August Newsletter
‘I once knew a writer who, after saying beautiful things about the sea, passed through a Pacific hurricane, and he became a changed man.’ – Joshua Slocum – Author
Sailing a Traditional Dutch Flat Bottomed Boat on the IJsselmeer
A great week for the five of us. Venturing to Makkum, of all places, were Tom, Oran, Steve & Phil together with myself to sail this traditional Dutch flat bottomed boat. All of 15 metres length and big on the beam too, we took one look at her and thought ‘Cripes, what have we let ourselves in for?’ A fussy owner was there too watching every early step. We had expert instruction though as part of the deal and Jan showed us the shallow waters of the IJsselmeer on a windy Sunday when lots of other boats were ‘in the way’. We gained in expertise and confidence, although nothing compared to the expertise we observed of Dutch skipper’s large boat handling in very confined spaces. No bumps, several beers and a final channel which seemed to ‘have widened’ since our departure nearly a week ago.
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Tales & Tips from a First Time Sailor with a First Time Skipper
New CG66 Arrangements
A new App, RYASafeTrx, is to replace the CG66 online form, something every boat owner should be part of. The App is free and it even has a Call button in case of emergency. By using this the Coastguard has immediate access to your and your boat’s safety information, a major asset when organising a rescue. RYASafeTrx
I hope you enjoy this Newsletter and you can ask me to e-mail it to you monthly
Down Came the Rain
Here’s a view of us from the Amsterdam DFDS ferry. We were Yachtmaster training for victims with an examination in prospect in October. Despite this hot spell we chose a day when we got a soaking. ‘It felt like proper sailing’ quipped Instructor Don Gunton.
Update on Courses & Trips
‘Keeping your brain active protects against dementia, probably because it increases the quality of your cognitive reserve – the connections within the brain network’
THEORY COURSES
RYA OCEAN YACHTMASTER Explore the wonders of a sextant with Celestial Navigation and Ocean Passage Planning. This ‘top of the range’ RYA theory course can lead to the coveted ‘Ocean Yachtmaster’ ticket. I have four sextants, one new lightweight metal, one plastic & two old brass, for you to handle. A practical session is included. Cost £475 or £725 on tailored tuition. It’s possible to come for the Celestial Navigation only. The US Navy are teaching sailors celestial navigation again as a precaution against cyber attack. US Navy.
RYA COASTAL YACHTMASTER The advanced Course, a must for those proceeding to Yachtmaster level. Cost £450 for class & £650 tailored tuition. You need a good knowledge of this Course before being tested by the RYA Examiner. Autumn Evenings/Saturdays class from 4th October.
RYA DAY SKIPPER A popular starting point for many. Same Course for Sail or Power. This is a Course where early booking is essential. Classes take place in a modern building in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne. Included is a half day visit to the School boat. Cost £425. Autumn Courses; Monday evenings & two Saturdays; October 8, 13, 15, 22nd November 5, 10, 12, 19, 26th December 3, 10 & 17th or daytime 0930 – 1430hrs October 16, 23rd November 6, 13, 20, 27th December 4 & 11th. 3 bookings already!
I can’t do these times and am in a hurry!
Then a Tailored Timetable with one to one tuition could be for you. Costs £625 (£950 a couple) for Day Skipper, £625 for Coastal/Yachtmaster™ and £725 for the Ocean. Available when the diary permits.
Whilst I would not wish to encourage missing sessions, it’s a fact of life in todays world and time can be made up through private sessions or, sometimes, within the class timetable
TIDES In response to demand I’m offering this Course on tides, not RYA Tides, but real UK tides, especially on our North East Coast. Learn how to calculate tidal heights and streams. Join any of the four at £25 each or £90 for all four. Each session takes place 6 – 9pm at Heaton; Session 1 will be Day Skipper level with tides at standard ports. Session 2 will be advanced with secondary ports, Session 3 Tidal streams. Session 4 will go through examples and homework set from previous sessions. Also to be explored are the less common e.g tidal coefficients
PRACTICAL COURSES
All local courses take place on the school boat, a quality 36 foot Hallberg Rassy, well known for its comfort and steadiness afloat. Properly equipped with modern electronics, the preferred wheel steering and comfortable, recently replaced, bunk cushions you will be well set up to handle whatever may come your way. Courses are fully inclusive, except for a kitty contribution towards drinks onshore.
