PicoMicroYacht pays homage to a fallen oarsman, 'Tony' Ross

This is a bit personal for PicoMicroYacht, but I read recently that a fellow oarsman Anthony Ross had passed on. In 1975, his last year in school, I rowed with him in three crews. Firstly, we were in a coxless pair in a winter squad, trying out for our school eight. I was on bow side and steered using my foot, attached by wires to the rudder. Tony set the rhythm at stroke. We did quiet well, but not enough to make the eight that year. Tony was designated the eight's spare man and helped them win at the National Schools Regatta. We also raced in the summer in a double sculling boat, both of us keen scullers. Tony was initially in the bow and steering, which he did by issuing orders about which side to pull harder. Tony's long eyesight was poor and in our first rowing race at the Cambridge Regatta we went spectacularly into the bank. We switched and I was quite glad that Tony was setting the aggressive rhythm and I was steering. We then won at Reading Regatta.

Tony and I setting off at Reading Regatta, our boat on the right with Tony at stroke.
(From Ronnie Howard's book - Knowing Rowing)

That year Tony's first cousins, the Brigg twins, lost their crewing role in a quadruple sculling boat with  John Truswell and Alasdair Jelfs, the latter international junior scullers for three years running. The Briggs, who had been junior internationals with Truswell and Jelfs the year before, teamed up with Tony and I for another quadruple sculling crew. I was the least able in the crew and we eventually came second in the National Youth Championships, missing out on being junior internationals.

The Briggs went on to become distinguished doctors and Tony a chartered surveyor, eventually winning the National Championships in sculling in 1983. Tony was modest, kind, quietly spoken, and well liked.

I remember he rued the fact when we lost; he would say in an Eeyore fashion:  'nobody remembers it when you come second.' But they have, Tony and eventually you came first.

Tony in later years. A back injury forced him to give up rowing and he did nordic skiing instead.

At the end of this year I reflect on the passing of the seasons. I was looking through the old blog of another fallen friend, Ivor Reveley, who encouraged me to row on  several of the voyages recorded here. As well as many other things, Ivor was a poet, and had posted on his blog an elegiac poem about long distance country running in the Autumn and the call of the trail.  I hope I will be forgiven for shamelessly stealing his style and writing a poem about the call of the sea when rowing in midwinter:

On contemplating sea rowing in the winter

A distant sea is calling,
Lit by a winter's glow.

At the coast the sun has risen, 
And a voice is calling:

“It is time for you to row.”

The storm is over, 
The waves are calmed, 
Blessed by the winter's glow.

Among proud cliffs and slow sea mists, 
A voice is calling:

“It is time for you to row.”

I must have heard that voice,
As I wondered when to row.

The voice now calling from the sea, 
And saying: “It was time for you to go.”

After writing this I  read from a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, written when on Blackdown, the highest point on the North Downs, looking over the Sussex Weald to the distant sea.

You came, and look'd and loved the view
Long known and loved by me.
Green Sussex fading into blue
With one grey glimpse of sea.

From the same viewpoint as used by Tennyson, signals were passed onto London concerning the approaching Spanish Armada in 1588.

Looking towards the sea from Blackdown  - National Trust

The Chichester Harbour Entrance Is a Pussy-cat When You Get it Right

PicoMicroYacht sea voyaging is limited during the winter months because of the cold sea.

The sea temperature in December is such that, with no protective clothing, dexterity is lost in about ten to fifteen minutes of immersion, and exhaustion and loss of consciousness within one to two hours.  My rule is to only go to sea at this time of year if there is no wind, a neapish tide and no overfall areas.

An alternative is to row in the many estuaries around the South Coast of England, including Chichester Harbour.

Yesterday I set off from the west side of this harbour and crossed the entrance, reaching a popular mooring spot, called East Head. The route passed the East Winner bank.

Screenshot of the entrance to Chichester Harbour. The East Winner Bank is in the centre, with the main entrance to the left of this. East Head is the triangular shaped dune area that 'hinges' off the main coast to the right in the picture.

