Laying Down Supper - End of Season Meeting

[sailorman]

Re: Post Mortem

I motored all the way back but arrived Ipswich before H.W. by the time i bunkered fuel, washed-up, washed, cleaned boat + a swift pint still didnt leave marina till 16.30 . /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
would have been nice to have sailed back /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Re: Post Mortem

You missed the ebb out of the Stour then.... phew.... strongest I've ever seen.... we were making just 1kt over the ground between Guard and Shotley Spit.... took us over 2 hours from Guard to the Wet Dock....

 

[DanTribe]

Re: Post Mortem

Glad your escapade ended happily. I could hear Thames CG talking to you.Could have been unpleasant I should think.
BTW, from Burnham I could hear Full Circle very clearly, but not your transmissions.

Dan

 

[sailorman]

Re: Post Mortem

i woz on HH set & very busy /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

PS [--word removed--]-up a nice day /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Re: Post Mortem

Roger... enjoy.... (have sent you hi res version via e-mail)

 

[sailorman]

Re: Post Mortem

Thnx

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Re: Post Mortem

Strange... Jim was on a handheld too....

I could also hear Cento calling from Walton Backwaters when we were approaching West Mersea...

 

[Sixpence]

Re: Post Mortem

As others have already said , an excellent weekend and many thanks from Louise and me for the hospitality of Jim and Lynne . I'll let Jim give all the technical details but I'm very pleased to report that he let me helm Full Circle all the way from just clear of West Mersea , through to the Crouch , crossing that narrow bit of shallows motor sailing and not on auto pilot . We then went into the crouch under sail and I'm chuffed to bits because we went past the mooring and a fair way up the Crouch before I carried out my first ever gybe to bring her round and back up towards the moorings . Then had to execute a couple of tacks and some avoidance and , oh I could go on all day , but eventually I managed to take her straight to her mooring which we got onto first time .
Sorry to ramble , but thanks Jim for an excellent weekends sailing , we are both firmly hooked and looking forward to more learning and hopefully getting our own small yacht .
Excellent weekend and look forward to the winter sailing meet when an appropriate venue is found .
I'll post pics when I can find the cable , but Neil , can you e mail that high res one to me please , it looks stunning
Cheers
Dave

p.s. Jim , I'm still smiling , anyone wanna buy a mobo

 

[Sixpence]

Re: Post Mortem

OK , pics loaded and ready to go

Jim at the helm with Louise learning the ropes

while I tried to hear what was going on with the wind whistling in my ears

and Neil catching up quick as we slowed for a chat

after which we made our way in and stopped for a lovely dinner , but I thought Neil had lamb , not pork

 

[Laurin]

Re: Post Mortem

Just a quick note to say thanks to Jim for organising, and to let you know that torquel the electric outboard has made a full recovery after Patrick ran us aground in Patch. Will try to post some of the pictures of west mersea at high water if somebody can tell me how?????

Also any of the East Coast bods want to come to my bonfire party 11th Nov please PM me and I'll send details.

 

[FullCircle]