PRACTICAL CREWING My version of RYA Competent Crew. Three days, 0930-1700hrs onboard for three persons. 3:1 private tuition and you will be up to the Comp Crew standard. No experience necessary. Cost £275. (£375 weekends) September 5 – 7th (space limited)
DAY TRIPS. ‘Taster’ days run throughout the season with the aim of having a pleasant day out on the water. You can see whether yachting is for you at modest cost. Trips operate out of Royal Quays 0930 – 1700hrs. Cost £60 weekday & £70 weekend. Next Trip; 18th August (FULL) Yes, describing it as a “taster” is an understatement. It was a practical and thoroughly excellent training day. It’s a credit to your skill and confidence to take two complete novices to sailing at sea out into force 7+ and make it feel so easy. Your training plan and instruction was just right and delivered with clarity and a sense of humour which quickly removed any tension. I know Peter had as much fun as I did and we both came away with a heightened enthusiasm. – David
RYA COMPETENT CREW A 5 day, live aboard, course where you will learn ‘the ropes’ and to become a useful crew member. A good start to, perhaps, a lifetime boating. Cost £595. 31st July – 5th August & September 9 – 14th & 16 – 21st Course Review
RYA DAY SKIPPER PRACTICAL The key to bareboat charter, this course aims to get you to the ability ‘ to skipper a small cruising yacht safely by day in tidal waters with which the student is familiar’. Then you can be let loose to find your own adventures and provide endless anecdotes for you to enjoy telling. (The caption shows the June victims enjoying fish & chips on the final day) Cost £625 31st July – 5th August & September 9 – 14th & 16 – 21st ‘I was pleased with the way the course was organised, the instructions for preparation and attending, the fact that you were there waiting for me when I arrived, and your welcome both before and after we boarded.’ – Hassall. Course Review by Tim Edwards For a murky glimpse of a night sail try Night Sail
RYA COASTAL SKIPPER PRACTICAL The ‘top of the range’ RYA practical course providing greater challenges to get you up to the standard to skipper a cruising yacht safely by day and night. A sample requirement for chartering a yacht on the Clyde; ‘Skippers must hold/be experienced RYA Coastal practical or Yachtmaster practical when sailing within the Clyde. Outwith the Clyde – Yachtmaster practical’. Cost £625 Jonny Colwell gives a detailed review of his YM Examination
YACHTMASTER™ PRACTICAL EXAMINATION This Examination is to take place in October and, if you might be interested, email me for further details indicating your level of experience.
RYA START YACHTING A two day course for beginner groups, which can be the ‘start’ of greater things. You live onboard for two days and visit another marina, away from Royal Quays. Cost £230.
INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCE (ICC) This can be done on the same course as Day Skipper/Competent Crew. Cost £625 with dates as above. Alternatively I can test you on your own boat at much cheaper cost. Individual quotations are given for this which will be from £225 for one day, own boat ICC Guidance
Northumbria Sailing on Video
Have a look at my Theory Training Centre with this video. Training
Onboard the Hallberg Rassy training yacht, by courtesy of Mark Batey and the kind co-operation of victims Andrew and Clive. See me giving berthing advice in trying to avoid the electric supply post Mark Batey Day Training
RYA Competent Crew in the sun, by courtesy of Mark again Mark Batey Competent Crew
In a clip from 2013 you see the appreciation of Ladies on an RYA sponsored day at Royal Quays Ladies Day
Pieces of Eight – Knotty Problems Analysed
Royal Quays Friday & Gosport one day later!
Bet you didn’t know how fast the school boat Lian is??
Have a look at this screenshot of the AIS taken one day after I had left the boat in Royal Quays, North Shields.
An important reminder as to the accuracy of AIS. One of two things could have happened as the Gosport position was clearly wrong. Either the signal had been ‘spoofed’ or misreported.
In the case of the latter some explanation of how AIS operates is needed. The AIS signal is picked up by the operator allocated a sector and this is relayed to the central computer, thought to be in eastern Europe.
