Total newbie - Go easy on me!

[Yellow Ballad]

Don't suppose you know what all the ribs/speedboats were doing that were returning to Bristol from Cardiff on the Sunday? They filled two locks, it was a sight seeing them all leave. Some qwerky little things there as well, not sure I would have fancied being in some on them bit of swell...

 

[mlines]

+1 on the fleet of ribs/sportsboats and jetskis, very impressive fleet went under us as we drove over the Severn bridge around 10am. Would like to know more about it.

 

[RobEllis999]

I can't imagine going from having a boat to not. I think I'd go crackers. I suppose I'm still early on the getting-sick-of-it curve though, and very much enjoying it still (despite the steep learning curve).

I think going forward if we have the same situation again with pulling out blind, we'll just honk the horn every 2 seconds as we ease out (as well as do whatever we can lookout-wise). Not a problem now though because...

... I managed to convince the other half to overnight again for a 6am start on Sunday (28-May), and as a result, because the weather was utterly perfect, we now have the new home for Gorjus in Portishead.

Here's our second video... showing how much I'd forgotten about the parking aspects of engines and swinging the rear/front. Think I've got it sussed now, it clicked in my head right at the end that it's the reverse of what I was trying to do (turn to the right, back swings sharp left, etc).

Not entirely boatless, brother-in-law had his boat in Torquay so went out with him as often as possible.

Loved the video, the handling will become second nature as time goes by.

Looking forward to the next instalment,.

 

[Sneds]

Nice vid, a warning about the language would have been good though, as I showed my Ma in law!
Saw Gorjus in Portishead when we got back on Monday, is that your new home?
Next stop Cardiff!


Re those speedy boats, I didn't see them this weekend but have seen them in the past, looks like fun!

 

[vodzurk]

Nice vid, a warning about the language would have been good though, as I showed my Ma in law!
Saw Gorjus in Portishead when we got back on Monday, is that your new home?
Next stop Cardiff!


Re those speedy boats, I didn't see them this weekend but have seen them in the past, looks like fun!

Argh, sorry about the language. Sometimes I genuinely forget. Born in Yorkshire, our "colourful" language takes a small amount of thinking about to exclude.

I'll make an effort henceforth to keep child/gran/inlaw safe!

Yep, Portishead is our new home. Arrived at the weekend, and first working day afterwards, can confirm the invoice arrived for £1931.28. Very efficient at billing there!

The ribs...
When booking our lock out of Bristol, was informed that on the 2nd lock there'd be 35 ribs coming out... didn't think too much of it other than "blaaaadyell, am glad I'm out on the first lock!".

 

[tatali0n]

Nice video And enjoy Portishead, it's a lovely place to base yourself out of. Not so far from there to Cardiff (16nm - three and a half hours for us on a good day, somewhat less for Gorjus I expect) and if you're now an annual berth holder in Portishead you get a free berth over in Penarth, so makes for a lovely weekend away.

Don't worry about the boat handling, that's just practice and it'll be second nature soon enough. Can't count the number of boats I've seen end up unintentionally sideways in the lock with us, and would never judge, there but for the grace, etc . . . .

Meanwhile, whilst in close quarters just never go any faster than the fastest speed you'd be comfortable hitting something at

 

[vodzurk]

Nice video And enjoy Portishead, it's a lovely place to base yourself out of. Not so far from there to Cardiff (16nm - three and a half hours for us on a good day, somewhat less for Gorjus I expect) and if you're now an annual berth holder in Portishead you get a free berth over in Penarth, so makes for a lovely weekend away.

Don't worry about the boat handling, that's just practice and it'll be second nature soon enough. Can't count the number of boats I've seen end up unintentionally sideways in the lock with us, and would never judge, there but for the grace, etc . . . .

Meanwhile, whilst in close quarters just never go any faster than the fastest speed you'd be comfortable hitting something at

Yeah, we're quite excited to be based at Portishead... having a 2.5-3 hours locking time from Bristol (and a 2 hour round trip to the Bristol Channel) felt quite limiting. To be able to pop out immediately with a +/- 4 hour of HW window sounds great!

The only slight concern is... we'd like to be able to practice our parking/maneouvers... but space seems a bit tight in Portishead, and the larger boats come steaming in with a fair bit of speed. But hey ho... am sure we'll figure it out . Thing is, it's been 6 months of ownership, and we've only taken her out of Bristol twice... and prior to that, it was probably 6 months earlier we did our training... so I've bladdy forgotten it all. Think I just need to get onto it, so it becomes second nature asap.

