Yachting

28 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com MAY 2016

A QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIP

Bill Anderson is YM’s seamanship guru. He was RYA chief instructor from 1972 to 2000 and created the Yachtmaster scheme

SAILING LIBRARY Books reviewed by Colin Jarman

A QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIP

Bill Anderson is YM’s seamanship guru. He was RYA chief instructor from 1972 to 2000 and created the Yachtmaster scheme

A QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIP

I

t had become a family

tradition. On the fi rst neap

tide weekend in May,

David and Margaret took

their grown-up sons for a

weekend early season cruise that

included dinner at their favourite

riverside pub.

But this year it proved to

be a diffi cult expedition. The

visitor’s mooring they had used

for years was no longer there.

The residents’ moorings had

expanded slightly upriver, leaving

just a short space between

the moorings and the bridge

available for anchoring.

They arrived just after high

water to fi nd that there was no

longer a visitor’s mooring. There

wasn’t even an unoccupied

resident’s mooring which looked

substantial enough for them.

There was just enough space

for them to anchor between the

moorings and the bridge, if they

dropped their anchor just below

the bridge, but when the tide

turned they would collide with

the bridge.

They all started to look for

alternative berths. The boys had

plenty of suggestions.

‘Anchor on the edge of the

channel, beside the moorings?’

Not enough depth – they would

ground at low water.

‘Ignore the notice which says

Dinghies only, max stay 4 hours,

and go alongside the pub’s

landing pontoon?’ Again, not For Bill’s answer, see p31

THE IAN NICOLSON

TRILOGY

By Ian Nicolson,

published by Amberley

Publishing at £14.99

This is a collection of three

books originally published

individually in the late 50s

and early 60s. The stories are, in effect, an

autobiography of the author, detailing how

he gained the early knowledge and practical

experience that led him to become a design

partner with Alfred Mylne and a prolifi c

writer of books on yacht design, modifi cation

and surveying.

The fi rst book describes a voyage aboard

a 45ft ketch from England to Vancouver,

BC, via the Panama Canal. The other two

describe his travels in America and Canada,

the completion of a 30-footer prior to sailing

her to England, and the designing and

building of a successful racing ketch. The

accounts are well written and easy to read,

but it’s a shame there are no illustrations

beyond a few constructional details in Ian’s

readily recognised style. The two cover

drawings are excellent and similar ones

would have added much to the text.

ULTIMATE

CLASSIC YACHTS

By Nic Compton,

published by Adlard Coles

Nautical at £30

Although a coffee table

book in both format and

layout, this is actually

much more. It provides a detailed history

and description of the renovation of 20

classic and infl uential yachts, built between

1885 and 2012. At the end of each section

is a ‘what happened next’ panel telling us

about the boat and her activities today.

Some of the yachts are familiar –

Partridge, Bona Fide with her fi n keel

(in 1899!), Brilliant, Stormy Weather,

Bloodhound, Vanity, Blue Saluki and so

on – but do you know Rawene, Madoc or

Integrity? It’s a delightful book that has far

more to it than I, for one, had feared.

There was every opportunity to produce

a superfi cial text to go with some pretty

pictures, but the author has instead created

a wonderful history that is a pleasure to

read now and that will become a valuable

historical record in years to come. Well

done, Sir!

REEDS OCEAN

HANDBOOK

By Bill Johnson,

published by Adlard Coles

Nautical at £9.99

With a title as all-

encompassing as this one,

you might expect a massive

tome, but it is actually labelled

‘a comprehensive pocket guide’ and it is

just that; 176 pocket sized pages containing

a wealth of practical information. Topics

covered include climate, route planning,

navigation, astro nav, boat preparation, heavy

weather, communications, passage making

and emergencies.

There is an astonishing amount packed

in and that inevitably means that some

sections are written in less detail than others,

which isn’t a problem, because this will not

be the only book you buy before starting a

fi rst ocean passage. It still includes a lot of

adequate answers, and its main purpose is to

provoke thought and discussion. You may not

agree with everything, or it may not suit your

circumstances, but again, that doesn’t really

matter. It also acts as a handy ‘aide memoire’

for practical tasks. A great little book.

tome, but it is actually labelled and early 60s. The stories are, in effect, an

enough depth at low water and a

pretty antisocial thing to do.

‘Anchor just below the bridge,

dinner ashore, back on board at

closing time, sit up until the turn

of the tide at about 0200, then

shift berth to just astern of the

nearest of the moored boats?’

The whole point of dinner in a

pub is to enjoy a drink and the

prospect of a rather delicate

berth-move in pitch darkness,

with a somewhat inebriated

crew doesn’t really appeal!

‘Go alongside one of the boats

on the residents’ moorings?’

All the boats on the moorings

were much smaller than theirs

• would the mooring hold two
  boats? – and again, possibly
  not enough depth at low tide.
  Most of the local boats were
  bilge-keelers, centreboarders or
  little motor fi shing boats – David
  knew there was enough water
  for his boat at neaps just below
  the bridge and he also knew that
  the sandbar at the river entrance
  dried at low spring tides; he had
  never investigated the depths in
  the moorings but he suspected
  that even at neaps it might be
  too shallow for them to stay
  afl oat over low tide.
  The prospect for the annual
  dinner seemed bleak. They did
  have enough tide left to get
  back out to sea over the drying
  bar but by the time they reached
  the nearest harbour it would be
  long past closing time, dark and
  cold. Do you have a suggestion
  that might save the evening? W

GRAPHIC: MAXINE HEATH

’s seamanship guru. He was RYA chief instructor from 1972 to 2000 and created the Yachtmaster scheme

A QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIPA QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIP

‘The visitor’s mooring

they had used for

years was not there’

No room

in the

anchorage?

Riverside pub

Dinghy

pontoon

MOORINGS

AREA Towards sea

Distance from bridge

to moorings area about

Low bridge50m (5 boat lengths)