Scuttlebutt Solent to Poole Cruise - Spring 2013

[Seajet]

'Club' being the key word. That club is a legal entity and carries insurance. We're just a bunch of people on a web forum, and I doubt that IPC would want to underwrite any claim made against the 'organisers' of any event organised on it.

Organising restaurants is less risky, but I've not been to Poole before didn't bother. Colhel lashed up a great night out in the end though. ;-)

Russell,

good luck trying to claim against any club, if something goes wrong on a boat, novice cruise, rally or not it has to come down to the individual skipper - as far as I know there's not usually someone holding a gun to their head or saying ' you MUST come along or else ' !

Organised races are a different matter, if a serious race it is wise to check insurance.

I checked my insurance - Haven - re occasional casual cruiser races and it was OK, but if something had happened racing around Alderney in a F8 they would have been justified to raise eyebrows.

I think you are worrying too much about the legal side; if true novices are involved someone has to give a bit of assistance / guidance and dare I say it leadership, that doesn't mean bullying people to go along, it must be emphasized that's their choice with no micky taking if they decide no.

 

[PhillM]

Lets keep this in perspecive chaps. All that happend is a couple of years ago I said, "I'm off to Poole". Ru$$ell said "can I come too" and I said "sure anyone who wants to can". Ru$$ell started a thread and we all shared our ideas, plans etc.


After a successful trip (that I missed) Ru$$ell said "I'm off to Poole".... and so it began again.

No organisiation, no club, no rally, no rules, no duty of care and nobody can sue anyone for anything.

I think there is a very good chance that I will say "I'm off to Poole" about November time. Anyone who wants to come will be welcome. I will even make a spotters guide so we can all keep in touch if we want to.

 

[Seajet]

Pete,

briefings - call them casual info swap chats if you like - work well for a lot of people.

I'd already organised East Cowes, Lymington and Poole for evening berths, all 3 were remarkably helpful and flexible, that's the easy bit !

True novices will probably require a bit more, and if everyone can be given correct info all in one go leaving plenty of time to decide / prepare all the better.

 

[Ru88ell]

"I'm off to Poole" about November time. Anyone who wants to come will be welcome. I will even make a spotters guide so we can all keep in touch if we want to.

That's probably the best way to keep it. It does get a bit disconcerting when people keep asking what to do, when to do it, etc. How would I know? I live over 100 miles away in the Black Country; we only do canal trips up here.

 

[Seajet]

That's probably the best way to keep it. It does get a bit disconcerting when people keep asking what to do, when to do it, etc. How would I know? I live over 100 miles away in the Black Country; we only do canal trips up here.

If you know the trip, as you've now done it once, you could give info on tides, tidal gates etc, and conditions are available from afar via forecasts and webcams; no need to legally incriminate yourself, just outline the points to consider.

Incidentally I've never been on the British canals, fancy it for a look but my girlfriend and folks don't; I worked for a season on a 38m barge on the French canals but that's hardly the same, I'd like to see some of our Industrial Revolution stuff - actually I think it should be restored and getting some lethal freight lorries off the roads.

 

[lenseman]

. . . . . Incidentally I've never been on the British canals, fancy it for a look but my girlfriend and folks don't . . . . . . .

You have to be very careful on the canals! You have to get the tides just right and preferably only try it during neaps otherwise the currents might be too strong!



.

 

[Seajet]

You have to be very careful on the canals! You have to get the tides just right and preferably only try it during neaps otherwise the currents might be too strong!
.

Lenseman,

yes I found that in Burgundy; the tide went out if the farmers were too greedy ( as usual ) with their 4" bore suction irrigation pumps out of the Burgundy canal leaving us mere waterborne folk with little to float on.

Our barge had 33 turns of the wheel lock to lock to give mechanical advantage throught the silt...

On the UK canals I fancy the Kennet & Avon as I know and love the area, but it might still require a shotgun or torpedos to see off the trippers...

Sorry for the thread drift; who's up for a rally to Poole later this season or next year, or any other suggestions apart from Cherbourg which is not really worth the effort especially at the moment; Fecamp, suits the prevailing SW better anyway and is more interesting, round the Isle of Wight casually, suggestions ???

 

[Ru88ell]

Sorry for the thread drift; who's up for a rally to Poole later this season or next year, or any other suggestions ....

I'm doing Northney to Portsmouth, then St Malo, then Larmour Baden in the Mor Bihan starting this Saturday.

 

[Seajet]

I'm doing Northney to Portsmouth, then St Malo, then Larmour Baden in the Mor Bihan starting this Saturday.

Russell,

I hope you take advantage of the tide and stop as required through the Channel Isles, Havelet Bay at Guernsey is handy tide wise but personally Braye gives me the willies, partly the rocks and tides but also knowing what happened there and what's in the breakwater.

The general rule is ' down the swinge, up the race ' but beware the rocks awash in the Swinge requiring doglegs in the course, easily spotted by transit bearings given in the pilot books.

St Malo is great, just be sure of the bearing on whichever entrance you choose, check compass; once in ' Les Voyageurs ' is a very nice pub, obviously a tourist trap but forgiveable as it's a classsic building with decoration to suit and one may well meet a lot of interesting people there, I dimly remember meeting Dutch sailors and Danish merchant sailors, it was quite an evening / morning !

The loos may not be all one would wish for though, have a Plan B handy.