On another note, is the Advance Marine reasonable for chandlery? We could really do with replacing the engine bay auto-fire extinguisher... Force4 in Bristol didn't have any date stamps on though, so was reluctant to buy from them (for all I know, they could have been sat on the shelf for a year!).

And yep, totally with you on "go no faster than you wanna impact"... you can see that in the vid. Am SOOOO thankful that the lock jetty has a soft wooden side... because we forgot to put the bloody fenders down! Oddly, the slight scuff didn't even happen... so must have been going plenty slow enough (was barely moving). My biggest fear is if we ever have a front-impact... the bow would seem to logically be the weakest impact point for the whole boat. Am Mr Paranoia with that though, and give it plenty of space!

I think Cardiff is likely to be our 2nd or 3rd trip from now. I think first, we'll do a run down to Weston and back, just for the ride... then second push all the way down to Watchet for an overnighter (pending a LOT of good weather, as we've only been in "perfect" conditions so far... the Channel was like glass!). Then 3rd, Cardiff . Still need to investigate how drying out works... seems Gorjus has quite a steep V hull... I can't see how it wouldn't just tip completely over! (Then god knows what happens to the water/petrol/poo tanks!). So gonna stick to Watchet / Cardiff / Swansea for the first half of the season.

 

[tatali0n]

Yeah, we're quite excited to be based at Portishead ..... To be able to pop out immediately with a +/- 4 hour of HW window sounds great!

Oh, it is. Even more so with a powerboat as you can always brute-force the tide if you must and get back against it. Just watch out for big stuff coming up and down the King Road, keep a listening watch on channel 18 at all times and eyes out of the boat if you're anywhere near the shipping channel.

The only slight concern is... we'd like to be able to practice our parking/maneouvers... but space seems a bit tight in Portishead

Have a word with the Marina office, see what they think. Keep in mind stuff is only really moving in and out whilst the locks are operating. Is there space up the far end to practice? Those pontoons are fairly new.

Fail in that, pick a nice sunny day with a spring tide, lock out of Portishead at high water, head over to Cardiff and lock in through the Barrage (I don't know your cruising speed but guessing you could be there within a couple of hours at the outside) and practice in the bay. Loads of room in the bay itself for slow manoeuvring practice and no tidal flow to worry about behind the Barrage, and Mermaid Quay is pretty open and accessible for practising coming alongside. Spring tide means low water will be around lunch time, so you can have lunch at Mermaid Quay then lock out a few hours after it's turned and head back home to Portishead.

The Barrage locks are easier than Portishead because the pontoons are higher, though they can get a little bit busy in good weather. Then again, so can Portishead

it was probably 6 months earlier we did our training... so I've bladdy forgotten it all. Think I just need to get onto it, so it becomes second nature asap

Some general points I'm always reminding folks of when I'm instructing them at our club:

a) Neutral should be your favourite gear
b) Go no faster than you're comfortable crashing at
c) Steer then gear

Always look where you're going (not as obvious as it sounds, especially if you're about to go astern in a panic) and always be aware of where the wind is blowing you or the tide is pushing you.

Oh, and get your fenders and lines out and prepped on both sides in good time; if you only touch gently then there's no harm done if you're protected by your fenders, and once you've touched something, anything, you can get a line ashore then manhandle the boat to where you want it.

because we forgot to put the bloody fenders down! Oddly, the slight scuff didn't even happen...

I'm quite sure that's happened to everybody at some point. Those pontoons are pretty friendly, especially if you have the speed under control. You haven't come in at low tide yet, have you? It's quite an experience being far forward in the lock when they start to fill it up. You'll be grateful the pontoons are gentle on your hull then

iMy biggest fear is if we ever have a front-impact... the bow would seem to logically be the weakest impact point for the whole boat. Am Mr Paranoia with that though, and give it plenty of space!

Hardly an expert on this, but I suspect the bow is probably the strongest point. In over ten years of dingy racing I've seen a number of collisions and been involved in a few; the holes in the hull are almost always in the side.

iI think Cardiff is likely to be our 2nd or 3rd trip from now. I think first, we'll do a run down to Weston and back, just for the ride... then second push all the way down to Watchet for an overnighter (pending a LOT of good weather, as we've only been in "perfect" conditions so far... the Channel was like glass!).

Cardiff is definitely easier than Watchet from Portishead. I think it's closer, much more sheltered and there is much less to get wrong with the tide.

