Diane and I have sailed for 3 years now, but mostly in the Med and Canaries  (Diane is a warm bloodied creature who dislikes the cold). 

We joined the RBYC to get some sailing experience in the UK and of course meet some like minded people who enjoy sailing and socialising.  We did two Solent weekends last year and we booked ourselves onto the” pontoon bashing” weekend.  Then I got an offer by email  I could not refuse, so I didn’t!  Six hundred quid for five days bareboat charter with Fairview on a 37 Oceanis with heating!  So why not do it after the pontoon bashing?  Our first week our own in tidal waters.

So pontoon bashing completed with Skipper Rob, we picked up “Creme de la Creme” on Sunday night.   The chap at Fairview was really helpful and even showed us where the cutlery drawer was (under the chart table), full handover after 9am on Monday which was fine with us.

Funny old blighter Neptune…

We did the handover on Monday morning, went and filled her up with diesel as the previous charterer had not done this.  To be honest we could have done without it but the guy from the yard came with us and was really very helpful.   We had decided on Cowes for the first night, East Cowes was favourite as the showers are good!  Lovely little sail in about 10 knots of wind and a lovely warm 20C, bit of a beam reach and a good practice at getting the sails up and set with the two of us.  A few tacks, no reason other than because we could and a had really good play.

Down with the sails (why did I leave the main until we were in the entrance to Cowes and the Sea Cat was blasting across the Solent towards us?  Got out the way nicely, but why?  We were given berth B4 in East Cowes, we did a “drive past” and then went down river for a conference which involved putting the fender to port, then starboard, then port, then starboard.  Eventually we decided to reverse into the bay and then forward onto our pontoon as the momentum of the turn would push us against the pontoon.  We had timed it that the flow was fairly slack (thanks Rob for showing us what 4 knots looks like!).  We went up and down a few times avoiding a training boat that always seemed to be in the way.  So we were reversing towards the gap, about 200 yards away the training boat reversed up to the gap and hovered there.  I recon they were a group of French Waiters on a trip, none would give eye contact and they completely ignored us.  So abort, abort.  Up the river, turn around and back up again.  They were now having a séance, they were all sat in the cockpit looking in, even the helm.  Diane wanted to get the horn to “give em 5” but I managed to attract their attention by bellowing “ahoy” and few times” and pointing.  The helm looked up in disgust and then back to the séance but roared away to the other side of the river.

Back we went into the gangway then forward and turn into the pontoon, 3mrts, 2mtrs, slow down, 1mtr.  Thump, the patter of tiny feet and the call, “got it”, the centre cleat was on.  A little bit of forward to pull her into place so we could do the bow and stern.  I could hear the crowds roaring and the judges holding up the score…”Peter (she rarely calls me Peter), reverse, REVERSE”.  One look at Diane’s face and seeing her trying to wrap the diminishing end of the centre cleat rope back onto the centre cleat, where Neptune must have undone it from, was enough to make me put her in reverse to stop the boat then into neutral and chuck the stern rope to Diane, run forwards and do the same with the bow rope.  Both secured we stood on the pontoon, leant against the boat and laughed.  Had a few quiet moments of reflection , then set about making it all look pretty.

Pete gets his tackle wet.

Tuesday we set off to Yarmouth, has a nice reach to Newton River where we anchored west of the entrance so we could have a good look at the entrance, Diane could play with her watercolours and, best of all, I could try out my new “Ebay” fishing tackle!  After 2 hours Diane had a good first painting and I had caught some seaweed.  But at least I had got my tackle wet for the first time!

Then off to Yarmouth.  We had read the Solent cruising companion which warned of the tide affecting the entrance.  Really glad I was ready for it as I announced to Diane “we are going sideways!”.  The harbourmaster sent us to one of the yellow finger pontoons,  we went in forwards, centre cleat was to go onto the first finger cleat so we could drive forwards carefully and not hit the end!  It worked a treat, nice and slow (thanks Rob), Diane was off and secured it and we just put the bow and stern warps on and gently eased her into place.