It would seem this has been misreported somehow and was corrected when next turned on. The misreport was probably the Gosport sector as I know the local guy, a victim, and it wasn’t him. Or perhaps I was just trying to mislead wife as to my whereabouts
Specialist Courses
RYA VHF Here we have a pic of a record 10 attending this Course over two evenings. It gets a bit hectic though when there’s alarms going off from all directions!
This important Course is available in class, online or private tuition. Don’t be caught without a
proper licence as you could be fined up to £5,000, plus 6 months inside, plus equipment confiscation – yes it’s very severe! At Northumbria Sailing you will receive tuition one per training set. As you will be assessed for practical skills as well as theoretical I think it’s advisable that you have every opportunity to familiarise yourself with the equipment. Cost £115 plus £60 for the RYA. Next Course; Evenings September 3+4th Also available One to One at £180 and online at £85 to include manual. Assessment £60 extra. Try these links. RYA Online VHF Radio and RYA Online VHF video
RYA RADAR Are you safe using your set? Can you properly identify a collision situation? If you have radar you are required to know how to use it properly and could be held responsible if an incident was to occur. Day or two evening courses. Cost £120, plus £9.75 to RYA.
CEVNI test for the Inland waterways endorsement to your ICC. Done online, cost £25
RYA DIESEL ENGINE
I am pleased to announce that this Course will be available on 9th October. A Volvo 2003 marine diesel engine will be used for demonstrations and you will get several chances to try your hand at changing filters etc.
The Course is for beginners and will show the simple maintenance tasks you are can do yourself to help maintain your engine in working order. The RNLI has complained that most of it’s call outs are often from engine failure where simple tasks have not been performed. Your rescuing lifeboat may make firm suggestions if this is found to be the case. Cost £120 plus £10 for the RYA Pack. RYA Diesel Engine
RYA Essential Navigation Online. Do this starter course on your own laptop. A good introduction to the theory part of sailing, with yacht or power boat. Cost £95 plus £28.50 (includes instruments) for the RYA Pack. Online Navigation
RYA FIRST AID. All day for the RYA certificate, valid three years. Be prepared for a full day’s activity with lots of practical demonstrations and active participation – no going to sleep here with Simon!. To check which certificates are acceptable to the RYA e.g. for examinations First Aid Certificates Cost £75, £95 with Cat C drug endorsement, + £7 RYA Pack. Next session; 19th September
Accident Alley
A section to draw attention to accidents and what we can learn from them
Yacht Collision in Fog
In 2003 the sailing yacht, a Moody 47, Wakhuna collided with the container vessel P&O Nedlloyd Vespucci in the English Channel in poor visibility.
Wakhuna left port in good visibility, which then deteriorated into thick fog. Radar was turned on at a range of 6 miles, but the engine disengaged. Wakhuna’s skipper was under the mistaken impression he was the ‘stand on vessel’, whereas the onus in fog is for both vessels to take avoiding action in ample time.
The skipper suddenly saw the large container vessel 50/60m off the port bow and was unable to avoid a collision. The first 3m from the bow of the yacht was torn away, the skipper went astern thereby reducing the water ingress forward, but was unable to avoid sinking. Crew abandoned ship to the liferaft and there was no loss of life.
In the ensuing Accident Report both sides were criticised for ineffective radar lookout. The ColRegs states that a lookout must be made by all means, including radar. My advice is to switch off your radar if you don’t understand it. Yet radar can be so simple – draw a line through the blob on the screen and if it stays on it and comes towards the centre it’s going to hit you.
A full report can be checked out here. Wakhuna .
A Stitch in Time
Scotland in June! A whole week without rain and the sun shining on us as we sailed between Skye and the mainland. In fact I never got to set foot on Skye, the same as the circumnavigation last year. I have put this to rights though with an August train trip up there, for the trainspotters.
Some repairs were needed to prevent the UV strip on the jib completely detaching and so Eric and I set to work whilst we were at our mooring in Loch Shieldaig. In another part of the loch we were 50 metres from shore and in 120 metres depth of water! Eric and I did the best we could and informed the charterers, Alba Sailing, of our handiwork. If you are interested in stitching classes just email me.
