Boat courses

[Andy the Coastie]

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Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Andy - was that the day Dover, Canterbury and Rolls Royce were all on the Strathclyde? I thought you were diving on that one? Bit crowded though

No Paul, it was year 2 years ago, on the Loanda.

Sat in the Ugly Duckling at Martin Mill and readjusted all thier dive plan in 1/2 hour from the 2 months of planning that they had done...... some unhappy looking faces at the time ,. but the following day it all worked out to plan as it always does.

We do this interclub arrangement every year, because one of the chaps in Rolls Royce sac is our TO's son and a ex member of our club.

What got up my nose that weekend was the attitude of instructors and the DO knew best because they had the tickets. ( Sine when have you planned a dive at sea without at least finding out what time HW is ? &nbsp; says it all really , don't it ) . Not knowing the knowledge of Dover or the harbour, which got into a little heated agurement about radio calling up with PC , and as i was cox'ing for them free of charge and letting all the divers dive at the same time , i was not gonna stand for abuse.

having stated to thier DO , that i had personal insurance for boat deliveries and a holder of YMO commercial, and Paul ( TO's son ) knows my past and experience to which he advised his DO was crap quail's in his eyes.............. coz BSAC says i need a BSAC diver cox's ticket to drive boats with divers on.

Won't be doing it again for them


Any way roll on the next couple of weeks ,,,, own boat , own boss and get away from bloody club boats at lastttttttttttttttttttttttt


Andy

[Rupert Bear]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Andy the Commie 2 @ Oct. 30 2003,13:47)]Any way roll on the next couple of weeks ,,,, own boat , own boss and get away from bloody club boats at lastttttttttttttttttttttttt

The same here, hopefully going in the water for testing this weekend.
Can't wait to be free of all the hassle with club boats. Broken bits that you can't get the money to fix, having to get permission before you take it out, needing to take anybody from the club and cater to the lowest common denominator, not getting enough people to go out but unable to take non members.... need I go on?
 I can't wait to do just what I bloody well like and when it suits me

[louigi]

<font color='#FF0000'>Hi Andy dose this mean you will be running your own charters down dover way.

[Andy the Coastie]

<font color='#0000FF'>Yes....

You intrested ?

Andy

[Helen F H]

I did my boat handling (RYA level 2) aged 15 or 16 (that long ago i cant remember), and used it to work until last year, when i got a sensible job. &nbsp;I have driven everything from tiny flobbers with 7hps on the back, to trawlers, barges and of course my clubs big rib.

My main worry with seeing other divers driving ribs is how unaware they are of others in the water. &nbsp;I worked with kids, who seem to gravitate to the engine on the boat, 3 knives going round and round. &nbsp;Could be messy. &nbsp;Divers just seem to try to run me over (im in neutral honest - then why am i going at 3 knots through the water towards that rock??), run other clubs members over (one guy i had to scream at cos he was reversing into them ffs), or run shot lines over. &nbsp;Call me paranoid when im a cox, but i would rarther be that, than cutting people up.

[Andy the Coastie]

<font color='#0000FF'>Hey Prog,,,,,,,,,

Ya started me remembering all my years back in boating now . I started on the Norfolk Broads as a youngster while living there. ( best time of my school days that ).

Had my first Mirror dinghy at the age of 9 1/2 and sailed every day after school for an hour and was away all weekends having a little Saturday job at Hoseasons filling the boats up with water and a quick clean, this gave me a bit of pocket money, but also gave me free moorings at Stalham boat yard.

Got my RYA National Dayboat cert at the age of 13, Moved down to Dover where at school i found 4 dinghies and a couple of canoes, that winter months i managed to get a teacher to support me in doing them up and getting them fit for sailing, started a school sailing club ( which is still running this day ).

From the age of 16 to 33 , i was playing with RIB's in a very big way nearer every day of the week. Which started to get boring as my back can only take so much. Working as a diver has got me onto some big hard boats, which learning all, soon gets the mileage up for a commmercial ticket and RYA Yachtmasters .

Dover Sub Aqua Club has a dive boat , which was the orignal sail and pull that was the first lifeboat stationed at Penlee. But , now it has a engine and converted to be diver friendly.

You quoted

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ] Divers just seem to try to run me over (im in neutral honest - then why am i going at 3 knots through the water towards that rock??),

Maybe they had some speed on and knocked it into neutral at the last minute, that i saw as common practice on a BSAC dive coxswain course.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ](one guy i had to scream at cos he was reversing into them ffs),

, I sometimes go astern to pick divers up, but tere again our prop is in a big tunnel and can't get in the way. However if the coxswain is skilled enough i can be done......... it's called trust in your skipper,,,,,,,,, i find it's the divers that are at fault..... when i'm trying to get a 42 ft boat and place it to them so they can just step on the ladder , i expect them to stay still, and NOT flap about.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]or run shot lines over

This is the skippers fault for not briefing the divers.

If you ascend up the shot, signal to the skipper all is well, then swim away from shot ready for pick up.



Andy

[Helen F H]

People do miss neutral - our boat has a wee light that comes on when you get there - so often missed. &nbsp;People also forget to use the wind/tide as a brake to slow themselves down.

The guy who nearly ran divers over wasnt looking at them - they were from another club on a busy site on another shotline. &nbsp;He was so caught up in watching our dvers he forgot about others. &nbsp;As i said, im paranoid when people are in the water around the boat. &nbsp;If i hadnt screamed he would have run them over, and since our prop is a big yin, it would have probably been very very messy.

Again people dont remember about using the wind/tide as a brake to slow themselves down, or the effects of the wind/tide once they have safely got rid of their divers.

I have mucked about in boats for such a long time, and for much of that every day as my job, a lot of this is second nature. &nbsp;I am no means perfect. &nbsp;Indeed, i am the only person i know who has popped a rib - i was hit broadside by an out of control sailing dingy - it was either me or the pier and hitting me did less damage to both people and equipment.

A cox is responsible for so much, the welfare of his/her vessel and its passengers/crew. &nbsp;I dont know what the BSAC boat handling course entails really - i dont want to comment since i havent done it. &nbsp;What i do know is practice makes perfect, and so many people need a lot more practice!