Urgent crew vacancies
We have just five definite bookings and a few other enquiries for voyage 16, which runs from 23-27 May (£200). We really need to find a few extra crew members to fill the spaces and make this voyage a success – can anyone help?
We also really need to sell voyage 20, currently completely empty: 6 – 11 June (£250) – please help us make sure this trip goes ahead.
We also have one or two spaces on voyage 25, from 24 – 28 June (£260). Devonport Grammar school have booked 10 places but are happy for us to find others to make up the numbers to 12. The rest of the group are boys aged 13-16 so we need a couple of extra crew members who would like to join them.
Latest voyage news
A productive couple of maintenance days last weekend, of which the highlight was probably sorting through our spare sails in the Gosport shed on Saturday afternoon and discovering that we had a new no. 2 headsail after all, having almost resigned ourselves to the vast expense of a new one.
Lots of helpers were around on Sunday: Wolf, Craig, Jo, Special K, Gizmo, Bruce Ogilvie, Trevor Hewson, Philippe Chandless, Tim Deverson & Caz. Despite intermittent torrential downpours, we got through a great deal of work so thanks to everyone for turning up.
Monday’s new crew came from Bourne College, another of our regular clients. Sea staff were Helen Acton, Chris Morris, Trevor Hewson, Tim Deverson and Princess Craig.
They went from Southampton to Gosport on the first evening; and then set off on Tuesday morning for Poole, tacking all through the Solent on a bright sunny day. Sadly, however, it was windy, and with wind over tide the sea state began to mount an assault on the crews’ stomachs. The stomachs lost (almost everything in many cases). Hels took pity on them and decided to stop in Yarmouth, where they had a great time playing games, including a lively session of rounders in the evening sunshine.
Next day everyone was feeling fit for another attempt and they were able to make it to Poole. On the way, Hels wanted to demonstrate recovering a man overboard, and first mate Chris duly arrived on deck with a bucket and fender tied together to throw into the water to simulate a casualty. However, as Hels thought he was about to throw the contraption over the side, he upended the bucket and a cabbage fell out. Rapidly christened Bob the MOB, Hels was forced to pick this up instead, a much harder task than a bucket and fender, which Chris found highly amusing. (It is unclear why Helen didn’t just take her revenge by handing the helm over to him. It is also unclear what replaced the homemade coleslaw on the menu).
Eventually reaching Poole, they sailed all the way up the harbour without using the engine, under No.2 and mizzen.
The next day they headed back into the Solent and spent an afternoon in Cowes. On this passage they managed a top speed of 11.4 knots, with a favourable tide and a force 7 wind. However it was a gusty trip: as they came through the Needles channel, the tea-making squadron (Phil, Sophie, Charlotte and Pete) were caught unprepared as the boat heeled sharply: the tea ended up on the floor, but Phil ended up in a cupboard….Was this perhaps an attempt to hide away in order not to leave the boat at the end of the voyage?
The final leg back to Southampton was done after dark, in order to give the crew some night hours, and this proved very popular.
There were lots of notable achievements on this trip. Seven members of the crew got their RYA Start Yachting certificates. Ian McCoy, the Bourne College teacher who accompanied the group, did extremely well and has been recommended to come back and do a third mate’s assessment. And third mate Tim Deverson got his RYA Watchleader certificate, and completed his second mate’s assessment – except that he needs a first aid certificate before he can be finally signed off.
Meanwhile, on shore, we’ve been working with the Southampton branch of a charity called Rethink, which works with people who have suffered from mental illness. They are trying to raise money to put a group of youngsters plus a mental health nurse on the boat in the autumn. On Monday this week, Rethink put on a play at a Southampton theatre, and then asked the audience to contribute towards the cost of the voyage. David Salmon, Neil Fairbrother and Gizmo went along to help Rethink organiser Geoff Lindsay, and they achieved a collection of £410.58.
Sea staff vacancies
Thanks to all those who responded to last week’s urgent appeal for watchleaders. All the most immediate problems have been solved, but we still have a few vacancies over the next few months for first mates:
12-17 June
24-28 June
16-26 July
12-17 August
We also need several first and second mates through September and October. Please email me or call 07986 354697 if you can help.
Third mate berths will be allocated after the next mates’ training weekend (6-8 May – now full), when we can complete the list of new people needing assessments.
We still have spaces for future prospective sea staff on a familiarisation voyage 12-16 September (£200); and there are also spaces on the mates’ training weekend 16-18 Sept (£100) – email me for details.
Future crew bookings
Apart from the urgent vacancies advertised above, we still have spaces on the following voyages:
JL05-30: 10 nights, 16-26 Jul, Cherbourg to Newcastle, £600
JL05-31: 9 nights, 27 Jul – 5 Aug, Newcastle to Fredrikstad, £585
JL05-32: 4 nights, 6-10 Aug, Fredrikstad to Bremerhaven, £260
JL05-34: 5 nights, 12-17 Aug, Bremerhaven to Ipswich, £325
JL05-40: 4 nights, 12-16 Sep, Southampton, £200
JL05-41: 2 nights, 16-18 Sep, Southampton, £100
JL05-42: 4 nights, 19-23 Sep, Southampton, £220
JL05-46: 2 nights, 7-9 Oct, Southampton, £110 (whole boat group booking available)
JL05-47: 4 nights, 10-14 Oct, Southampton, £210 (whole boat group booking available)
JL05-48: 5 nights, 15-20 Oct, Southampton, £225 (whole boat group booking available)
JL05-49: 4 nights, 21-25 Oct, Southampton, £200
JL05-51: 4 nights, 1-5 Nov, Southampton, £160
We hope to fill some of the spaces on Tall Ships over the next couple of weeks as we start allocating the bursary funding – we’ve had some very high quality applications from people working with extremely deserving youngsters.
For information on latest vacancies, please contact the office on 0870 241 2252, or email office@oytsouth.org.
We are now taking bookings on the 2006 programme, also available from the office, or on the website at www.oytsouth.org.
Dates for your diaries
Saturday 14th May: Open Day on board John Laing – all welcome but please make an appointment via the office.
Sun 5th June: John Laing maintenance day, Poole (call Wolf 07771 771864).
Weds 29th June: John Laing maintenance day, Portsmouth (call Wolf 07771 771864).
Thurs 30th June – Sun 3rd July: IFOS, the International Festival of the Sea, in Portsmouth: volunteers needed on the OYT South stand for all four days, and to show visitors around John Laing on Thursday and Friday, before she sets sail for Waterford.
Thurs 11th August: John Laing maintenance day, but this one is in Bremerhaven so we don’t expect many casual helpers to drop in!
10th and 11th September: More John Laing Open Days.
Friday 16th Sept: OYT South annual dinner, Royal Southern YC, Hamble, held jointly with two local children’s hospices. Tickets £65 each.
16th – 25th September: Southampton Boat Show: volunteers needed for the OYT South stand.
Saturday 1st October: John Laing maintenance day, Southampton (call Wolf 07771 771864).
For more information on any of this, email; me or contact the office on 0870 241 2252, office@oytsouth.org.