Have fun and take a camera for the town walls and architecture.

 

[Giblets]

Andy, I think Ru88ell's Plan B is actually his Plan A i.e. taking the ferry from Pompy to St Malo!

 

[Seajet]

Andy, I think Ru88ell's Plan B is actually his Plan A i.e. taking the ferry from Pompy to St Malo!

Bah !

Some people just have to take the easy intelligent route !

Andy

 

[Chrissie]

How about the Channel Isles for a meet up in the summer? Im going and it would be great if there were other formulites there, though I tend to anchor more than marina, and Im glad to know that my tiller wont break on the next trip, as luckily it already did in Poole Bay, so now I can make sure I have a new one for the summer!

 

[prv]

How about the Channel Isles for a meet up in the summer?

I'd love to take Ariam over there - I've never been in a yacht, only a brief stop into Braye in TS Pelican. It'll be the usual problem of coordinating everybody's leave dates, freelance work opportunities, weather, etc though, and I doubt I'll be able to spare the sort of time that you seem to . So I'd like to stay informed, but definitely can't commit to anything at this point.

On the other hand, perhaps a definite date rather than a vague intention will be better at kickstarting plans.

I almost always anchored rather than go into marinas in Kindred Spirit. I wouldn't trust Ariam's existing gear (undersized knockoff Bruce and badly rusted chain) but hopefully will have replaced it by then.

Pete

 

[Seajet]

How about the Channel Isles for a meet up in the summer? Im going and it would be great if there were other formulites there, though I tend to anchor more than marina, and Im glad to know that my tiller wont break on the next trip, as luckily it already did in Poole Bay, so now I can make sure I have a new one for the summer!

I'd love to come - if I'm fit - my boat is however ashore for this season.

Personally Aldernery puts the willies up me for several reasons, I'd vote for getting West to Studland then across to Guernsey St Peter Port ( I've found this worked a few times ) if I can cadge a ride with someone.

The route back from there often makes for a glorious beam reach to Salcombe and the West Country to Falmouth / Helford then back along the South Coast, if people want to make it into a real holiday cruise.

 

[Simondjuk]

Here's a date. We're heading off La Rochelle bound on the weekend of 13/14 July. A stop in the Channel Islands is likely.

 

[Seajet]

I'd love to take Ariam over there - I've never been in a yacht, only a brief stop into Braye in TS Pelican. It'll be the usual problem of coordinating everybody's leave dates, freelance work opportunities, weather, etc though, and I doubt I'll be able to spare the sort of time that you seem to . So I'd like to stay informed, but definitely can't commit to anything at this point.

On the other hand, perhaps a definite date rather than a vague intention will be better at kickstarting plans.

I almost always anchored rather than go into marinas in Kindred Spirit. I wouldn't trust Ariam's existing gear (undersized knockoff Bruce and badly rusted chain) but hopefully will have replaced it by then.

Pete

Pete,

you're obviously very right in wanting decent ground tackle but I've only ever anchored a couple of times in the Channel Islands, once in St Catherines' Jersey and once temporarily in Havelet Bay, Guernsey; the large tidal range is a bit of a worry for the best laid anchor as one gets the bus away...

I was once in the Albion pub in St Peter Port, very tired, when I suddenly realised I'd tied the inflatable tender too low for the flood tide, we rushed back to find the knot 6' under diesel covered water.

A local boy was watching and said " you really screwed that one up didn't you ?! "

I won't repeat the instructions I gave him but they were quite clear and unmistakeable.

 

[BlueSkyNick]

This is all reminiscent of the Scuttlebutt to Cherbourg trip. The late Tome had problems with another forumite telling him how to organise it.

All that is organised is a meal at a restaurant. How people get there, when and who with is entirely up to them - some very experienced sailors have taken the cross channel ferry!

As soon as you start giving advice, or setting a schedule, the whole thing loses its attraction.

 

[Chrissie]

I shall have a look at those dates for tides, but they sound good, before the main school holidays so not too crouded, It might even be warm this year! last year we had very strong winds mid July, oh and it was cold and wet.

So should we start a new thread?

 

[Seajet]

This is all reminiscent of the Scuttlebutt to Cherbourg trip. The late Tome had problems with another forumite telling him how to organise it.

All that is organised is a meal at a restaurant. How people get there, when and who with is entirely up to them - some very experienced sailors have taken the cross channel ferry!

As soon as you start giving advice, or setting a schedule, the whole thing loses its attraction.

moodynick,

I thought we'd already binned the idea of a schedule for any trip anywhere.

The Poole trip was designed with relative novices in mind; a cross channel venture assumes a little experience but people going across for the first time are often glad of others crossing at the same time.

Kicking ideas around is not ' trying to tell how to organise it '.

 

[Simondjuk]

Without diminishing all the effort put in by Phill, Russell and others, for which we're all appreciative, simply saying 'I'm heading to wherever on whenever if anyone wants to tag along.' is sufficient to kick off a sail in company and/or meet up.

For example, our dates for heading off are fairly firmly determined by the three weeks we have off work, but if others want to sail with us, that's cool. If smaller, we'll sail slower to keep in company. If less experienced, we'll offer as much guidance as is requested. What we can't do is modify our dates heavily to accommodate all eventualities of conditions being suited to all crews and boats. Irrespective of that, there's no need to organise much at all. Either come along or don't, simple as that.