July 2004

Most of us are now off sailing on our holidays. Good luck to those going to Cork and Cowes this summer. Don't forget the Weymouth Rally in August. Berths are booked for 10 boats and if a Restaurant is to be booked then we need some feedback from those intending to participate. Please see the Members' section for further information.

Quote of the month, heard on VHF radio channel 16 when yachts were seen racing to Cork. "Day Trader merchant vessel. You are a useless piece of shit" Seen later Day Trader bright and orange not a care in the world, we didn't even think about testing our rights of way!

June 2004

The SD Marine and Maxiowners' Rally at Hamble Point Marina took place last month. 31 boats attended and 27 boats took part in the Treasure Hunt on Saturday afternoon. All those Maxis sailing together must have been a good sight and has created an interest from prospective new owners. Please keep an eye on the rally page in the members' section for news of current rallies.

May 2004

The social and AGM took place last month, please see the report in the members section. Coming up is the S.D Marine rally organised by Roger Moon. 25 boats have booked berths, the event will include an afternoon sailing treasure hunt event (we hope you all enjoy it as much as we did making it up!) followed by a barbeque and drinks. See the members section for details. S.D Marine will welcome both members and non-members with or without boats to the event. Contact Roger Moon on 023 8045 7278 or see contact details in the members' section. Please check out the members' section for future rallies. If you don't see something you like then help us out and create one yourself!

April 2004

Don't forget the Social and AGM on the 15th of this month, come and meet us. Don't forget to book your berth for the  Hamble Point event in May. The AGM has passed. See the detail in the members' section.

March 2004

Please look at the members pages for events in 2004. There is at least one event each month for the season April to September. Please support us and your association, don't just drop in sign up!

February 2004

The committee met this month to discuss the season ahead. We now have a number of new committee members extending our representation round the country. We have also decided on a rally program and the Social and AGM. Please look at the members pages for further information.

January 2004

This first editorial for 2004 comes from the M-O-A Eastern Region.  I’m sure many members are already planning a visit to Excel for the Boat Show and next season’s itineraries; but for Vouvray, we’re still hoping for a final day sail before our annual lift out in early January.  The Essex and Suffolk coasts offer such attractive, well-sheltered rivers and back waters that we are always reluctant to stop sailing until after Christmas

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Some of our estuaries deserve respect, especially for the first timer, but good planning, fair winds and local chartlets are all that are needed to sample their distinctly different moods throughout the seasons.  Adding to the local interests are the wide variety of Thames barges and other classic vessels, as well as picturesque waterfronts and pubs that have changed little over the years and remain relatively uncrowded.

Few visitors to the East Coast seem to come from elsewhere in the UK - even though it is just 3 day-sail hops from the Solent - unless they are on an around-the-UK mission.  Most visitors come across from Holland and Belgium, and likewise the East Coast makes an ideal departure for us to cross the North Sea to the Netherlands with its inland seas and canals.  Earlier this year, we crossed north-east to Texel (the first of the Frisian Isles) before continuing south into the Ijsselmeer and Markermeer with their many quaint fishing ports and then returning via Amsterdam and the Noordzee Kanaal at Ijmuiden.

For our next season, we’re hoping to explore new grounds towards Land’s End and beyond, and hopefully we’ll be able to meet some Maxi’s along the way.

Do please remember to visit the website regularly to keep in touch, and to send in your own news and ideas.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year,

Helen & Chris, Vouvray

December 2003

This month my interest moves to internet weather forecasts. A few weeks in Spain watching the weather at Denia for suitable kitesurfing conditions turned my attention to two weather sites. The two that took my fancy were WindGuru and USNavy. WindGuru gives 7 day weather predictions (wind, rain, cloud, temperature etc) at selected locations across the globe, the forecast seems too check out. I have been watching my local forecast and been comparing the wind with my anemometer readings and the predictions look good. The USNavy site gives 7 day weather charts and an animated sequence of isobars, rain and wind strength (flighted arrows). Why not try these sites and report back? One of our members is taking part in the ARC, read about David's Maxi 33 Kjempekjekk on the ARC website The arc has now finished and you can view or buy photos of Kjempekjekk or other boats from http://www.photoaction.com/arc03/arc03.htm

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a fantastic new sailing year.

