First open water voyage

[Wansworth]

Back in 1964 my father decided to sail from Chichester to Wooten creek on the Isle of Wight without electronic equipment solely using an admiralty chart and a compás.He enlisted his two sons who unwittingly agreed to crew without care for their saftey in an old tore out 15 foot bermudian dinghy.Setting off with a packed lunch from the beach at East Wittering we coasted till approximately off Portsmouth then turned left crossing the Solent between the forts.On arrival,without recourse to mobile phones my aunt appeared laden with cucumber sandwiches and Tizer.Shoreside accommodation was provided and an early start was made back to the mainland the following day.Its possible that this harmless trip was the cause of my life long obsession with sailing of which I am not sure was a good thing or not.

 

[zoidberg]

There's no cure for this disease.

Best to resign yourself, and enjoy what bits you can....

 

[Stemar]

+1 Some are definitely lost to it, and even for others, the cure is worse than the disease. Just buy a bloody boat!

 

[veshengro]

It's a strange affliction really, some people escape because of major life changes, people like Tommy Steele pop star/ actor who was a Merchant Seaman (Steward) before he became famous. John Prescott, Labour Politician, also an ex Steward and quite a few others too, and there are those who make a couple of voyages whether in a yacht or ship and are happy to go ashore never to go to sea again.

I had my seventeenth birthday outward bound through Panama and paid off in the Royal Albert Dock six and a half months later, home from Aussie and New Zealand. £104! an absolute fortune in 1962. After one trip as Deck Boy but a promise to sign on as Junior Ordinary Seaman if I signed Articles again in the same ship, I thought I was a Western Ocean Shell Back, faded dungarees, sun tan, the lot, and to make matters worse I had found a hero, Dr Peter Pye of Moonraker fame and his books which I had read during the voyage.

I bought an ex ship's clinker lifeboat at Shoreham in Sussex, converted the Dipping Lug to Gaff Rig and screwed a ply half deck forward of the mast thwart and set off for the Essex Rivers....
Charts, compass, a 12 volt battery and old Aldis lamp together with a Primus paraffin stove and stores for a week. I anchored in places that I have used many times since, under Dungerness, The Downs off Deal, Margate Roads and across the Thames Estuary. No Wind Farms in those days of course. I was headed for the Medusa Bouy. It's all a bit dim now after all these years but I managed to run aground on the Stones? Rocks? off the Walton Back Waters, fortunately on a rising tide so eventually made Halfpenny Quay.

I spent some time in Holbrook Bay at anchor and went up the Stour as far as Manningtree, but after a couple of days I made the return voyage to Shoreham as my shore leave only had a few days to run before travelling up to the Royal Albert Dock to sign on again.
I sold the boat to a young couple from Lancing for £20 more than I paid. They were going to sail around the World...apparently... but the last I saw of my old boat she was filling every tide on the banks of the River Adur back in the late 1960's.

 

[Concerto]

Back in 1964 my parents ordered a new Kingfisher 30, which was launched in March 1965 at Sheerness. My father had been a pilot/navigator in Coastal Command and had sailed a lug sail dinghy, but our sailing experience could be rated as zero. After a few minor errors and a steep learning curve we set off in the summer for a 4 week sailing holiday. Our aim was to sail to Torquay and Dartmouth, and to return, despite never having left the Thames Esturary before. Well we did make it and we certainly improved our sailing skills. From memory we went to Ramsgate, Dover, Newhaven, anchored off Sandown, Poole, Torquay and Dartmouth. On our return we decided to enter the Solent for the first time. On our return we believed we could go anywhere. The next year we went over to Ostend. The attraction of a bigger and faster boat soon appealed but my parents could not afford the one they wanted, so they bought the hull and deck of a Northerny 34 and fitted it out. During the fit out my brother and I bought a Mirror dinghy kit and once completed in 1969, subsequently beat all the other kids with Mirrors who complained cruiser sailing was armchair sailing. Once the cruiser was launched, she was the biggest boat in Queenborough Harbour and the 5th largest on the Medway. The family were invited to join Medway Yacht Club (jumping the long waiting list) and persuaded to join the club to start racing. This started a passion for racing, firstly under the old RORC rule and we were one of the first boats to be measured for the new IOR rule. We then found our boat was not competative so we changed to a Nicholson 30 - a new race boat in 1972. We did not win any EAORA race overall in the first year, but we did win our class numerous times. The high point was planing the boat for about 6 hours en route from Harwich to Ostend until we got a wave wrong and put the mast in the water. We were dead running under full spinnaker and the log was stuck on 10 knots and the wind speed was stuck on 48 knots, so we do not know how fast we were sailing, but another much larger boat estimated we were doing 14 to 16 knots when we passed them. We did require 3 out of the crew of 5 to steer the boat as the power on the tiller was too much for one person. I could go on about the many other exploits, but sailing is certainly in my blood.

