Bournemouth Fireworks

Cobbs Quay Marina were expecting us on the Friday and put on a good welcome with a visitor pack and a reserved parking area for cars and trailers.

On that evening after supper Duncan Mackie in Phaeton, Geoff Sheddick in Cora, Neil & Karen Evans in Snave and RPP In Due Diligence set off in the dark and pouring rain to exit Poole Harbour and travel to Bournemouth pier to view the fireworks. Jon Rowley and his partner decided to leave Taboo at Cobbs Quay and travel with Duncan.

The sea was nice and flat (to make up for the rain) and we arrived off the pier just before 9.00pm. Everyone piled aboard Phaeton to watch the display from the shelter of the cabin and to drink all of Duncan’s coffee. To add to our confidence Duncan told us at great length of Phaeton’s sinking last year.

After the spectacular display a fast run back to Poole was in order so that everyone could dry out.

Saturday turned out to be a blinding day with five boats running fast along the Dorset coast to Lulworth Cove. Here we anchored and Geoff either volunteered (or was volunteered) to act as water taxi whilst we went ashore for lunch.

On the way to Lulworth we were accosted by George the local dolphin. We stopped and he spent 15-20 minutes with us, moving from boat to boat, at times so close we could touch him. George seemed to have a particular fascination with the RIB’s.

The run back to Poole could not have been better with plenty of time for all to frolic in the sun, with neil & Karen taking loads of pictures of Pathfinder at speed. Supper in the club house followed with good food, drink and company.

Sunday was awful !! Wind, rain and waves all over the place. Teresa King joined us for the day and we set out to watch the powerboat racing off Bournemouth pier.

That well known Pathfinder member Trevor Bassett was competing and we cheered him on to second place. However he ignored us [ed: see Trevor’s comments below **], possibly due to the fact that on one occasion he well and truly stuffed his boat into a wave and ended up under the dashboard.

It was then off to Christchurch for lunch, a trip that was wet, windy and bumpy. On the return in conditions that if anything were even worse, we found ourselves in the middleof a RIB race – trapped in the centre of the circuit waiting for an opportunity for a suicide dash across the course for the run back to Poole (where conditions did improve).

Thanks to Teresa who travelled out on Cora and back on Due Diligence. The helms on these boats are on opposite sides so that both Geoff and RPP remained dry and sheltered throughout ….. not so poor Teresa.

Recovery was uneventful at the good slip at Cobbs Quay and it was back home to the daily grind. (Thanks to Duncan for providing excellent local knowledge for the event and Phaeton which acted as a mother ship when required).

**Lads (& Lassies?)

Thanks for being there. I did observe a few craft to the East of Bournemouth pier (which I thought was unusual), but didn't put 2 & 2 together. Had I have done, I would have certainly come over to say hello, sorry 'peeps'. Normally craft watching troll around in the middle of the course.

The race boats never hang about long after a race because of the fuel situation. We try to judge it to have enough to get the race, do it & return (sometimes on fumes) to the recovery area. As you know, 1 gallon weighs 10 pounds, any extra weight is vital seconds.

Richard; You were right, we were 2nd. We were catching the lead boat (A68) when at the chicane (just to the west of the pier), we had a large "moment". We caught a wave which sent the bow (& us) sky high, the transom was at right angles to the water. Upon our return to the wet stuff the boat hooked to port, we both found ourselves under the dashboard (the boat had stopped but we were still going forward)!

I remember pulling myself back into the seat and looking to see where the sea was, to my relief it was below us! Back onto the power, 'loadsa revs' no drive ! Had we broken something? Lots of expletives here and fists onto dashboard. I then noticed that the gear lever was in neutral !!!!!! Now this was very strange as the selector has a button which must be depressed before it can be moved, it locks into gear & locks into neutral. OK, problem solved, into gear & away again. (Naulty this as we're suppose to engage drive with the engine stopped, but time was of the essence).

At the time of the "moment" we were about 30 metres behind the lead boat and on the last lap. This blew our chances of catching them, so we had to settle for second place. The black smoke was one of the 'enduro' boats (a big Sunseeker). No fire, just diesel injector problems.