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By John S Panting (Yogi)
Meet on the Hard on Tuesday 0745. I have sailed once before with Nigel he was spot on time then and now. "Judge People by what they do not want they say they will do". He arrives with John ???. John has his own small fishing boat so he knows a fish from a crab but it's his first time ever sailing. Nigel is besotted with Spirit his Sabre 27, which is made fast to a drying mooring on a chain fit for a battleship.
We're off, wet feet and a half mile dinghy trip. With three large lads and gear, the Plimsoll Line was disappearing out of sight faster than the ducks in our path. Emsworth retreats to the sound of the outboard. Turn West at West Pole target Main Passage. It's strangely difficult to spot on this glorious sunny and warm morning. With not much wind the order of the day is motor sailing.
Off Ryde we pass Layla under full sail and its donkey still fast asleep. Tilli the 'ships' dog is up and about I guess though. Layla is out of Chichester skippered by Chris and run by Kath. I've had the pleasure of sailing and eating with all three several times. A few pertinent gestures and comments are transferred. It's a cracking day and the factor 30 is already disappearing faster than the Forts. Past Cowes and the mackerel are seen dancing on the surface surrounded by seagulls looking hopefully on.
It's 1415, we are at Yarmouth. A Ferry poised as ever to run us down stays fast to the quay. A young man in a motorised dory indicates we are to go alongside at Hales pontoon - number 16. It turns out to be a Gin Palace. We dutifully tie up protecting The Palace with tea towels wrapped around our warps. Clearly this is the moment for a lager. We had, in concert, just finished them when Mr Hales from the 'The Palace sugar scoop' requested that we moor three boats forward and third out against a kindred yacht. So we cast off the tea towels and moved forward three spaces. Having made fast again, clearly this was the time for a lager. No sooner had the last drops evaporated when the skipper and crew of the boat to landward returned with the news they were to cast off directly. Letting him slip out we again made our bow and stern lines, forward and aft springs and for good manners our shore lines and of course another lager. We were certainly getting into the Spirit. As the bottom of the bottles looked towards the sun, like manna from heaven, Layla appeared. Clearly they were welcomed alongside and once again when we had finished in assisting in making her fast you will never ever guess what we did then!!!?
Time for John and me to wander into Yarmouth. We went to the end of the pier and back for 20p each, John spotting a 6lb Mullet on the way, then through the quaint and historic streets, a charming place.
Next morning we are foul tided. Layla is off for a sail to enhance their imported crew's, Angela and Keith Sindon, sailing knowledge, ready for their Ionian flotilla experience in September. Spirit is close behind on a mission to visit Beaulieu, a first for the skipper, never for John and a decade ago for me. After a short sail beating NE yet travelling over the ground SW towards the Hurst Point (an experience also enjoyed by Layla) we set about our mission and Nigel decides on motor sailing. We made for the North West coast of IoW where we hoped for a reverse eddy when past Newtown River, to push us ENE closer to Beaulieu. The wind became very variable off Salt Mead Ledges and finally defeated us. Almost unbelievably we tacked at least three times only to find ourselves on the same heading on either tack. "Enough of this", declared Nigel and we made across to the mainland. At first being washed SW (again) this time though by the weakening stream. However, as we entered the shallow waters on the mainland coast nearby Warren Flat we again started making ground to Beaulieu.
Lining up on the leading line it became confusing as to which PHM beacon to use as a transit with the centre of Lepe House. 327°Mag revealed that the front transit mark No2 PHM beacon was minus its top mark, ? on top of . The rest of the beacons were also in a state of disrepair. What a shame for a river taking so much money. A mooring buoy for soup and hot bread rolls, consumed in blistering sun, at 1500 hours. Mission accomplished. Spirit will clearly be back.
Unshackled, we proceeded back to the Solent where the tidal stream was now favourable all the way for our return to Emsworth. A comment by me that the VMG appears to be missing on the GPS, which would be useful in our motor sail beat back to Emsworth so Nigel sets about the task to restore it. The task transpires to be elusive and I sit on the same starboard tack during the process. We were heading for Southampton Waters outside the channel and just past PHM buoy Bourne Gap and waiting for the Red funnel ferries in both directions and the yellow hydrofoil Cowes bound overtaking one of them. We then tacked and made across Thorn Channel. We were unhappy about where we were in relation to the Bramble Bank and I was pleased to see Nigel fix us with the GPS and also a bearing off the BFC etc. Sure enough we were heading straight for Bramble Bank and could see the yellow post with what looks like a weather station as a top mark at the Bank's south end. So we tacked towards the North Channel and came down past Gilkicker Point. We had dropped the sails a mile back and with a "handful of carrots" made our way back through Main Passage. The sea was now like glass and what wind we experienced was from our own forward passage, unlike Layla that had gone before us and had sailed the last leg.
We rounded West Pole and headed for Spirit's drying mooring as the cherry red sun disappeared and the twilight eased us into darkness. The return trip in the dinghy was consequently in the dark, with me shining the torch at vessels likely to run us down and Nigel on the tiller sneaking us between moorings. We made the Hard at 2130 hours. Layla had unbelievably spent their last hour in a Chichester Lock mid week queue.
Not the best sail but a couple of great days on the water in exceptional company. John has to go down as the keenest and most inquisitive crew member I have ever sailed with. He will have learnt much from my mistakes. He will be back for more I am certain.