 

[Wansworth]

It's a strange affliction really, some people escape because of major life changes, people like Tommy Steele pop star/ actor who was a Merchant Seaman (Steward) before he became famous. John Prescott, Labour Politician, also an ex Steward and quite a few others too, and there are those who make a couple of voyages whether in a yacht or ship and are happy to go ashore never to go to sea again.

I had my seventeenth birthday outward bound through Panama and paid off in the Royal Albert Dock six and a half months later, home from Aussie and New Zealand. £104! an absolute fortune in 1962. After one trip as Deck Boy but a promise to sign on as Junior Ordinary Seaman if I signed Articles again in the same ship, I thought I was a Western Ocean Shell Back, faded dungarees, sun tan, the lot, and to make matters worse I had found a hero, Dr Peter Pye of Moonraker fame and his books which I had read during the voyage.

I bought an ex ship's clinker lifeboat at Shoreham in Sussex, converted the Dipping Lug to Gaff Rig and screwed a ply half deck forward of the mast thwart and set off for the Essex Rivers....
Charts, compass, a 12 volt battery and old Aldis lamp together with a Primus paraffin stove and stores for a week. I anchored in places that I have used many times since, under Dungerness, The Downs off Deal, Margate Roads and across the Thames Estuary. No Wind Farms in those days of course. I was headed for the Medusa Bouy. It's all a bit dim now after all these years but I managed to run aground on the Stones? Rocks? off the Walton Back Waters, fortunately on a rising tide so eventually made Halfpenny Quay.

I spent some time in Holbrook Bay at anchor and went up the Stour as far as Manningtree, but after a couple of days I made the return voyage to Shoreham as my shore leave only had a few days to run before travelling up to the Royal Albert Dock to sign on again.
I sold the boat to a young couple from Lancing for £20 more than I paid. They were going to sail around the World...apparently... but the last I saw of my old boat she was filling every tide on the banks of the River Adur back in the late 1960's.

A great adventure,my converted lifeboat experience last not even a week but as so many have written the converted lifeboat was the way to get a big boat cheaply………

 

[Wansworth]

Back in 1964 my parents ordered a new Kingfisher 30, which was launched in March 1965 at Sheerness. My father had been a pilot/navigator in Coastal Command and had sailed a lug sail dinghy, but our sailing experience could be rated as zero. After a few minor errors and a steep learning curve we set off in the summer for a 4 week sailing holiday. Our aim was to sail to Torquay and Dartmouth, and to return, despite never having left the Thames Esturary before. Well we did make it and we certainly improved our sailing skills. From memory we went to Ramsgate, Dover, Newhaven, anchored off Sandown, Poole, Torquay and Dartmouth. On our return we decided to enter the Solent for the first time. On our return we believed we could go anywhere. The next year we went over to Ostend. The attraction of a bigger and faster boat soon appealed but my parents could not afford the one they wanted, so they bought the hull and deck of a Northerny 34 and fitted it out. During the fit out my brother and I bought a Mirror dinghy kit and once completed in 1969, subsequently beat all the other kids with Mirrors who complained cruiser sailing was armchair sailing. Once the cruiser was launched, she was the biggest boat in Queenborough Harbour and the 5th largest on the Medway. The family were invited to join Medway Yacht Club (jumping the long waiting list) and persuaded to join the club to start racing. This started a passion for racing, firstly under the old RORC rule and we were one of the first boats to be measured for the new IOR rule. We then found our boat was not competative so we changed to a Nicholson 30 - a new race boat in 1972. We did not win any EAORA race overall in the first year, but we did win our class numerous times. The high point was planing the boat for about 6 hours en route from Harwich to Ostend until we got a wave wrong and put the mast in the water. We were dead running under full spinnaker and the log was stuck on 10 knots and the wind speed was stuck on 48 knots, so we do not know how fast we were sailing, but another much larger boat estimated we were doing 14 to 16 knots when we passed them. We did require 3 out of the crew of 5 to steer the boat as the power on the tiller was too much for one person. I could go on about the many other exploits, but sailing is certainly in my blood.

Did your parents buy the hull and deck from a company on Ford Aerodrome…….anyway great story and they did it without recourse to YBW agony aunt

 

[Concerto]

Did your parents buy the hull and deck from a company on Ford Aerodrome…….anyway great story and they did it without recourse to YBW agony aunt

The hull and deck came from the builder as he had a cancelled order. He was based at Northerney and shortly afterwards the yard was sold and "caught" fire after all the small tools had been removed. It is now where Northerney Marina is situated.

 

[Wansworth]

The hull and deck came from the builder as he had a cancelled order. He was based at Northerney and shortly afterwards the yard was sold and "caught" fire after all the small tools had been removed. It is now where Northerney Marina is situated.

