“Bubble, bubble, toil &
trouble
Gas compressed, no sign of trouble
When shall we two dive again……”
“How
about 16 August 2003?”
“Why
then?”
“Well,
the weather should be good at the end of July, Charity Shield will
be played the weekend before, the Bank Holiday is the weekend after,
it’s a long way off and if we go to Poole – we can CAMP!!”
And so
it was set. The e-mails were sent, divers responded, plans were
made.
The
great day arrived. The intrepid divers awoke to a grey, overcast,
and windy day with a Spring Tide. After a quick look in Swanage
harbour it was confirmed that the dive was blown out. To be fair
each had wondered whether this would be the case given that there
had been Easterlies the week before and some rain, which had stirred
the sea up to a gloopy, murky soup, similar to a London Fog of
1886.
After
some consideration the more experienced among us came up with a
cunning plan – boat handling skills practise. To say I was nervous
was an understatement. But once on the RIB it was fantastic. Fears
were banished, encouragement given and we were bribed with chocolate
and the promise of fish & chips at lunchtime.
The
morning was spent giving people a taste of helming the RIB, with a
trip round to Swanage Harbour. On route we found the wreck of the
trawler we should have been diving, then ‘kedged’ in the harbour.
The sea was rough and we had difficulty getting off the RIB at the
pier, but not as much difficulty as Phil, Chris and David had trying
to get from RIB to shore. The Hellfins Synchronized Swimming Team
could do with a little more training.
After
lunch we headed back to Poole for more boat handling skills –
deploying and retrieving a shot and kedging. By the time we’d all
had a go it was time to head back.
Sunday
dawned a beautiful day, the tide was out and belied the London Fog
sea state. Diving was still a no-no but those of us left embarked on
more boat handling skills. This time, picking up boys , (sorry mind
on other things I meant buoys), man over board, retrieving divers
and power failure on the boat.
Thanks
to the patience, skill and optimism of Chris who organised the
weekend, and the gentle questioning and encouragement from Phil,
what could have been a washout turned into a useful and much enjoyed
weekend. Also a big thanks to Bruce who never complained once about
the number of times he was thrown in and dragged out of the water.
PS if
you ever want to know anything about anchors – just ask Phil. He’s a
mine of useful information.
Helen
