run for
berth holders by berth holders
Members’
Newsletter Edition No. 114
www.shbha.co.uk
September 2008
Charter Award Success!
11.00am on
Thursday 17th July saw Peter Waring, our representative from the
RYA, Andy Osman, the marina’s General Manager, Pete Holland and Sue Sydney,
respectively Vice Chairman and Immediate Past Chairman of SHBHA, complete an
inspection of Sovereign harbour in connection with the RYA Charter Award application
made by Premier.
The award
is only given to marinas that meet high standards in a wide array of criteria.
In addition to general mission statements etc these include value for money,
security, facilities, maintenance and cleaning, safety, communication and how
marina staff deal with suggestions and complaints. A new area for consideration
was the environment and its protection.
SHBHA were
pleased to be involved in the process and provided evidence to back up some of
the claims. Paper records and logs were also inspected as part of the practice.
After
completing a tour of the marina, Peter Waring was impressed with the
improvements he had seen and therefore pronounced that the standard merited an
award. To show everyone that the marina works well with its berth-holders he
then presented Andy with two RYA Charter Award flags that will be flown at
either end of the harbour.
RNLI myths, rescue and membership
The four
most commonly held myths about the
RNLI are noted below together with the Institution’s
own figures.
‘The RNLI doesn’t need my money’.
Oh yes it does! It costs around £335,000 a day (yes, a day) to run the
RNLI so all of us who have fun on the water ought to contribute. The majority
of the work of the RNLI is undertaken by their 40,000 volunteers. This allows
spending to take place on lifeboats and lifeboat stations so, should the worst
happen, the response will be both quick and effective.
‘I’m safe if I’m close to shore in
good weather’
Well not
always. One experienced boater got into difficulties when his boat became
snared by a trawl net. Wrapping around the propeller, rudder and keel left him
and his crewmembers stranded just one
mile off the Cornish coast. In another case just 200 meters from the shore and in fine settled weather, a motorboat
about to begin an extensive cruise burst into flames without warning and all
aboard had to take to their liferaft. The RNLI arrived promptly to transfer the
crew back to shore. 90% of shouts to
yachts happen within 10 miles of the shore.
Of these, 74% happen in winds less than force 5.
‘The RNLI is just there for
‘yachties’.
Incorrect.
Last year over 2,600 people were rescued from powered craft. (That was more
than yachts and dinghies combined.) Help was also given to over 1,700 people
from sail pleasure craft.
‘Only novices and the inexperienced
need rescuing’
This is
not the case. Anyone, experienced or not, can find themselves in a difficult
situation which has the possibility of developing into a need for rescue. The
reports, completed by Lifeboat coxswains on the shouts they have launched to,
bear this out.
The RNLI
volunteer crews dedicate themselves to saving lives at sea. They train hard and
are prepared to drop everything in an instant to answer the call for help. All
that they ask of us is to support them to ensure that they can continue their
lifesaving work into the future. Membership of the RNLI also brings you several
benefits to help keep you safe on the water.
So to become a member and supporter
of the RNLI call 0800 543210 or go online at: rnli.org.uk/offshore
‘You just never know’
Little Egret
Over
recent years, the harbour mud banks have provided a feeding place for the
Little Egret. This heron - like bird stalks its prey in shallow water, often
running with raised wings or shuffling its feet in the mud to disturb its prey.
It may also stand still and wait to ambush likely morsels of food which include
a variety of small animals, fish, amphibians, crustaceans and insects.
The adult
Little Egret is 55–65 cms. long with a wingspan of 88-106 cms.
Its
plumage is all white. It has long black legs with yellow feet and a slim black
bill. In the breeding season the adult bird has two long nape plumes and gauzy
plumes on the back and breast. The bare skin between the bill and eyes becomes
red or blue. In the nineteenth century these plumes were in great demand for
decorating hats, so much so that Egret farms were set up where the birds could
be plucked without being killed.
Little
Egrets are mostly silent but make various croaking and bubbling calls at their
breeding colonies and produce a harsh alarm call when disturbed.
Until the
1950s the Little Egret was restricted to southern Europe but during the
following two decades it became increasingly common in western France, the
North French coast and the Netherlands.
In Great
Britain it was rare until the late twentieth century and almost certainly did
not breed. However, for just over a decade now it has become a regular breeding
species and is commonly sighted often in large numbers at favoured coastal
sights across southern England. The species bred in Wales for the first time in
2002.
