WNS (What Now Skip) June

  • Thread starter Thread starter timbartlett
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The only sensible thing to do is call it off. Experience is a wonderful teacher and it's just going to work out badly. You know it, I know it. Even the WNS Skip knows it. And so in their hearts of hearts do all the crew. Third time lucky is just not a principle that works in the great game of matrimony.

As for the trip to the Scillies, mind, a quick vision of hell is probably what the groom needs. But I'd still not go for all the reasons above.
 
Tim,

Simple & best thing to do is to call off the planned journey! (alternatives needs to be offered up by others with local knowledge).

So many compeling reasons for cancelling, but here are my top five in no particular order;

1) Crew inexperienced and most likely incapable of aiding you or helping bring the boat (and themself) into safe haven if something should happen to you.
2) None of the others is likely to know VHF protocol, so cannot help there, and as such may not be able of requesting help.
3) Risk of damaging themself if pyrotechnics is needed
4) Inexperienced crew a lliability if you have to aid another vessel
5) Inexperienced crew a liability if you need aid from the RNLI

Probably loads of others as well, but as the main principles stand!! As the skipper your primary responsibility is your crew & vessels safety, not a popularity contest.... never mind that it will be un-comfortable (journey and anchoring), so you may loose friends and put them off boating for life.... (If that is good or bad you have to determine yourself).
 
MapisM said:
Democracy is a great thing, but not in these matters.
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Very wise words MapisM :)

Tim, MapisM's post highlights the easily made mistake of thinking everyone knows the UK, when in fact MBY is read internationally. Many non UK readers won't know much of Scilly (locals don't approve of "the Scillies", afaik?) or the navigation/weather issues. Nor will they know St Marys, and that it is very nice but the centre of its entertainment facilities (namely the Mermaid pub) while lovely is a pretty poor choice for a 3-day stag do (think fleshpot, only without the flesh :) )
 
Come on, we're talking a lad's weekend here which, by definition, involves doing stupid things and puking up so a rough trip and a bit of seasickness will just make the beer in St Marys taste better. The boat's a GB46 which is perfectly capable of plugging into the kind of big head sea caused by a strong W/SW wind. I would be thinking about motoring out to the Lizard and checking how big the sea actually was; if it was untenable, I'd plan on turning round and motoring back to the Helford River which should provide perfect shelter in a W/SW wind, picking up a buoy and spending 2 days in the pub. On the other hand, if sea conditions at the Lizard were bearable, then I'd chug on out to the Scillies reasoning that the sea conditions should calm down the nearer I got to the islands as they should provide some lee. As already stated by jhr, St Marys itself would be uncomfortable in a strong S/SW wind so Porth Cressa would be a better anchorage. I wouldn't be concerned too much about the return journey to Falmouth as the GB46 should be quite comfortable in a following sea although it would probably be hand steering rather than autopilot with a big keeled SD boat like the GB46
 
Deleted User said:
Come on, we're talking a lad's weekend here which, by definition, involves doing stupid things and puking up so a rough trip and a bit of seasickness will just make the beer in St Marys taste better. The boat's a GB46 which is perfectly capable of plugging into the kind of big head sea...
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Dunno about doing stupid things... After all, the mate already did two of them, with the third due soon! :D

On a more serious (though a bit drifting) note, re. the capacity of a GB46 to plug into a big head sea: that's actually an overrated myth, imho. Many GB46 are not stabilized (some are even fitted with the ridiculuos Bennet tabs), and rely on the capacity to cruise fast-ish to be reasonably stable. But at displacement speed, they do roll awfully.
On one occasion, I crossed the Kvarner Channel in Croatia together with a German GB46.
Some cross sea, not really bad, maybe 6-7', but with the short waves typical of that area.
Suffice to say that in the middle of the crossing, the GB46 helmsman called on 16 to ask if I could take onboard two of their crew members, who by that time had puked up everything but their souls.
We gave that a try, but decided it was too dangerous (you can guess what the rolling was like, with both boats stationary).
When moored in Mali Losinj, after a while the helmsman came with some beer to thank us for the effort.
We drank it while talking about stabilizers, he was indeed interested!
 
MapisM said:
... not knowing the places, I decided to step aside, awaiting to read some interesting "solutions".
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Good point, and I'm sorry. It's too late to put the genie back in the bottle, but this image (Thanks to Google Earth) might help. The route I've sketched on is just under 60 miles. The mainland extends north-eastwards from the north-east corner of the picture. There is no other land that is close enough to be of any practical significance to this scenario.

grumpy_o_g said:
If he's managed to keep a Grand Banks 46 despite two ex-wives he's my hero too...
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It's not the owner of the boat who is getting married for the third time, it's one of his mates. I do try to keep these things realistic, you know!!(;))
 
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timbartlett said:
Good point, and I'm sorry. It's too late to put the genie back in the bottle, but this image (Thanks to Google Earth) might help.
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Naah, don't worry, I actually understand that it wouldn't make sense in the context of this forum to locate the examples in the Med or elsewhere.

I took the opportunity to look at that small archipelago on GMaps, instead.
It looks like a very nice boating destination, with crystal clear waters!
Btw, why is our hero worried by "two nights on a bumpy mooring in the Scillies"?
The bay E of the ferry terminal in St.Mary looks very well sheltered from W-SW winds.
On second thought, maybe I'd give it a try.
After all, also for the mate, it can't be much worse than a 3rd marriage, can it? :D
 
It must be the worse WNS ever. Anyone thats ever been to the Scillies knows. It's not the place to go in bad weather, a F6 is like F10 off Lands End and theres no where really safe in St Mary's.

Go to Mr Newmans place, up the Fall, then maybe a few hours at the Pandora. Loads of stuff to do.

For Scillies it's far better to go down to Newlyn anyway, for cheap fuel, then just 35 miles across. It's about 65 miles from Falmouth to Scillies and fuel in the Scillies is not a reasonable option. I've done Scillies to Falmouth a time or two, but could always have diverted to Newlyn if need be. So really you need enough fuel to get there, then some to hop around, then enough to get back. Forget the Trader, I'm talking most boats. There are no really safe anchorages, just some better in different winds.

Theres no real point in going to the Scillies in bad weather, theres hardly anything to see. But in good weather it is awsome and well worth visiting.

The Atlantic swell can take some getting used to, it's not dangerous, but going up and down 40 ft does feel odd.

The Scillies are a wonderous place to go and is easy. But never go in bad weather. Theres no point and it's not nice.
 
Seems perfectly simple to me, I'm the skipper, I decide. We're not going, deal with it. The Isles of Scilly are a great place in the right conditions and these aren't them. Not just the crossing but the shelter once there, also got to consider bolt holes if too bad and Penzance may not be acesible due the tide and conditions either.

Amsterdam is probably cheaper too.
 
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