CRUISING NEWS. January. Bucklers Hard

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1 CRUISING NEWS January Bucklers Hard

2 Commodores Comments Its Christmas again so it must be time for children s parties, mulled wine, Consuelo s Draw and the needles relief, except this year due to the weather and Wightlink having an engine problem, the carols were sung at the LTSC rather than at the Bugle in Yarmouth. It made a very pleasant change, well done to Clare and all the House team for reacting so quickly to the changing circumstances. We have a new sound system in the Solent Room thanks to Neil Eccles and Tim Bigg. When fully operational the control of sound mix will be by way of an ipad and we hope to eventually also have lighting controlled in the same way. I am told that the new system is much simpler to operate with a default back to the original settings should you get lost! Members data will only be available in the Members Only area of the Club website from the New Year. This will mean that it is password protected in order to comply with the new GDPR regulations. I look forward to seeing most of you at the various Club functions over the Christmas and New Year period. A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND GOOD SAILING Chris Barr Commodore A very friendly welcome to all of our many New Members.

3 Second Rebellion

4 2018 Summer Cruise

5 Early one morning just as the sun was rising I heard a gent a singing For God s sake let me sleep! That s Better!

6 The Pollet, St. Hellier Guernsey, with Scotch Whisky, three shillings a bottle

7 Conclusion from Dec. Issue. Cruising Ploumanac h to Pontrieux After breakfast we rowed ashore and explored the town, very pretty and worth a return visit. We saw a monument to the Breton Maqui s whose call to rise up after D-Day was a BBC message Est le chapeau du Napoleon toujours a Perros-Guerrec? After morning coffee at a shore side café, we rowed back, deflated the dinghy and motored out. We picked up a buoy just outside the harbour and waited for the tide to favour our voyage to Lezardrieux and onwards up the Trieux river. After lunch we continued under engine past the entrance to Treguier river seeing the rocks and lighthouse to the west which had been invisible in the prevailing mist. We bore off towards Les Haux de Brehat, the GPS proving its value and eventually came into the Trieux river. There was a lot of yachting activity the area being like Piccadilly with many boats returning from racing and heading for Lezardrieux which we passed but didn t stop. We followed the river for miles, under a road bridge passing Chateau Roche Jagu high on its cliff, past fields with cows and eventually in the setting sun we entered the lock on the edge of Pontrieux This was the last lock operation for the evening and it was chock full with boats of all description which were returning to their Pontrieux moorings after a day at sea. Once safely secured alongside an old steel yacht we relaxed whilst the skipper once again cooked dinner, then a nightcap and so to bed. It has been quite a day! At 8pm the lock opened and we were ready and waiting. Unlike yesterday, we were the lock keeper s only customer. We motored down river as the sun began to set, dodging a large dredger that we faced coming up river- odd for a Sunday evening. We had great fun with the Navman plotter which is poorly programmed for the Trieux river (perhaps (no one expected us to be so far inland). The actual snail track on the plotter showed us sailing across ploughed fields and straight through the Roche-Jagu Chateau. It was almost dark when we finally moored at a pontoon outside Lezardrieux Marina. After our usual nightcap we turned-in to be ready for an early start in the morning. Another early breakfast the off under power with only 4 knots of wind on the nose. We piloted past many light towers, beacons, buoys and cardinals before turning right towards Ile de Brehat which we explored at close quarters but decided not to land. As we unfurled the genoa and prepared to sail off towards Paimpol a lamp was knocked overboard and provided an opportunity to practise our man overboard technique. The lamp was duly rescued and lived to shine another day. AS we closed on Paimpol harbour there seemed a confusion of green poles in the water. Which was the best route? Some local fishermen in a small boat were shouting what we took to be helpful advice bur when we spotted the oyster beds ahead of us at the last moment, we understood the fishermen s message! Entrance to Paimpol harbour is via a lock. Once safely moored among other yachts we spent the day exploring town. In the evening we dined ashore at a fish restaurant overlooking the harbour. Paimpol to Guernsey An early shopping raid before departure, reaching the lock just before it closed and were soon following a stream of yachts out to the sea. O30 degrees to Guernsey. We streamed fishing lines from our stern and although hopes were high, we didn t catch a thing! There wasn t quite enough wind so yet again we were obliged to motor sail. Flat sea with gentle swell.