The voyage involved scooting across the entrance, with some largish waves coming in, but protection from the shingle banks.

The Chichester Harbour entrance is to be respected. According Brendan Chandler, the Chichester entrance is a 'pussy-cat when you get it right and a b******d when you get it wrong'  (from: David Rainsbury's book Fearsome Passages: A Personal Exploration of Some Infamous Waters).

I was mindful of this as I set off, hearing the roaring sound of the surf as it crashed across the fearsome East Winner shingle bank.  The inky grey sky and sea added to the atmosphere. Nobody was about.

Soon I was opposite the East Winner and making sure I kept a reasonable distance. As the light faded I watched the waves breaking in a line across the bank. Many ships have run onto this bank and been wrecked.

As I neared East Head, the sea calmed and the wind moderated. I was able to focus more on my rowing rhythm.

Returning to my starting point, I was greeted by some cheery yacht sailors and we drank beer in a sailing club, exchanging stories of yachting adventures.

Mine was about a tug close to the  Chichester Harbour entrance as I returned in the dark, The tug was towing a huge barge and it let out it's towing line to about 200 metres. It then exited the harbour, shining a flashlight on the line and checking the barge position. We reflected on the steering skills needed to avoid wrapping the line round a navigation buoy when in such close quarters.

Cartopping PicoMicroYacht

So far on this blog PicoMicroYacht magically gets to the water. Sometimes there are mentions of trailers, but the road life of PicoMicroYacht has not so far not got a mention.

Trailing is a game changer  when it comes to having a good voyage. For example, if the tide is all wrong in one part of the coast, then go to another. I live stategically situated to be able to visit about 300 miles of coastland reached by a relatively fast road for a day's sail, something the UK can offer.

Consequentially, the trailer is well travelled. After my last (longer) trip to Devon, I was 200 metres from my home when I heard a tinkling noise and stopped to investigate. It turned out that the flange that connects my launching trailer to the road trailer had broken. The launching trailer and PicoMicroYacht were now held on by a rope at the front and had slipped backwards.  So now I have to get this flange welded back on.

I have been thinking for a while about car topping. This would be particularly helpful going overseas to avoid trailer costs and also to solve the problem of where to leave the trailer when going rowing.

Car topping a Pico seemed quite challenging  for one person. But I have found this ingenious technique shown in the video below.

The Pico is upended at the back of the car with a rope from the bow to the front of the car. As it upends the rope is pulled in on rachet to keep the Pico from from falling back. Then a strap is clipped on the roof rack and slotted through the daggerboard casing and attached to the  hull from the inside. This strap is attached by a ratchet which can be used to fix the weight of the boat as it is levered up onto the roof over the back.

Perhaps something to try this winter in preparation for an overseas adventure. Presumably, getting it down is the reverse?

Paddleboarding PicoMicroYacht: The times they are a changin'

To quote Bob Dylan:

‘As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'

In the olden days people went down the sea for personal boating, using yachts, motor boats and sailing dinghies which they owned. They operated out of moorings, marinas, clubs and their own garage or their garden.

Apparently, this is changing. For modern living in the UK  there is not enough time, space and money for traditional boat owning and it lacks the versatility needed.

The emphasis is on smaller floaty things like windsurfers, kayaks and now paddleboarding. 

According to the last edition of Yachting Monthly, the estuary users of the UK are starting to opt for a less permanent and more flexible type of experience.

Paddleboards at Salcombe, South Devon from the SalcombePaddleBoarding.com

Part of this is the 'take you anywhere when you like paddleboard' which has become very fashionable. It can even be deflated and put in the boot of the car, on under the bed at home.

Paddleboarding at Salcombe for two - I must work on my posture or I will get back ache

I decided to have a go in PicoMicroYacht. I removed all the gear, left the small rudder as the skeg and off we went.

Two people can paddle board a Pico very successfully and there is less danger of falling in for the more nervous novice paddleboarder.

The times they are a changin

Harbour explorers, the changing moods of Chichester Harbour and the Flintstones

My sailing club is Mengeham Rythe, in Chichester Harbour. A friendly club, MRSC is eclectic in that it has sailing yachts, dinghies, motorboats and model boats.