The Strange Case of SS Warrimoo
The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on its way from Vancouver to Australia. The navigator had just finished working out a star fix and brought the Master, Captain John Phillips, the result. The Warrimoo’s position was LAT 00º 31′ N and LONG 179º 30′ W. The date was 31st December 1899.
“Know what this means?” First Mate Payton broke in, “We’re only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line”.
Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime. He called his navigators to the bridge to check and double check the ships position. He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark, and then he adjusted the engine speed. The calm weather and clear night worked in his favour.
At mid-night the SS Warrimoo lay on the Equator at exactly the point where it crossed the International Date Line! The
consequences of this bizarre position were many:
The bow of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere and in the middle of summer.
The stern was in the Northern Hemisphere and in the middle of winter.
The date in the bow (forward) part of the ship was 31st December 1899.
In the aft part it was 1st January 1900.
This ship was therefore not only in two different days, two different months, two different years and two different
seasons, but it was also in two different centuries – all at the same time!
From Andy Large; ‘assuming the ship had come to a stop, if you were mid-ships on the SS Warrimoo standing looking over the port side and then wandered over to the starboard side, that gives a couple more combinations as well, given the ship has width and straddles what is mapped as a dimensionless line…‘
Terry Heppenstall 1942 – 2018
Terry is shown here, on the left, next to Valerie, Robin and myself, died last month. This was taken on Kiwi in the Clyde in 1998 on my very first practical after my successful RYA Day Skipper Course.
At the funeral service I was asked to say a few words about Terry’s sailing interest, which are reproduced here;
‘It’s now 20 years since I was sailing with Terry, first in the Clyde, in Scotland. Sailing with Terry was an interesting experience – things seemed to happen – but he was a very valuable crewmember because he was never seasick.
Way back in August 2004 we were sailing my newly acquired boat from southern Brittany, in company with daughter Vici, the three of us. Events first started after Sark, crossing the English Channel, when we ran out of fuel and had to call the lifeboat to be towed back into Cherbourg. And you would think that would be sufficient really but, continuing the voyage which was to be eventually back to Royal Quays, North Shields, Vici Jumped ship, leaving Cowes for home, and it was just Terry and I.
And on the eventful day in question it was blowing a lot, really windy, and we were heading for Brighton. At one stage, I, having placed Terry down below looking at the chartwork, and of course, he was reliable because he wasn’t seasick. I was steering the boat and, standing up there, I wanted to go to the toilet. Going to the toilet is not an easy thing to do whilst you’re at sea – you’ve got a lot of clothes to get off, and you’ve got to go down below. And it can be quite a character-forming experience, doing that without being seasick. So I didn’t really want to ask Terry to take my place, because he would be new to the steering anyway, so I resolved to actually have a pee in the cockpit. Perhaps to my eternal shame. I don’t think Terry thought very much of that, because this is a guy that’s flown down to France, to a certain restaurant, so he’s of that calibre.
However, shortly after that, and we need to understand here that lifejackets can be automatically inflated when in contact with water – that’s their function really. I remember seeing Terry coming out of the toilet with a big beam on his face – his lifejacket had indeed inflated. So whether it was his aim that was at fault, or something else, perhaps now I’ll never know.
Then the target was to get to Brighton, and I was aware that we might not be allowed to get into port because of the severe wind and we would have to go on to the next place, being Newhaven. But I didn’t tell Terry this. But indeed we did eventually get into Brighton, messed up the berthing but we didn’t care. In the pub afterwards, and Terry did like his pint, we were on a high because we’d arrived safely. Then Terry revealed that, after all, he had realised that we might not be have been allowed to land.
He was a regular attender of our annual dinner but restricted mobility meant he’d had to ‘swallow the anchor’ – Bless him’.
Victims (all) at Sea
David and Alison Morgan report; ‘Ramora is still berthed up at Largs and we sail her as much as the weather and time (still working full time) allow. Just returned back home yesterday after spending a week onboard in glorious weather but unfortunately very little wind. Hoping to round the Mull of Kintyre and sail up to Gigha and beyond this summer.’ RQ berthholders will remember Ramora, especially well looked after by David and Alison.
