Ever thought of using your seamanship skills gained through boat angling?

The Jones Family have just completed an RYA Sailing Competent Crew Training Course. It was absolutely necessary as this year we have booked a holiday in Greece, sailing our own sailing boat in a ‘flotilla’ around the Greek Islands. Believe it or not for a family of 5 with all charges including flights, yacht hire etc (not grub) it came to just £2300! Mind you we did take advantage of early booking the late season slots at the last Southampton Boat Show! The only trouble is we did not know how to use the big white things that you find on a sail boat or what anything that is used to put them up and get them down was called. So we decided to enrol on a 3 weekend Competent Crew course. What an experience, it was exhilarating to say the least and I can now appreciate where these WAFI’s (Wind Assisted Flipping Idiots, polite version) are now coming from. How many boat anglers try sailing? Not many, I would suggest, hence the reason for the ‘great divide’ between us. Anyway, I have had a glimpse ‘over the fence’ and boy do those WAFI’s despise us fishermen/anglers. Note they do not differentiate between us, in any way. Trawlers, Potters, Rod and Liner’s and boat anglers, to them we are all hated and completely misunderstood, and as far as they are concerned best avoided. Pity really, as we are all in a boat if not the same boat.

Through years of experience added to my shore based ‘Day Skipper’ (25 years ago) and Coastal Skipper (last year) courses, the yachting terminology came fairly easily, whereas the rest of the ‘skills’ came fairly naturally because as a regular motor angling skipper you are always aware of wind and tide. Mind you we have a good instructor, even though he told us to go to Starboard when he meant Port many times. A good trainer helps.

Let me tell you where the exhilaration comes from straight away. First imagine yourself in your fishing/day boat doing say 23 knots up or down Southampton water. Watch out for one or two WAFI’s cutting across your bow, which you should give way to, watch for the odd hazard and the odd bit of wash, not too exciting once you have got used to the speed (it is the fishing that is the best bit anyway).

Now try to imagine you have a F5 and the sails are pushing you across Southampton Water at anything between 5Knts and 8Knts. You can’t sail within aprox 45 degrees either side of the wind as the sails collapse and then all forward momentum is lost so you can’t sail directly to where you want to go. So you have to tack back and forth across the marked channel. Now add the following potential hazards that will be on your tack; IOW ferry, IOW Redjets, lots of WAFI’s coming the other way but running with the wind and possibly now a stand-on vessel. Sail boats giving way to me, it was great. Then we had Tugs, Pilot Boats, the Harbour Master launch, Motor Boats, Anchored fishermen, Work Boats, Pot Buoys, Mooring Buoys and a shelving beach at the end of both tacks. Great fun! Now this can only be achieved safely if you and everyone else, firstly, know how to sail and secondly, know the ‘rules of the road’. These are also known as the IRPCS (International Rules for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea) or more commonly referred to as the Col Regs (Collision Regulations). Luckily we and nearly everyone else we came across actually seemed to know them. Apparently in the summer months this bit becomes a lot more challenging as the ‘grockles’ that take to the water do not know the Col Regs and make it a lottery as to what you should actually do. You must avoid collision obviously even though certain helmsmen ignorantly keep driving through the no go, ‘red lights’!

Weekend 1

In the first weekend we went down Southampton Water towards the Hamble (Gybed on a ‘Broad Reach’ in a F4 NNW while running with the wind) and then the next day we came back (tacked while ‘close hauled’ and ‘beating’) in a fresher NNW wind, a F5, back from the Hamble River to Ocean Village. It was quite exhilarating with the kids almost scared as they are not used to the boat being permanently heeled to one side.

The team work required between the skipper, helmsman and crew is a good thing to practice as a family. It is a real tester getting the kids to actually do something when you tell them too, all the time!

Weekend 2

The middle weekend was very, cold and windy with a F6 – F7, although in a safe direction for Southampton Water, from the NE – E. We started the weekend with a walk around Southampton trying to find something suitable for a family at 9pm on a Friday Evening. Even Leisure World was really out of limits at that time of night, as crowds of rampant teenagers were already getting hyped up for a skin full of beer and a shag. At least when I was younger we used to do things more politely, now it is just a matter of the girls hanging it all out for the boys to decide which one they prefer. It was a sight for sore eyes.

On Saturday morning we sailed up and down Southampton water with winds as much as 28 knots at times. We started with a couple of slabs reefed in to make the boat go a little slower but we still flew along at up to 8 knots. Then after nipper got a little alarmed at the heel angle we tried a few other things after anchoring for lunch at Netley. It was interesting practicing with either just the Mainsail or just the Foresail, it made for a much more gentle day in fairly blustery conditions but still controllable. On the Saturday night we stayed in Hythe Marina and were just 4 miles from home! Sunday was a lovely day with sunshine all day and plenty of wind (F5) for sailing. If you are a family and don’t want to eat then don’t go to Hythe on a Saturday evening as no one will let you in for a pint and a packet of crisps!

In reflection I have enjoyed the middle weekend but not learnt as much as I would have liked to. It is only the sailing part that I am really interested in learning. However, watching the family become more confident at helming, working the winches, tying knots and preparing for casting off and berthing has made it all worthwhile. I am already happy to go on holiday with what we have done so far and actually do some sailing. I would like to have done a lot more manoeuvring while gibing and tacking when set a course to sail but it never came. We have finished early two weekends in a row which was not good and felt we were being short changed. On the Sunday we learnt to ‘Hove to’ without the sails flapping while we ‘drifted’ during our lunch, presumably to save anchoring. We also picked up a MOB and I helmed back to a MOB.

Weekend 3

At least we made it to the IOW this time. The winds were now SW F6-F7. We had a good time and established the basics again. We all came away with a Competent Crew Certificate the nippers were chuffed and they thoroughly deserved it. The wind was to lively to learn basics but we know now what we can expect if it gets breezy out in Greece.

Summary