The run down to Weston is nice, just be very sure you know where the water is and where the water isn't, as you'll probably be doing it on a falling spring tide. Our default winter spring tide day trip out of Portishead was to leave on the last lock out, sail down to Sand Point (just north of Weston) then come back with the tide to try and make the first lock back in at Portishead.

 

[vodzurk]

Have a word with the Marina office, see what they think. Keep in mind stuff is only really moving in and out whilst the locks are operating. Is there space up the far end to practice? Those pontoons are fairly new.

Yeah, we were thinking that the new pontoons might have a bit of space around them... though it looks like they've spread people out a bit rather than look empty. I'm sure we'll find somewhere in Portishead to practice a bit.

Some general points I'm always reminding folks of when I'm instructing them at our club:

a) Neutral should be your favourite gear
b) Go no faster than you're comfortable crashing at
c) Steer then gear

Always look where you're going (not as obvious as it sounds, especially if you're about to go astern in a panic) and always be aware of where the wind is blowing you or the tide is pushing you.

Totally understand and already agree. Also, when "parking", no matter how many people are watching, I'll first kick into neutral near the berth and just sit there for a minute, checking our drift and direction. As well as that, I stick my head up/out, meerkat style to guage the wind (must remember to attach some tassels on the bow rail). The least surprises the better!

Oh, and get your fenders and lines out and prepped on both sides in good time; if you only touch gently then there's no harm done if you're protected by your fenders, and once you've touched something, anything, you can get a line ashore then manhandle the boat to where you want it.

Gonna do up 3 checklists:
1. Prior to leaving the house (Nothing quite like remembering everything EXCEPT THE BOAT KEYS. Yes, we've done that).
2. Prior to departing the berth.
3. Prior to coming into a harbour.

Cardiff is definitely easier than Watchet from Portishead. I think it's closer, much more sheltered and there is much less to get wrong with the tide.

Now there's something I wouldn't have expected. We're still nervous about getting the whole way across the Channel. It's quite far when you're on your own! Plus, I think we want to get some more near-shore time on the engine before we trust it quite so much (really should get an outboard for emergency, but if we ticked every item on the list, we'd never actually use the boat!). Also need to get a longer anchor chain and rope... have 2m chain and 20m rope... think it's a little too short for the channel (another thing for the endless list), so we were planning to stick to 1nm of the shore until engine+anchor are trusted.

The run down to Weston is nice, just be very sure you know where the water is and where the water isn't, as you'll probably be doing it on a falling spring tide. Our default winter spring tide day trip out of Portishead was to leave on the last lock out, sail down to Sand Point (just north of Weston) then come back with the tide to try and make the first lock back in at Portishead.

We've now subscribed to Navionics for charts, on two tablets with GPS (not aGPS), so we've always got a charged and ready backup to hand. I assume this is pretty much as good as we can get for avoiding sand/obstructions? (Obviously we keep a constant lookout too, there's a lot of logs floating around the channel). I notice the "Langford Grounds - Changing Depths" to the northeast of Sandy Point... I think we'd just push further out there, drop to 10knots and keep a beady eye on the sonar and nav. Is that the area you had in mind with "where the water is and isn't"?

 

[tatali0n]

1. Prior to leaving the house (Nothing quite like remembering everything EXCEPT THE BOAT KEYS. Yes, we've done that).

Me too. Worse, the day we did it we had friends come down with us that we were going to introduce to the new boat and the Bristol Channel. Instead, we spend the morning sat in the cockpit with them on the berth, enjoying the sun and a Costalota Coffee, feeling a little sheepish.

After that, we always left a spare set of keys with the Marina Office to look after.

We're still nervous about getting the whole way across the Channel. It's quite far when you're on your own! Plus, I think we want to get some more near-shore time on the engine before we trust it quite so much (really should get an outboard for emergency, but if we ticked every item on the list, we'd never actually use the boat!).

That I can understand. Not having an alternative means of propulsion would make me decidedly nervous, no matter how much I trusted my engine. That said, were my engine to pack up on me, I think I'd rather it did it away from land, with enough sea room to call for help, than within washing up distance of a potentially unfriendly shore.

Also need to get a longer anchor chain and rope... have 2m chain and 20m rope... think it's a little too short for the channel (another thing for the endless list), so we were planning to stick to 1nm of the shore until engine+anchor are trusted.

You do need to sort out the anchor warp. We carry 30m of chain and 40m of rope. If your engine does fail, it might be the only thing that stops you ending up on the rocks. So much chain would be an inconvenient overkill for a boat like yours perhaps, but at the very least, I'd triple the length of your rope sooner rather than later. Though keep in mind that in a pinch you can always extend it with mooring warps, etc.

