Glorious June Part I

It has been a few weeks since my skipper last came down, the fishing vessel that had appeared at the end of the pontoon has now been oustead and replaced with the very large ketch, Craftsmen. This may only be temporary as she's been on the outside of the Yacht Haven since the begining of the year but the week just gone has been busy down there with the bicenteenary of the Royal Yacht Squadron Sailing Club, culmanating with a visit from the Duke of Kent and the Royal Yacht moored outside of the Medina, which of course meant that HMS Northumberland too has been moored outside all week, undertaking security checks in and around the area.  Although this is the place that Craftsman used to moor, so we'll see if he is moved back or stays.

Friday & Saturday were quite blustery and I'd heard one of the small privately owned cruise ships that had anchored in the Fairway outside of the harbour entrance, had dragged its anchor pulling up the gas pipe line from the mainland that serves Cowes.  So it was on Sunday my Skipper, crew and a dog arrived on the Sally taxi.  It was a sunny day and the wind had disappeared, the tide had just turned and was flooding the river once more.

I was made ready and soon the usual proceedure of turning the Marlec wind generator off, isolating the battery banks by flicking the master switch and priming the bow thruster was all done.  With the tide on my bow, the ballon fender was set up at the rear and the front line slipped. Selecting reverse the stern line pulled my back in against the fender and pontoon and the bow went out in to the tide. Once my skipper was happy that I was pointing clear of Polly Agatha in front, forward was selected and the stern line slipped. Once clear, my helm was handed over to the crew and Skipper pulled in the fenders and cleared the lines.

There were a lot of boats out there, as I past the Red Funnel car ferry, I could see two or three mini cruisers, the Royal Yacht, HMS Northumberland and two large motor cruisers all pointing towards the flood tide.  It being a sunny Sunday, the day boats were joining the race boats that were joined by the cruise boats.  A similar display of motor boats too.

Remembering to release the number one reef, but forgetting number two, my main was hoisted in to the blue clear skies, the jib too pulled and winched in on the partially serviced rear 46.  Just the wind had failed to come to the party, what wind there was, was used to set my sails, but that soon changed as the wind changed its mind and direction and eventually disappeared.  We drifted for a while in the sun, making sure that the dog had plenty of water.

My skipper did his usual trick with the fish research and by the end of the session had the same results. With nothing happening skywards, possibly too early for sea breezes and the fact that without a reasonable flow of water over my rudder, direction was optional, my engine went back on to tickover and I was put back in forward gear.  Eventually, my sails were dropped and I was turned round to head for Osborne Bay, with the tide coming in I was taken close in and the hook dropped.

After lunch and still with no signs that any sailing could be had anytime soon, they opted to head me back home.  However the Skipper ever the viglant chap had noticed a small motor boat drift past struggling to start its engine and called over to them.  Once the anchor had been stowed, he prepared towing lines using one of the warps and looped both ends around the main winch taking it over the rear winches through to the rear.  Then the 50m springing line was attached using a bowline loop and the free end passed to the motor boat to attach to the bow.  At a steady pace we trundled back to the Fairway, where the Skipper called up the Harbour Master and arranged for my new cargo to be handed over.

The Medina was busy, the swathe that the City Of Chichester had cleared in the main channel had soon been filled with boats again. My crew were soon in to their stride of making landing preparations.  The skipper sorting out the fenders where he wants them, getting the shore lines ready and priming the bow thruster.  Then once past the fuel pontoon he takes over and gets the feel for the actions of the wind and tide against my hull.  He then swings me round in a circle and adjusts steerage, throttle and checks the bow thrusters deployed and working.  Poly Agatha was out but in its place was a large RIB, the kind that deploys its own wheels and can drive up the beach. Craftsman stern was sticking quite a way out in to the river. As I approached the crew got the lines in hand and prepared to step off, but the overhang of Craftsman needed to be cleared first, with the power back on and feet to spare I was swung in to the pontoon and immediately swung out again as I came alongside, engine in reverse I slowed to a halt, bang on my mark.