BRISTOL SAILING ASSOCIATION

Newsletter June 2018

Contacts:Kath Liddiard (Commodore)01443 227928

Jock Playle (Secretary)0117 973 8855

Becky Goddard (Treasurer) 01749 346818

Future Trips

1.1Alan Howells will skipper a weekend from Plymouth on July 20 – 22 with an overnight sail on the Friday night to Falmouth, to give two new members night sailing experience. This is now fully booked and paid.

1.2Alan will also skipper a long weekend from Plymouth to Tréguier on Thursday August 30th – Monday September 3rd. This is now fully booked and all first payments of £50 received. The final payment will probably be £83, due by August 16th.

1.3Jeff Woolmer will skipper a weekend from Plymouth on August 17 – 19. This is fully booked and will cost £68 per person, due by August 3rd. The boat, a Bavaria 34, will be available from Plymouth Sailing School at Yacht Haven Quay at 6 pm on Friday August 17th.

1.4Some members have asked for a boat handling training trip. Gordon Ogden has said he may be able to skipper one in October. Will anyone who would like to join such a trip please let Jock know.

1.5Any other trips wanted?

2.Recent Trips

Trip reports –A reminder that Chris Wallace has asked for all members who provide trip reports to include the type and name of the boat, and the names of all crew, so that the reports can be completely listed and referenced on the website.

At the June meeting we had a report from Alan Howells on the 10-day charter he skippered to south Brittany. Alan has also added a note on the night pilotage through the Chenal du Four, following the interest shown in the two ‘classroom’ sessions on the subject he gave last year.

Chris Watts gave a verbal report on the two-boat charter from La Rochelle on June 1- 3. The written report with photos is attached as a separate file with this newsletter. A report by Alex Barry on Jeff Woolmer’s first trip as skipper from Plymouth to Salcombe will be in the next newsletter.

Trip on Phoebe, skippered by Alan Howells

Alan’s night pilotage notes follow:

Night Pilotage

There was so much interest when I ran sessions on this subject a while ago I thought that it might be a good idea to circulate the notes that I gave to the crew following the trip as an example of night pilotage in practice.

Quote from RYA Handbook of Navigation on Pilotage: “… conventional navigation techniques of working out courses to steer and taking and plotting fixes are too slow and cumbersome.”

All who were looking over my shoulder from time to time noticed that I drew no lines on the chart or indeed made any mark on it from Camaret to Valbelle buoy. It was also remarked that I did not want to know about a number of other marks which were being pointed out. That was not some cavalier gesture but pretty standard pilotage procedure. It went like this:

Having left Camaret at 01.00 and raised the main we were at a position well clear of the head and able to motor a course initially South of St Mathieu light which was clear and had its identity confirmed from its characteristic. A clearing bearing kept us well away from the only rocky bit with an unlit cardinal. We were heading in the right direction and well clear of all dangers which is all that it is necessary to know.

The flashing red of Vieux Moines appeared and was confirmed from its characteristics. As we approached we kept an eye on its tracking relative to other lights and endeavoured to pass well clear to the South. The green Le Fourmi (we were eventually to pass between the two) was also visible and we looked along a known bearing to see and then identify red Tournant de Lochrist and altered course to leave it well to starboard allowing for the tide and monitoring progress to keep us well clear. Lots of water to port so no worries in that direction. When Tournant de Lochrist was abeam we altered to pass between Grand Vinotiere and Rouget both identified but held a course until the flashing white of Corsen came into view on the expected bearing and followed that between the two marks. After passing Rouget we altered to cut a corner (ample depth available) and watched for Kermorvan and St Mathieu to come into transit. There was clearly a West component in the tidal stream at this point as movement towards the transit was slow so we corrected to 030 after which they came into transit fairly quickly. The transit was confirmed by the flashing characteristics of both lights and the compass bearing. We the followed the transit passing St Paul and Valbelle to starboard and Platresses SE and N well to port.

All lights and marks were identified at least one way but usually two (characteristic and expected place) and all courses were very safe. Passing of major marks was logged by name and time in the log book. Lots of other marks were visible at various times but they would not have added anything but distraction.

For that particular pilotage I preferred to work from the chart as we went along but it would also be possible to pre plan and write it out first as a set of directions. I’m not keen on that unless I know I am going to be motoring the whole way. Had the wind come up sufficiently to sail in the middle of the above I was ready to sail it using various clearing lines if, as would be likely, we could not sail the official course but had to tack and or gybe.

Alan

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