PicoMicroYacht rarely visits the club. One notable visit was about two years ago when it set off  from MRSC for a voyage round the Isle of Wight. This led to the well remembered club phrase 'in a Pico!!!' because I left my planning notes on the dock and these were passed on to club secretary. She was not to know the Pico in question had been adapted to make the voyage feasible and safe.

This time it was a beautiful September day and I set off for a voyage to Emsworth with the MRSC 'harbour explorers.' I was asked to go ahead due to my slow speed and said goodbye  to the safety launch crew standing on the dock, Martin, Mike and Bob.

Chichester harbour has great natural beauty which varies with the light and the state of the tide, endlessly different. If you like nature you cannot ever be bored.

At the start to the day it was the silvers and blues that dominated the seascape, the clouds revealing wind to come.

As the sun rose in the sky, the mood changed again and greens were introduced, with the sky becoming more atmospheric and threatening.

Soon I was nearing Emsworth and the mood had changed again. As I looked back the  safety launch appeared silhouetted against a creamy grey sky.

Near to our destination, the 'Terror' arrived. This boat was built in about 1890 to dredge for oysters, which it did successfully until the early 1900s. Then the oysters became infected with typhoid, killing among others, the Bishop of Chichester. Despite the consequentially decimated oyster business the Terror  managed to survive the 20th Century, being restored completely for pleasure trips about ten years ago.

Just off Emworth, the sailing dinghies from the local club were gathering to race and PicoMicroYacht had to keep well clear.

The destination reached, those on the voyaged enjoyed a coffee or a cream tea at Flintstones Tea Room by the Emsworth quay. This tea room is the one to be recommended in Emsworth, in my view.

https://www.facebook.com/flintstonestearoom/

Virtual rowing and PicoMicroYacht - there is no need to rush

Although PicoMicroYacht is prominent in this blog, most of my rowing is done on a rowing machine, a WaterRower made by BritishRowing - 'virtual rowing.'

The WaterRower has the advantage is that it is mainly made of wood and it stacks upright, such that it is more tasteful and takes up less space. It also uses paddles in a water filled barrel for inertia.

The paddle feature means that instead of metalic whirring, there is a more natural swishing noise, as illustrated in this video.

My WaterRower has lasted many years, although I had to replace the plastic barrel, having damaged it when trolleying (it has wheels)  into another room and catching the barrel on the door frame.

Virtual rowing keeps me fit throughout the year and then when I go out in PicoMicroYacht I am able to row the long distances.

Like all rowing machines it needs the right coordinated smooth action. I learned this action in boats at school, firstly with a fixed seat, then moving onto sliding seats in quite easy to row skiffs.

The first sculling boat I raced  was clinker and had the disadvantage that when it dried out in the winter through non-use gaps appeared between the planks. It sank rapidly before the planks swelled again.

I soon moved on to smooth wooden sculling shells. In the 1970s these had not really progressed in design for over 50 years. The one shown below was used by my father's cousin at Henley in 1923 and is similar to the one I raced some 50 years later.

A smooth rowing technique can be obtained through following a few simple rules and starting at a slow rate.

WaterRower instruction video

The instructional videos for rowing machines can be quite good, but the techniques are not always  technically perfect. Some fantastic techniques can be found in race videos. I found this commentary on Zach Purchase, an English Olympic gold medalist lightweight rower - his technique is amazing.

The main approach is of course to lead with the leg movement and then the upper body and finally the arms, reversing this on the recovery. When learning I found I had to be careful not to do what we used to call a 'bum shoving' in which the sliding seat moves faster than the shoulders at the start of the stroke..

Technique and common rowing faults to watch out for are also seen on this webpage from  British Rowing

https://www.britishrowing.org/knowledge/online-learning/techniques-and-training/water-rowing-technique/

Interestingly, technique may not be everything. For example, spot the difference in technique between the O'Donovan brothers below. They still went on to win silver medals in the Rio Olympics.

