Date: February 03-04 2007
Boat: Fizzgig
Trip: Chichester; Gunwarf Keys; Chichester;
Days: 2
Skipper: John Alden
Crew: David Bennett, Jane, John Anstice
Right: A Hallberg Rassy races into Chichester:
The plan for the boat handling weekend was to spend most of Saturday picking up buoys and pontoon bashing before heading off to meet Blue Scherzo at Gunwarf Keys in Portsmouth in the shadow of the infamous Spinnaker tower.
We found a suitable long and clear pontoon around Itchenor to practise coming alongside and took turns in helming and crewing. In particular it is not the actual handling of the boat that is the most significant factor - it's the decisions taken about the approach that can make the difference between a nice easy gentle stop and a last minute abort to avoid a thump. Not that anyone had to perform such an abort. In the perfect conditions everyone brought the boat alongside in a slow and controlled manner.
We had a gentle wind blowing us onto the pontoon and small tide against our direction of approach to start with, however by the time it was my turn the tide had turned and our little circuit would mean I would be coming alongside with the tide rather than against, making it more difficult to stop the boat. John pointed this out, but as the tide was only gently running with us I decided to to continue because I wanted to be forced to use a touch of reverse to see what happens. Sure enough despite coming in slowly the boat was not going to stop unless either I used some reverse motor or the crew stopped us with the lines. As we came alongside I applied a small burst of reverse and the boat stopped and the crew stepped ashore and secured with no fuss. However as DB pointed out, the burst of reverse had the effect of slightly nudging the bow away from the pontoon - fine in these calm conditions but with a stronger tide and more power required to stop the boat, the bow may have swung away and prevented the crew from stepping ashore. I guess I should have had the rudder in position ready to try to counter the swing.
Next it was picking up a buoy. The tip here was to observe how boats of similar size and type were lying in relation to their buoys - the direction and to which side of the bow the buoy was lying, and then if possible approach from this direction. As always it seems that getting the speed right is critical, too slowly and the boat may drift past on tide or wind, but too fast will require some reverse and the inevitable prop wash effect, probably fine if you know the boat well but not easy for the novice or in an unfamiliar boat.
These weekends are of great benefit, to me at least, as I retain far more information from 'doing things' than I do from reading about them. I think we could probably all think of the factors to consider from the comfort of our armchairs, but in the heat of the moment with other boats milling about and numerous distractions, crew to organise etc its not so easy to remember everything. But by doing, and watching that buoy drift tantalisingly out of reach of the boat hook because you approached from the wrong angle its more likely you will remember next time.
After lessons are over we sail on to Gunwarf Keys via the Dolphin barrier gap. The entry to Gunwarf is slightly tricky. Yachts are advised to call the Harbour Master and ask for permission to cross the main channel at Ballast. This is because of the car ferries that can suddenly emerge from the terminal which is right next door and the Fast Cat service which docks just the other side of Gunwarf. We gain permission and have just started to cross when John advises the helm to turn around and return to Ballast. Here is another lesson - my ear and mind are not yet tuned to the radio. Although the HM had given us permission to cross, a few moments later one of the ferries advised that they were about to leave and asked if Fizzgig had heard their message - well I hadn't, but fortunately John had. The thing is that its actually quite difficult in the failing evening light to see the entrance to Gunwarf from Ballast on the other side of the channel. However after the ferry departed we crossed without incident and found our way into the little marina.
Gunwarf is crowded around with restaurants and bars and of course overshadowed by the Spinnaker tower which looks quite impressive bathed in its purple night lights. Its a shame that this landmark has to be mocked and ridiculed having joined The Dome and Wembley stadium among others on the growing list of bungled projects. We settle in for a few drinks while we wait for Blue Scherzo to arrive, then troop off ashore for some food. Unfortunately it proves difficult to find anywhere that can cater for 10 at this hour, but eventually the Tapas joint agrees that we can have a table in an hour, so we all troop back to BS for some more pre-dinner drinks.
I like Tapas but for a table of 10 its actually a little impractical. First everyone has to choose 3 dishes - and hopefully we don't all go for the same ones. Then when they arrive everyone has to remember what they asked for as the table piles high with dishes it gets tricky to actually get hold of what you want which frustrated a few, mind you it wasn't anything that a few bottles of wine couldn't sort out. Following the meal we all piled aboard Fizzgig for a nightcap of more wine, and by now most of Fizzgig's crew had shall we say, had a few. By 2am myself and DB were giggling like a couple of schoolboys over the most dreadful jokes culminating in 5 minutes of uncontrolled laughter over an appallingly bad story about a Zebra. Fortunately the alcohol overdose and late hour meant a rapid decent to sleep on what was to be a very cold night. I awoke at about 5am with my feet freezing against the bulkhead in the rear cabin and thanked God that I had packed some headache pills.
The shower facilities at Gunwarf were new, spacious and clean, definitely some of the best to be found around the Solent. The only negative point about them being that they are hidden away inside the complex behind the Spinnaker Tower and one almost needs to resort to charts and GPS to find them. Certainly had the office not been staffed they would have been difficult to find. Sunday saw us have a leisurely breakfast of sausage and bacon sandwiches before leaving on a gentle sail back to Chichester during which we did some heave to and Man Overboard practise which was particularly worthwhile.