Mick Nelmes

November 2003

Now many members will be in winter mode with pipe and slippers to hand. Perhaps some will turn their hand at writing a short piece for the website, or finding a picture for the Picture Gallery or even thinking of joining the committee to help run the association. There is a a new article on Superted's Fastnet 2003 Race, please read it and use it as a template for your own piece.

October 2003

Bright sunshine and wind. Plenty of it, mid October is giving weeks of 20Kts East winds. Any members with photos of their boats are welcome to submit them to the Picture Gallery. I have received a few emails from members saying they have sent me a virus. The old Hoax virus is doing the rounds telling the user to delete a file with a bear symbol and then email their contacts to do the same. This is a pukka file! Currently there are email viruses sent as attachments to emails pretending to come from Microsoft etc. For example: Microsoft internet system, Network email delivery system, Internet mail storage system, Microsoft Net Storage Sevice. Simply ignore and delete these emails and others like them.

September 2003

The Southampton Boat Show is on 12-21st September and Maxi Yachts will be showing the 1050 and 1100 in berths 296 & 297. We visited the show (Monday) the show 1100 is for sale.

August 2003

On the south coast - Cowes week and the Weymouth rally have now passed. Weymouth was enjoyable, thanks to the five Maxis that came making it a success. Anyone up for Yarmouth or The Folly in September? - Please look at the members' area for the last of this years rallies. We are also formulating a plan for next years events - details once again in the members' area. We need some member participation to make the association successful!

July 2003

The next South coast rallies will at Weymouth and possibly Poole, Brighton and Yarmouth may follow if members would like to go. Please look at the members section for details. If any member is participating in Cowes Week and would like to write up their experiences for the site please contact me. Good luck if you are racing and please tell us how you get on.

June 2003

We are going to Cherbourg in July and to Weymouth in August, please consult the members section for details. We look forward to meeting members attending the rallies. If you would like to help and host a rally in your area you would be most welcome.

Next rallies Cherbourg, W Scotland and Weymouth. Don't miss out.

May 2003

Bad weather hindered the Lymington rally but those that didn't go by boat went by road. The food in the Mayflower pub was excellent and is recommended. The Folly rally goes ahead with all the booked berths filled. If you want to come and haven't booked you will have to get there early or contact me to see if we can book more spaces. Watch the members section for details of the Weymouth rally in late July.

April 2003

We have now chosen Lymington and Folly Inn, R.Medina for our early rallies. If you wish to attend please look at South Coast rally information in the members pages and book your berths early. Please keep your eye on the site for dates of our Weymouth and other rallies.

March 2003

The sailing season will be here soon. On the second day of spring we had a gloriously sunny day on the Solent and up to 14kts of wind. Those who managed to get out would have had a good sail.

The associations Annual General Meeting will be held in April, the date has yet to be set. We are waiting for replies from our members to our email survey; so far we have only had 23 replies even though the email has been read by at least 33 members. If you haven't replied please do so even if it is to say NO. Please don't forget, the association is a members club and we would love our members to participate.

The intended South Coast rally program is in the members section, the exact dates have not yet been fixed. If you have any comments please contact us.

February 2003

The Rally programs will soon be posted in the Member's section. Please watch this space!
If you don't find a Rally to suit we would be happy to help you organise one that will!

New Year 2003

Wishing all a Happy new year and looking forward to seeing you again next season. The 49th London Boat Show at Earls Court Exhibition Centre starts 2nd Jan (ends 12th Jan). and Maxi Yachts will be on stand 61E will be there ready to welcome you.

November/December 2002

For most we are now in the winter period and thinking of maintenance and lifting for cleaning etc. Please do not forget that your engine service should be done on time as your warranty may be void if you delay more than a week or two. If  in doubt ask VOLVO and not your local agent and get them to agree if the engine service schedule is to be changed. Maxi 1100 owners should read the propeller info. in the members section.

