The laugh was on us

[cloudnine]

So there we were, last Saturday, mid channel, south east of Bembridge, laughingly "racing" in the RORC to St Helier in our Najad 390 trying to qualify the boat for this years Fastnet (it's a been there, done that thing!!) when we hear
"Securite, Securite etc Warship Westminster reading off 4 sets of 2 & 3 degree 2 decimal 2 minutes lat & longs of the "live firing zone" they were about to bombard with their new high tech 4.5" diameter long range, super accurate, sail seeking, shells.
"Did you make a note of that Skip" says I,
"Yeah, yeah" says he "nowhere near where we 're going"!!! I knew damn well paper hadn't come anywhere near pencil, and placed my faith in a super human memory and an intimate knowledge of the Channel passage planning chart.
At the time we "thought" we were going to St Helier, BUT given a vicious easterly tide and an F6 gusting 7 sou' westerly, there was no way we were going to make St Helier by Tuesday, let alone before the bar closed, 2 of the 4 crew were already a little - shall we say - queazy!!!
A quick (and enthusiastic) crew discussion decided a "holiday" in Honfleur far more tenable and enjoyable, so the course was set and off we went.
After about an hour, "BOOM"!
"Oh S**t" says I "we've hit something" although consciuosly aware I could feel no vibration through the hull".
"No we haven't" says the crew, "that was a cannon"!!!
"Are you sure you made a note of the co-ordinates???" says I,
Skip says (again) "yeah, yeah, we're miles away"
About 1 minute later, we hear another "BOOM" only this time I see a 20ft spume of water about 500 yards off the port quarter.
"bl**dy hell", says I, "that was a shell"!!!
Skip on radio,
"Warship Westminster, Warship Westminster, this is Yacht Talulah, Yacht Talulah, PLEASE confirm the co-ordinates of your firing zone!!!!!!!!!!!"
The reply came back
"Yacht Talulah, Yacht Talulah, etc, we have just fired our last round"
About 20 minutes later there was Warship Westminster on our bow making a turn to port and passing about 200 yards parallel to us heading north.
Do you know, I swear I saw the whole ship's company lined up along the rail with a combined grin that stretched from bow to stern!!!
Nice one lads, we deserved it!
/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Doesn't the warship Westminster have radar and a firing safety instruction?
I can hardly believe this has really happened but if so, it was very dangerous.

 

[cloudnine]

Of course they do!! They also have guns that are extremely accurate and people who know what they are doing.
I doubt if the Captain or the Navy would ever admit to it but, trust me, it happened, and we saw the funny side of it. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
On a more serious note, it was definitely one for the "Lessons Learned Log"

 

[Twister_Ken]

I've heard of popping ove to France for a beer, a bistro and a bang, but that's taking things too literally.

 

[Peppermint]

Re: Now your assuming your in the wrong

Some years ago, and widely reported in the press, an old boy was out of Portland doing a bit of fishing. Sploosh Sploosh and he's been stradled by a pair of practice rounds fired from a German warship 22 miles away. When he vented his spleen at HM coastguard they told him that no firing was taking place in his area.

It turned out that the warship had fired on a reciprocal bearing from the target.

 

[ParaHandy]

geroffit ... wuz no shrapnel damage i could see when you passed me .... !!

 

[john_morris_uk]

They might have guns that are extremely accurate - but if the CO of Westminster knew that he had fired a shell that landed anywhere near you he would not be a happy bunny! Can you pm me with an exact time and your position?

 

[landaftaf]

did you have a radar reflector up - 'safety blind' would be looking in his magic machine for seagulls so should have seen you if you had

 

[Talbot]

suspect that your 500 yds was at least 1000yds, to one side of the line of fire, and that would have put it outside the safety trace anyway!

 

[pragmatist]

Fortunately when we were fired at by a cannon both exiting Dartmouth and returning on Monday, they appeared to be blanks being used by some historic re-enactment lot up by the castle. However you try telling the dog they were merely blanks - she was NOT impressed !

 

[Fill]

If this is the same Talulah that was having a very large piece of stainless steel pipe that looked suspiciously like a cannon fitted on the bows, I'm not surprised they fired at you! Just amazed you didn't fire back /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Guest]

Plymouth College

Cadet Sailing ship - Tectona ......

Back in mid 70's when I was cadet on Tectona - I was helmsman and we were swinging compass of a rock on SW coast .... skipper then - can't remember name - but he remarked that the potholes and blisters you could see on the rock - BIG rock - were from firings by RN etc. He assured us that there was to be no firing that day................. Whoosh KRUMP ! We sort of went about and skiddadled as fast as we could get the old tub going ....

 

[landaftaf]

did it shoot back ?

 

[cloudnine]

Hoped no-one had noticed!! Not needed at the time as Cruising chute not quite the right sail for the conditions at the time!! It was actually designed to fire cans of Fosters over half a mile to Asterie when he sends Pan Pan saying he's had to start on the Champagne.

 

[jimi]

If that happened to me I would'nt be laughing and I'd be getting hold of a full admiral and the Secretary of State for Defence for an explanation .. not good enough IMHO

 

[TheBoatman]

It seems to me that the Westminsters captain has come up with a 1/2 decent plan where racing boats are concerned /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[jimi]

full decent being to sink them?

 

[TheBoatman]

James
I can always rely on you to read my mind<s>