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Power Boating

On Monday 8th March we met in the quad at 07.45 for a quick inspection before jumping onto the mini-bus at 08.00. The short ride took us to T.S Adventure, Bristol’s sea cadet centre, at Bristol Docks. Shortly after arriving we quickly set to putting on our buoyancy aids, replacing our boots with trainers, distributing the food and kit between the power boats, and getting the boats ready by checking the engine, fuel and oil for the trip ahead. The main aim of the trip was to test us for our power boating RYA 1 and 2.

Once everything was prepared we got onto our allocated boat and set off into the harbour. Within the harbour we went through and practiced the skills needed for the assessment, such as getting used to controlling the boat, becoming aware of the other vessels, and the trickier stuff like coming along side, man over boards and the dreaded three point turn in a tight space! Once most of us had grasped the general concepts of these skills we stopped off at the buttery and snacked on bacon sandwiches and chips, washed down with a hot cup of hot chocolate, and of course perfecting coming along side in the process when tying up at the pontoon! Although the sun was out, the bitter cold wind meant the warmth of the food still went down as a much welcomed treat!

After everyone’s stomach was satisfied, and our trousers were feeling tighter than ever, we clambered back down to our boats and set off out of the harbour along the Feeder Canal. At this stage Mr Scorgie and Mr Crocker began to assess us. Even with the terror of having our every move watched and judged we still had fun whether at the helm, clinging on for dear life as someone messed up a manoeuvre, or just taking the relaxing option of sunbathing and waving at the people on the banks!

We followed the Feeder Canal to Netham Lock where again we stopped off. Not surprisingly it was to eat! However this time it was to munch on a lunch of hot soup and sandwiches. Once filled up Mr Crocker taught us the concepts of anchoring on land, as we couldn’t put it into practice in the dock due to restrictions.

When we set off again we went through the lock gates out onto the river. It was exhilarating when we had to tie ourselves to the sides by our bow rope and hold on as the gates were opened, all boats cramped into the small space, trying to prevent ourselves from being dragged back by the current. Once through the lock gates the water was much rougher and the wind had picked up. Here we were assessed on our man over board in the current which made it much harder, due to having to learn to use the current and wind to our advantage when picking up the ‘man’. Once everyone had had a go, we turned around and headed back the way we came, right back to the harbour, being assessed the whole duration of the journey. In the harbour we enjoyed a last stop off at the buttery, eager for some food to warm us up, before heading back to T.S Adventure once all the assessments had been done. It was truly an enjoyable event and we all arrived back ready for supper!

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