When I was learning to row our  main coaches  had been influenced the successful East German international rowing teams. They had instituted very long slides, with greater compression at the front end of the stroke. This required special training to implement.

One of our coaches, Ronnie Howard, had introduced systems of high intensity interval training  in the early 1960s, again copying the East Germans.  This had produced notable success and is now commonplace.

It superceded lengthy rowing at a more steady state to obtain form.  We used steady rowing in the winter to build up form, changing to interval training towards the summer to produce speed.

I remember the toughness of the training and the feeling of apprehension beforehand.

Interval training in a quadruple sculling boat in 1975, rowing number two

I now row steadily in PicoMicroYacht, enjoying the rhythm of  swishing along, the vibrant sea blues and greens, the salt smell and the undulations of the waves. There is no reason to rush.

Exploring the route to Portsmouth and an unusual view of a train

Although I had finished 'London's Lost Route the Sea'  I remained curious about how the boats had carried on to Portsmouth.  The Portsmouth and Arundel canal used to link the river Arun with Chichester Harbour where the inland estuaries provided a route to Portsea Island (see the tiled map below).

The route then passed onwards via the Thorney Channel and then through the Langstone Channel. This latter part I wanted to explore.

The channel between Langstone Quay and North Hayling was dredged originally, as shown in the map below. The remains of this 'new cut' can still be seen at low tide when it is about six inches deep.

I set off from Emsworth and skirted across the mud flats at high tide towards the channel. Infront of me was a road bridge now connecting Hayling Island to mainland.

Stills from my Tom Tom Camera on the PicoMicroYacht mast

Beyond this were the remains of a railway bridge. To the left of the channel I could still see the remnants of the large cogwheel that enabled bridge movement to let ships through.

The railway was served by a 'puffing billy' train, featured in the short film below. The distinctive puffing sound from the last days of steam locomotion brings back old memories for some.

I was now in the Langstone Channel. Instead of going south, I decided to go northeast to find a small duct connecting Langstone Harbour to Portsmouth Harbour.  Someone had warned me that high tide is needed for the duct, but also the bridge clearances might not be sufficient. I got stuck at a railway bridge.

A snag of going under the bridge was that the trains appeared without warning. This is exactly what happened as I squeezed under the first bridge, the train passing just overhead at about fifty miles an hour. I hardly had thought 'I shouldn't be under here' when the train had gone.

A few more bridges took me through to Portsmouth Harbour. As PicoMicroYacht passed south  a police launch came along to check me out.

Further along I could see the police launches fussing around HM Queen Elizabeth, a huge aircraft carrier still being commissioned.

Finally PicoMicroYacht arrived at Haslar marine, with the distinctive green painted lightship, now used as a restaurant.

Postscript: Close to Langstone Bridge is the home of the famous Langstone Cutters Rowing Club, here seen rowing round the Isle of Wight.

A smooth voyage to Eastbourne as PicoMicroYacht completes the London's Lost Route to the Sea

The voyage had started in February, when under cold clear blue sky PicoMicroYacht went through the centre of London on the River Thames. The aim was to discover London's Lost Route to the Sea,  going onwards through the county of Surrey, down to Sussex and along the South Coast, reaching Eastbourne where my fellow charity runners were completing their run along the South Downs.

The runners had long since completed their event, but I still had the last voyage to complete, from Seaford to Eastbourne.

I picked a calm day. The temperatures were in the high 20's but the voyage would only take three hours rowing. Soon I was looking back towards Seaford with the glassy blue green sea set against the white cliffs..

It was not long before Cuckmere Haven appeared, with the old coastguard cottages to the left, defying nature as the cliffs continue to crumble.

Beyond were the Seven Sisters, undualations in the cliffs between Cuckmere Haven and Birling gap.

The temptation to count them is considerable, even though I have done this many times.

With a knot of tide and a calm sea, PicoMicroYacht was making good progress as I rowed along the Seven Sisters and looked up at the cliffs to see people on the coastal path.

When I reached Birling Gap I could see the metal frame of the steps that enable people on the cliffs to reach the beach.

