I am just re-reading ‘The Riddle of The Sands’, again. Loving the way these early authors expressed them selves back then. It wouldn’t work well in our quicker modern world now; but it’s just wonderful reading it as an older man. Not even my own parents’ century, though…not that yachting had changed much after WWII, and I didn’t know that when I was a boy. It was sometimes quite good fun for me, almost magical at times just to grow up with wind, tide, The River Crouch or even at Leigh. I liked the mud until it stopped me from sailing.
Was taught by my early boss when I was a teen to ‘just on with boy’, this Leigh ‘we just go fishing and make money’. That’s what we do here son…
For quite a few seasons I went out yachting in the Solent with a group of students after Christmas but before the New Year. Often, we were the only boat about during that period of the late eighties and early nineties. It was great fun with students because they knew that the weather might be a bit cool.
My preamble: Our boats weren’t well heated having just old design Paraffin pressure heaters. Though, fan Diesel heaters were starting to be in the vogue by then. They hadn’t been fitted because we sailed older yachts, great sea boats with a Roberts 34, Rival 34, Carter 30 and a Contessa 32.
Even though we never had more than four aboard plus an instructor. Things were often very tight with five. And when it was colder, condensation often ran down inside them. Each permanent coach was given his yacht. Decided by choice with John who ran this school thus having the final say.
Before winter sailing came on here in the Solent slightly later, there were never any other yachts about or Harbourmasters. Much too much bother you with any fees, sailing in Marina’s or dropping alongside etc. It was brilliant though you’d obviously tuck in somewhere interesting for Hogmanay. Often it might be a bit windy, lacking in daylight and sometimes a bit of snow.
My boat for a few years was our Contessa 32 called ‘Starduster’. She was very cramped inside with five onboard but a lovely sailing yacht. Students could make mistakes but she’d still upwind with almost any rig at close to six knots. She’d had a new engine with a two pot Yanmar 18 HP. Unlike today’s modern yachts her engine was still an auxiliary. If the wind was pumping, she needed sail to make her go anywhere. Typical of her time of the 70’s masthead rigged with a tiny mainsail; what you put up in the foretriangle made her go or not. Which made her such an excellent training boat.
Snow is quite rare in Hampshire, but I had it a few times during those courses. It never settled though but cutout the vis. right out; was wonderful often with swirly winds though. Sometimes it warmed things up and they might be some still about when we got into a berth and slippery.
Thirty years later whilst coaching in Scotland in the Clyde I had some similar experiences. My government run establishment didn’t start until early April. With hills and there catabatic gusts, it was another big learning curve. A gust from Arran (about 60 knots) blew off our VHF aerial, Wind vane stork, Tricolour light and the Windex.
Some snow again mostly though as flurries, but much colder with stronger winds and horrible gusts. Obviously, I asked some experienced Scots folks about. They were very cagey; perhaps because I’m English! But they also suggested things are different only 500 miles further north. Just watch out you’ll see for yourself; some gusts are extreme.
Naturally, I mentioned this to our Bosun Andy Gibb some expecting him to have a go at me, after my students had gone whilst was just packing up the boat and get myself home. I helped him go up the mast; half an hour later he was done. It was fixed. Och! he said ‘if that’s all your probs. I’m away back to the centre. There’s much more to fix with the dinghies, they broke several masts. Was quite a high gust for here but probably worse further north’. Which kind of told me it all. He was a typical Highland bloke.
It told me why it’s not sensible to try and book sailing courses at north 55 degrees until April. It is wonderfully wild up here.
We don’t rule the waves now in any form nowadays, though we still have some excellent sailors; but it ain’t France or NZ where they do rule the now…
