Ancasta cruise

Cathy* said:
This is similar to the response I had from the chairman of our berth holders association, which allegedly aims to promote the development of practical skills and enhance members' safety and enjoyment of their boats. I would have thought cruising in company would help to achieve those objectives but what do I know? If anyone who goes on this trip would like to write a little trip report I'd be very interested in reading it.
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You get some 'funny' ones on here don't you?
I know that Ancasta did a write up on the last cruise, it went up on their website.
There's a bit of video from the trip here, about half way through....
https://youtu.be/hZkdzHy1H6E

Like I say, we are hopping over to Guernsey in early May Cathy*, if you want to tag along that would be fine....we will be stopping for some cheap fuel and then on to Jersey to meet with some friends.

Now, you'd better get back to chart reading practice before Aspergersam 101 kicks off again :)
 
Sailorsam101 said:
Why are people so afraid of the channel islands. If you can do the Solent or Alderney then Guernsey or Jersey are a doddle.

Trust me as I've done them dozens of times that it's not hard at all...read the chart...read the pilot notes...plan in advance..pick your weather and just go.

If you can't read a chart well enough to get into st Peter Port then you should not be on a boat in the first place.
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sailor sam works on the ferry collecting tickets
 
Glad to see my post created some discussion.

I taught to Yachtmaster level for 7 years and saw a lot during that time both good and very bad.

Before getting qualified i thought i knew it all and could do it all...but i knew nothing. I went to the same places with the same people because it was safe and easy.

When teaching even Day Skipper one of the biggest things i ever had to do was to get the new skipper to believe in their ability to get it right.

While cruising in company can be fun i do not think it develops many skills. The 'new' or 'nervous' skipper will fall back on the fact that if it all goes wrong they can follow the boat in front...and there will be somebody else at the other end to help them moor up.

I say the best way to learn is to get outside of your comfort zone and just do it...get training...don't just go along for the ride but get the right training...push yourself. Give yourself some real practice in the Solent such as arrive at Yarmouth and predict the exact depth for your arrival time....do some blind nav....and really do it..not just in your head.

When i did my Yachtmaster ten years ago i discovered that at the start i had serious holes in my skills and ability. But by the end of the week i could do everything i thought i could at the start.

I realised that if i have a chart, a tidal flow book and a decent almanac i can go anywhere. Yes i still get nervous going to a new place for the first time but i know my skills can do it.

Please don't think i am trying to put people down as i am not...i want people to get out there and try something new on their own...in a safe environment find the gaps in skills and ability and then go and fill them.

And yes working on the ferry is great fun..!!!!!
 
"Just do it" is usually said by those that already have the confidence to do it.
We went on a few cruises in company with MBM, and ended up vising places we never would have been to on our own.
 
I agree but i got the confidence from training..not by being so kind of hero.

Pre training - Lets get in before it gets too dark.

Post training - Day of night does not matter.

It's all about training to a high standard that is relevant to the person...and the person having an open mind.
 
Re SailorSam's comments it all about what you put into it, I've been on several cruise in company's and I bothered to do all the chart work and reading of the pilots notes etc and was a great confidence boast when we routed as expected but you do pick up the odd experience as well like the real importance of Wind over tide. Then with confidence you get a bit cocky and tell the lead boat he is wandering off course (apparently something was wrong with the chart plotter was reported back or was it the coffee making :) ) and with all that you make some more great friends.
 
Sailorsam101 said:
I agree but i got the confidence from training..not by being so kind of hero.

Pre training - Lets get in before it gets too dark.

Post training - Day of night does not matter.

It's all about training to a high standard that is relevant to the person...and the person having an open mind.
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Erm not the case with me I'm afraid. I've been boating 7 years now and have done the relevant courses with some exceptional instructors so I have the know how and have put it into practice but I still hate the thought of boating in the dark. Not because I doubt my ability; I know I could do it and if I had to, I would know exactly what to do all thanks to that training but the anxiety it causes me is simply not worth the stress so I simply choose not to. That's just me. It's my personal disposition.
I absolutely love boating but I still get silently anxious every time no matter where I'm headed, beit a new destination or one I've visited many times.
People are different. We all approach and deal with things in different ways. For me it's both nerve wracking and exhilarating in equal measure. Funny enough, the bit I love most is berthing. Even when I cock it up (as I did yesterday), that's the bit I'm least nervous about. Go figure.
It's like anything else...you grow in confidence the more you do it. The problem is, most of us don't do it on a daily basis so each time, especially after a long winter break, is like starting afresh and you have to find your feet again.
L
:)
 
Don't get me wrong as i'm far from perfect...I've just moved to power and i still can't park the bloody thing.

Getting anxious is not a bad thing as it shows respect for what you are doing...i still get it every time i try and park up somewhere.

But i don't let it stop me form doing what i want.

From reading your words i'd say you would benefit from some long distance night work in familiar waters with an instructor..the Solent is perfect for this as there are so many lights to see and use.