We've now subscribed to Navionics for charts, on two tablets with GPS (not aGPS), so we've always got a charged and ready backup to hand. I assume this is pretty much as good as we can get for avoiding sand/obstructions?

It's exactly what we use ourselves, and plenty good enough. I personally preferred the consistent detail and reliability of the raster charts you get from somebody like visitmyharbour.com but Navionics is much simpler to install and since my Sony Xperia tablet packed up I've been using Dad's iPad which is loaded with Navionics and we've been getting along just fine.

Worth getting the paper charts of the sailing area as well and keeping them on board as a backup, even if they never actually come out from under the bunk (which is where I keep mine, at least!) Then again, two tablets gives you plenty of redundancy, as long as the actual software doesn't nerf itself on both at the same time with an update, for example. But that's not going to actually happen at sea whilst you're using them.

(Obviously we keep a constant lookout too, there's a lot of logs floating around the channel).

Logs. And trees. And gas bottles and the occasional fridge. No lobster pots this far up, but we did come across the drifting mast and rigging lost from a yacht the week after the Holms Race one year. Even saw a dolphin once, quite alive and well, over Denny Shoal, but I'm pretty certain he was lost

I notice the "Langford Grounds - Changing Depths" to the northeast of Sandy Point... Is that the area you had in mind with "where the water is and isn't"?

Funny enough, exactly the place I was thinking of. Stay well off the green and out into the blue, holding out towards the NW Elbow cardinal buoy as you pass and you should be fine. The "Changing Depths" warning is something to take seriously. The chart might say there's half a meter of water just off the north side of the outside bank there at lowest astronomical tide, but that was then and you don't know how much mud the last tide might have dumped on top of it now

 

[Lioness]

When I'm teaching in the marina I like to pick a time when the lock is closed (low water) as there is less likely to be much traffic and you can often practice close quarters handling (without fear of hitting another boat) around the visitors pontoon (opposite the fuel pontoon) just before the lock gates.
For a bit more of a challenge the boat hoist pontoons if not in use are good. The wind tends to always be on your beam here so getting in between the two pontoon fingers straight on can be very difficult. But you have plenty of room to reverse away from them if or when it all gets out of shape. It's also a good habit to learn to reverse away from a potential unwanted contact as the sharp end of the boat is narrower than the stern.
I agree with others that a first cruise to Cardiff will be much easier than to Watchet/Weston as you can navigate and position fix by buoy hopping, always have enough deep water, go with the tide each way making for better fuel economy and time and during the summer there will likely be many others making the same trip (so you can almost cruise in company), you are never out of sight of the coastline and there are plenty of mooring and entertainment options once you lock into the barrage. For (a couple of hours) shorter trips out we tend to lock out before HW and go up the River Avon or for more of a challenge/distance the Wye to Chepstow and then return to Portishead when the tide turns.
Welcome to Portishead Quays Marina

 

[bitbaltic]

This stuff about practicing inside the marina. It's one thing if an insured, qualified instructor or sea school wants to supervise students coming on and off various berths, but I would be surprised if the marina was keen to let less qualified private individuals do the same, especially when the aim is to get skills they admit they are lacking right now. Having had two 'supermarket dings' on my boat in the last year- both when the boat was tied up and unattended on her own berth, both the result of inexperienced boat owners taking the berth next door, and neither owned up to- I would wipe the floor with the marina if I found damage resulting from them knowingly letting an inexperienced skipper, and not a neighbouring berth holder, come on and off alongside more than is simply necessary for berthing. I strongly urge you to get an instructor on board if you do this- firstly because you will learn a lot more, but secondly because if it goes horribly wrong and you damage someone else's pride and joy in the name of practice, you might get a reputation you don't want amongst fellow berthholders.

 

[Yellow Ballad]

No lobster pots this far up

I motored past (30 yards) a bright red pot marker between Cardiff and Newport last week. If there was a pot on the end of it or just someone marking a good fishing spot or something totally different I don't know, I wasn't expecting it as people say you don't get them but it made me stand up to look over the spray hood for the rest of the way.

 

[vodzurk]

Bitbaltic...

(on holiday so short reply)...

Was only thinking of a completely clear area. Of course we wouldn't practice next to anybody if there was the slightest element of risk!

We've had endless days of training, just as time has passed, it took so long to get Gorjus to a state we're happy with that we've got rusty. At the moment it just means being overly cautious until we find a CLEAR area to refresh in. To be honest, worst case, I'll use the far marina wall for 15mins.

Anyhows, 2 days until we rent a boat here in Port D'Alcudia .

