The blog records the voyages of PicoMicroYacht, a seaworthy small sailing dinghy converted for rowing long distances. This includes the 26th July 2012 crossing of the English Channel, as well as rowing along the south coast of England, down the river Thames, around London and across Ireland. PicoMicroYacht is a converted Laser Pico Sailing Dinghy, with a sliding seat, riggers and cleaver oars, fitted with a shortened main mast and a mizzen mast and can be set up as a reduced rig sailing boat.
When Bill Colley built the PicoMicroYacht 'chassis,' he put in a very old fashioned type of foot stretcher. It comprised laminated plywood flat soles, with tacked on leather uppers, and laces. This was attached to the PicoMicroYacht chassis by adjustable t-bolts.
I spent the first five years wanting to replace this arrangement with modern rowing shoes. I never got round to this, and I then changed my mind, wanting to retain the old fashioned look, which I now really like.
Over time, the plywood soles started to disintegrate, including breaking and deliminating. I tried to mend them, but they became beyond reasonable repair.
I tried to source replacements and found that they were no longer made. I looked at second hand ones, but these seemed to be very old and sold as antique artifacts. I realised I had to make my own.
However, making the sole seemed too fiddly, given my wood working skills. So I found some reasonably priced wooden clogs instead. The Italian Clog company proved an excellent choice.
It was necessary to remove the uppers from these clogs and then replace them with those from my disintegrating stretcher. I also bought and fitted new eyes, made of an alloy to cope with sea water corrosion. I retained the old fashion 'gym' laces.
It all now needed putting together. Before this, I marined varnished the clogs, also ensuring the screw holes were protected.
The clogs have the advantage they are designed for walking and comfort. I hope they last at least another 14 years.
I am still pondering PicoMicroYacht's tactic when sensing the possibility of an imminent collision (see the post, 'Look Out'). I decided to find YouTube videos of small boat crashes. I select three to show here, both caused by the person on the helm 'not seeing' the boat they crashed into
In the first, people are fishing and we see their dawning realisation that a boat was to crash, which happened just 40 seconds later. Initially they shouted and almost immediately they moved to the opposite side of the boat from the perceived crash, probably the only effective thing they could have done. They were nine miles out to sea.
The second one happens very fast. Again it is people fishing, who immediately start shouting, and one person stands up on the stern and waves. The camera shows they cannot see the helm of the approaching boat, so the helm could not see them. They are stern on. The only escape from possible death and certain serious injury was to jump into the water, which they did, taking three seconds. They landed in the frigid water of the Columbia River with no life jackets on and all were injured.
The back story is provided in the post.
Clatsop County sheriff’s deputies accused boat driver Marlin Lee Larsen of several crimes after the 75-year-old told investigators he couldn’t see where he was driving because he was sitting down and the dash of his boat was blocking his view. Larsen said he probably should have been standing, according to the sheriff’s report, which notes Larsen uses a motorized scooter to get around on land.
Larsen’s son-in-law, who also was on the boat, told investigators that he had warned his father-in-law to pay attention, that he sometimes sees his father-in-law using his cell phone while driving the boat and that his father-in-law had been off-and-on his cell phone the morning of the crash, according to the sheriff’s report.
Although Oregon law heavily restricts cell phone use while driving, there are no such specific laws governing boating. But it is against the law to operate a boat without due care.
In this final one a fishing kayak only just managed to avoid being rammed by an smallish open motorboat (see from 7.00 minutes). The kayak fisher seemed relatively cool about what happened, and was then distracted by landing an enormous fish. I wonder if he fully realised he had avoided possible serious injury by two seconds, the time he took to take evasive action before the collision.
He was in a group of fishing kayaks - I speculate the motorboat driver was distracted by looking at another kayak.
I found it sobering to view these videos and they reminded me to improve the PicoMicroYacht lookout and also plan for various scenarios.
I joined the Dinghy Cruising Association (DCA) two years ago and have since had some great voyages with the UK South group, who have rallies around the Solent and Chichester Harbour.
The DCA is an international organisation whose president is Roger Barnes, the author of the 'go to' Dinghy Cruising Companion book and creator of some amazing video diaries of his voyages, now mainly set in Brittany where he lives most of the time.
Roger Barnes's book
As readers of this blog may observe, when rowing I use some sails. When with the DCA, who mainly have sailing dinghies, I sail using some oars.
In the winter the UK South group do a rally once a month and I decided to join one on a brilliant cold December day in Langstone Harbour.
I launched on the east side of the entrance, at the Ferry Boat Inn.
The Ferry Boat Inn to the right side of the slipway
Just inside the entrance is a Phoenix Caisson. This monster landmark is a left over from World War II, when the British build prefabricated harbours which they floated across to the French coast just after D Day in 1944. This caisson cracked and sank in a prominent position and has been left there ever since. It is now used as a fishing platform.
We were due to meet up in a tidal beach called 'the Kench.' The rally attenders were somewhat camouflaged against the background in the low light, I nevertheless spotted them.
I arrived to a friendly welcome. With much common, there is always a lot to chat about.
It was cold. We were well prepared and so enjoyed a good lunch together. It was soon time to go, half our attendees having come from the far north of the harbour and not wanting to miss the tide for landing.
On the way back, I looked south and saw some house boats and holiday lodges just in side the harbour, well presented but not ostentatious.
Looking north across the harbour it seemed flat and featureless apart from the Phoenix Caisson. Some people like the wild austerity of Langstone compared to other South Coast Harbours and it is a haven for wildlife.
My last voyage in th Medway resulted in me contemplating the hazard of being run down by a ship. I think this is the biggest risk for PioMicroYacht. For hazards such as adverse weather conditions and sea state are probably low risk because of my level of caution. But if a ship comes in your direction and does not see you ... or I do not see it .....