So, when
you next find yourself up by the locks at low water, looking out over the exposed
mud banks, keep your eyes peeled for the Little Egret.
Addition to discounts for members
‘Walrus
Fabrications’ offer general sail repairs, sorts out awkward cover zips, replaces cover windows, makes and
repairs canvas constructions. In addition splicing and other rope work of the
highest quality is available. On production of a current SHBHA Membership card
preferential terms are available for members.
They can be contacted at: Office 4,
The Boatyard, Sovereign Harbour Eastbourne, BN28 6JH, by phone on 07748480789,
or 07748170205, and by e-mail at simon@bay10.fsnet.co.uk
No Nursing Home for Me!
About two years ago, my husband and
I were on a cruise through the Western Mediterranean aboard a Princess Liner.
At dinner we noticed an elderly lady sitting alone in the dining room. All the
staff, ship’s officers, waiters, bus boys seemed to know this lady well. We
asked who she was, expecting to be told that she owned the shipping line. The
waiter said he only knew that she had been on board for the last four cruises.
One evening I caught her eye and stopped to say hello. I asked her about her
long stay on the ship. “ It’s true,” she said. “It’s because it’s cheaper than
a nursing home.”
So when I
get old and feeble I’m going on a Princess Line Cruise ship. Just think on
this. The average nursing home cost is $200 a day. I have checked on cruise
line reservations and discovered that I can get a long term discount and a
senior citizens discount all for $135 a day. That leaves $65 a day for:
- Tips…..($10 a day)
- I will have as many as 10
meals a day if I can waddle to the restaurant (or I can have room service
with breakfast in bed every day!)
- There are likely to be three
swimming pools, free washes and dryers and shows every night.
- They have free toothpaste,
razors, free soap and shampoo.
- They will even treat you like
a customer, not a patient.
- I will get to meet new people
every 7 or 14 days.
- TV broken? Light bulb need
changing? Need to have the mattress replaced? No problem! They will fix
everything and apologise for any inconvenience I’ve had.
- Clean sheets and towels every
day.
- If you fall in a nursing home
and break a hip you are sent to a busy hospital. Fall on a Princess Line
Cruise ship and they will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your
life!
Now hold on for the best. Do you
want to see South America, Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand? Princess Line will
have a ship ready to go.
So don’t
look for me in a nursing home. Just call shore to ship.
p.s. Don’t
forget, when you die they just slip you over the side at no cost!!!
Contributed
by Mrs. A. Crann
Safety Group Evenings
Autumn/Winter 2008/09
The popular sea safety evenings will once again be held on
Friday evenings during the Autumn and Winter starting on Friday 24th
October 08.
The presentations provide help and advice, tips and ideas
on going afloat safely with your family and friends.
Topics that will be covered will include:
- General
introduction to Sea Safety and safety equipment.
- Passage
planning.
- Life
jackets including a life jacket clinic.
- Life
rafts & MOB
- Flares
- Emergency
Rescue
- Ropework
- Understanding
charts, buoyage and much more.
Further details will be posted on the notice boards around
the harbour towards the end of September, or you can contact Pete or Carol on
01424 893326. All details will be on our website www.shbha.co.uk
Help Keep Crime to a Minimum
Some marinas suffer more crime than experienced here at
Sovereign Harbour. We would like to keep the figures low but feel the advice
received from the home office is a timely reminder as we go into Autumn.
As thieves are attracted to all sorts of things take the
security of your boat as seriously as your own home. Thieves look out for easy
targets so please don’t leave things unsecured on deck/in the cockpit or on
view. There are a variety of boat and equipment marking products available and
these may be worth investigating at the boat shows. In any case make a note of
the serial numbers for radio, navigation kit, outboards etc. and take home all
ship’s papers.
Be a good neighbour by getting to know those nearby. It is
easy to keep an eye on these boats as well as your own. If you see strangers,
something suspicious or think the access code has been breached report it to
the office immediately. It is always worth checking that the gate closed behind
you as sometimes, particularly at low water, they don’t always do so due to the
angle.
Better to be safe than sorry!
Caroline
joined the staff at Sovereign Harbour six years ago straight from school.