 

[vodzurk]

When I'm teaching in the marina I like to pick a time when the lock is closed (low water) as there is less likely to be much traffic and you can often practice close quarters handling (without fear of hitting another boat) around the visitors pontoon (opposite the fuel pontoon) just before the lock gates.

For a bit more of a challenge the boat hoist pontoons if not in use are good. The wind tends to always be on your beam here so getting in between the two pontoon fingers straight on can be very difficult. But you have plenty of room to reverse away from them if or when it all gets out of shape. It's also a good habit to learn to reverse away from a potential unwanted contact as the sharp end of the boat is narrower than the stern.

I agree with others that a first cruise to Cardiff will be much easier than to Watchet/Weston as you can navigate and position fix by buoy hopping, always have enough deep water, go with the tide each way making for better fuel economy and time and during the summer there will likely be many others making the same trip (so you can almost cruise in company), you are never out of sight of the coastline and there are plenty of mooring and entertainment options once you lock into the barrage. For (a couple of hours) shorter trips out we tend to lock out before HW and go up the River Avon or for more of a challenge/distance the Wye to Chepstow and then return to Portishead when the tide turns.
Welcome to Portishead Quays Marina

Thanks for the tips. A lot to think about! I think we'll probably do Cardiff before Chepstow, despite it being twice the distance... just due to it being an easier / safer route. The bouy hopping sounds a great idea too... can reprint my charts and see if we can make it with the navionics screen turned off (i know, i know, navigation is to be my next course of many!).

I'm aiming to get an outboard engine for backup at some point over the next couple of months (bit skint after holiday + mooring)... but my main concern with getting over to Cardiff is having a 30yr old engine. She's not let us down once yet in our approx 30 hours of diddling around so far though, so trust is building. We absolutely are planning on getting the aux engine... but if we were to do a Cardiff run... and the engine failed... how miffed do you reckon the Portishead coastguard will be if we put a call in? The boat has been serviced to an inch of its life only 3 months back, inspected to death (survey, engine inspection, electrics inspection, gas inspection), and the engine has proven to be reliable thus far... soooo we've been reasonably diligent... I'd just like to use the thing before I grow old(er) endlessly prepping it!

We've just been given a few options for berths (in a temporary one currently)... J17 being one of them... but given that it's exposed to the slip+hoist, I think we might give that one a miss .

Have looked up the visitors pontoon, thanks for the tip... will give it and the hoist pontoons a bit of use. We did a "licenced" rental in Mallorca last week, which was great as a refresher... our "parking" was flawless, which we were both really pleased with, so think we might have dusted off the majority of the cobwebs... just need to re-apply it to our 1 ton/30yr-old boat as opposed to a quarter-ton/brand-new rental . I reckon 15 mins of faffing (AWAY FROM ANYBODY OF COURSE) and we'll be back up to speed .

 

[vodzurk]

And everyone can breath a sigh of relief... we have our permanent berth... with no direct neighbor .

 

[portis_rich]

And everyone can breath a sigh of relief... we have our permanent berth... with no direct neighbor .

View attachment 64760

Just started my first year with my first boat very near to there. I have enjoyed reading all your posts and experiences, looks like you had some excellent outings. Do you still have the boat and are you still in Portishead?

Rich

 

[Sneds]

Hi Rich, I'm sure Vodzurk will be along shortly, we're in Portishead, which boat are you?

 

[vodzurk]

Just started my first year with my first boat very near to there. I have enjoyed reading all your posts and experiences, looks like you had some excellent outings. Do you still have the boat and are you still in Portishead?

Rich

Hi Rich,

Yes, still in Portishead with Gorjus in the same place. Hoping very much to get out for a small shakedown cruise this week, if I can get the alternator belt tightened and the aux still works (boat hasn't been serviced yet this year, so need backup!).

Where abouts are you moored? Will say hello if I bump into you (at a distance of course!)

 

[portis_rich]

Hi Rich,

Yes, still in Portishead with Gorjus in the same place. Hoping very much to get out for a small shakedown cruise this week, if I can get the alternator belt tightened and the aux still works (boat hasn't been serviced yet this year, so need backup!).

Where abouts are you moored? Will say hello if I bump into you (at a distance of course!)

Hi All - nice to meet you...

I'm on Gaffer K, a Beneteau Antares 780. I just realised that we walk past Gorjus to get to our boat!

Spent the day yesterday wishing I had gotten up a bit earlier but generally enjoying the sun. Had a great run up the motorway bridges last thursday night.

See you around,

Rich