ON THE WATER
High Sheriff
names
Yarmouth Rose
A new vessel that will carry tourists on
sightseeing trips from Alum Bay to the
Needles Lighthouse has been officially
named Yarmouth Rose.
The official naming ceremony was
performed by Mary Case, the High
Sheriff of the Isle of Wight, and the
new boat has replaced one of the older
ones that has been operating the route
for many years.
The new vessel is of a similar size
to the other existing vessel Ramblin’
Rose, which are owned by Needles
Pleasure Cruises Ltd., Cobblers,
Bouldnor Road, Yarmouth. It will
be licensed to carry 87 people, but
has been built to a more modern and
comfortable standard. She has been
under construction for the last 16
months by Trinity Boats of Plymouth,
who specialise in quality work boats.
The design is well proven with many
like examples operating in the Scilly
Isles and around the coast of Ireland.
Mary Case carried out the naming
ceremony directly behind the lifeboat
in Yarmouth harbour. Local lifeboat
crew members were invited to help
cheer it on its way as Peter Lemonius
of Needles Pleasure Cruises is the
current second coxswain, and his
father also served on the crew, initially
as second coxswain, and latterly as
coxswain. He also works as a skipper
at Needles Pleasure Cruises.
There are also plans for a promotion
day at Alum Bay to be tied in with the
Needles Park, offering Island residents
a trip for £1.
International flavour at this year's Cowes Week
There will be a real international
flavour to this year’s Cowes
Week, with nearly 20 per cent
of the entries coming from
overseas. The world-renowned
sailing regatta will be staged
from August 3 to 10, with many
familiar faces returning to the
Island to compete.
The boat with the longest
journey to Cowes is the
Australian Secret Men’s Business
3.5, which was winner of the
2010 Rolex Sydney to Hobart
Race. Owner and skipper Geoff
Boettcher has competed in a
total of 23 Sydney to Hobart
Races but this will be his first
appearance at Cowes, and also
in the Fastnet race.
He said: “The crew are ecstatic
about taking part as both events
have a reputation not only for
great sailing but great onshore
events too. The only time I have
raced in Cowes was as crew on
46
www.visitislandlife.com
an Australian entry in the 1996
Etchells Worlds. I loved the
place then and my ambition
was to come back with my own
yacht. I’m now fulfilling that
ambition!”
The Mini Maxi Bella Mente is
travelling from the US to take
part in the special three-day Big
Boat Series from August 6 to
8, and will face the Slovenian
entry Esimit Europa 2 (both of
whom are racing in UK waters
for the first time), the Spanish
X612 Hansa, as well as regular
Cowes Week competitor Niklas
Zennström with his British Mini
Maxi Rán.
The country best represented
so far, outside the UK, is the
Netherlands, and a contingent
of familiar faces from the
country have confirmed
their attendance at this year’s
Aberdeen Asset Management
Cowes Week.