September/October 2002

We have just returned from the Yarmouth Rally. Unfortunately the harbour was overflowing with rallies and some members could not enter the harbour. If access had been possible we would have had 8 boats attending. Apologies to our members who could not get in to join us. Full report and photos in the members section.

We visited the Southampton boar show earlier in the month. Roger and Mike from SD Marine were showing off a Maxi 1100 and a Maxi 1050. There will be one new owner out there somewhere with the Maxi 1100 !

We now look forward to presenting our outline for next years rallies. Keep your eye on the members section for details.

August 2002

The Weymouth rally was well attended by seven boats, thanks to those who attended, there are some pictures on the South Coast rallies section in the members' area. We continued westward after the rally and are now moored along side (1100) Blues Dancer in the Yealm ("Yam") river awaiting fine weather to move westward.

We have now fixed a date for a meeting in Yarmouth on 28th September, please see the rallies section for details.

June 2002

Only two boats made it to the Cherbourg for the June Rally, hopefully the Weymouth Rally will attract a few more members.

It has now been over a year since the website was conceived and there has certainly been plenty of interest across the globe.

A number of the weather cams, that were previously run by Boatastic / Boathow are now back online, and are "Free of Charge". The new service, sponsored by SeaSprite Sports

May 2002

Those of you who have been reading the editorial will have noticed that I have only just made it into 2002 (I have just changed the year on the preceding entries from 2001 to 2002). This Friday, of the Bank-holiday weekend, boats have streaming out into the Solent, I hope you all had a good time and plenty of sun.

Last weekend some of the Committee met for the AGM. I will post the report in the members section soon. In the meantime I would ask all who have not yet renewed their membership to either renew now or if you don't intend to renew to tell us. Whatever your intentions just let us know. That will help us to get out on our boats and enjoy ourselves. If you have lost your renewal form, one can be downloaded from the Join-US page.

So far we have Rallies arranged for Cherbourg and Weymouth, please visit the members section for details. Further rallies will be forthcoming, to encourage us please tell us you will join the Cherbourg or Weymouth ones. If you are intending to attend a rally tell the organiser, then if there are any changes to the schedule the organiser will be able to contact you. In addition check out the rally section in the members area for changes to schedule before setting sail.

If the rally dates and venue don't suit how about taking on the organisation of your own! All it takes is to tell me where and when, then I will put it on the website and we will wait for a response. It only takes two boats to meet up for a pleasant chat and a pup dinner!

There are members isolated from other Maxi owners by location. If any of these members would like become a local representative then please let us know. The representative's function is to be an occasional contact for visiting members and a source of local information, the amount of involvement would be up to you. The benefit of becoming a representative is that you will have the opportunity of meeting and exchanging information with visiting members.

April 2002

Today saw the launch of yet another Maxi 1100. Blues Dancer is off to Torquay to terrorise the Brixham Yacht Club on the Race scene. She is the second Maxi 1100 to have the secret weapon, an extra set of tracks and cars for a 140% Genoa. A test sail saw the log spin up to show 8 Kts. in little wind. The owner is replacing his 'much chased' MG346, so don't try to race this one; anyway Ron always wins!

Rally season starts on the 27th/28th April. Hope to see you at Cowes Yacht Haven for the AGM on the 28th.

March 2002

February seems to have flown past, wind wind and more wind. Here on the south coast, we've had few days without less than 30 Knots; great for blasting on a windsurfer but not for sailing the Maxi. The committee met last month to discuss this years rallies and the year ahead for the MOA. We hope to be able to publish the rally program soon with potential meetings at Cowes, Yarmouth, Chichester, Weymouth and Cherbourge. Please visit the Members pages for further information.

