Divemaster1
Well-known member
Just back from last weeks bobbing around in the Solent on a 43’ twin-screw Sea School boat…. Great fun…
Summary of the week:
Sunday Night
Arrived, but boat not on berth, harbour office kindly pointed to her temporary mooring during dredging. Go onboard and banged around a couple of times, whilst looking for light switches etc…. (Who designs these things anyway ??, with logic locations for switches such as in the ceiling).
Monday
Grey day, but not too much wing. Marina facilities great and rest of the crew + instructor came on board. Went through the boat with the others for safety brief and going through emergency equipment + engine checks (starboard primary fuel filter did not drain, but instructor said “that’s OK”. Spent afternoon doing MOB throwing “Ethel” overboard several times (She was white, full of air, with a rope attached to a 5l water container, so no person was injured during these exercises). Blind Nav., on return journey, which I could have done better. (Got caught on hop, so did not have the foggiest idea where we were as we had not seen any charts yet...). Gentle hints from the instructor helped and location agreed and off we went to arrive approx 200 m off intended spot. Back to marina where the pub served an excellent and good value meal.
Tuesday
Short passage planning and off we went towards a point east of Cowes for anchoring practice (Day Skipper candidate onboard). Had agreed with instructor that I should simulate engine failure allowing him to pin point our location at approx half way. (Ethel got thrown overboard again and recovered safely). Half way to location we did get a drop of power….. Yup !! SB engine really stopped. Checked for rope in props etc., but nothing there. Managed, with some gentle persuasion (Banging on the SB primary fuel filter), to get it to start draining, just to recover approx 1l of water… (Strange these Swedish built engines just do not run very well on that stuff). Instructor head down in engine room venting LP fuel supply side of SB engine for a while whilst we slowly bobbed our way towards location on Port engine (following revised passage plan). Half an hour later the instructor arrived on deck looking flustered, but confident on success. Re-start SB engine and off we went at cruising speed of 22K again. Anchored up, pin pointed location and Blind Nav. To entrance buoy outside Cowes… got us within 50m of the intended red can on Port side, so well chuffed with that one. More Pontoon Bashing in Cowes, then head for “home”. Meal and amber liquid followed (as now had been instilled as routine onboard).
Wednesday
Proper full engine checks and short passages to Portsmouth and Cowes (Ethel got thrown overboard a couple of times again for good measure) for more pontoon bashing, buoy anchoring and boat handling, tight quarter manoeuvre and reverse up channel against tide and wind, followed by an eventless 1 hr evening round trip, for night Nav. (….After close inspection of primary fuel filters that was ….. the instructor appeared reluctant to have a repeat of Tuesdays events during a night passage…. strange that…)
Thursday
Close quarter stuff and Day Skipper candidate passed by mid day. Spent the afternoon pirouetting round poles for alernate stern / bow to mooring 10 x in and 10 x out in a quiet marina …. (Could be an excellent agility and control competition) great fun!! Single engine manoeuvres and then accepted as passing the course…
Left the boat with a positive feedback form lying onboard and a list of the few things that could be better, but overall rating was excellent.
BA let me down on the Friday with a cancelled flight, so had to do a long detour by Taxi (BA paid) to Gatwick to pick up onee of the last flights to ABZ, so was late Friday PM when I got home…
This was a couple days of great fun, and I will probably go for the Yacht master as the instructor recommended … not that I need it, but just for fun and having done it.…
<hr width=100% size=1>Alf
Summary of the week:
Sunday Night
Arrived, but boat not on berth, harbour office kindly pointed to her temporary mooring during dredging. Go onboard and banged around a couple of times, whilst looking for light switches etc…. (Who designs these things anyway ??, with logic locations for switches such as in the ceiling).
Monday
Grey day, but not too much wing. Marina facilities great and rest of the crew + instructor came on board. Went through the boat with the others for safety brief and going through emergency equipment + engine checks (starboard primary fuel filter did not drain, but instructor said “that’s OK”. Spent afternoon doing MOB throwing “Ethel” overboard several times (She was white, full of air, with a rope attached to a 5l water container, so no person was injured during these exercises). Blind Nav., on return journey, which I could have done better. (Got caught on hop, so did not have the foggiest idea where we were as we had not seen any charts yet...). Gentle hints from the instructor helped and location agreed and off we went to arrive approx 200 m off intended spot. Back to marina where the pub served an excellent and good value meal.
Tuesday
Short passage planning and off we went towards a point east of Cowes for anchoring practice (Day Skipper candidate onboard). Had agreed with instructor that I should simulate engine failure allowing him to pin point our location at approx half way. (Ethel got thrown overboard again and recovered safely). Half way to location we did get a drop of power….. Yup !! SB engine really stopped. Checked for rope in props etc., but nothing there. Managed, with some gentle persuasion (Banging on the SB primary fuel filter), to get it to start draining, just to recover approx 1l of water… (Strange these Swedish built engines just do not run very well on that stuff). Instructor head down in engine room venting LP fuel supply side of SB engine for a while whilst we slowly bobbed our way towards location on Port engine (following revised passage plan). Half an hour later the instructor arrived on deck looking flustered, but confident on success. Re-start SB engine and off we went at cruising speed of 22K again. Anchored up, pin pointed location and Blind Nav. To entrance buoy outside Cowes… got us within 50m of the intended red can on Port side, so well chuffed with that one. More Pontoon Bashing in Cowes, then head for “home”. Meal and amber liquid followed (as now had been instilled as routine onboard).
Wednesday
Proper full engine checks and short passages to Portsmouth and Cowes (Ethel got thrown overboard a couple of times again for good measure) for more pontoon bashing, buoy anchoring and boat handling, tight quarter manoeuvre and reverse up channel against tide and wind, followed by an eventless 1 hr evening round trip, for night Nav. (….After close inspection of primary fuel filters that was ….. the instructor appeared reluctant to have a repeat of Tuesdays events during a night passage…. strange that…)
Thursday
Close quarter stuff and Day Skipper candidate passed by mid day. Spent the afternoon pirouetting round poles for alernate stern / bow to mooring 10 x in and 10 x out in a quiet marina …. (Could be an excellent agility and control competition) great fun!! Single engine manoeuvres and then accepted as passing the course…
Left the boat with a positive feedback form lying onboard and a list of the few things that could be better, but overall rating was excellent.
BA let me down on the Friday with a cancelled flight, so had to do a long detour by Taxi (BA paid) to Gatwick to pick up onee of the last flights to ABZ, so was late Friday PM when I got home…
This was a couple days of great fun, and I will probably go for the Yacht master as the instructor recommended … not that I need it, but just for fun and having done it.…
<hr width=100% size=1>Alf
