Anyone for sailing on 29 April 2011?

Long weekends are a boon for sailors - and there aren't many each year. So to whoever it was in the Little Ship Club who had a quiet word with William about popping the question and getting us an extra bank holiday - well done - a result!

Of course your rally programme planners have responded and are looking to extend the planned events that weekend on both East and South Coast. But let's not spoil the party - for those of us who want to watch at home or come to London for the celebrations it's bound be a wonderful day. (The writer has form here - on 29 July 1981 I was bouncing around in my uncle's boat off Flamborough Head).

The rally programme for 2011 is coming together with something for everyone, ranging from a repeat of the family friendly rally like 2010's brilliant Swallows and Amazons, to longer distance cruises to Normandy and South Brittany and the Morbihan and the great adventure in Desolation Sound north of Vancouver. There'll be a printed leaflet in the Little Ship journal coming out shortly with both the social and the sailing programme in it. If you click the + sign next to What's On in the main menu at the top left of the Home page, you can choose to look at all the Social events and Club nights and all the rallies or else choose just East or South.

Look here too for more detail about the planned rally programme.