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Author:  Neil Ferguson
Title:   Papercourt SC, Safety Boat Duty...  Windy...

Definitions:
PRO   -   Principle Race Officer
ARO   -   Assistant Race Officer
SB/SBO-   Safety Boat / Safety Boat Officer
OOD   -   Officer of the Day

We arrived and were told that there was no PRO due to an unfortunate
illness.  Unfortunate for us.  The ARO seemed to be a bit of an,
er, idiot so I asked if she was going to be OK...  Result, I end up
setting the courses for this day's Ice Box Series - a good turnout.

Quite handy really as nobody else except the sailors seemed to know
what we were doing.  So I went out and for the first time *I* got
to tell people where *I* wanted the buoys!  What a change! :-)

After we had rigged the two SBs we rigged the Committee boat.
Problem 1: The ARO doesn't know how to do anything but start the
races so I end up being Committee boat pilot as well.  So I sorted
out the radios, handed them out and then went out to set the start
line for the race.

I tried to position the line as straight as possible but the anchor
didn't seem to grip the bottom terribly well, and we ended up
slipping about 10 feet making the line fairly biased - it was the
best I was going to get...)

Next we go out in the safety boats, checked the radios, and finally
I conducted the daily safety traffic on the handheld UHFs - giving
weather predications including "It looks like it might rain soon,
"maybe its a good time to go in and get a cup of Soup...".  Half
an hour into the first race and we hear, "Rescue 2 this is
Rescue 1, I think I might go in for a pee, over".  So we then take
over - lucky there were only one or two people that went over -
they recovered themselves without any problems and we weren't
terribly busy.  By the way its about a Force 5/6 at this stage.
By 15:00 it had increased to a Force 8 and since it was the
afternoon race I thought maybe I should change the course.  In
doing this I had to re-position the start, and so we motored up to
the intended position, only to find the anchor slipped.  No problem
I thought! - I'll lengthen the warp a bit and try again and we'll
have no problems!  We motored back up to the right position again
only to find the anchor slipped again.  The ARO sitting next to me
sounded the 5 minute bell half way through the third attempt, much
to my surprise - I don't think she knew which was the "Race
Postponed" flag... On the fourth attempt I chucked out the kedge
I discovered in the bottom of the boat AS WELL as the previous
anchor and...  transits...  wait...  HOLDING!  YES!  Despite this
the CB slipped about 12 feet downwind during the course of the race
(about 1hr 15mins).

Now the exciting bit - during this second race we had a bit of
rescuing to do.  One of my friends was out having a go despite my
thoughts that the F8 was too much for my weight, let alone his...
I must admit that I was impressed with his confidence - I don't
ever remember going out in that sort of weather when *I* was
learning!  He (like everybody else) capsized and so he was taken
back in by the other SB.  Once the boat had drifted (capsized) down
to the far end of the lake with boom and sail flailing, I guided my
Dad through the shallows which I had discovered whilst sailing
previously ("what's that down there, BANG...") and leapt out.  I
didn't really expect many more capsizes in the slight lull we seemed
to be experiencing and so I pulled the boat up on the bank, took the
boom off, wrapped up the sail etc...  I looked up to see two
capsizes and Dad roaring off into the distance.  Hmph.  I decided I
wouldn't wait for this return, I would leg it back round the lake
to the clubhouse with the boom....  Probably due to my unfit nature,
I reached the clubhouse with little breath left and staggered in,
indicating the return of the boom...

I looked outside and came to the conclusion that I was missing too
much fun out on the water to stay there and watch - I walked in to
the room containing the radios, picked up another, turned it on and
called Dad.  Perhaps my descision to name myself as station "Teabar"
made the call "Rescue 2, this is TeaBar, over" was a little
confusing at first but we soon resolved the problems and he came to
pick me up...  In addition to that we had a mast come down, along
with another towed boat, several retirements and an evermore
shifting line!

One capsize caused a Solo shroud to get caught under a Laser I think
it was - Dad had to sort that out on his own as I tried had just
taken the Comittee boat out to the second start, and ended up
running aground as the wind blew him onto the shore...   One laser
went over so many times, he started to get quite cold but the race
was nearly over so he continued right until the end...  I also seem
to remember the unfortunate occurrence of one Topper being caused to
capsize as a result of another boat's actions which caused the day's
single protest - something which impressed me after the speed I saw
most boats moving.

What a day!  I was quite surprised the OOD put me down in the log
book as PRO, but his illness had prevented him from doing it and
somebody really did need to go down...  I did make him change one
section however,

Wind State:  Light Wind

...to ensure it read something more realistic, like this...

Wind State:  Light Wind!!!  Force 8 by 15:00!!

To be perfectly honest, despite the fact I would have enjoyed the
gusty F8, I think I'd rather have been in the SB...  I think now I
should talk to the people that organise the rota and see if I can
get myself on the SBO list in future, I could get used to this!
There is only one thing I wished I had brought that day - and that
was the camera!


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Author:  Neil Ferguson
Title:   My First Coastal Experience...

Arriving at Hayling Island Sailing Club (H.I.S.C) I looked at the
water - surprised at how calm it seemed compared to what I was
expecting.  Little did I know at that stage that the wind would
pick up later, and the tide would change direction.

A "cruise" was scheduled for the afternoon before racing began the
next day, so we rigged quickly and set off for Chichester Yacht
Club.  Not a problem I thought, despite the growing winds, as we
reached rapidly off upriver towards the yacht club.  We were
making such good time in fact that we were sent off in the "wrong"
direction to give us a beat back to the right channel.

We eventually arrived - cold but reasonably happy, at the yacht
club.  One lunch later we returned to the water - for the sail
home.  Sheltered in the river I felt perfectly safe as we sailed
back...  That changed completely as we rounded the bend in the
river, and entered the Chichester Harbour.  Being inexperienced at
that stage (and some would still argue I am now...), I didn't
understand why the water was so rough - the waves were getting
larger by the minute, or so it seemed, and I seemed to be making
almost no progress to windward.  Eventually the rescue boat came
over to offer me a tow - thank God!  I didn't know where we were,
or how far the sailing club was, but I didn't want to keep sailing.

Cold by this stage I accepted the tow and carried out the usual
steps - remove the daggerboard, take the sail off the end of the
boom by undoing the clew-outhaul etc., and sat down with a small
splash in the water in the bottom of the boat.  Three minutes later
I heard a shout, looked round, and found my bow getting further and
further away from the rescue boat.  Seconds later, as one of the
crew of the boat grabbed for the painter, I saw the end drop into
the water, and I started drifting away.  I wish I could have seen
the look on my face - it must have been brilliant.  Just the shock
of getting blown rapidly backwards away from the rescue boat and
my friends (also on tow) which I remember clearly, must have made
me look quite funny...

Before I really had time to think about what was happening, the
inevitable happened - I capsized.  Fully familiar with the drill I
"legged it" round the back of the Topper, and reached for the
daggerboard.  What was one of the first things I had done under
tow? - removed the daggerboard.  It was now floating quite happily
on the other side of the boat, providing little chance of me
recovering the boat alone.  When the rescue boat returned, I was
helped in bringing the boat upright, and then promptly capsized
again whilst being tied up.  Eventually I was sitting back in the
bottom of the boat again, with the boat the correct way up.

We reached the sailing club within 15 minutes, and we all went to
our rooms...  I wonder how I'd cope now in the same conditions -
with nearly three years more experience, and a Level 5 certificate...

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