first cruises ? i o m

[hadd]

Hi, im thinking of doing the i o m cruises for my first trip when the time comes,im hoping to get the necasary course,s Rya vHF gps by then,i was thinking of launching from new brighton at wallasay Liverpool ,dose anyone think this is a bit to ambitious for first trip with not much experience of sea.?

[Dave P]

Their is a while between now and the planned date of the trip, so my advice would be to get some practice in when you can, and then see how you feel closer to the date.
Probably some more advice will follow shortly.

[PeterR]

Simple answer is yes.Probably foolhardy.It may be fine if you had perfect conditions.But as many will tell you things can change very quickly.It would be very wise to go with a group.You have a ton of things to consider when going it along.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by hadd

thinking of doing the i o m cruises for my first trip........dose anyone think this is a bit to ambitious for first trip with not much experience of sea.?

Yes!

(1) Your first trip (either as a "new skipper" or with a "new boat") needs to be somewhere that you feel comfortable turning round and going home at any point if your not enjoying it, or something isn't working properly. No matter how much you say you wont, you will feel under pressure to continue with the group.
(2) The Irish Sea is not the best place to be testing a boat (whether brand new or new to you).
(3) Skippering a boat for that length of time is surprisingly tiring - especially if it is at all choppy. I'd suggest you want to practice a long run in more sheltered waters before embarking on an open sea crossing with few options for bailing out once committed.
(4) There is a temptation with a cruise in company to ignore the navigation etc - and assume you can just follow everyone else. On the 2009 IoM trip (that only made it to Anglesey) the weather was so bad that we lost visual contact with the other boats returning home - you need to ensure that you are equipped to deal with that from a navigation perspective. Whilst the PB2 course will cover the theory it won't do much in practice. As a 'novice skipper' you'll have enough to worry about without being a 'novice navigator' at the same time.

I'm not suggesting you shouldn't go but rather suggesting that you:

(a) get as much experience as you can before you go, ensuring you are confident in your abilities, and the boat is working properly. AND/OR
(b) consider paying an instructor to join you for the trip and provide one-to-one coaching on the whole cruising process. (probably cost a few hundred £ - but with the right 'coach' would be an excellent learning process) AND/OR
(c) consider if there is someone you know (or someone on here) who might take on that 'mentorring' role free of charge in return for getting to join the trip (if they don't have their own boat at the moment, or perhaps its in the wrong part of the world)

Last year's trip was in really unpleasant conditions. Even with some experience - I was glad I was only a passenger! There were enough wise-old-heads around to ensure everyone made it safely ashore somewhere but generally that was guidance rather than any direct intervention or supervision - your out on your own.


Edit - just looked at your profile 5.2m boat - is probably going to limit you to doing this trip in good weather only.

[chewy]

Originally Posted by Polwart

Edit - just looked at your profile 5.2m boat - is probably going to limit you to doing this trip in good weather only.

I was going to take my SR4!

[PeterR]

Originally Posted by chewy

I was going to take my SR4!

Yes but he hasnt got a searider.And youd be fine even taking that in bad weather with your experiance.Although the humber depending on what model has a forgiving hull desisn being swept up at the bow and with the 90 on the back a good set up

[hadd]

c

Originally Posted by Polwart

Yes!

(1) Your first trip (either as a "new skipper" or with a "new boat") needs to be somewhere that you feel comfortable turning round and going home at any point if your not enjoying it, or something isn't working properly. No matter how much you say you wont, you will feel under pressure to continue with the group.
(2) The Irish Sea is not the best place to be testing a boat (whether brand new or new to you).
(3) Skippering a boat for that length of time is surprisingly tiring - especially if it is at all choppy. I'd suggest you want to practice a long run in more sheltered waters before embarking on an open sea crossing with few options for bailing out once committed.
(4) There is a temptation with a cruise in company to ignore the navigation etc - and assume you can just follow everyone else. On the 2009 IoM trip (that only made it to Anglesey) the weather was so bad that we lost visual contact with the other boats returning home - you need to ensure that you are equipped to deal with that from a navigation perspective. Whilst the PB2 course will cover the theory it won't do much in practice. As a 'novice skipper' you'll have enough to worry about without being a 'novice navigator' at the same time.

I'm not suggesting you shouldn't go but rather suggesting that you:

(a) get as much experience as you can before you go, ensuring you are confident in your abilities, and the boat is working properly. AND/OR
(b) consider paying an instructor to join you for the trip and provide one-to-one coaching on the whole cruising process. (probably cost a few hundred £ - but with the right 'coach' would be an excellent learning process) AND/OR
(c) consider if there is someone you know (or someone on here) who might take on that 'mentorring' role free of charge in return for getting to join the trip (if they don't have their own boat at the moment, or perhaps its in the wrong part of the world)

Last year's trip was in really unpleasant conditions. Even with some experience - I was glad I was only a passenger! There were enough wise-old-heads around to ensure everyone made it safely ashore somewhere but generally that was guidance rather than any direct intervention or supervision - your out on your own.


Edit - just looked at your profile 5.2m boat - is probably going to limit you to doing this trip in good weather only.

cheers for the reply,i know the weather can change,i go out at whitby,16 mile out deep sea fishing on a fishing boat in north sea ,and that can get pretty rough, i don't think i would do it alone anyway, i did have a bit of confidence but after reading that message i've lost it now. If a 5.2 meter ribs not big enough to do it i dont envy chewy with his sr4 doing the crossing.