Beyond this was Beachy Head, the highest cliffs in this part of the coast, with the lighthouse just below on a chalk ledge.

Avoiding the ledges, PicoMicroYacht went further out to sea and I was looking inland at the lighthouse beneath the cliffs.

Rowing on a little I could look back and see the sun starting to dip in the west.

The tide began to rip past the coast as PicoMicroYacht sped onwards. I could tell the speed of the tide from the lobster pot buoys.

The smooth water finished as PicoMicoYacht passed over an underwater ledge. I realised that this is where nasty seas could develop in bad weather and was glad I had avoided them by turning back on my previous voyage.

Finally I was in Eastbourne and going past the pier.

I looked round and saw people sea swimming, thankful I had not gone further in and risked bumping into them.

The more highly trained swimmers looked like sea creatures, whilst the less practiced, with their gaudy hats and floats to attract attention, looked more human.

The voyage was now over and it was time to find the beach by the sailing club and begin the slow task of dragging PicoMicroyacht up the beach.

Earlier on in the year, PicoMicroYacht had come to Eastbourne to celebrate the finish of the FourDaysRunning charity run for CASPA. One of the group had brought along his drone and filmed PicoMicoYacht from the pier.

The musical background to this short video clip by Ronald Binge captures a hot lazy day in early summer for PicoMicroYacht.

Postscript: Just before the FourDaysRunning event, the organiser Ivor Reveley died suddenly in his sleep. With some reflection and sadness, the runners completed the event, but grateful we had come to know this very inspirational leader who had helped so many people through his positive and unselfish approach to life.

Ivor Reveley

Should PicoMicroYacht turn back?

One of the things I enjoy about sailing is how to manage risk.  In everyday life I find risk management is often done for you or it is so ingrained (such as when crossing he road), that you do not really think about it too much. However, when sailing I find you are constantly assessing danger and making decisions about how to avoid getting in a tricky situation. Sailors talk about being 'caught out' or 'badly caught out' and then describe  in yachting magazines how they were caught out and had to cope with horrendous circumstances.

In PicoMicroYacht I am risk averse, because the outcome is potentially catastrophic if things go badly wrong.  I find it interesting that when people see PicoMicroYacht going out to sea they feel it their duty to warn me of the risks.

When PicoMicroYacht left Newhaven on 23rd June 2018 a kindly person on their incoming yacht looked down and saw the PicoMicroYacht electronic system, with the ship radio and AIS. They put two and two together to make five and said in a slow and deliberate voice:

'You are crossing the channel today'

I replied: 'no - not today'

'Are you crossing?'

'No not today'

With a hint anxiety in his voice he said even more slowly and deliberately:

'be careful'

I proceded onwards, the plan being to row along the coast from Newhaven to Eastbourne, passing Beachy Head. As I got out the of the shelter of the long Newhaven pier  the sea started to kick up. Despite low winds it became bumpy and choppy, or 'lumpy.'  I spend about an hour rowing along the coast until I reached the end of Seaford beach. The lumpiness continued and at this point I had to make a decision about whether to keep going.

 I spoke into my microphone to record my thinking at the time... should I turn back? The wind was a Sou' Westerly two to three, due to increase to three to four.  I had another three hours of fair tide and it was neaps.

Should PicoMicroYacht turn back?

PicoMicroYacht - what's in that name?

The latest edition of Practical Boat Owner has a useful comment article on  do's and don't of naming a new boat. Don't use a joke name, such as Rogue Trader if you work for an investment bank .... don't use very long names such as  three sheets to the wind, or ones that might cause confusion such as Starkle, that might be misheard as Sparkle when radioing the coastguard.

From the July 2018 edition of the Practical Boat Owner - What's in a Name?

The name PicoMicroYacht arose because I started sea rowing my Pico and I wanted it to reflect that I was treating it like a larger boat in terms of navigation. I do the same amount of voyage planning as in my larger 24 foot sailing boat, if not more. I follow the same principles, namely, check the weather, factor the tides into the passage plan, navigate using charts (at least in the planning stage), follow a course using a GPS or a compass, and use a ship radio. I take extra precautions such as usually reporting my passage plan by radio to the coastguard.