Back in college days One of my mates helped build those boats on Ford Aerodrome…summer 69…..Ford Aerodrome was also the fist home of the Macwester and other early grp yachts and boats………I lived just up the road

 

[Fr J Hackett]

It's a strange affliction really, some people escape because of major life changes, people like Tommy Steele pop star/ actor who was a Merchant Seaman (Steward) before he became famous. John Prescott, Labour Politician, also an ex Steward and quite a few others too, and there are those who make a couple of voyages whether in a yacht or ship and are happy to go ashore never to go to sea again.

I had my seventeenth birthday outward bound through Panama and paid off in the Royal Albert Dock six and a half months later, home from Aussie and New Zealand. £104! an absolute fortune in 1962. After one trip as Deck Boy but a promise to sign on as Junior Ordinary Seaman if I signed Articles again in the same ship, I thought I was a Western Ocean Shell Back, faded dungarees, sun tan, the lot, and to make matters worse I had found a hero, Dr Peter Pye of Moonraker fame and his books which I had read during the voyage.

I bought an ex ship's clinker lifeboat at Shoreham in Sussex, converted the Dipping Lug to Gaff Rig and screwed a ply half deck forward of the mast thwart and set off for the Essex Rivers....
Charts, compass, a 12 volt battery and old Aldis lamp together with a Primus paraffin stove and stores for a week. I anchored in places that I have used many times since, under Dungerness, The Downs off Deal, Margate Roads and across the Thames Estuary. No Wind Farms in those days of course. I was headed for the Medusa Bouy. It's all a bit dim now after all these years but I managed to run aground on the Stones? Rocks? off the Walton Back Waters, fortunately on a rising tide so eventually made Halfpenny Quay.

I spent some time in Holbrook Bay at anchor and went up the Stour as far as Manningtree, but after a couple of days I made the return voyage to Shoreham as my shore leave only had a few days to run before travelling up to the Royal Albert Dock to sign on again.
I sold the boat to a young couple from Lancing for £20 more than I paid. They were going to sail around the World...apparently... but the last I saw of my old boat she was filling every tide on the banks of the River Adur back in the late 1960's.

about the same time my cousin and I were buggering about on the East Cost rivers in my grandfathers similarly converted ships lifeboat.

 

[Bouba]

Mine is a simpler tale…six weeks at sea as a ten pound pom

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Mine is a simpler tale…six weeks at sea as a ten pound pom

They paid £9. 23shillings and 111/2 pence too much for you.

 

[capnsensible]

about the same time my cousin and I were buggering about on the East Cost rivers in my grandfathers similarly converted ships lifeboat.

Re phrase.....

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Re phrase.....

For a moment I thought you meant me and my cousin

 

[Bouba]

Re phrase.....

Its ok....they are no longer close

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Its ok....they are no longer close

He's dead, alcoholics demise unfortunately, we were very close, closer to him than my brother.

 

[veshengro]

Mine is a simpler tale…six weeks at sea as a ten pound pom

Ha! Known as 'Rangi Boats' in my time. Rangitane, Rangitiki,Rangitoto. I was with that company in one of their cargo ships, the Piako on the Kiwi run all the way down to Bluff in the South Island. New Zealand Shipping Company/ Federal Steam Navigation Company were a joint concern in my day.

 

[Skylark]

Some lovely, heartwarming stories.

I'm from the landlocked Midlands with no affinity to the sea from family nor from career. My "call" to water came from watching the silent world of Cousteau and Hans and Lotte Hass. Happenstance morphed me from diving into sailing. My first experience was a GP14 on Windermere and I've never looked back.

 

[GunfleetSand]

Similarly landlocked in London, more recently did wonder if the sea obsession was due to rounding Harwich 1981 in a f6 aged 12 with full sail up. I was on tiller of a charter Cheverton Crusader (Lionheart now Naima) couldn’t believe we weren’t going to fall in the sea as the boat went over. Mixture of terror and fun as the boat cranked over in gusts and I heaved back on the tiller up to my chin to hold something of a course. My Dad seemed to think it all very normal.

Other one ‘82 ish was the Harwich to Ostend in a 26’ Tomahawk (Amy) made it over ok, then stuck with weather system/high winds. Sister and Step Mum took ferry back due to commitments myself and Dad set out a couple of days later. Blocked fuel filters no engine, no battery power nighttime in the shipping channel. Flashed torch at bridge of a boat 30m away going full chat towards us. Next day Walton tower as bearing, I’m on tiller kept going and going (I’m 13/14 Dad sat in companionway looking forward - I do as he says) now I can see the sand of the beach and I can hear a scrunching noise which I said could this be us running aground Dad and do you think we should turn around? He turns around and smiles, maybe yes I interpret that as. So we do turn around. Our destination was Heybridge Basin if you know the east coast.. somehow we make it back. Years later he tells me he didn’t know much about that part as he was hallucinating due to extreme tiredness (captain of the boat and responsible for all) and how did we get back?

So just a couple of occasions is all it takes. I must go down to the sea again ..

 

[neil_s]

Hardboard pram dinghy on the farm pond. Floated down the Rheidol river to Aberystwyth harbour - and the sea! I blame it all on Percy Blandford