Thursday

The weather in London was fairly bleak and I rang to check that the Day Skipper course I was booked on would still be going ahead. Re-assured that it was, I set off for the South Coast on fairly empty roads, as many commuters had taken the day off due to the snow. The motorways were clear and on passing Basingstoke the snow died away completely. I arrived in Gosport at about 6 and easily found both the Marina car-park and a suitable space within it, amongst the many boats on hard-standing that filled half the spaces. I was travelling light, so I didn't need a trolley, and I made my way down the ramp and on to pontoon F. As I approached the end, I saw one of the yachts with all its lights on that was evidently going to be my home for the next couple of days. As I stepped aboard, the skipper came up from below and welcomed me aboard where he was just brewing some tea. The boat was a Jeanneau 35 and remarkably spacious. As the first to arrive, I was shown to a choice of the two cabins at the rear of the boat and I unpacked my bag in to the hanging locker. Within the hour I was joined by two other students, but the fourth apparently couldn't make it until the Friday morning. After we had all introduced ourselves, we walked up to the local Castle Tavern with the skipper where we sat down to enjoy a meal. Portions were enormous and only a fiver. After chatting for a couple of hours, we headed back down to the yacht where the food had arrived. First task was to pack it all away in the huge fridge and various cupboards around the yacht.

Friday (Gosport, Hamble, Lymington)

Next morning we were up at 7:30 for a quick wash up at the marina shower block and some breakfast aboard the boat. There was a choice of cereals, juices, fruit, toast and tea or coffee. By 9 we were all washed up with our wet-weather gear on and ready to go. I had asked to hire some oilies and was presented with a brand new pair of XM breathables that fitted well and proved to be very comfortable. The skipper started with a briefing about the boat, its equipment, hazards and safety gear. This probably lasted about 3/4 of an hour and was pretty thorough. By this time our fourth student had arrive and he got himself ready as the rest of us prepared the boat for sea. It was grey and cold, but the gear I had kept me warm and dry, so I felt ready for anything. First task was to practice mooring the boat in a simple alongside situation. We had loads of fenders, so we couldn't do too much damage and it was a new experience for me to take charge of the boat when mooring as up to now, when I had sailed on other people's boats they had invariably taken the helm themselves for the mooring bit. We each had several goes until we felt a bit more confident and then it was time to put to sea.

The sea was a little choppy when we left the safety of the harbour, but we had already raised the mainsail with a couple of reefs in it so we stayed snug in the cockpit as we unfurled a few rolls of headsail. As the wind filled the sails, nobody noticed when the skipper switched off the engine and we continued to make good progress out in to the Solent. Our original destination was to be Osborne Bay, but with an Easterly wind it was clearly going to be too choppy to anchor there and so we hugged the mainland coast heading for the Hamble river. Whilst on passage there was time to test ourselves on parts of the boat whilst we all took a turn at helming. Turning in to Southampton Water, the sea was a little calmer and two of us went below - one to start making lunch and the other to plan the entry in to the Hamble. Half an hour later, we were moored up to a pontoon in the middle of the river and we retired below to the increasingly inviting smell of shepherds pie. Our timing was perfect as the rain arrived just as we started eating. I thought it was going to be a wet afternoon, but soon after dinner the rain stopped again right on cue. Before we left there was just one more task, someone had to go up the mast to retrieve a rope that had detached from the sail cover. Departing in to the Solent again, the tide had turned West and the sea was now almost calm. Our initial plan had been to have a short day and head in to Cowes for the night, but the boat was going so well, we all agreed that we should keep going. So we turned to port and started heading towards Lymington. Once again, one of the day skippers was asked to go below to plan the entrance in to the harbour, with the added complication this time that it would be dark when we got there. We had a great sail and practised recognising the lights we saw en route so that when it was finally time to lower the sails, it was a bit of an anti climax. Having said that, the passage in to the Lymington river was interesting, particularly when we saw a ferry coming the other way in the quite narrow channel. But we kept our nerve and passed it within spitting distance before entering the inner harbour. There was plenty of space in the marinas, but we kept going up channel to see if there was space at the Town Quay. Amazingly it was completely empty, but we had all forgotten it was still winter. So we moored up, tidied the boat and within 10 minutes we were walking up the cobbled streets looking forward to a good pub meal.

Saturday (Lymington, Yarmouth, Allum Bay, Newtown Creek, Beaulieu, Cowes)

We were up early and slipped our lines before many people were about. Before leaving we each took a turn to bring the boat back in to the pontoon and then off again. Once out in to the Solent, it was a grey day, but the absence of other boats left us plenty of room to practice man overboard maneouvres. We gradually made our way across to Yarmouth and entered the harbour to have a look. As we did, someone was planning the next passage out through Hurst narrows and down to Allum Bay. On arrival we anchored for a quick cup of tea. We would have stayed longer but the swell was coming in from the west and it was too uncomfortable to stay there for any length of time. So with the next passage planned, we were off again to Newtown Creek. This looked difficult on paper, but the skipper pointed out some useful techniques for getting it right, even in poor visability. On route we had been preparing lunch and after we had anchored, the smell of food from below was most welcoming. An hour or so later it was time to leave again and we crossed the Solent yet again, this time to enter Beaulieu. This time we practicesed sailing on to a buoy and it took several goes with the tide running a little too strongly to make it easy. Finally after tea we set off for Cowes to prcatice some more pontoon bashing. The berth allocated was really tough as it was quite short and there was a pile at the end. This made it essential to stop in the right spot or we risked denting the front of the boat. To add to the pressure, we were surrounded by other crews relaxing on deck and with nothing better to do than watch us. It took and hour, but eventually we had all achieved an acceptable mooring and the skipper was happy so we put the boat to bed for the night and made our way in to Cowes to visit the lovely little Mojac's restaurant in the high street.

Sunday (Cowes, Osborne Bay, Port Solent, Gosport)

Come on a course and find out!