I have to admit I can think of two other potential collision situations that were somewhat of the ordinary.
On a trip to Swanage from Christchurch harbour, I was south of the Old Harry Rocks in the dark. A yacht was passing me easily, but when fairly close turned directly towards me. I had to row hard to get out the way. Itr obviously had not seen me, despite my navigation lights and radar reflector.
A second one is that on arrival at the Plymouth Sound from the Avon Estuary I was distracted by looking at a classic old ship, I failed to notice a freighter coming rapidly down the harbour. The first thing I knew was an advance party, a large black rib, whih came straight up to me and told me to get out of the way, which I quickly did.
I am not counting when crossing the English Channel and I told the support boat I was stopping for a break. They replied sternly 'No you shouldn't ... row hard ... There is a container ship over there coming straight in our direction."
It takes two to tango, as they say. So both ships/ boats have to keep a lookout and be prepared to follow the collision avoidance regulations. Of course, large ships cannot really get out of your way.
The problem with rowing is that I am facing the wrong way, but I learned on rivers how when rowing to turn round and quickly scan the horizon for what is coming. If in doubt, I stop and turn PicoMicroYacht to get a better look.
This is what I was doing in my recent Thames Estuary voyage. I turned to look closely at the approaching tug, fully alert and realised I was growing in apprehension.
Was the helm distracted by some other activity, or did they see me all the way from afar? I zoomed in on my photograph of the tug and saw the helm was hunched over some device, their forarms lifted infront of them, clutching it. Was it a mobile phone? Or was it a steering device? I don't know.
Curious, I googled the following three words: distraction, ship, accident.
Up came a link to a Maritime and Coastguard Agency Marine Guidance Note. The title was 'Human Element Guidance: Part 3. Distraction. The fatal danger of mobile phones and other personal devices when working. '
The first sentence read as follow: 'Use of mobile phones and other personal devices has been found to be a significant
contributory factor in maritime accidents and incidents.'
It then outlined the risks and reasons. It turns out that the mechanism of risk of using a mobile phone in a ship can be similar to that when driving.
I made a note to review all distracting activities when voyaging in PicoMicroYacht.
The plan was to voyage from Sheerness to Gravesend, some 20 miles up the Thames Estuary. There was a slack low tide at about 11.30 and then the tide flowed up the estuary until 17.30. If I left at the slack, I should be able be able to cover the distance in time. There was little or no wind and only ripples.
I started at Sheerness Sailing Club, which has an all tidal beach. Due to some travel complications and being distracted by chatting to people on the beach, I left late at 12.00. I was banking on the tidal stream to catch up this time.
About two miles out I was closing in on the SS Montgomery wreck exclusion zone and could see the masts of the wreck sticking out of the water, Southend in the distance behind.
In 1944 the S S Montgomery was packed full of explosives and sailed from the USA to just outside the Medway Estuary. It anchored, waiting to form up with a convoy that would travel to Cherbourg, which had just been taken by the Allies. Their anchors dragged and it went aground on a sandbank, breaking it's back.
The S S Montgomery wreck
The blast wave radius covers Sheerness and Southend
What would happen if it went off
The salvage operation was deemed too tricky and expensive and it has been left ever since. There is a small risk it could explode, and it would then produce a five metre tidal wave, the blast wave estimated to do damage 10 to 20 miles away. Sheerness would have all the windows blown out.
Tempted to breach the exclusion zone, I nevertheless decided not to hang around. After a further two miles, I realised the fair tide had not materialised in strength and started to do some head calculations as I rowed on. I had left it too late to reach Gravesend before the tide turned on me. Also, the sunset was about 16.30 and I had forgotten my navigation lights and would have to improvise using a torch. Arriving in the dark with an adverse tide that strongly funnels past Gravesend against me did not seem a good idea.
The Medway Estuary entrance about two miles away. A 'fort' is shown on the right
I turned back whilst it was still possible and tucked into the Medway Estuary, using the incoming tide to finish at Queenborough. Initially I rowed hard against the tide to skirt round a large sandbank off the entrance.
My final route
I was well into the Medway when I heard from behind a ship chugging in my direction. I turned to see a tug rapidly approaching and for some reason I was having a bad feeling about it. I was well to the starboard side of the channel and stopped rowing.
To judge whether it was on collision course, I checked whether the image of the tug was moving against landmarks on the horizon behind, a sign that it would pass me. Initially it was, but as the tug started turning in my direction this relative movement slowed.
I was now having to consider collision avoidance. My usual tactic in this situation is to turn at right angles to the approaching boat and row hard so that it could pass to port, the angle of PicoMicroYacht signalling very clearly my intention. But if the tug kept turning, this might not work.I grabbed my radio and stammered into channel 16:
"This is PicoMicroYacht, PicoMicroYacht. To the tug exiting the Medway Estuary. To the tug exiting the Medway Estuary. I am just infront of you. I am just infront of you. Please let me know your intentions.? Please let me know your intentions?"
The tug immediately straightened out and swept past me about ten metres away. I looked up at the tug cabin and saw the driver sitting high and centrally. I never saw him looking at me and there was no reply to my radio message. I have no idea whether he saw me initially.
Later on I passed large yacht called 'Absolute Diamond.' The crew all turned, staring at me. One took a photograph and shouted out to check if I was alright. I am not sure if the two aspects were connected.
Round the corner was Queenborough, my destination the slipway just by the 'Old House at Home' pub. A very helpful and jolly man who was having a drink at the pub stepped outside to help pull PicoMicroYacht out of the water. As we chatted it was apparent that he had entered the water with his old leather boots and they had leaked a bit - I had thought they were Wellingtons. The kindness of strangers...