Re: Post Mortem

Went to the boat Friday night and looked over the sea wall. Hmm. Not good. Pontoon was virtually out of the water. Low tide? I should say so! Looking at the lumpiness and the wind, coupled with the generally poor seaworthiness of my GRP tender, Lynn was unhappy for me to row out the 20 minutes or so, against a 2-3 knot tide. Yep, good call. So we went to the pub with Mr Engines Dunn(recommended bloke for boat engine stuff in Burnham), phoned Mr & Mrs Trevera25, who were, well, late-ish.
We had a couple of pints, and got hungry waiting, so we popped off to the kebab house. Mr & Mrs T arrived just as Lynn & Engines came tottering out of the Kebab house with 4 tons of slatted sheep under the arm. We repaired back to the pub and sat outside while we consumed the sheep and put greasy fingerprints over the pint glasses. A couple of pints later, we headed back to the Brick/Mortar Full Circle HQ, and were rewarded with a huge box of choccies for Lynn and a pint of 10 year old Scotch diesel for me, ahem. Welcome Mr & Mrs T!
Lynn had to go to work, so retired earlyish, and we fell into bed at 0345. Hic.
Up and breakfasted by 9, we returned to the boat, lit it all up, had a safety briefing (for the Forum Police record), jackets on and headed into the huge tide of 3.5kts.
We rolled out the genny, going dead downwind with up to 30 kts of breeze up the chuff. A very creditable 8.82kts recorded on the log, averaging 7.5kts right out to the Ray Sand. A bit twisty with the wave motion, but less wave height than I expected.
At this point, the echo sounder head failed. Another triumph of Navman 3100 LCD technology. That completes the set. Wind, Speed and Depth are now all wonky. So, a first for me, we crossed the Ray Sand with no depth info. As it was only 1.5 hours before HT, I knew we would be OK, as the keel was safely tucked up in FCs nether regions, so we only draw 1m.
Wouldn’t you know it, the wind went forward and down to F4 then, so we motor sailed the northerly bit. Then contacted sailorman and Magna Carter on the HH. All travelling OK.
Mr M Carter reported that sailorman (single handed) had come past him off Clacton with 1 reef in the main and full genny at 90MPH and 75 degrees of heel. A slight exaggeration.
Heard some chump calling Thames Coastguard for a tow off the Mersea Flats as he had managed to stick a deep keel boat on the putty on a rapidly falling tide while engaged on other things. Rising note of panic as the Coastguard kept calm, trying to take notes, and with the other hand scrambling the ILB out of Mersea to tow him off.
Our roving reporter, Vreny and the soon to be Mr Vreny were photographing Coast Road Mersea when the ILB crew came ploughing up the submerged road in a 4x4 to get to someone needing a tow off Mersea Flats. We on FC applied Warp Factor 10 to go to assist, reaching our customary 7.9kts under motor. How exciting!
Then came the disappointment – the boat, with some skill had managed to get itself off the putty using genoa pinned in, steering it round downwind and thrashing the poor donk. It is believed that this may have been a forumite, who has since put the Coastguard telephone number in his phone, allegedly.
Arrived at St Peters point and saw Magna Carter motor sailing against the ebbing tide. Flat out doing 2.8kts. We throttled back off the plane and joined them in the leisurely last leg into Mersea. We all moored in Salcott Creek, the sun came out, and we converged on FC for really well deserved few beers/wines/lemonades before heading to West Mersea YC for a chotapeg before going to the Coast Inn. Mrs Full Circle and Vreny went off into a corner to plan visits to wedding exhibitions, while we were wondering what happened to Squidge & Family. No show apparently, which was a shame as we would be charged full bifta for their pre ordered meal. The assembled party shrugged – c’est la vie! A good show of character I thought.
Toddled along to the Coast Inn, got shown to our table – and there was the Squidge Family, waiting there, wondering where the rest of us had got to! Had a really good meal, will go back anytime.
During the meal, the famous Forum Pig came out, see photos, and it was revealed that it was I, Full Circle, who had purchased Trevera25s ? on ebay last week and I had been stringing him along with a series of emails to wind him up. Oh, how we laughed!
Health Warning!!!!!
There are no commercial opportunities to purchase fags or cigars on the West Mersea front. Much panic amongst the gaspers in the party when they realised how perilously low they had allowed their stock to deteriorate.
Anyway, with much bonhomie, we all got in our dinghies and travelled the mile or so back down the creek to our moorings. Mr Magna C knocked on the hull early as he had been despatched to get fags on Sunday morning. I mean, how hard can it be to find a Newsagents? He returned a wiser and sadder man about 40 minutes later, result – no fags!
We all left Mersea and had a lovely sail, but the winfd went Southerly just as I turned South onto Dengie. It is probably the last time we will see Magna Carter, and I waved a quick goodbye. So we motor sailed all the way until we turn West again to go into the Crouch.
We had a really good sail in F5 SW, just cracked off and hitting 7.5 kts average. Trevera25 at the helm, and for a first time, doing very well indeed. As he said, we gybed round at Bridgemarsh, Island as the tide would be turning in a few minutes, and then took the first off the ebb back 3 miles to our mooring. Mr T took the instructions very well and neatly split wind and tide elements to put us right onto the mooring buoy first time. He was chuffed. Couple of beers in Royal Corinthian, and the weekend was laid to rest.
Brilliant weekend, thanks for all the company, sparkling wit and repartee.

 

[squidge]

Re: Post Mortem

Hi All , Thanks Jim for organising a great evening we enjoyed good food(huge helpings) and great company. It was fun putting faces to names and hearing the tales of windy woe. Then again if i had sailed round i would have got out of a day of back breaking digging in the garden on Sunday,nowonder i am happy aboard a boat!

PS Nice try but sorry dont want a Seal 22 ! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

best regards

 

[sailorman]

Vrenny`s Photos Re: Laying Down Supper - End of Season Meeting

 

[Sixpence]

Vrenny`s Photos Re: Laying Down Supper - End of Season Meeting

Much clearer than looking at these on the camera , any chance of other pics showing a normal tide because that canoeist would be on the road normally

 

[sailorman]

Re: Vrenny`s Photos Re: Laying Down Supper - End of Season Meeting

the middle photo shows the car park that is to the left of the road /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Sixpence]

Re: Vrenny`s Photos Re: Laying Down Supper - End of Season Meeting

where Jim DIDN'T want to leave his car

 

[sailorman]

Re: Vrenny`s Photos Re: Laying Down Supper - End of Season Meeting

Cant think Why /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Sixpence]

Re: Vrenny`s Photos Re: Laying Down Supper - End of Season Meeting

Maybe he didn't want to flood the engine /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[flyingjunior]

Re: Vrenny`s Photos Re: Laying Down Supper - End of Season Meeting

Apolgies to all for not making it has that weekend was rushing about due to last minute delivery to greece (storm bound near finisterre at mo) and my none boaty bro who lives in milton kynes wantd to see me before he flew out to oz on this sat.
Will have to have another p***s up sorry I mean drink or 5 in the nelly or the steamboat on one of their live music nights soon, and maybe next season I will get to impress neil with my far from perfect tiller helming thats if work hasnt led me else where !!!!

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Re: Vrenny`s Photos Re: Laying Down Supper - End of Season Meeting

The piss up sounds promising, but i'm afraid you've missed the opportunity to take Maggie's tiller. She has been sold, and final payment taken today. Her replacement will have a wheel.... so you'll have to settle for showing me your 'far from perfect helming' with that instead... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif