Who remembers.......

[Serin]

I believe that William Dampier's (d 1715) sailing directions were still part of the admiralty instructions until the 1920s or more.

I don't know when they date from, but one phrase from the Admiralty sailing directions issued to my father when he was minesweeping in the Adriatic during the war has entered our common family vocabulary.

In extremis and if all else fails (as when the Bora comes sweeping in) the only wise course of action is: Run under bare poles for Manfredonia.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Well, in 1954 Brixham and Dartmouth used cans and cones. Approaching Peter Port was a matter of looking out for poles with all sorts of different shapes on top, and checking them against the picture on the chart. The French coast was something else - bell buoys and whistle buoys off-shore; variously shaped stone beacons, each with its own pattern of stripes and colours, with (again) relevant pictures on the chart. And lots of poles marking tidal channels.

And on the chart, lovely black and white sky-line sketches showing the approach aspects and key landmarks - church spires, day beacons, chimneys, prominent building, isolated tree. For some pilotage channels, sketches of key rock formations with leading marks in the background.

For three years after that I was completely un-aware of any systemic channel marking arrangements which applied to all Channels ports. Each area seemed to do its own thing. You just had to learn the map pictures . . . and the sky lines. And if it was poor vis, listen for the sound buoys when making your +/- 10nm landfall on the Brittany coast . . . or stand off until the fog lifted or night fell and the lighthouses switched on.

 

[Seajet]

I don't know when they date from, but one phrase from the Admiralty sailing directions issued to my father when he was minesweeping in the Adriatic during the war has entered our common family vocabulary.

In extremis and if all else fails (as when the Bora comes sweeping in) the only wise course of action is: Run under bare poles for Manfredonia.

I feel the same about Crawley !

However let's remember day shapes like ' cans to port, cones to starboard - when entering port - were invented for just the sun glare problems described here, ' I can't tell what colour it is but going by the shape I'm on the wrong bloody side of it ' .

 

[AndrewB]

I've still got B&W charts in fathoms and feet!

OK, so you were sailing in the USA this year, no need to boast.

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

I remember using ration books.

O.K. Journey into Space, Lemmie Mitch' an Doc' then,


S.

 

[LadyInBed]

OK, so you were sailing in the USA this year, no need to boast.

I wish! Just a dull and damp bit of Spain

 

[Daydream believer]

Queueing up outside the telephone box in Calais to tell anxious parents that one hadn't got lost in the Atlantic.
My calls were made from the post office in Ostend

Racing around ships laid up in the Blackwater
I seem to recall about 14 at one time but the worse was the Evangelistria moored on SSc's start line. there was another a little towards Osea but i forget its name
Now we race around Radio Caroline but there were a couple of ships in the Blackwater only a few years ago

Waiting for port entry signals
Same in Ostend with the added bonus that the bloke on the pierhead did his own thing whilst the port control did theirs-- leading to ferries reversing out whilst we sailed in.. Have not seen many ferries with rudders in their bows these days either

Drying cotton sails in the sail shed
Hand-starting a diesel
hand starting a Stuart Turner P4MC was harder

Rope-soled canvas shoes
used to last half a season

Winches without self-tailers (though I believe there are still some around in museums).
Still got a pair of Viking bottom action ones in the garage for old times sake

& finally- You forgot plotting a fix with the DF set( still got my one )& homing in on the Toungue LV when one was aiming for the Longsand Head

I

 

[Daydream believer]

What about all the light vessels in the Thames estuary?
I have an old Stanfords chart ( will come in useful even if I never need it) that shows more than a dozen

I also recall when Fisherman's Gat was borne-- Started life as a little dip in the Longsands-- & if you missed it whilst trying to be clever & cut the corner then you were in trouble

 

[capnsensible]

Thanks for the memories everyone!