Having taken her GCSE’s, she was working at a training centre when they
suggested she should apply for the advertised job at the marina. Caroline,
although shown around the marina, didn’t realize at the time that she would be
working with boats!
Her first
post as trainee administrator became permanent after two years. Since starting
work she has been on a wide range of courses related to administration and
bookkeeping but also courses in first aid, manual handling, radio operation and
fire fighting. In the early days she helped Flo with contracts etc. but more
recently she has accepted responsibility for managing the hoist and operating
fuel accounts.
This means
she is responsible for bookings and the day to day running of the hoist,
cradles, fixings and providing help and support for the team. She ensures
everything is in place to provide a smooth process. Multi tasking is required
so Caroline can also work on reception, answer phones and operate the locks.
Proud of the fact that she started at the ‘bottom’ and is working her way up
she feels privileged to have such a unique, interesting job. She realises that
there are more opportunities to develop her career with Premier and is
therefore looking forward to the future.
Caroline is happy when everyone
else is happy and things are running smoothly. Team work to achieve this is
important to her. She knows that people are here to enjoy their leisure time
and tries to ensure that they can do so but is frustrated by people leaving
their cars in the yard which stops boat movements and delays things! She is really happy when people feel things
have gone smoothly and although she realizes she can’t please everyone all of
the time she does try! She is looking forward to the new boat mover arriving as
this should speed up the process and provide more slots. (The hoist will
generally stay where it is and the mover will move the boat and cradle together.)
During the
interview for this article there was an emergency with a boat and Caroline went
off to sort out an immediate lift. About ready to go home the hoist crew
offered to go back and get out the machinery which they had just put away for
the weekend. I am glad to report that the story had a happy ending with the
problem resolved.
Caroline
relies on her kettle and computer to keep her going but obviously needs the
hoist to be working well too. Regular servicing is the order of the day now. It
is her responsibility
to catch up after problems have occurred and she tries to clear backlogs within
the week calling all hands to the deck!
Resting
after all her efforts Caroline enjoys a wide variety of holidays. She is a
keen, but inexperienced snowboarder but also takes some of her brothers and
sisters to enjoy the activities on offer at Minehead. Full of fun she wants to
explore the world and would like to learn to scuba dive.
A regular reader of ‘Fishing News’
she finds she has more time on holiday to read novels. In the evening you may
well see her on the dance floor as she likes dance music and clubbing. You may
also have seen her aboard her boyfriend’s fishing boat lobbing water bombs in
the RNLI Regatta race. Keen to learn more about boat handling who knows where
we might see her next!
Granny Does Have Good
Ideas!
Marine pollution is a problem world
wide, caused by all sorts of industry and people. In the marina many of us use chemicals to clean our boats but is
there an alternative? Well in many
cases, yes there is and it’s some of granny’s recipes that can provide a green
solution and I thank Beneteau for reminding us of them.
So to clean:
Fibreglass – a solution of bicarbonate of soda and salt.
Aluminium – a full tablespoon of scale inhibitor in half a
litre of warm water.
Brass – a solution of Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and
salt.
Chrome - a solution of vinegar and salt
Copper – a solution of lemon juice and salt
Deck cleaning, glass and transparent plastic – a cup of
white vinegar in eight cups of water
Removing mould – a solution of white vinegar and salt
Cleaning the shower – spray the surface with water,
sprinkle it with bicarbonate of soda and wipe.
Cleaning toilets – bicarbonate of soda
Cleaning wood – simple use olive oil
Whitening product – hydrogen peroxide
Scouring – bicarbonate of soda.
Contributed
by Pete Holland
Anyone else have any practical ideas we could use? If so
send to the editor please for the next edition.
What’s been going on?
ü
The
harbour are investigating our complaints about members not receiving the
electronic newsletter
ü
A new
disabled seat and baby changing mat for the central harbour facilities has been
ordered
ü
Male
staff have been told to announce themselves before entering the ladies shower
areas
ü
The
traffic lights on the outer road have been fixed upon receipt of the part
ü
Table
top exercises have been held to better prepare staff to deal with emergencies
Answers to some of the comments
received on the renewal forms….
- The marina has no plans at the
moment to remove hosepipes as has happened in some other marinas
- The management detailed an
investigation to find out why the depths in the channel were not as
expected. They were sending a diver down to a specific spot to give more
information
- The regular maintenance
schedule introduced for machinery should lead to fewer breakdowns with the
hoist and new patterns of working, along with new machinery should improve
things further. New offers are being introduced to help berth holders save
money.
