Eight Wanderers (elegant) and an RNLI boarding boat (Noisy and smelly) attended the Poole harbour cruise based at the Lifeboat College over the weekend of the 16 – 18 June.

The weather gods smiled throughout the weekend, providing brilliant sunshine and a mixture of light and fresh breezes, enabling the full programme to be followed.

The fleet started gathering on the Friday evening, stowing boats safely in the RNLI Depot before retiring to the Lifeboat College for supper and most electing to stay the night in one of the sixty college bedrooms while Steve and Barbara Harvey brought their motor home and stayed on a nearby site. David and Lorraine launched Quay Dancer II on the Friday evening to give a more relaxed start the next day.

Saturday morning saw Andy Peter join the fleet and the group assembled for a 10:00 brief and then a very ginger launch of the remaining Wanderers down a very steep and slippery slipway, using a long soft rope to take the weight from the dry secure area above the high water mark while crews tiptoed over the muddy slime.

The accompanying boarding boat floated off the mud berth five minutes before the departure time much to the organisers relief and the flotilla set off under engine to transit the lifting bridge into the harbour.

Apart from an indignant tug hooting at a couple of Wanderers who thought they had put themselves out of the way but were actually in his berth, the outward  transit of the bridge went smoothly and the fleet made the open water without drama.

Once across the deep water channel by the RoRo berths boats lay ahull whilst sails were hoisted and then course was set across the shallows through WillsCut to pick up the channel around the south of  Green and Furzey islands off Brownsea Island’s Pottery pier.

At this point we were joined by Errol in W1001 who had launched from Baiter slipway and the flotilla made a gentle passage in scorching sunshine around the quiet channels to the south of the harbour, the support boat crew fortified by ice lollies bought from a floating ice cream ‘van’.

Beaching at Shell Bay Marine just before the Sandbanks chain ferry, the crews enjoyed a sit on the beach watching the world go by. The general consensus was, with such beautiful weather, to continue through the entrance to the harbour and around to Studland bay, with Errol preferring to retrace his steps within the harbour back to Brownsea island. Before we got away from the beach a large RoRo ferry came through the harbour entrance, causing most peculiar surges in the water around our lading site, the boarding boat being afloat one minute and cried out by a foot or so the next. Luckily everything settled down quickly and we left the beach with a steady sea breeze.

The Sandbanks chain ferry was treated with considerable caution, allowing it to pass ahead of us so we could pass astern of it, we then proceeded south down Swash Channel along the training wall and turned right into Studland bay. The conditions during this passage were quite uncomfortable due to the many confused wakes of powerboats rolling us quite violently, however the fair wind and glorious weather more than made up for it.

Studland was as busy as is to be expected on a sunny Saturday and the fleet came ashore on the quieter Middle Beach for a rest and to make use of the facilities. Andy Peter left the group at this point to catch the 4:30 bridge back into Holes Bay as he had an appointment in the New Forest that evening, however it was not to be the last we saw of him that day…..

Our departure from the beach was spoilt somewhat by the ingress of gravel into two boats centreboard slots. John Carter and Graham and Wendy Davis had to spend sometime attacking the centreboards vigorously with David Hewett’s special tool before rejoining the rest of the crews on the water. Once we were all afloat however we had an easy reach and run back up the bumpy Swash Channel to the harbour entrance, where the Police launch was busy flagging down the speeding power boats that were tormenting small boats with their wakes.

The transit of the chain ferry was again achieved without incident and the fleet picked up the Blood Alley channel to pass south of Brownsea. Ray Tennant flew his spinnaker along the south shore making a fine sight and Tim in the boarding boat left the fleet at this point to run up to Baiter slipway and take Andy Peter in tow, as he had suffered a shear pin failure on his first attempt to regain Holes Bay and was anxious to make the 6:30 bridge opening with the rest of the fleet.

All boats safely negotiated the milling throng to get through the lifting bridge and with boats safely alongside pontoons or back up on the hard the crews retired to the lifeboat college for an evening meal.

Sunday dawned bright with a good forecast of light winds and hazy sunshine, so the fleet again made off for the 10:30 bridge out of Holes Bay under engine, hoisted sail in Wills Cut and this time made for the cliff of Shipstal Point, an RSPB reserve on the Arne peninsular to the west of the harbour. The support boat took the deep water channel to avoid any embarrassing encounters with the mud and caught up just as the fleet arrived at the Shipstal beach. No one went ashore as the wind was blowing onshore which could have made for an awkward departure, so the fleet departed for the Wareham Channel to the North West, hoping to find a suitable landing spot ‘round the corner’.

Some crews were lucky enough to spot a seal off the beach as they departed, and then attentions switched to clearing the moorings and traffic in the channel off Moriconium Quay and Royal Marine Hamworthy base. Wareham Channel was populated by wake boarders as usual, and the edges to the marked channel were very shallow, meaning the support boat could get nowhere near the beaches on the north shore of Arne. The fleet continued directly towards the River Frome, all encountering the shoallow mud at the edge of the channel at some time or other.

The last to resort to engine in the river was Andy Peter who made a very commendable effort to sail the narrow upwind passage. After passing Redcliffe and the marina in the river all boats made the quay at Wareham and a lazy picnic was held on the grassy river bank.

Needing to catch the 4:30 bridge we departed Wareham at around 2:30 and had a gentle downwind sail back across the harbour, arriving at a very busy Town Quay to await the bridge opening with what seemed like hundreds of other yachts and powerboats. No one got mown down and after a short wait we all made our way through the bridge and hauled out at the depot to derig and pack up for the drive home.

A very pleasant weekend in good company, with excellent weather, smart accommodation and beautiful cruising grounds. Thanks to all who made the effort to come along.

Attendees:

Tim Robertson June 20th 2006