GSA Skills Assessment. 18th to 21st April 2022  – report by Ian Collins 

For this trip, which is required to become an approved skipper for the GSA, the club skipper was Alex Moulton. The crew was Alex’s son Monty, Craig Murdle, a club member wishing to become a GSA skipper, and his son Luca, and myself. The yacht was ‘Solent Flame’   an Oceanis 31, and the venue was Shamrock Marina where the boat is moored.

On the first day we met midday at the Marina and after a safety briefing sailed for Yarmouth. The wind was from the south west enabling us to sail down Southampton Water but made the passage westward to Yarmouth against wind and current a mostly bumpy ride using the engine. We ate on board that evening and later strolled round Yarmouth to view the Solent from the end of the Pier.

The following morning with the wind still from the south and west we sailed across to Keyhaven where Alex brought us carefully up stream on a rising tide to pick up a vacant mooring where we stayed and had lunch. After lunch the wind had veered more southerly so we motored past Hurst Castle in the North Passage. In Bournemouth Bay we raised the sails but even the most enthusiastic tacking could produce much in the way of progress toward Poole so the final approach was under motor and Craig brought us in to moor for the night in the Poole Quay Marina. This Marina could not be better positioned for visiting the “fleshpots” of Poole, but with two 12 year old boys as crew any flights of fancy in that direction were seriously curtailed. So apart from a quick pint in Wetherspoons it was into the chippie and a meal aboard. The Marina was also pricey and the ablutions failed to live up to the standards of many small French ports.

On the Wednesday morning the wind had backed to a northerly. Craig and his son returned home. A shame for Craig but it became apparent early on that Luca was not comfortable on board. This left Alex, Monty and myself to have a really delightful sail across the bay to the Needles, and then once more into the wind to the Solent on engine, but then a sail to Cowes. We then headed for the Hamble to Fuel and moor for the night at the MDL marina where we also ate in the restaurant.

Thursday morning and, of course the wind was now blowing straight down Southampton Water so once more on the engine we motored back to Shamrock. A new crew were due at two. So a clean-up and a discussion on how things had gone with an assurance from Alex that I would get a fulsome recommendation from him.