nicho
Well-known member
Thursday 13th February, it's time to move our new boat from Gosport to Hythe. After Jimi's and Twister Ken's help with the move to Gosport from Hayling Island, it was time for our first sail alone - just me and my first mate! (For those who don't know, this is our first sailing boat after years of motor cruisers).
High water is at 09.00, so decide to leave then, to give plenty of water in the Inner Swashway, and ensure we get a good push up the Solent. Start the engine at 08.45, fire up the electronics 'cos the forecast is for poor visability. No fix! The brand new chartplotter flatly refuses to find a satellite - no big deal, don't really need it, but put in a quick call to Raymarine. As it happens an engineer is working right now at Camper Nicholson's ("we've had a few do this......") - may as well get it repaired whilst we are here. Two hours later all is OK.
A F3/4 is pushing the boat (Bav 36) firmly onto our alongside pontoon mooring. Mmmm..... think back to last Septembers Southern Sailing School course, and how to 'spring off' in such a situation. OK, fix a bow spring - first mate on the bow, and power forward - brilliant, stern comes round 90 degrees - time to release the spring and motor backwards in to the wind - a doddle! Oh bugger!, the spring has jammed on the pontoon cleat, and refuses to release. Wind takes hold and we gently pivot back alongside - try to pretend we meant to do that.....
OK lets start again - rig new spring, and away we go - perfect this time. Motor astern between the two pontoons, helm to starboard and round she comes, in perfect line to escape between the hammerhead and the fuel berth. NO!!, a largish, tug like vessel is manoeuvering onto the fuel berth, and completely blocks our passage (!). Select neutral - I DON'T BELIEVE IT, now we are drifting sideways down between the pontoons from whence we came. Will the bow come round into the wind? No! - I know I should have specified a bowthruster. With much forward and astern she eventually comes round into the wind - much relief to see that our exit is now clear and we leave the marina with no further problems - it's absolutely freezing, so why am I sweating??. (and cursing Twister Ken for saying I was good at close quarter handling!)
Now lets think a minute, it's 2 and 1/2 hours past high water - quick mental calculation - should still be enough water in the Swashway? Should be, but still much relief to see a metre and a half still under the keel, but should have gone via the Monument transit to be sure - still too late now, we're at Gilkicker, but that was sloppy.
This is it, lets get the sails up - F3/4 now on the beam.... have to say, this in mast furling is SO easy. Start with all the mainsail, but leave some rolls in the genoa - it's fine. Don't want to scare the first mate on her first sail, but lets go for it - give it the lot, pull out the rest of the genoa!!. Fantastic, engine off - perfect peace, steady 5/6 knots. There's more speed to come, but we'll leave sail tuning for another day.....
Bugger it's cold, 2 degrees C, and a fair bit of wind chill. Funny, nobody else is out here! There's Browndown Buoy on port beam, making good progress towards the Power Station - hang on a minute, it's disappeared!!. Blimey, that looks like fog - switch on the radar overlay - well, the Power Station's still there, but hold on this isn't fog, it's SNOW!!! First mate's had enough, and goes below to fire up the Eberspacher - dont blame her - briefly tempted to leave it to the autopilot and join her!!. Three or four minutes later, and the snow's passed through, and with it the wind! Nothing, we're in the doldrums! Wait for a while, but nothing returns, so fire up the engine. Oh Gawd, NOW what, it won't go!! - curse V***O. Not panicking of course, but there's no wind and it's getting dark! A brief minute of 'thumb in bum and mind in neutral' to work things through - IDIOT!!, of course it won't go if you've left the 'stop' lever still pulled out - shove it home, and she fires instantly. Motor up Southampton Water - not done this for 18 months and it's just great.....
"Hythe marina, this is Prophecy"....... "Prophecy, this is Hythe, the lock gates are set, come on in.....and welcome home by the way"
We've just completed our first solo voyage - and it feels VERY good indeed!!
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High water is at 09.00, so decide to leave then, to give plenty of water in the Inner Swashway, and ensure we get a good push up the Solent. Start the engine at 08.45, fire up the electronics 'cos the forecast is for poor visability. No fix! The brand new chartplotter flatly refuses to find a satellite - no big deal, don't really need it, but put in a quick call to Raymarine. As it happens an engineer is working right now at Camper Nicholson's ("we've had a few do this......") - may as well get it repaired whilst we are here. Two hours later all is OK.
A F3/4 is pushing the boat (Bav 36) firmly onto our alongside pontoon mooring. Mmmm..... think back to last Septembers Southern Sailing School course, and how to 'spring off' in such a situation. OK, fix a bow spring - first mate on the bow, and power forward - brilliant, stern comes round 90 degrees - time to release the spring and motor backwards in to the wind - a doddle! Oh bugger!, the spring has jammed on the pontoon cleat, and refuses to release. Wind takes hold and we gently pivot back alongside - try to pretend we meant to do that.....
OK lets start again - rig new spring, and away we go - perfect this time. Motor astern between the two pontoons, helm to starboard and round she comes, in perfect line to escape between the hammerhead and the fuel berth. NO!!, a largish, tug like vessel is manoeuvering onto the fuel berth, and completely blocks our passage (!). Select neutral - I DON'T BELIEVE IT, now we are drifting sideways down between the pontoons from whence we came. Will the bow come round into the wind? No! - I know I should have specified a bowthruster. With much forward and astern she eventually comes round into the wind - much relief to see that our exit is now clear and we leave the marina with no further problems - it's absolutely freezing, so why am I sweating??. (and cursing Twister Ken for saying I was good at close quarter handling!)
Now lets think a minute, it's 2 and 1/2 hours past high water - quick mental calculation - should still be enough water in the Swashway? Should be, but still much relief to see a metre and a half still under the keel, but should have gone via the Monument transit to be sure - still too late now, we're at Gilkicker, but that was sloppy.
This is it, lets get the sails up - F3/4 now on the beam.... have to say, this in mast furling is SO easy. Start with all the mainsail, but leave some rolls in the genoa - it's fine. Don't want to scare the first mate on her first sail, but lets go for it - give it the lot, pull out the rest of the genoa!!. Fantastic, engine off - perfect peace, steady 5/6 knots. There's more speed to come, but we'll leave sail tuning for another day.....
Bugger it's cold, 2 degrees C, and a fair bit of wind chill. Funny, nobody else is out here! There's Browndown Buoy on port beam, making good progress towards the Power Station - hang on a minute, it's disappeared!!. Blimey, that looks like fog - switch on the radar overlay - well, the Power Station's still there, but hold on this isn't fog, it's SNOW!!! First mate's had enough, and goes below to fire up the Eberspacher - dont blame her - briefly tempted to leave it to the autopilot and join her!!. Three or four minutes later, and the snow's passed through, and with it the wind! Nothing, we're in the doldrums! Wait for a while, but nothing returns, so fire up the engine. Oh Gawd, NOW what, it won't go!! - curse V***O. Not panicking of course, but there's no wind and it's getting dark! A brief minute of 'thumb in bum and mind in neutral' to work things through - IDIOT!!, of course it won't go if you've left the 'stop' lever still pulled out - shove it home, and she fires instantly. Motor up Southampton Water - not done this for 18 months and it's just great.....
"Hythe marina, this is Prophecy"....... "Prophecy, this is Hythe, the lock gates are set, come on in.....and welcome home by the way"
We've just completed our first solo voyage - and it feels VERY good indeed!!
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