Post by sheila on Jun 28, 2011 11:55:50 GMT
Last Friday Vince and I and Linda on Alana, and Paschall on Sui, set sail for Burnham on Sea where Linda was to take possession of her first boat, Dove. We had a very pleasant sail over, although we were quite concerned that we were very short of time for access to Burnham so just south of Steep Holm we motor sailed.
We headed directly for Hinckley then we approached BOS via the northchannel, with Brent Knoll dead ahead, and the charted Lower Light and Upper Light just open. (Two white towers clearly visible).
We were very fortunate in that Richard, the guy who was selling his boat to Linda, was calling us on the phone and giving detailed instructions on the final approach to the River Brue, and then we were able to follow some other boats in. We moored up alongside the pontoon, and Paschall came along side of us.
However, another club member then came along and advised that this was not a good thing to do, so we moved Paschall further back on to the pontoon.
You can see from the photo below how far over our black mast is. If Sui had been alongside us it would have been terrible.
Once we had got ourselves all sorted out, and Richard had told Linda all about Dove. we were given a key to the club, where we were invited to make use of the facilities, (very nice showers etc,) and also they have a little room that they call the Stopgap (which had been opened as the bar when the upstairs bar room proper had been undergoing extension and renovation). The Stopgap is now a littel room where you can go and make tea coffee etc, and we were invited to help ourselves.
In the evening we went in to Brunham and had a nice meal at the local Weatherspoons, then repaired back to the club house where they had kindly opened the bar for us. We were thoroughly entertained with sailing yarns by our hosts Howard (a real character) & his brother Geoff and Richard. It was quite late when we left!
The following morning, we had all had coffee and breakfast on board Alana, although this was very difficult as we were leaning over at such an angle it was almost impossible to stand, and everything kept sliding across or off the table!
Linda's husband then arrived (he'd come over by train and Richard had very kindly collected him from the station) ready to make the passage back to Cardiff with Linda.
Eventually we had enough water under us and were ready to set off. We had quite a party of people on the pontoon there to wave us off.
OK, they are not exactly waving!
Knowing that it was pretty windy over at Cardiff, Vince had put a reef in the main for Linda, Dove had never, ever been reefed before!
It was blowing about 14 knots in the shelter of the river, but as we progressed out in to Bridgewater Bay so the wind increased. As we got nearer to Steep Holm it was blowing fairly constantly around 24 kn. Paschall and Sui were going great guns, and he was well ahead of us, and Dove was keeping up pretty well. We were hoping that over at Cardiff it would have decreased a bit, but no, quite the opposite. By the time we got over to the Welsh side we were experiencing gusts of 31 kn.
Taken from Dove, Alana ahead.
By the time we were about a mile out from the Outer Wrach Vince definitely thought that we had too much sail out, but as we were so close to home we just left it. Linda and her husband had managed brilliantly.
And then, getting the sails down for entrance to the barrage, disaster struck! I am not sure exactly how it happened but the main halyard on Dove had somehow got into the water and when they put the engine on to bring the sail down, prop wrap! And then couldn't bring the main down fully.
We were able to take them under tow, and delivered them safely on to the club pontoon, where they were able to sort everything out and no damage done.
Both Vince and I take our hats off to Linda, coping with all that. I think her previous experience was a sailing holiday in Greece, a couple of trips with Julian on Katy, and crewing for me on Alana in the regatta. There is no way that I could have done what she did in even contemplating bringing the boat back alone with such little experience. So well done you.
We headed directly for Hinckley then we approached BOS via the northchannel, with Brent Knoll dead ahead, and the charted Lower Light and Upper Light just open. (Two white towers clearly visible).
We were very fortunate in that Richard, the guy who was selling his boat to Linda, was calling us on the phone and giving detailed instructions on the final approach to the River Brue, and then we were able to follow some other boats in. We moored up alongside the pontoon, and Paschall came along side of us.
However, another club member then came along and advised that this was not a good thing to do, so we moved Paschall further back on to the pontoon.
You can see from the photo below how far over our black mast is. If Sui had been alongside us it would have been terrible.
Once we had got ourselves all sorted out, and Richard had told Linda all about Dove. we were given a key to the club, where we were invited to make use of the facilities, (very nice showers etc,) and also they have a little room that they call the Stopgap (which had been opened as the bar when the upstairs bar room proper had been undergoing extension and renovation). The Stopgap is now a littel room where you can go and make tea coffee etc, and we were invited to help ourselves.
In the evening we went in to Brunham and had a nice meal at the local Weatherspoons, then repaired back to the club house where they had kindly opened the bar for us. We were thoroughly entertained with sailing yarns by our hosts Howard (a real character) & his brother Geoff and Richard. It was quite late when we left!
The following morning, we had all had coffee and breakfast on board Alana, although this was very difficult as we were leaning over at such an angle it was almost impossible to stand, and everything kept sliding across or off the table!
Linda's husband then arrived (he'd come over by train and Richard had very kindly collected him from the station) ready to make the passage back to Cardiff with Linda.
Eventually we had enough water under us and were ready to set off. We had quite a party of people on the pontoon there to wave us off.
OK, they are not exactly waving!
Knowing that it was pretty windy over at Cardiff, Vince had put a reef in the main for Linda, Dove had never, ever been reefed before!
It was blowing about 14 knots in the shelter of the river, but as we progressed out in to Bridgewater Bay so the wind increased. As we got nearer to Steep Holm it was blowing fairly constantly around 24 kn. Paschall and Sui were going great guns, and he was well ahead of us, and Dove was keeping up pretty well. We were hoping that over at Cardiff it would have decreased a bit, but no, quite the opposite. By the time we got over to the Welsh side we were experiencing gusts of 31 kn.
Taken from Dove, Alana ahead.
By the time we were about a mile out from the Outer Wrach Vince definitely thought that we had too much sail out, but as we were so close to home we just left it. Linda and her husband had managed brilliantly.
And then, getting the sails down for entrance to the barrage, disaster struck! I am not sure exactly how it happened but the main halyard on Dove had somehow got into the water and when they put the engine on to bring the sail down, prop wrap! And then couldn't bring the main down fully.
We were able to take them under tow, and delivered them safely on to the club pontoon, where they were able to sort everything out and no damage done.
Both Vince and I take our hats off to Linda, coping with all that. I think her previous experience was a sailing holiday in Greece, a couple of trips with Julian on Katy, and crewing for me on Alana in the regatta. There is no way that I could have done what she did in even contemplating bringing the boat back alone with such little experience. So well done you.