- The CCTV has been changed in
the North harbour to give better coverage and a wider sweep
- Consideration is being given
to the problem of the lack of passing space in the West Harbour ‘cut’
(This is why it was subsequently excluded from the recent bridge lifting
trials)
- To improve the quality of
water some members would like to remind all not to ‘flush’ but use heads
only with holding tank or facilities ashore and also use greener methods
for cleaning (see the article on page 6)
- Phased plans are seriously being
considered for the outer harbour….hopefully there will be some sort of
waiting pontoon. Also more use of the radio is being considered to improve
lock-in procedures
We are still complaining about
Ø
The
state of the floors………another steam clean is required
Ø
The
lack of trolleys!!!!!!! (We have suggested that long poles are welded to the
new ones being ordered so that they cannot be put into vehicles)
Ø
The
non delivery of recycling bags as promised
Premier Focus Group
On
Saturday 25th July several volunteer berth-holders joined a focus
group which met with the new managing director of Premier Marinas, Pete
Bradshaw, who wanted to find out more about his client’s needs.
After a
‘round the table’ introduction our thoughts and feelings were sought about
Premier as a group. This was not an easy task as we tended to discuss Premier
Sovereign Harbour as a marina and not as a group but
a wide
variety of topics were covered including the facilities available, the locks,
the outer harbour, the berths, the atmosphere experienced in Premier Marinas,
the Waterfront, electronic communications, waste disposal and opportunities for
future development.
Particular
emphasis was placed on the contents of the ‘Premier Advantage’ package. When
asked which parts of the package were most appreciated by us it was difficult
to agree because of the variety of boating we were individually involved with.
Future
thinking came into play when we were asked what we thought Premier could do to
help us, the berth-holders. Keeping the fees down and fuel at cost were popular
lines of thought but also put to us were ideas for badged clothing, chandlery
and other supplies. (For example:Did we think there would be a demand for fresh
croissants and a morning paper delivered to our boats prior to departure.)
The meeting which lasted about an
hour and a half was very interesting and whilst
there were no promises from Premier they had at least listened to our views.
Premier
Focus groups have now been established in all Premier marinas.
Waypoint Wanderer
I hope that you found the Waypoint
Wanderer challenge both interesting and entertaining. I hope to develop this Reeds Almanac based challenge in future
issues.
Until then
here are the answers to the first edition.
|
Herewith the clues ! |
Your answers |
|
1 Lucky landing stage |
Shamrock
Quay |
|
2 Clergyman’s foundation |
Bishop’s
Rock |
|
3 Reptile |
Lizard |
|
4 Hairless |
Bald Head |
|
5 Missile’s opening |
Dartmouth |
|
6 Cardinal/liquid/home |
Southsea
Castle |
|
7 Artificial reef |
H.M.S.
Scylla |
|
8 Ouch ! |
Thorney |
|
9 Not short ones |
Longships |
|
10
Cementing William |
Portland
Bill |
|
11
Rodent’s evidence |
Mousehole |
|
12
Francis’s barrier |
Chichester
Bar |
|
13 SBC |
Small
boat channel |
|
14
Structure/between frontlines |
No Man’s
Land Fort |
|
15 Hero’s
passage |
Drakes
Channel |
|
16
Nobleman’s landing stage |
Mount
Batten Breakwater |
|
17 Boy’s
funny bone |
Dean
Elbow |
|
18 Fishy
edge |
Gurnard
Ledge |
|
19 QAB |
Queen
Anne’s Battery |
|
20
Feathered pork |
Birdham
Pool |
|
21
Blackstone/Wolf/Black and Bass |
Rock |
|
22 50°
54’.81N 00° 58.’56E |
Dungeness |
RNLI Sea Check
Are you new to boating? Would you
like reliable advice? The sea check may
be for you! Although called a
check it isn’t!
It’s free up-to-date advice. An experienced RNLI volunteer will come and
discuss you boating needs and help you look to the future. There is still
plenty of time to arrange for an RNLI Sea Check. It may even be more convenient
for you in the autumn.
The
Eastbourne Sea Safety Team, lead by Terry Colbran, will be happy to arrange for
you to have a free and confidential Sea Check aboard your own boat and at your
convenience. He can be contacted on 07860
362367.