I used to do a lot of cross channel baby sitting trips. A family want to go to France...hubby is all up for it but Mrs does not have confidence in him. So they get an instructor to come along and make sure all is ok..and pay for his ferry back.

it almost always ends up the same...with me sitting in the background keeping an eye on things but actually doing nothing...and then when tied up in France the Mrs says thank you and how she liked to trip...i tell her how little i did and how her hubby can actually to it all.

It's all about confidence and just doing it...in safety..with a comfort net but not too much of a comfort net...too much of a net and nothing is learnt.
 
Sailorsam101 said:
Glad to see my post created some discussion.

I taught to Yachtmaster level for 7 years and saw a lot during that time both good and very bad.

Before getting qualified i thought i knew it all and could do it all...but i knew nothing. I went to the same places with the same people because it was safe and easy.

When teaching even Day Skipper one of the biggest things i ever had to do was to get the new skipper to believe in their ability to get it right.

While cruising in company can be fun i do not think it develops many skills. The 'new' or 'nervous' skipper will fall back on the fact that if it all goes wrong they can follow the boat in front...and there will be somebody else at the other end to help them moor up.

I say the best way to learn is to get outside of your comfort zone and just do it...get training...don't just go along for the ride but get the right training...push yourself. Give yourself some real practice in the Solent such as arrive at Yarmouth and predict the exact depth for your arrival time....do some blind nav....and really do it..not just in your head.

When i did my Yachtmaster ten years ago i discovered that at the start i had serious holes in my skills and ability. But by the end of the week i could do everything i thought i could at the start.

I realised that if i have a chart, a tidal flow book and a decent almanac i can go anywhere. Yes i still get nervous going to a new place for the first time but i know my skills can do it.

Please don't think i am trying to put people down as i am not...i want people to get out there and try something new on their own...in a safe environment find the gaps in skills and ability and then go and fill them.

And yes working on the ferry is great fun..!!!!!
Click to expand...


I liked your line that cruising in company does "not develop too many skills" and I agree, but what it gave us was the recognition that if you can plan a trip (as per a simple day skipper course) then you can go just about anywhere, and I only properly realised that through cruising in company. We were out there boating off shore and thinking this is not so hard or scary at all. I was very fortunate as my parents owned a variety of boats, and so when I came into boating in 2010 I had a background in boating as a kid with a very adventurous father! But my wife and son had no previous experience at all so for us as a family a few Mendez cruises were very rewarding and I was then able to look them in the eye some weeks later and say come on let's go to Weymouth or Devon, and they would say yes fine ok, let's go, and that is down to having experienced a trip like that in company as a family and hopefully a tiny bit of confidence in me that I could get us all there and back safely.
 
I think I have extolled the positive virtues of cruising in company but am now going to contradict myself, you do learn stuff as well!

On reflection, the biggest thing I learned was to relax on a longer passage, plus if you ask questions in the skippers briefings (which I did ) you learn stuff, plus you get plenty of berthing practice
 
All booked :) Really looking forward to our first 'out of Solent' adventure. Starting my Day Skippers practice on Wed so the CIC will be an ideal opportunity to put my new skills to the test whilst also having the backup that CIC offers. Short list of jobs to get done before we set off though so it's going to be a busy few weeks.
 
Paul&Ness said:
All booked :) Really looking forward to our first 'out of Solent' adventure. Starting my Day Skippers practice on Wed so the CIC will be an ideal opportunity to put my new skills to the test whilst also having the backup that CIC offers. Short list of jobs to get done before we set off though so it's going to be a busy few weeks.
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You will love it, even more if great weather.
 
Just thought that I would revive this thread to say to anyone going on this cruise that I have booked a taxi for 3 people to go to the Hut on Friday night.

If anyone wants to share with us let me know by reply or by PM.
 
Got back this afternoon from the Ancasta Cruise in Company to the CI. What a great weekend :cool: I'd like to extend my thanks to Nick, Will and John for organising and running an excellent trip. It was our first trip out of the Solent and we learnt so much from the trip we now can't wait to go back to the CI and to venture further along the South Coast.
 
Chamaerops said:
I'll second the thanks to Jon and the Ancasta guys. It was a very enjoyable trip.
I hear the return leg was a little lumpy so I'm glad that we are returning when the wind calms down next weekend.
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I will third that.

It was a very well organised trip and very enjoyable. Much useful experience gained.

Nice to meet up with lots of fellow boaters too.

For anyone not sure about going on organised cruises I would advise you to do one.

Hope to post some photos and videos of the trip soon.
 
PEJ said:
I will third that.

It was a very well organised trip and very enjoyable. Much useful experience gained.

Nice to meet up with lots of fellow boaters too.

For anyone not sure about going on organised cruises I would advise you to do one.

Hope to post some photos and videos of the trip soon.
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I'll fourth that!

Very enjoyable - lovely flat sea going out on Saturday but pretty lumpy coming back yesterday so a very useful comparison.
Nice crowd of people and boats too and the Ancasta crew were excellent organisers.
 
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