TELEGRAPH

  The crews gathered amid a small amount of uncertainty about whether there was a cruise to France. Well there should have been it was perfect sailing weather.

The crews were ferried out the Raddedas at 09:30 and left the harbour by 10:00 with seven members on board. The RIB then delivered two enthusiastic Etchells crew to Naqapan moored against the single cradle and towed her round to the La Collette pontoon for an easier “cast off” and more importantly an easier return on the low tide.

By the time that Naqapan had escaped from the harbour the big yacht was nowhere to be seen but there is a strong rumour that she headed for the North-West Minquiers bouy in full sail. Meanwhile Naqapan went through some training exercises “tacking” and “gybing” in the light winds and avoiding the wind trap near Noirmont Point where the land mass has the effect of reversing the wind to confuse and confound the luckless helmsman/person.

As often happens in St Aubins Bay the winds ranged from fresh to calm in a matter of minutes and in the space of perhaps a hundred feet, but once out beyond the effects of the headland and the castle the winds were perfect for an easy “reach” up the harbour approach and into the marina.

The ketch arrived back in the harbour shortly after the Etchell crew but “parked” on No 5 Berth ready to make the short trip across the harbour back into her cradle on the rising tide later in the day.

We know that three people got a lot out this days sailing. One person refreshed their dinghy skills on the Etchell, another found confidence to take the ketch to sea and a new member found that sailing with the Jersey Sailing Trust was full of surprises and last minutes changes.

Next week Sark ..or is it Chausey?

  Two Etchells, Naqapan and Ecrola were ready to sail from Number Five Berth at 09:30 having been moved from their cradle mooring the day before. Raddedas was also alongside and prepared to take on a full crew.

The blue Etchell “Ecrola” slipped out of the Harbour first and sped off towards Demi de Pas with the red Etchell ” Naqapan” hot on her heels. About a mile south of the beacon the two Etchells tacked north and headed into St Aubins Bay.  The pair stayed very close to each other and it was fascinating to see how closely they were matched for speed ans neither skipper could gain any greater speed than the other.

The pair then turned back towards Demi de Pas and very nearly carried straight on to Chausey as the weather and the wind absolutely perfect for it. On this occassion there were no dolphins or basking sharks to distract or entertain the crews so on the way back to the harbour the crews carried out several racing manouvers around the bouys and marks.

The crew of Raddedas enjoyed a gentle cruise to the west which at times achieved a respectable and impressive speed. The skipper had found an extra sail in the locker and at for a short time the yacht had everything up except for the Spinnaker. Sadly no-one was around to photograph the spectacle and capture this impressive sight.

The three yachts returned to harbour and foound some familiar territory on what was the holding pontoon while the fleet waited for the tide to flood sufficiently to allow the yachts back on to their respective cradle moorings.

Thew crews then retired to the club house and some well earned lunch.

Roll on Summer

The 36ft Biscay Ketch “Raddedas II” is back in commission and on active duty following the replacement of the stern tube through which the propellor shaft connects to the engine. This was a difficult nine months and now the yacht needs to work twice as hard to earn her keep.

She is ready to go to Granville, Guernsey, Chausey or Sark every weekend just ask about availability.

Saturday 13th March 

       There were Etchells and Dolphins in St Aubins Bay on Saturday morning. The crews of the International Etchells being sailed by the members of the Jersey Sailing Trust were honing their racing skills in the sunshine between Elizabeth Castle and St Aubins Fort when they were joined by a pod of Dolphins near the Baliene Rock Bouy on the west side of Elizabeth Castle.

There were obviously several Dolphins but is was difficult to estimate how many as they broke the surface and dived in different directions, presumably they were feeding on fish that they had been following into the shallow water of the bay. The crews were astonished to find these friendly creatures so close to shore and so early in the year although another crew had encountered a basking shark near Raudiere Bouy early in the summer of 2009.   

The Dolphins swam with the white Etchell “Bacchanal” for about ten to fifteen minutes while the blue  Etchell  “Ecrola” tried to get close enough to take some photographs. To the lasting frustration of the crews the pod were too shy to be caught on camera and vanished just as mysteriously as they had appeared.

The two International Etchells then  sailed south east towards the Demi de Pas lighthouse to familiarise themselves with the effect of wind with the tide and finished a spectacular morning at sea with a sprint back to East Rock Bouy and some more difficult tacking into the north wind to pass through the Pierhead and return to their mooring.

Saturday6th March.

The white Etchell “Bacchanal” was let out for the first time in 2010 together with the crew consisting of Russell, Helen and Bruno.  The white keelboat slipped easily through the Pierheads and headed south with the cold northerly wind following them.

The RIB “Tickler” was also on hand but the cold weather had delayed the crew departure while the stiffness in the steering was resolved. The steering problem was caused by the grease being to cold to allow the steering shaft to move the engine and it wasn’t the only item that was stiff with cold.

After an hour in the bay the the wind had noticebly risen to Force 5 and so the RIB and the Etchell returned to cradle in time to see the grey clouds gather over the bay.

Anyone for anymore?

Saturday 27th February

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