Scrum-tious

What does an ex-pat sports fan do on Valentine’s Day? She asks her husband to book a table at the local pub to watch rugby.

And of course Tim obliged; the match of the day was England versus Italy. The venue du jour for us was one of our “local” favourites, the Pier View in Cowes, which was recently voted one of the best yachting bars in the world. (It tied for first place with a bar in Wales.)

There’s nothing all that special about the interior of the Pier View. There are two bars to order food and drink from, and three rooms, each with a big screen TV and one that has a small fireplace, which is inviting when it’s cold. (It happened to be the room we wound up in as well, which was lovely for a chilly Sunday afternoon.) When the weather permits the crowd spills outside where metal chairs and tables front the high street, though many patrons are apt to just stand, drink in hand. On very busy days you need to walk in the street to get past the pub, though that’s safer than it sounds as the only traffic would be cars going to and from the ferry to pick up or drop off passengers every half hour. The publican, Sue, is a lovely woman who always greets us with a smile, and the staff at the Pier View is young, friendly, and best of all efficient—I don’t like looking at my empty plate for too long and glasses are swept up quickly enough. The food is good—particularly the burgers—and the menu has all that you’d expect from a pub, including a Sunday roast that I’m certain Tim has sampled. 

Best of all, they’ll take a reservation for a table so you can secure a seat near the TV when you don’t want to watch a sporting event on your computer (because you don’t have a television).

So why was it voted #1? You’d probably have to ask a sailor that, though I see its charms as a landlubber too; one is its superb location on the high street, a short trip from the house (for me) or from the ferry (for sailors looking for near-immediate refreshment). But you can’t walk far before bumping into another pub, so there’s got to be a bit more to the Pier View’s reputation as a favourite. In the summer when Cowes is heaving so is the Pier View, primarily with crews who make it the first stop after a race, shunning the Island Sailing Club if they’ve come from that pontoon or the Vectis, just across the road from the PV. Even the Anchor, closer to Shepards Wharf Marina, doesn’t seem to get the same traffic. To hear the conversation about the race and get in the middle of it all is certainly alluring, both to crews who may have just crossed the finish line as well as those of us who just enjoy hearing the stories about the wind (or lack thereof), the mishaps (of spinnakers that didn’t quite go up or come down elegantly), and the protests that did or should have happened.

It would be unusual to enter the Pier  View and not see someone you know—not just during the high season, but even when Cowes is quieter, like this weekend when we invited two sailors to join us. And when those occasions happen where there is not a familiar face, chances are you’ll be chatting with the sailors / rugby fans / drinkers / diners sitting nearby; likely in part a Cowes phenomenon than a PV one, but it helps that the tables are close and the tables for six or eight are often shared by more than on reservation. Case in point: during the Rugby World Cup I acquired a blow-up hand, decorated with the British flag, from the table next to ours when I showed my admiration for it by taking a photo of it.

And when you’re all not rooting for the same team, it doesn’t matter—it’s a friendly crowd that will smile at the opponent’s try and certainly not heckle a less-than-stellar performance.

That attitude is in no way limited to the patrons of the Pier View, having spent a few rugby matches in other pubs . . . so maybe it’s more about the fans—sailors, rugby watchers, whatever the sport—than the venue. 

Or maybe the beer’s cheaper.