Frazer Ventners seen here with wife to be Jeanette has in his sights a 50 foot racing yacht for the Fastnet. He’s putting together a syndicate which may, or may not, be full but contact Frazer if you are interested on 0796 7037886.
The boat will be called Hell Raiser, appropriately as Frazer means business. He has a track record of success, having won the Tattinger trophy on Caveman.
Leah Pattison, a theory victim, took her practical out of Gibraltar and passed. Initially weather was poorer than we had in Scotland but it improved as can be seen here.
Jonathan Hetherington, pictured above in May Day Skippers (Jon), sent this one in, entitled ‘champagne sailing’. My thought was where’s the bottle? then of course, dummkopf, it’s the view when he was sailing on Lake Windermere. Superb isn’t it? In August Jon goes off on a sailing holiday in Croatia. A nice place but they can be hot on tickets. The charter company are vague about VHF but Jon has just successfully passed his VHF Course today, 26th June, to be on the safe side.
Phil Butler has just bought a UFO 34 Freeway and is trying his hand in the Clyde before bringing her to the North East. Phil reports; ‘leaving the berth and mooring in a new yacht was interesting, but I didn’t bump into anyone or anything! The most nervous part was having two complete novices onboard and the responsibility that goes with that, but they were great and enjoyed the experience’. Half term week has been spent onboard with his wife, two children and two dogs. I think they have had good weather, which is a great help.
Mike Purvis (Whisky Mike) sent me a heart warming email recently. ‘We are just on our last night now, Judi managed to get carers for her mum for the week so we thought we would give it a go. It has certainly been an adventure, good news is Judi likes sailing, embraced living on a boat for a week and seems to be immune to sea sickness. We did have a few challenges especially berthing stern to and also had a completely disconnected prop shaft from the engine in the Marina, which was a bit exciting. All that said we went out sailing four days of the six, got all the sails up – anchored twice in lovely calas around Alcudia, Mallorca. We clearly have still much to learn but I think we can count the week as a success given no damage to our boat nor others – never put ourselves in danger and have finished the week wanting more’.
Boat Delivery
Just bought a boat and wondering whether to have it delivered or trucked? You can contact us for a feasibility assessment and quotation for cost.
Trevor Jefferson, my Chief Instructor, is very much into yacht delivery these days and has now completed his Med delivery to Corfu.
Yacht Skippering
There are times when you might feel that your ‘ticket’ and/or experience will not be adequate for a safe holiday. Last summer I had such a commission enabling a larger yacht to be chartered and to sail to more adventurous places. It worked and we all had a great time and look forward to repeating the experience exploring the Western Isles in 2018.
Crewing Opportunity on Galapago 
Malcolm duly left Royal Quays on 7th July, not without incident though. At the last minute, the mains supply adaptor wouldn’t disconnect as it had fused to the electric stand. Craig, from RQ, and I gave a hand. Mind I had a vested interest in this, as it was a difficult manoeuvre and my boat could have been hit! It was a success and shown here is Joanne at the bow going astern down pontoon F. Malcolm and crew, one of whom is his son Tom, actually with a higher qualification, and I innocently asked whether, this being the case, who would be skipper? They successfully traversed Biscay and Malcolm now has his boat in the Med for further adventures there before winterising in Malta about October. Crewing spots become available, although the horizontal effort cannot be guaranteed as shown here. Enjoy sailing on a 62 foot Oyster. Email Malcolm; on malcolm@nuchido.com
Reader’s Links
A new section featuring links of a maritime interest sent to me.
Peter Chater has found a remarkable way of plugging a failed seacock – with a carrot! Sea Cock Repair
Leah Pattison sent this pic of Scarborough during rough conditions. A great view from the top of the Big Wheel!
Peter Chater sent this one about a fisherman suing as a result of a collision Fisherman Sues
Nigel Hierons saw this news item about a flare Flare in recycling explodes
Franek Richardson sent this Time Lapse
Phil Butler mentions the two women rescued after 5 months at sea in the Pacific.
Stuart Porter took and posted this great dolphin display, quite the best I have seen North Sea Dolphins
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For more information contact me via my web page
Back editions are now becoming available in edited form