8 Visibility was exceptional. As the hours passed first Jersey came over the horizon, then another island and yet another until all the Channel Islands were clearly visible except for Alderney. As we closed in on Guernsey Sattva came into sight sailing a different course from Treguier and we entered St. Peter s Port outer harbour in company and tied up at the arrival pontoon. The Sattva crew joined us for dinner, each boat providing a cooked dish, a really excellent feast. During the night a front came in. Rain lashed down and the rigging began to moan as a force 7 blew. In the morning we listened to the forecast and decided to stay in port. We paid another 15 to the harbour master and motored over the sill into the yacht basin. The fee is the same whether one chooses to go inside or remain outside the harbour. We tied up alongside Silver Bear who were already inside. During the morning the front passed and the sun came out, however, there were still 10-foot waves outside the harbour showing that our decision to stay in port had been correct. We had planned to sail to Port Dillette but tomorrow we will sail directly to Cherbourg. In the evening everyone had a shower and we went out for dinner on shore at a very reasonable restaurant on the sea wall looking out over the harbour. Strolling back to our boats in a pleasant warm evening one couldn t help reflecting on the total contrast in weather within 24 hours. Off to Cherbourg at 11.30am to make the most of the tide up the Alderney Race. We shopped before leaving to rid ourselves of Guernsey bank notes. Jim entered the Co-op and asked for Hollandaise sauce, Bolognese said the girl, no, Hollandaise sorry, we don t do Dutch Food said the girl. Sailed out in company with Sattva. The wind was 15knots on our stern so we hoisted the main and settled down for a pleasant sail. Cornish pasties for lunch, the as we approached Cap la Hague the sea became rough as we again passed over various whirlpools and overfalls. As we turned the corner onto a 130 deg. Reach the boat speed shot up. The wind began to rise and we clocked an amazing 8.9 knots in 22 knots true. Allowing for a slight error in instrument set we were doing a genuine 8.5 knots at times, sailing between 7.5 and 8.3 for long spells. The skipper was ecstatic and was grinning with joy as we shot into Cherbourg outer harbour like a race horse. We tied up in the marina at 6.45pm. Jim then cooked salmon steaks with hollandaise sauce, broccoli and new potatoes. A truly memorable dinner. Cherbourg Shopping, we sallied forth to buy wine and cheese and miscellaneous French goodies. The supermarket provided a free taxi back to the marina but it was touch and go whether or not we could fit all our cases of wine into the back. Returning to the boat all was duly stowed away. In the evening we dined once more with the Sattva crew, this time in an excellent restaurant down a back alley that is supposed to be known only to a select few club members. Jim knew of it from an earlier life, he calls it Brigadoon because for some years it reverted to being a dwelling before appearing once more as a restaurant. We slipped quietly away at 5.45am leaving Sattva still sleeping. There was a sea mist for the first eight miles the perfect viz on a bright sunny morning. We saw the Purbecks from a range of 43 miles, passing our first ship sighting at 9.00am. The IOW came over the horizon and the needles stood out bright and clear giving us a crossing time of 10 hours 7 minutes. From cruising notes left by our late Adam Reay

9 Briggs in French waters

10 Lezardrieux

11 Brittany

12 Dartmouth Falmouth

13 Beyond Batteries As the fallout from the emissions scandals of the last few years continually reverberate across both sides of the Atlantic and beyond, the key focus in the automotive sector remains on finding viable fuels to help hasten the switch to clean mobility. While much has been made of a variety of options, including consideration for improvements to internal combustion engines, it is clear that electric vehicles (BEVs) have emerged as being considered the most viable option at present. The advantages of BEVs are well noted. Their key attribute is that they are now the most market ready alternative to conventionally-powered vehicles. On the contrary, the pitfalls are equally as prominent and centre on a few mutually reinforcing issues. Firstly, there are few consumer-ready options with sufficient range, secondly, recharging times can be significant, and lastly, the necessary charging infrastructure is not yet in place. These are issues which have long been considered, but have overlooked, for the most part, based on the simple fact BEVs, are among the most market ready clean mobility options. In the recent past, hydrogen was earmarked as a likely fuel of the future for the automotive sector. Its main attributes are clear: fully renewable, high levels of efficiency and zero emissions are produced from the tailpipe. However, as the movement towards clean mobility continues, the potential of hydrogen is still quietly being recognised. A good example of which is the French Governments launch of a million Euro plan in June which aims to correct the imbalance and make France a global leader in the deployment of hydrogen for a variety of applications, including mobility. This substantive declaration, nevertheless, appears minute when contextualised in February, the German federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure announced a wide-ranging plan to fast-track clean mobility solutions. As part of the plan, Germany outlined that its aim is to put in place 100 hydrogen refuelling stations by the end of However, in tandem, they set out a target for 15,000 electric charging stations. The vast difference in the priority given to both fuel options demonstrates clearly, not only Germany s priority, but also the overriding trends in the automotive sector. As these examples show, the situation is not as simple as one or the other, but rather the best approach may be a combination of several fuel types depending on the application. In particular, hydrogen is increasingly becoming a dominant force for buses and trucks, whilst batteries are used for cars. SAE Europe

14 Calshot Coastguard in action

15 Brixham

16 MUG SHOTS!

17 Photo Quiz where are we now? Last month :- Mudeford

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19 Reflections

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22 I m Fine Thank You! There is nothing the matter with me, I m as healthy, as can be, I have arthritis in both my knees And when I talk, I talk with a wheeze. My pulse is weak and my blood is thin, But I m awfully well for the shape I m in. Arch supports I have for my feet, Or I wouldn t be able to be on the street. Sleep is denied me night after night, But every morning I find I m alright. My memory is failing, my heads in a spin, But I m awfully well for the shape I m in. The moral is this, as my tale unfolds That for you and me who are now growing old, It s better to say I m fine with a grin, Than to let folks know the shape we are in. How do I know that my youth is all spent? Well my get up and go has got up and went, But I really don t mind when I think with a grin, Of all the grand places my get up has bin!!! Ed.

23 Tuesday Bridge Club, Xmas bash 2018!!!