Return From The Deep

[hlb]

Returned from the deep to see what you lot has been up to.
Only a little trip this time cos believe it or not.
It was too bloody hot!!
Little trip round Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney. Then Dartmouth and Brixham and Torbay.
And guess what. Nothing broke!!
Mind you I did take it very slowly and two kettles fulls of water a day in the port engine kept the euphoria at bay.

Nick on the subject of window wipers.

As I said. The weather was wonderful, that was until we left Brixham to return to Plymouth. I knew it was going to be a bit rough and worse still if we left it for a day or two.

But can somebody design window wipers with big paddles on them, capable of dealing with three feet of green sea sitting on them for four or five waves at a time!!

Alternatively is it possible to fit a periscope to a Princess 35!!
I haven’t seen them in the army and navy stores or the chandlers.

See that the subjects have returned to cleaning again.
And Guess what. After spending fortunes on wonder cleaners to get rid of black marks, I’ve discovered the secret.
It’s th-wifes pan scrubber!! No not the Brillo pad. Those sponge’y things with a green plastic’y back that just scrub a bit without scratching. You don’t even have to scrub with them, just wipe the marks off !!
Well that’s put the chemical business out of work or at least a big dent in there profits.

Oh and can sombody enlighten me on the use of buoys.

I mean why are cardinal marks used when it should be a green or red channel marker or an isolated danger.

I've thought of it for years.

Lets say your going west up a river or channel
and you come across a cardinal mark telling you to go East.
What you supposed to do. Turn round and go home!!
I come across them all the time in silly places.
Ok you've got the chart (Hopefully and a pilot book too) So you can work out what it means, but its still noncense.







Haydn

 

[Guest]

Welcome back. Your name has only been taken in vain a little bit.

As I am now boatless I probably don't qualify for this forum any more so I will have to be polite in case someone gets me sent off.

Nick

 

[longjohnsilver]

Welcome back - good to know that the Channel Islands were hot - you won't have that problem back here!
The green scrubby type kitchen thingys are excellent, I've been using them for years. They are also very goood on the waterline if you have any weed growing and to clean the prop and for getting rid of the slime off the antifouling. I sometimes use my scuba gear but usually just wear my mask and can do the whole of the hull in about 30 minutes. It's much cheaper than a lift out and pressure clean!

 

[miket]

If you were going west up a river then you must have happened on an East cardinal, marking the eastern extremity of the obstruction, but it may only have been an itzy bitzy obstruction. I'm sure it didn't tell you to "turn around and go East". Just right hand down a bit!

 

[Guest]

Nope! I'm with HLB on this one. If you are proceeding West up a river and come across an East cardinal, it means clear water to the East which, in effect means clear water on your reciprocal course. I think you are right that it probably marks the Eastern extremity of the hazard but it could be positioned anywhere from the North to South bank of the river so how to avoid trouble and continue on a Westerly heading is problematic. Normally you would expect the clear channel to be marked as well, unless you just could not safely go further up said river.
Confused? Try it on a dark night in driving rain.

Nick

 

[hlb]

Thanks Nick.
You understand what I mean, I've come across loads of these situations.
Its ok if its in your own back yard or on lovely sunny days but as you say. In rain and fog, ina new place its bloody frightening. Suppose its ok on a ship with loads of crew and navigators but with you and th'wife on a fast flowing river.
Trying to sort this lot out whilst holding the boat from drifting into no mans land is not easy. Why not a green or red buoy!
I think sometimes they just run out and use the best they've got in the stock yard.

Haydn

 

[Guest]

The usual reason

for a cardinal amongst a load of laterals - is when a lateral would be confusing. When would it be confusing? If it is at a junction where the same buoy would be a different "hand" for each channel. There is just such a junction on the westward approach to our home port. If it were a lateral, the east cardinal would be a starboard hand buoy. But it would also have to be a port hand buoy for the other channel, which is not fully marked. So, confusing though it may be, it is less likely to lure poor sailors to their doom than a lateral mark would be. In fact, the danger (a spit) is more to the north west - not something the system allows for. However, I do not believe a cardinal would be used in the example given if the danger really did lie due west. The laterals always give the general "lie" of the channel.