what your Favorite bit of boating

[powerskipper]

I mean the ones that just make you grin widely.

I have a few,

First time I put the absolute 45 into a high speed turn.

when I parked a Flemming type 64FT into a 65FT foot gap.

when I put an old windy 33 into a turn at 38 knots and she came out of the turn at 38 knots and felt as steady as a rock.

Reversing a sealine 34 down tide, down a narrow gap, and into an angled berth, with out so much as a swing wrong.

polishing a boat till you slid off the cabin roof while trying to rub off the last layer of wax.


cooking a meal on a boat that turns out yummy and looks good.



What are yours.?

 

[rosssavage]

Waiting to take a friends F43 into St Kats during high winds and a ripping tide. The boats already in the lock were faffing about royally and getting it all sideways and backwards, much to the amusement of the growing crowd.

I'd never helmed a boat as big as the F43 before and had a full complement of guests on board. Cue perfect coss tide / cross wind crabbed entry into the lock, gliding to a stop alongside the appropriate bollards for the crew to simply drop lines over. One of our passengers asked where I'd been trained to drive a boat so effortlessly compared to the other boats in the lock. Smug reply.. "I wasn't..."

Ok, luck played a part, but it was nice to be thought of as competent for a change...

 

[volvopaul]

I tend to find the bigger boats far easier to handle in a subnormal situation.

Every time out on a boat is a great feeling, the weather makes boating in this country, when its bad it isnt that much fun in my opinion.

 

[imac8]

I don't have many experiences to call upon but berthing my single engined S23 stern too perfectly for the first time reading the elements that were previously causing me problems was pretty satisfying.

 

[MapisM]

I mean the ones that just make you grin widely.

Without a single doubt, holding the wheel of a 23' air entrapment catamaran (with a racer friend of mine throttling) from 50mph all the way into 3 digits speeds.
It doesn't even take a turn to make you grin widely, just trying to keep the beast on a straight line is more than enough.

 

[onlyme]

I will let you know when our new boat arrives at the end of January!

Really sad when our yacht was sold as she was everything I ever wanted but my wife didn't enjoy the sailing experience. So to ensure domestic peace, we sold the yacht at the start of October and ordered a new Bavaria Sport 34 with D4-260's.

As you can guess we are hugely excited.

 

[rosssavage]

I tend to find the bigger boats far easier to handle in a subnormal situation.

Absolutely agree, but it was the biggest (read most £££!) I'd driven to date, it wasn't mine, I was entertaining her (the owners..) friends, everyone around me was falling foul of the weather and I had an audience.

No pressure then...

Just felt very satisfied when it came together.

 

[taormina]

A sunset passage from west mersea to levington on the orwell, sun going down on the stern, boat in canopies down mode, with friends, arriving in levington at dusk, fantastic, leaving levington early in the morning, creeping out in the early morning mist, (ladies still in bed!) and a glorious sunny day up in ipswich, heaven!

Arriving at any marina, finding your berth and parking up perfectly! well sometimes...

cooking and entertaining on board, anywhere !

 

[rubberduck]

My eldest son was taught how to do hi speed turns on his PB 2 course, & now loves going around in high speed circles on our Absolute. SWMBO's not so sure though, & neither is Gizmo.

 

[Galia]

Even after two full seasons of boat ownership with all of the ups and downs it entails - Just walking around the side of my house and seeing the boat sitting on the trailer just breaks me out in a huge grin !

 

[Elessar]

Reversing a sealine 34 down tide, down a narrow gap, and into an angled berth, with out so much as a swing wrong.

I was there! Made me grin to watch you do it

 

[oGaryo]

getting to B

 

[rbcoomer]

Even after two full seasons of boat ownership with all of the ups and downs it entails - Just walking around the side of my house and seeing the boat sitting on the trailer just breaks me out in a huge grin !

+1

Even though latest boat is stripped out. I don't think faces will be wide enough for the grins when she finally goes in the water!

 

[trouty12]

Arriving at any new port. When the engines are switched off and the beer opened its just a great feeling!

 

[saskia]

has to be the ferry glide: one night in a sudden spate on the Saone - half a metre each end and two anxious owners watching. Felt good to get that one right. Probably thanks to a good dinner! Another on the Yonne - blue ensign type looking worried. And last year on the Rhine in flood, turning into the port in Strasbourg - that was a wild ride! You deep sea peeps shouldn 't underestimate the rivers and canals..............

 

[timgriffin]

Playing on my pwc rib and mobo
Playing on my kayak
Seeing the smile on a clients face when they get it right.
Tim

 

[oceanfroggie]

My personal favourite is waking up swinging on the anchor in some beauty spot as far away from soulless caravan park marinas as possible. Peace & quiet.

One nice memory is of our then 10yo son mooring our former 42 flybridge boat in the tiny old stone fort harbour of Garrykennedy flawlessly, much to the curiosity and angst of a large group of onlookers enjoying a CIC BBQ.

 

[Searush]

This bit;

Sitting in the cockpit, drink in hand, good company & remembering the day's events (good & bad, cos the bad stuff always gets a laugh)

 

[thomshap]

Best boating experience, I'm not sharing on here!!

Second best, my old Stealth beach cat, both out on the trapeze screaming along at 25kts.

Third, every time I drop my RIB in the water, makes me smile more than any other boat I've owned.

 

[maybh1]

getting to B

I leave getting to B to Mr S - my favourite bit is opening the bubbly when we arrive

May
xx