January 2002

Now the London Boat show is over we should be seeing a few of Maxi 1050's reaching the water. According to Roger Moon, Maxi orders at the boat show were very good. Roger's own Maxi 1050 will be ready for sailing soon after it gets back from the show - so start queuing. There is now a password protected area on the website for member-sensitive information, Rally details etc. Wishing all members a Happy new Year .......

December 2001

The new Maxi 1050 will be at the London Boat show in January, after the boat show it will be available for test sails at SD Marine. Contact Roger for appointments. The boat is a smaller version of the Maxi 1100. A new feature is a short re-movable bowsprit which attaches to the stem-head roller, this poles out the Asymmetric Gennica.  I understand the basic boat will sell for less than £100,000 all inclusive.

October 2001

We have just returned from an exciting day out at the Southampton Boat show. Roger Moon was showing a beautiful Maxi 1100, dark blue hull and full teak decks. After a good look at the competition we came away satisfied that none came anyway near to the quality and value of the Maxi. But we all know that, or we wouldn't be owners, would we?

I hope you have all enjoyed your summers sailing, even though the weather has been not as good as we would have hoped. There is one more Maxi meeting at Yarmouth on Sat/Sun 27 October, if any one else would like to join in please do. The Poole rally had to be cancelled due to the unavailability of the Parkstone Yacht club.

If you are a member and have not received any emails you may wish to send your email address so you can be included in future mailings. These will only be used for Maxiowners business and will not be disclosed to anyone other than members.

Rallies this year have not been well attended and it is unclear as to what members would like organised and what form of organisation they would like. We could just meet and have cocktails on the pontoon - that's just what a bunch of senior citizens were doing when we visited Fowey one year. If I had all those email addresses I could find out! Clearly there are members who could not participate in this years rallies due to their geographical locations, if there are groups who need to use the site for organising their own adventures tell me. I hope to include a message board as soon as I find out how, if anyone is an expert and can help .....

Soon it will be the time to antifoul and inspect those underwater fittings.  Refer to propellers and anodes for information regarding inspection of folding propellers, zinc leaching and pre-mature anode erosion.

So far the information on the site has been mostly my own work, if there is anyone out there who would like to contribute a little or a lot, the contributions would be welcome. Similarly the association is run by just a few members, fresh enthusiasm, ideas, organisation (for rallies etc) would be extremely welcome as would nominations for Chairman and additional committee members. The association is your association, so please help to make it a success.

Mick Nelmes

August 2001

At the 2001 AGM at Cowes I agreed to set up a website. The object is to be able to easily convey association information and provide up-to-date rally details. I hope this may persuade more members to join-in and attend rallies - even if they decide at the last moment.

I would welcome any suggestions on how to improve the site. Please tell me if you like or dislike the content. Contributions to content will be welcomed.

There is plenty of information for the yachtsman available on the internet, especially weather forecasts.

In the Beginning

The most compelling reason to use the internet is to access time-sensitive information normally unavailable, costly or difficult to get.

For us, the most important information is the weather. The availability of FREE weather-maps (synoptic charts) for up to 120H (5 Days) is really useful.

These maps can be downloaded and printed before a voyage, you can pop into an internet café and get new forecasts en-route or you can buy a notebook PC or Hand-held-PC (Palm Pilot for £100) and get weather information via the infra-red link on your mobile phone.

Charts

Chart updates may be available on the NET.

Stanfords charts

Web Cams

Check out Boatastic web site, there is a weather station on the south coast at Lee on Solent and St Catherine's point IOW.

Buoy Data

Weather information - wind speed, direction, temperature, barometric pressure and tendency etc are all available on the WEB.

For example, there are weather buoys located all over the world, you can choose from the world map or area maps. The Uk map shows available buoys, for the south coast there are stations at:

Channel Light Vessel

Greenwhich Light Vessel

Lyme Bay

Sandettie Light Vessel

Seven Stones light vessel (Lands End)

Privacy & Email Policy

Disclaimer: Whilst every endeavour has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content presented on this web-site we cannot be held liable for any consequences whatsoever resulting from the information or advice provided.

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Last modified: March 01, 2009