Members of
the SHBHA who have had a RNLI Sea Check have reported that they found the
experience helpful and well worthwhile. Why not phone today?
Gourmet Galley
The recipe for this edition of the
SHBHA Newsletter is Lemon Posset and is a real winner.
Ingredients. You will need 600ml or one pint of double cream, 150gms or 5 oz of
caster sugar and the zest and juice of 2 large lemons
Method. Place the double cream and the
sugar in a pan over a low heat and bring to the boil slowly. Boil for three
minutes then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Add the lemon
juice and zest and whisk well.
Pour the
mixture into 6 serving glasses, ramekin dishes or moulds and refrigerate for 3
hours. Serve with buttery shortbread pieces. Delicious !
News From the Marina
General
Manager Andy Osman contributed the following items of interest.
Staff Training
As part of
Premier’s commitment to professional training and ongoing Continuing
Professional Development all staff have recently undertaken refresher training
in manual handling and fire fighting. The courses were conducted at Sovereign
Harbour.
In June Sarah, Florence and Andy Osman attended an
‘Introduction
to Yacht Brokerage’ course run by the Association of Brokers and Yacht Agents.
This course was in preparation for the opening of Premier Yacht Sales and
Brokerage office here in Sovereign Harbour. Members of the SHBHA may be
interested to know that they can sell their boats via this service for a
brokerage fee of just 4% + vat!
In August revalidating of all yard
staff plant and equipment operating licenses was undertaken. This included
fresh tests for new members of staff.
Later in
the year Andy Osman and Dave Needham are booked on a 4 day level 4 oil spill
response course and Nigel Pipe and Stuart Jarrett are also attending a level 2
oil spill course designed to deal directly with the handling of oil spills in
the marina.
Andy Osman
is also in the process of planning a refurbishment of the marina office. The
general plan is to create an open plan office that is more customer focused and
is much more welcoming than the current arrangement. Provided all goes to plan
the works are due to be undertaken in October this year.
Continuing Nick and Rona’s
Circumnavigation.
The
49-mile passage from Killary Harbour to Black Sod Bay took 8 ½ hours. Two
dolphins escorted us out of Killary Harbour. The Atlantic swell was horrible
but we managed to sail for 3 hours. Rounding Achill Point was interesting, the
sea state I found frightening. This was the 2nd place where I would quite
happily have got off and gone home!
We moored on a buoy in Black Sod
Bay. The Harbourmaster’s father had been the man who had transmitted the
weather forecasts for the D Day Landings. Here there is only a small fishing
quay and a few houses, the nearest shop 1½ miles away. Our first water tank was
empty. We had 10 days before running out completely. A force 8 was forecast. We
stayed put. I did the washing by hand using rainwater caught in the dinghy! The
wind dried it beautifully. The gale went through early the next day.
We heard
that others from Sovereign Harbour had been totally weather bound and had
sought sunshine in Corfu and Crete by plane! We may have been suffering
intermittent high winds and inclement weather, but at least we had got away and
were making progress, albeit slow.
The
following day we managed to cope with the 28-mile passage to Ballyglass in
Broadhaven Bay, leaving Black Sod Bay in gentle 10-knot winds, which increased
to 29 as we neared Ballyglass. We picked up the mooring buoy in 22 knots of
wind! The lifeboat station and a fishing quay were all that were here, the town
of Belmullet being 6 miles away. The lifeboat engineer offered to fetch us some
fresh milk. We stayed in Ballyglass the next day as the wind increased to 48
knots! We hauled the dinghy onto the boat in 32 knots of wind. Poor Poppy had
to wait till late afternoon for a walk.
The storm eventually blew itself
out and on 7th July we made passage towards Killibegs across Donegal
Bay in glorious sunshine and 20 knot winds. The Atlantic swell was not as bad
as we thought it might be after the high wind we had had. With the wind behind
us we thought about the cruising chute but poled out the genny instead. During
the afternoon a huge pod of dolphins joined us and played in the bow wave. They
stayed with us for more than half an hour. What a privilege!
Killibegs
is a working harbour with a fleet of large fishing boats. Fortunately they only
fish in the winter months – the anchorage is directly in front of them. Here we
enjoyed our last evening of Irish music. We reprovisioned again while there
were shops and with the help of the Harbourmaster refueled and took on water –
an experience all its own!