The boat is a Laser Pico, so this name was combined with 'microyacht,' the name given to very small cruising boats.

Micoyachts usually have an unusual appearance, such as this green Paradox class boat called 'Little Jim' and sailed by Alistair Laws on the south coast.

The wonderful 'Little Jim' - Paradox - to be seen on the South Coast of England

Paradox looks somewhat eccentric partly because the person sits in the cabin when they sail, the boat doing away with a cockpit. 

It is actually well thought out. As a boat gets smaller, the dimensions are such that if you retain a large enough cabin the cockpit gets relegated to the back of the boat and the crew essentially is sitting right in the stern. So the solution is for the crew to sit in the cabin.

An extension of is the attempt at a world record by the 42 inch 'undaunted' who tried to cross the Atlantic in 2017, but has had to delay the voyage due to technical difficulties.

A very short microyacht 

I suppose PicoMicroYacht is not really a microyacht, but a dinghy converted for very efficient sea rowing. But I find the name useful when, for example, contacting the coastguard, since it suggests my intentions. Also it is fairly distinctive and recognisable, although a bit of a mouthful.

By the way, a good seafaring tale that includes an intrepid voyage by Little Jim can be found in this video by Roger Barnes.

Sinking off Shoreham

I tend to mention safety issues and mishaps on this blog, perhaps to remind myself not to be complacent about the dangers of being out at sea in a small boat. To put things in perspective, the largest group of people who drown in the UK are out walking or jogging and happen to fall in. But complacency at sea can provide the biggest risk.

I remind myself that accidents happen at sea. I recently posted on PicoMicroYacht's voyage from Littlehampton to Hove in which, at the end of my voyage, I went past Shoreham harbour in the dark, running into a fishing line off the pier. I was carefully looking out for craft entering or exiting the harbour and neglected to think about the fishermen. Bright lights shone down at me as they wondered what was going on.What if, distracted by dealing with the line, a fishing boat had exited and run down PicoMicroYacht?

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch recently reported on the sinking of a small fishing boat off Shoreham port. This was in the dark, in the early hours of the morning.

The navigation lights of the boat were inadequate and they were not keeping watch as they fished for mackerel. The boat was run down by a 144 ton scallop fishing boat because the person on watch was distracted by looking at their laptop.

The scallop dredging fishing boat

The small fishing boat was swamped by the bow wave of the larger vessel and sank in two minutes. Although there were life jackets on board, these were not worn.  Only one out of the crew survived to tell the story, having clung to a buoy and being rescued five hours later.

The MAIB provide their account of the sinking and what went wrong

Onwards to Newhaven

PicoMicroYacht was launched off the beach and gingerly passed the Brighton marina as boats were coming in and out. I looked wistfully into the marina entrance.

The wind moderated and the sea became glassy. I was careful not to run aground on this shore because the ledges could be hard chalk.

Along this coast kayaks would come off the beaches and some were fishing. It was hot.

It was only about seven miles to row and the Newhaven pier was close.  An inflatable dinghy was out and about, reminding me that go to sea, you only need a very calm day, the back of a car, a pump and of course a mobile phone with the battery working and in a waterproof phone bag (see note)

Soon I was in the harbour, having called up on channel 12 to check whether the harbour was clear, and also the marina on channel 80. I was met by a marina worker, who helped me to my pontoon. We chatted about boats. His was a 37 foot motorboat that he had recently bought to do up and live on  - sounded like hard work, but I was ever so slightly envious.

Radio use approaching Newhaven

He reminded me of the potentially rough water off Beachy Head, particularly on an ebb tide when the water coming from the east speeds up and passes over shoals. I realised that if I was to take the flood up to Eastbourne I should be well past the Head before the tide changes if there was any sort of sea or swell.

These kayakers know it can be lumpy off Beachy Head - From the Chelsea Kayak website

note: personally I would advocate lifejackets, a portable ship radio (having gone on a course to make it legal), flares, a waterproof torch and telling someone what you are up to.