I went boating New Years Day

[coliholic]

Well almost. It was on a ferry actually, but only a little one.

Spent the week in Friedrichshafen in Germany on Lake Constance, or the Bodensee as they call it and it was magic. It's sort of oval shaped, about 40 miles long and eight miles wide, Germany on the right and the top, Switzerland on the left and Austria at the bottom, with Friedrichshafen a bit below the middle of the German side.

New Years Eve night was excellent, we had a great meal and a few drinks in the hotel and a bit of a dance and were wondering what would happen at midnight. Would they get the chimes of Big Ben or Jimmie Logan with his kilt or what? But they're an hour ahead, so what was going to happen?

Well it was a bit odd. Five to twelve we're boogieing away when all the Germans put their coats on and disappeared. This is a bit strange, looked like they're all going home so we wandered outside to see what was occuring. And at midnight there was the most amazing fireworks display I've ever seen. People were going to their hotel rooms and cars and getting armfuls, and I really mean armfuls, of fireworks and just letting them off anywhere they fancied. More rockets screaming into the sky than you've seen in Bagdhad on a bad day. Looking out across the lake, the Swiss were even worse, it was just like the films from the Blitz. Absolutely amazing and it went on for the best part of an hour. Spoke to the hotel manager about it the next day and he said the hotel had bought a few thousand euros worth of fireworks too and paid some of the local kids to let them off. Talk about Health and Safety issues, there was no organisation or control, they were just setting them up in the flower beds or wherever they fancied and let them go. Adults and kids too. Mind you no one seemed to get hurt though quite a few rockets came down on cars and one caused some damage to the soft top of a BMW Z8 sports jobbie, but everyone just laughed about it - still suppose it wasn't their car so no reason to get concerned.

Anyway back to boats.

New Years Day we took the car ferry across the lake, a beautiful day about 13 degrees, not a cloud in the sky and just a gentle breeze. Journey took about 30 minutes, then we drove up to a big mountain on the Sizz side, Santis, and went up in a cable car to the top, about 3,500 metres up. Damn cold and windy up there though. Then back later on the ferry. Pretty good day.

We were there from Monday till today and our room looked out over the lake and in all the time we were there the only boating action we saw on the lake was yesterday afternoon, when it got a bit blowy, probably up to a good F6, when a windsurfer came storming down the centre of the lake. No other boats at all. Not one. Yet there's loads of little marinas all round the lake and though a lot of boats are chocked up out of the water, there was still a fair few in the water, but no-one went out. Dunno why, got me beat. There were some great days and I was really expecting the yotiies to be out. Didn't see much evidence of motor boats though - a few grotty Dutch Steel plodding cruiser types, and that was it - no big flybridge or fast sports cruisers at all.

Maybe they're not allowed? Sort of like Windermere's going to be? But that's just my guess. I did ask a few locals why no boats but no-one seemed to know. They all suggested we go back in the summer. Might well do that. And everyone was really friendly and the scenery was fantastic.

Yesterday we went to Bregenz in Austria at the bottom of the lake but it was absolutely jam packed with traffic and it poured with rain in the afternoon so we gave that up as a bad job.

But all in all we had a great New Year and so far have been to more countries this year than there are days in the year.

 

[tcm]

Re: I went boating New Years Day too

Just got back from caribbean. On a sailboat, but as everyone knows, sailboats spend loads of time with engines on - to get in and out of harbour, for safety near rocks in case the wind drops, to charge the batteries, and of course to cheat and get a bit more speed when racing a pile of other boats.

But we weren't engining on Jan 1, and had all the sails up whamming downwind after loads of other boats, and just overtook a few, then tried to goosewing , which went okay until we wrapped the jib (front sail) round and round. The thing was flapping loads, so engine on and we zipped into an anchorage at speed under engine and a nice swedish bloke helped me untangle and get the sail down and sort it out. An hour later the sunsaily flotilla crew came over - we weren't in the flotilla, bit too gentle, but they were in the same harbour - and it transpired that their main pupose was to tick me off. Said that my speed on entry to the harbour was "disgraceful". I explained that i needed lots of "way on" with the foresail jammed most of the way out in what was in fact 20-25 knots of side wind. I didn't say none of his business, it coukldn't have been more than seven knots, and since when was he the blimmini the sailing police? and why didnee come and help since he works for sunsail eh? But anyway, he realised why i was going fast and withdrew har har.

Apart from that, all went er quite well. Of course, I'm ignoring the driving over a few bits and pieces of rope, outboards conking out, having too much sail out, not being completely sure of colregs when i'm goosewinging and boat coming upwind on port side, so engined ahead to avoid crunch. Oh, and losing wind under a cliff, no prob, engine on...no engine! Ready with anchor but of course on a sailboat no engien = no anchor up so dodgy dropping it...so got the 4hp dinghy, tied painter to mid cleat and junior steered dinghy into boat, we steered into dinghy and got away from the rocks slowly. The neutral sensor was busted so disconnected it.

So, apart from that lot, no probs at all. I don't count having to saw off a mooring rope with a breadknife as a real problem. And the flinging one of the winches into the dock within the first ten minutes is quite normal, and I didn't actually lie when I then said "We've only got one winch handle", ahem.

Oh, we went all over the place. Peter Island Resort is quite smart, bit boring for a whole week or fortnight but treasure islandish for a day or so. We built a sand pyramid (a right pyramid for solid modelling enthusiasts) and it took all afternoon to get it perfect, and then once we'd taken a picture we jumped on it and smashed it to bits. Whilst building, all the (American) passers by said things like "Way to go!" and "Looking gurd!" and seemed a bit shocked when we demolished the finished article. Foreigners are *so* strange aren't they?

 

[Buck]

Re: I went boating New Years Day too

Me too, much more glam though, borrowed a friends open sail boat (cornish yawl or some such beast apparantly) as mine is out and sailed around the Thames estruary, it was like the day after the bomb, eerily quiet had a great day, came back in mid afternoon for Guiness and bacon butties.
Gotta start the year as I mean to go on.

Buck

Relax, life is just a game.