We had yet
another gale and a day of foul weather before we continued northwards, heading
towards Inishkeel.
It was a
comfortable motor-sail to Malin Beg Head; the sea state round the head was
horrible. It was a relief when we finally turned into the bay where Inishkeel
was situated. We picked up a visitor’s buoy; Stress Breaker was the only boat
in the anchorage, Poppy thoroughly enjoyed the long sandy beach here.
Unlike
Inishkeel, where there was only a pub, Downies Village, our next stop, was a
bustling metropolis, full of families on holiday, noisy with day motorboats,
speedboats and jet-skis. There was still only one shop, but several eateries.
Again there were only two other boats moored in the bay.
To reach
Culdaff Bay, our next anchorage, we rounded Malin Head, the NW corner of
Ireland. Nick helmed to make sure we didn’t broach in the choppy seas. The
waves were 4 meters high and breaking. Fortunately they were taking us round
the Head. We managed 10 knots (our average is 6!) Culdaff is another pretty
little bay with a tiny picturesque harbour. We anchored and took the dinghy
ashore.
The
following day we left Ireland for Scotland heading across the Atlantic Ocean to
Port Ellen on Islay. As another gale had been forecast for later in the day we
decided to leave Culdaff at 7.00 am. The sea was like a millpond for the whole
of the trip, the wind kind. We reached Port Ellen just after lunch. The storm
arrived around 4.00 pm. Thank goodness we were safely tied up! This was our
first marina for 20 days.
We took advantage of the laundry,
the electricity and water on tap and replaced the gas bottle, which had run out
(we carry a spare!). It was a pleasure to walk Poppy off a pontoon after having
had to use the dinghy each time she needed exercise. We stayed in Port Ellen
for 3 days, traveling around the island by bus and visiting 4
distilleries.
Our next
port of call was Croabh (pronounced Croove). There was so little wind that we
motored up the Sound of Jura, admiring the Paps of Jura in the distance, to
Croabh, another glorious place, small and quiet; the fuel pontoon made taking
on the 155 litres of fuel we needed easy.
Puilladobhrian
(Puldoran) was an idyllic anchorage, reached after a motor sail up Seil Sound
and round Cunan Sound. There were about 14 other boats anchored here. It was
beautifully still, warm and sunny and excellent holding for the anchor. We had
a wonderful walk to the Bridge over the Atlantic. Sadly, we only over-nighted
here.
Oban was
only about 8 miles further north and here the saga of the fridge reaches its
conclusion, thank goodness! Nick had ordered a thermostat to be delivered to
Kerrerra Marina. He fitted it while I did some shopping.
Continuing
north, the Sound of Mull was calm and still the sun shone. We saw more boat
movement here than in the whole from behind, but as we had wind with tide the
ride was comfortable. We rafted against on old fishing boat, the one pontoon
being full. Getting ashore was a bit problematic due to some very slippery
steps.
The
wind, weather and forecast were such that we decided to move on to
Kinlochbervie the following afternoon. We had a lovely sail in the sunshine on
a calm sea. This is another fishing port, again with only one pontoon.
‘Freebooter’ rafted on a boat already in situ and we rafted on ‘Freebooter’. We
needed the dinghy to get Poppy ashore.
We stayed there for 6 days waiting
for a suitable gap in the weather. A fishing trawler came in laden with fish,
which were auctioned in the fish market. It was fascinating to watch the
proceedings. We had now been away from home for 100 days.
Eventually
on August 1st, we had the gap in the weather we needed. We left Kinlochbervie
at 6.30 am to get the tides right round Cape Wrath. The name is Norse for a
turning point and nothing to do with angry seas! We headed for Loch Eriboll on
the north coast of mainland Scotland. The sea state made producing food or
drink challenging. The rain that had been threatening all day held off until we
had anchored and taken Poppy for a swift walk.
The
following morning we upped anchor at 4.00 am, our only really early start of
the whole voyage. Like rounding Cape Wrath, we needed to get the tide right to
enter Hoy Sound into Stromness on Orkney Mainland. However, as soon as Nick was
happy, I went back to bed for 2 hours. I relieved Nick on watch, but as soon as
he had his head down, he was woken by the coastguard weather forecast on the
radio. That was the end of his sleep! The afternoon was sunny but the sea was
well heaped up until the tide turned, then the ride was much improved.
