Giles and Paula's Great Retirement Adventure

[Giles]

Part of the Yachtmaster Offshore practical course will be to be randomly assigned a port or marina and be told to chart a course to it and draw up a pilotage plan to enter the harbour/marina. Paula and I have decided that we will do as much "practice" of this between now and October. There are about 20 likely ports/marinas that the instructor will throw at us, so we have a lot to do.

Today, we plan to go from Gosport to Swanwick Marina on the River Hamble. We have not done this before, nor entered the River Hamble, which is one of the busiest leisure boating rivers in UK. The channel is narrow and tricky to follow at times, so we are going in on a flood tide, so if we do run aground, we'll float off.

[goosehd]

Make sure to read the chart’s finer details (ahem…bridges)

Have fun guys!!!

[Giles]

Up The Hamble...

[Giles]

Our current playground, The Isle of Wight and The Solent.....

[goosehd]

@Giles said in Giles and Paula's Great Retirement Adventure:

We had a Burgee made....

I wish that the piping on this matched one of the colours of the Cherry blossom...as I find that the black distracts instead of enhances.

[Giles]

You are not wrong. When this one gets trashed, as it will. We'll do better next time....

[Giles]

The cabin door on PILGRIM has a curtain that snaps into place. Decided, like a feral cat, to mark my territory.

[dinobarnesberlin]

@Giles that’s a “baller” move

[Giles]

We have been assigned a Call Sign and MMSI*

Call Sign: MNKT8
MMSI: 232046961

• Maritime Mobile Service Identities (MMSIs) are nine-digit numbers used by maritime digital selective calling (DSC), automatic identification systems (AIS) and certain other equipment to uniquely identify a ship or a coast radio station.

[SKT]

Will this information allow forum users to contact you at sea and ask important questions like when something will be back in stock?

[dinobarnesberlin]

@Giles Monk Tate? Is that code for something ?

[Giles]

@SKT said in Giles and Paula's Great Retirement Adventure:

Will this information allow forum users to contact you at sea and ask important questions like when something will be back in stock?

Yes

[louisbosco]

should've gone with WNK8R

[dinobarnesberlin]

@louisbosco had to laugh at that one—- close but no cigar Louis

[Giles]

In seven or so weeks, SAKURA should be sailing out of this port, getting ready for the trip home.....

[dinobarnesberlin]

@Giles how exciting is that? !!

[Giles]

Not as exciting as this

She will be complete in 2 weeks......

More photos to come.....

[Nik]

Beautiful

[Giles]

Or as engine-room-porny as this:

[goosehd]

That's awesome! Two things I noticed: The incredible amount of room in the compartment including the head room and I like the camera mounted so you can keep an eye on the area when you're underway. That's pretty smart!!