Couple of beers on the sun terrace Salties and watched the other boats come in sideways.  What a day!

Follow the amazing bouncing ball

Wednesday was another glorious day, we set off about 10am.  Neptune had a smile and moved the tug with the crane into the exit from yellow bay and the gap looked like we could just about make  it.  We could have gone through sideways, but it just seemed narrow when you are not expecting it.  Off to Newtown River.  A short sail but we made it long by having a play for a couple of hours in the 7+  knot wind.  We went into Newtown River at HW -4 on the flood, just like the good book said.  We were down to 0.7 a few times as made our way into Clamerkin Lake and picked up a visitors buoy (no2).  Diane did a fantastic lasso job on the big white buoy, then we had a funny five minutes trying to get the red pickup buoy.  It just kept floating out of reach.  Lots of laughter and eventually we had it on board and secured

What a lovely place, decided to get a boat, fill it with food and just go there for a month and paint and fish and write stuff, or learn the bagpipes!

We then had an afternoon of painting and fishing, Painters 2  Fishers 0.

Bit of a panic when working out the water we would need.  Then I remembered to take off low water so you get the range and it all fell into place.  However we did an hourly reading and used the lead line to make sure Neptune was playing nicely.  But of course as the boat moved around the buoy, so the depth changed.   At 9pm we went to sleep having got past low water without going aground.  Thanks Neptune.

What a nice man!

Another sunny day and a 10 knot breeze.  We came out of Newtown River and were heading for the top of Southampton water by the container terminal and the turning circle where Rob had shown us some moorings.  We had Folly Inn as our alternative.  As we came out of Newtown we realised we were going from the sublime to the ridiculous, so went for plan B, the Folly Inn.  Again a lovely sail and a play about not wanting to get to Cowes before 3pm as I wanted to get to the Folly when the main part of the flood was over.

As we motored into Cowes, was there was a smell of rubber?  Then it was very quickly gone, the engine was spitting out water, all seemed well.  Anyway we moored up OK at the Folly and were enjoying a well earned cup of tea following the applause from the crowd and judges holding up the score cards, when Diane asked if I had checked the engine.  “But we do engine checks in the morning”, as I was saying it I realised how stupid it sounded and must have enraged Neptune, so I lifted the engine cover to find some fine black powder where there was none earlier in the day.  Also the main belt had some white webbing hanging from it…Oh dear, that was the smell of rubber in Cowes.  The belt was just starting slip and  shred.  Quick call to Sea Start and a very nice man turned up and put the spare belt on for us.  What a nice man!  Quick call to Fairview just to tell them what was happening.

This helped me not worry too much about low water, I had done the sums and we would have 0.6m plus a shopping trolley so we would be fine…9pm,  0.4m plus Rob’s shopping trolley (thanks mate!).  Phew, bedtime!

The fat lady sings.

Up at 6.30, off by 7am to get back for 9am on the fuel pontoon in the Hamble.  All I can say is good plan well executed except the gas bottle ran out and we did not get that cup of tea on the crossing.

The guy at the fuel pontoon looked familiar, was he on the training yacht at Cowes?  We buzzed up and down the Hamble for half an hour while the other boats on the fuel pontoon drank tea and had a lovely chat.  Still, chill out man.  We had a great play at going nowhere and doing turns, so hey, no problem.

So we refuelled and called Fairview,  and a nice chap came and mooring the boat in an impossible location, he checked for holes in the hull, then we were done.  Deposit intact we hugged!  Fantastic team effort. 

My goodness this skipperin lark in harder than you think with all these flippin tides, and Neptune chuckin his hand in!  But how did we pick such a great week, the last week in March was like a week in August (but no rain!).

I know we have mentioned Rob a few times but all the skippers, Gary, Les, Neil and Richard that we have had the pleasure of sailing with have been great in sharing their knowledge and skill.  So a big thanks to them and we are both looking forward to meeting some more like minded members of the RBYC!