Stromness
is another small marina with perhaps 70 boats, nicely sheltered with good dog
walking. We walked through the town to find the harbourmaster’s office to pay
for berthing. We eventually found it – in the coal merchant’s – of course!
We spent
6 days in Stromness, hiring a car and visiting the archeological sites
including Scara Brae, the Ring of Brodga and Maes Howe. My favourite was the
Broch of Gurness. The Italian Church was amazing. The Fossil Museum was
interesting. I managed to get my hair cut here. We experienced 2 more gales, a
force 7 and 8 and some truly foul weather.
We had a cold sail from Stromness
to Gill Harbour, Pierowall on Westray, the farthest north we were taking the
boat, after an interesting exit from Hoy Sound. The stiff 20-knot wind up the
west coast of Orkney Mainland dropped to around 5 as we entered Westray Sound.
The channel here is narrow and we watched the depth gauge closely as we furled
the sails. We motored gently in the sunshine.
At last
we had a chance to use the bikes. The
village of Pierowall was 2 miles from the harbour, the terrain flat. The 2
shops sold everything from sugar to circular saws! We visited the castle, which
dated from 1600, though it had had some recent renovation. During the 4 days we
were here we visited Papa Westray with the bikes on the ferry, walked round the
north of the island and had a superb meal in the Peirowall hotel.
12th
August saw us making our way from Peirowall to Kirkwall. The weather, for all
the good forecast, was not pleasant, with up to 28 knots of wind at midday.
Fortunately the sea state was slight and, with reefed sails we had a reasonable
trip.
During
the 9 days in Kirkwall, we visited St Magnus’ Cathedral with a stained glass
window commemorating Harald Hadrada and the Bishop’s and Earl’s Palaces dating
back to 1500. The town museum was fascinating. We took ferries to Shapensay,
where again we used the bikes, North Ronaldsay, with the sheep that live on
seaweed, Rousay and Scarpa Floe. We also suffered 3 more gales.
We had
intended leaving Kirkwall on 20th August, but gale force winds with
gusts of 55 knots was forecast. Our wind instrument clocked 38. We were glad we
had waited. The following day we noted that the wind had tangled our ensign at
the top of the mizzen mast, so Nick pulled me up to sort it out. We refuelled
and set off for Wick.
Wick was
our first harbour on east mainland Scotland, which we reached after a misty
8-hour trip across the Pentland Firth. It was day 122, 21st August.
Here, we found a brand new pontoon for leisure boats, but no electricity or
water. These were in the pipeline for next year!
(The
concluding chapter will be in the next newsletter.)
Sovereign Harbour Berth Holders
Association
Officers and Committee 2008/9
Chairman,
Webmaster Nick Jordan (NX17)
and
Sailing Club liaison officer
Vice
Chairman Pete Holland (NG11)
Secretary Carol Vince (NG11)
Treasurer Rona Jordan (NW13)
Membership
Secretary Nigel Dumbell (G31)
Harbour
representatives
Central
Harbour Brian Stiff (F42)
North
Harbour (E) Stephen Clements (NR14)
North
Harbour (W) Pete Holland (NG11)
South
Harbour Liz Loveday (SX15)
West
Harbour John Lewis-Cook (WU01)
Without
Portfolio Sandi Lewis-Cook (WU01)
Sue Sydney (WS17)
Newsletter
Editor Roy Sydney (WS17)
Auditor
Derek Last (G16)
Web addresses for the officers and
editor, and information of the latest events, are available on the website at www.shbha.co.uk
Dates for your diary
For local events and
more information, posters will appear around the harbour
Southampton Boat Show September
12th to 21st 2008
SHBHA Boat Jumble with food Sat.
September 27th 11.00-3.00
SHBHA Buffet Lunch with speaker
12.00-3.00 Sat. October 25th 2008
Rope Workshop November 2008
………………..To be confirmed
Earl’s Court Boat Show November 26
– 30th 2008
London Excel Boat Show January 9 –
18th January 2009
‘Pour on Water?, Pour on Water?’
February…… To be confirmed
SHBHA AGM, Lunch and speaker April
26th 2009
J Thanks to ‘Copyservice’ of Westham
for their kind,
helpful and efficient service in
the publishing of this
newsletter.