[PeterR]

Originally Posted by hadd

c cheers for the reply,i know the weather can change,i go out at whitby,16 mile out deep sea fishing on a fishing boat in north sea ,and that can get pretty rough, i don't think i would do it alone anyway, i did have a bit of confidence but after reading that message i've lost it now. If a 5.2 meter ribs not big enough to do it i dont envy chewy with his sr4 doing the crossing.

Your boat is big enough to do it.It will be your experience that would let you down if thing turn bad.And thats what Polart was meaning

[Hightower]

It's simple.....Organise a RIBnet cruise. That way you do your trip and have company. It will certainly be a learning experience

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by hadd

Hi, im thinking of doing the i o m cruises for my first trip...

Has the guy not said 'the' IOM cruise? Does this not suggest that he's looking to tagalong with the Ribnet organised event? If this is the case, I reckon he's got the right idea. Although, 5.2 is a tad tichy for offshore work IMV.

[chewy]

Originally Posted by hadd

c cheers for the reply,i know the weather can change,i go out at whitby,16 mile out deep sea fishing on a fishing boat in north sea ,and that can get pretty rough, i don't think i would do it alone anyway, i did have a bit of confidence but after reading that message i've lost it now. If a 5.2 meter ribs not big enough to do it i dont envy chewy with his sr4 doing the crossing.

The SR4 will be fine lol.
What boat do you have at Whitby?

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by Mollers

Has the guy not said 'the' IOM cruise? Does this not suggest that he's looking to tagalong with the Ribnet organised event? If this is the case, I reckon he's got the right idea. Although, 5.2 is a tad tichy for offshore work IMV.

Well if this is indeed what he meant then it'll be a great oppotunity to take. Would be great if he could buddy up with similar sized craft however.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Hightower

Well if this is indeed what he meant then it'll be a great oppotunity to take. Would be great if he could buddy up with similar sized craft however.

Andy - are you suggesting that it is a good idea for someone who has no (significant) previous experience skippering a boat to do a PB2 course then jump on a cruise in company to the Isle of Man, as his first real trip as a new skipper in a new boat.

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by Polwart

Andy - are you suggesting that it is a good idea for someone who has no (significant) previous experience skippering a boat to do a PB2 course then jump on a cruise in company to the Isle of Man, as his first real trip as a new skipper in a new boat.

It would feat of timing if that were the case. He has a few months in hand to build his experience.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by hadd

c cheers for the reply,i know the weather can change,i go out at whitby,16 mile out deep sea fishing on a fishing boat in north sea ,and that can get pretty rough, i don't think i would do it alone anyway, i did have a bit of confidence but after reading that message i've lost it now. If a 5.2 meter ribs not big enough to do it i dont envy chewy with his sr4 doing the crossing.

The idea of my post wasn't to scare you - or strip your confidence - but trust me nothing will strip your confidence like a really scary/unpleasant journey.

I'm not saying 5.2m is too small; but the acceptable weather/sea conditions for a small boat are going to be more restrictive than a large one.

Here are a couple of scenarios for you to think about:

A) You set off from Liverpool and 20 miles out you decide to turn back for some reason (maybe your crew are sea sick, or the weather is getting unpleasant for you but the other more experienced people in possibly bigger boats are happy to press on, etc). Your first ever trip without an instructor holding your hand and you are now 20 miles off shore, on your own, picking your way back through the shipping.

B) You get to the IoM but then your engine starts to play up (or you get towed to the IoM!). Its going to take a day or two to fix the engine. You can probably get a lift back from one of the other boats or fly/ferry or stay on the island (if it wasn't the tt!) - but you then need to retrieve the boat at some point. A 70 nm trip (with an engine you are probably not 100% confident in) and only your second ever trip...

PS Chewy is mental - all Searider owners are - its the fumes from the duck tape adhesive! However although he claims to be 'young', he also has a reasonable amount of experience, and SR's are renowned for their sea-keeping, even then I still suspect he'll have to bail out if the weather is crap sooner than he would in a much larger boat.

[chewy]

Originally Posted by Polwart

PS Chewy is mental - all Searider owners are - its the fumes from the duck tape adhesive! However although he claims to be 'young', he also has a reasonable amount of experience, and SR's are renowned for their sea-keeping, even then I still suspect he'll have to bail out if the weather is crap sooner than he would in a much larger boat.

I thought I was middle aged, I like you Mr Polwart.

[kawasaki]

Originally Posted by hadd

Hi, im thinking of doing the i o m cruises for my first trip when the time comes,im hoping to get the necasary course,s Rya vHF gps by then,i was thinking of launching from new brighton at wallasay Liverpool ,dose anyone think this is a bit to ambitious for first trip with not much experience of sea.?

Hadd, if you intend launching in the Liverpool area for your first trip/trip.
You may consider driving another 70 miles and launch on Anglesey
There are some decent slipways on the Menai Straits.

Even if it does blow a bit hard there is shelter at one end or tother.
So will get some miles in and experience.

There will be other vessels about too should you have a problem plus you are never more than a few hundred yards from the shore.

Plus you can do a few hours to get confidence in your rig and engine etc.

Cheers
K

[JSP]

Chewy! He's a middle aged RNLI transvestite! But a good lad

There's a few launching from the Morecambe bay area if you fancy it Hadd, inc the right dissociable Chewy

[chewy]

Originally Posted by JSP

Chewy! He's a middle aged RNLI transvestite!

You still would though!

[JSP]

Originally Posted by chewy

You still would though!

Listen honey, I aint no whore!!!!