mjf
Active member
Well, I am delighted to report that 2005 Season of Pyjama Parties has commenced this weekend in Newtown Creek.
Friday afternoon after a lovely run access the Solent anchored for the holiday in Clamerkin Lake with just a few others boats about. We watched the sun go down and the mist roll in. All was well with the world.
Saturday dawned a little misty still but the sun broke through and it was warm you could hear all manner of fog horns left, right and centre between us and the mainland. At lunchtime a pint at the New Inn was enjoyed in the sunshine! Got back to the mother –ship, and noted boat after boat had arrived during the afternoon. Flat calm and anchoring was just a matter of choosing your spot and putting the hook on the bottom and perhaps coiling a little rope, bandage or string to hold your boat ‘bout right. Did not really matter how close you could get, to others as you do not need to use fenders when you are anchored do you?
After the nice National Trust man had made his final round – the world and his brother pitched up using the aforementioned anchoring techniques. One Mobo came in at speed which resulted in a huge chorus of ‘slow down’ etc. I was pleased that he did before passing us and even more delighted when I noticed he had anchored in a shallow patch! We enjoyed dinner in the evening sun along with a fellow forumite that had arrived late afternoon and had rafted up next to us. We said our goodnights over port /brandy and watched a thunderstorm develop well to the North (past the new forest I reckoned).
Wind suddenly picked up from the South and I thought with a large boat alongside us I would just watch our position for a few minutes as we had not laid in our current heading for the duration of our stay thus far, having stemmed the tide only for the previous 30+ hours. We seemed fine.
But…..there were silhouettes of yachts moving in all sorts of odd directions. On went the searchlight, and indeed over half the anchorage was on the move at 1 O’clock in the morning! Some yachts had peeps on deck many did not. The wind was by now a good 4, our holding remained good (thank God) but we watched in terror as several close by boats struck each other, others went aground whilst some skippers heaved up and sailed or simply had another go at honing their anchoring skill. We had all fenders deployed and Mrs mjf and self were armed with roving fenders to repel attackers. I boat managed to pick up 4 boats anchors and sort of did a dance of death as they floated around the anchorage – luckily the tide was more dominate than the wind by this stage. Mr Speedy had gone aground during all this and was using his tender as a tug; he got off and re-anchored only to drag across a couple of others’ anchors. Their chains ended up hooked on his anchor which by now was home and fast in his bow roller
I finally went to bed at 3’o Clock with Mrs mjf watching for any stragglers and watching our position as the wind abated. Got called twice as Mrs mjf needed some reassurance on some ‘local’ manoeuvring.
Sunday was interesting as many of the boats involved in the debacle had upped sticks and lots departed before the nice National Trust man had made his first round rattling the tin. Over lunch we were again treated to the most hopeless display of seamanship imaginable. I have never seen so many boats anchor so close to each other – one guy ended up between me and my anchor, a sunseeker did several laps of honour with a huge Christmas tree of green weed hanging off his delta, believe me it looked superb.
Another boat had anchored parallel to me and when we swung we got about 4/6 ft apart and of course arriving boats first saw a large gap and went between us only to see themselves becoming the meat in the sandwich which the resultant speed up or large alteration to passage throu the ensemble.
After a lunchtime Bloody Mary my own and Mrs mjf’s nerves had had enough so we slowly heaved up our anchor – which in itself was interesting as my bow closed to inches away from the vessel ahead whose swim platform was over where may anchor had set several days before! We navigated through the anchored masses who had carefully decided that the place of choice to anchor for lunch was mid channel.
So……I am pleased to report that the 2005 season of Pyjama Parties has commenced in Newtown Creek.
I have enjoyed boating over the years in lots of super places – but the Solent takes the biscuit in terms of excitement. Never ever a dull moment. How could you sail anywhere else?.
Even the return trip back to my permanent mooring was exitment filled so I wondered what gelcoat issues I would encounter in the locking in process.
Friday afternoon after a lovely run access the Solent anchored for the holiday in Clamerkin Lake with just a few others boats about. We watched the sun go down and the mist roll in. All was well with the world.
Saturday dawned a little misty still but the sun broke through and it was warm you could hear all manner of fog horns left, right and centre between us and the mainland. At lunchtime a pint at the New Inn was enjoyed in the sunshine! Got back to the mother –ship, and noted boat after boat had arrived during the afternoon. Flat calm and anchoring was just a matter of choosing your spot and putting the hook on the bottom and perhaps coiling a little rope, bandage or string to hold your boat ‘bout right. Did not really matter how close you could get, to others as you do not need to use fenders when you are anchored do you?
After the nice National Trust man had made his final round – the world and his brother pitched up using the aforementioned anchoring techniques. One Mobo came in at speed which resulted in a huge chorus of ‘slow down’ etc. I was pleased that he did before passing us and even more delighted when I noticed he had anchored in a shallow patch! We enjoyed dinner in the evening sun along with a fellow forumite that had arrived late afternoon and had rafted up next to us. We said our goodnights over port /brandy and watched a thunderstorm develop well to the North (past the new forest I reckoned).
Wind suddenly picked up from the South and I thought with a large boat alongside us I would just watch our position for a few minutes as we had not laid in our current heading for the duration of our stay thus far, having stemmed the tide only for the previous 30+ hours. We seemed fine.
But…..there were silhouettes of yachts moving in all sorts of odd directions. On went the searchlight, and indeed over half the anchorage was on the move at 1 O’clock in the morning! Some yachts had peeps on deck many did not. The wind was by now a good 4, our holding remained good (thank God) but we watched in terror as several close by boats struck each other, others went aground whilst some skippers heaved up and sailed or simply had another go at honing their anchoring skill. We had all fenders deployed and Mrs mjf and self were armed with roving fenders to repel attackers. I boat managed to pick up 4 boats anchors and sort of did a dance of death as they floated around the anchorage – luckily the tide was more dominate than the wind by this stage. Mr Speedy had gone aground during all this and was using his tender as a tug; he got off and re-anchored only to drag across a couple of others’ anchors. Their chains ended up hooked on his anchor which by now was home and fast in his bow roller
I finally went to bed at 3’o Clock with Mrs mjf watching for any stragglers and watching our position as the wind abated. Got called twice as Mrs mjf needed some reassurance on some ‘local’ manoeuvring.
Sunday was interesting as many of the boats involved in the debacle had upped sticks and lots departed before the nice National Trust man had made his first round rattling the tin. Over lunch we were again treated to the most hopeless display of seamanship imaginable. I have never seen so many boats anchor so close to each other – one guy ended up between me and my anchor, a sunseeker did several laps of honour with a huge Christmas tree of green weed hanging off his delta, believe me it looked superb.
Another boat had anchored parallel to me and when we swung we got about 4/6 ft apart and of course arriving boats first saw a large gap and went between us only to see themselves becoming the meat in the sandwich which the resultant speed up or large alteration to passage throu the ensemble.
After a lunchtime Bloody Mary my own and Mrs mjf’s nerves had had enough so we slowly heaved up our anchor – which in itself was interesting as my bow closed to inches away from the vessel ahead whose swim platform was over where may anchor had set several days before! We navigated through the anchored masses who had carefully decided that the place of choice to anchor for lunch was mid channel.
So……I am pleased to report that the 2005 season of Pyjama Parties has commenced in Newtown Creek.
I have enjoyed boating over the years in lots of super places – but the Solent takes the biscuit in terms of excitement. Never ever a dull moment. How could you sail anywhere else?.
Even the return trip back to my permanent mooring was exitment filled so I wondered what gelcoat issues I would encounter in the locking in process.
