Solent Rally

7th September 1990 - Solent MCC

As I got a ticket for this rally before I met Jackie, I had to blag an extra ticket for her. The bike club that her temporary landlords belonged to were also going to this rally, so we all went down together. I can't remember whether or not she rode her own bike.

Once again, the Solent Rally was held inside the Napoleonic fort, (whose name escapes me), so a deal of hammering was required to get the pegs in the ground. Later on, the disco started up in one of the rooms in the fort, and the normal Friday night shenanigans took place. (Including the disco guy's incendiary proclivities when playing 'Fire' by the 'Crazy World of Arthur Brown'.)

Saturday was spent looking around the Fort and appreciating the views of Portsmouth available from there. Jackie also took advantage of the flat ground to try riding the BM around a bit. It was twice the physical dimensions as well as the capacity, but she seemed quite at home on it.

As was common with the organising club, some members just visited while on their way to/from a wedding, which may or may not have been their own, and someone was trying his trials bike out over the earthworks forming the structure of the former gun emplacements. The games were suitably energetic and well supported, but we were busy at the time, so no photos are available, (certainly not THAT sort of photo, anyway).

The evening brought the disco again, so we were all crammed into the various rooms of the building. Out of respect for Jackie, I didn't take any pictures of the wet t-shirt contest, or even sneak a peek at the contestants, (of which there were quite a few, I am told), so I was rather surprised when she grabbed my camera and took a few shots of the men's bits on display in the wet y-fronts, (many of which I have discarded, as they hold no interest for me).

As time wore on mayhem was enjoyed, and people were retrieved from where they fell over, and dragged back to their tents.

Sunday was fine weather again, for the trip back home. The catering caravan had already packed up when we surfaced, having sold out a while beforehand, so we went to mine first, for food, and then to her digs where I was spending more of my nights.

- Phil (the Spill) Drackley

This was my last rally with Jackie, as she went back to Uni in Bristol, which nded the relationship. Although, before this, she popped back down to sort some things out before term re-started, and some charming person stole the indicator lenses from her bike. When she tried to ride back after this discovery, it became apparent, on a rather steep bit of road, that they had also undone the rear axle! Luckily, this resulted in only a bit of a scrape, and, unfortunately, as her landlord had gone out for the day, she couldn't get back in the house. She phoned me, back in Surrey, and I immediately shot down the M4 to her aid. I manged to find the house where she was waiting, and we went and picked up the bike. We got the rear end temporarily re-assembled, and I towed it back to the house, as it was not running at all well, before taking her back with me. When the time for her to leave came, I felt I had to give her a lift to the train station.