TSAC Boat Handling Course: A Memorable Day with Nessie
On the 8th of September 2024, three eager learners—George, Tom, and Lewis, set out on an adventure at Knott End with instructor Alf, guiding them through the BSAC Boat Handling Course.
Our journey began with George picking up Nessie, which came with a quick detour to grab a 13-to-7-pin trailer adapter. It’s always the little things, right? With Nessie in tow, the three of us headed up to Knott End and, miraculously, arrived early at 9:15 AM without any further hiccups. We had a good view of the sandbanks as the tide was well out, giving us a preview of the obstacles we’d hopefully be able to avoid!
After a thorough boat inspection and pre-launch checks, which included turning the engine on briefly, we made a tactical decision to grab a “healthy” breakfast at Knott End Café whilst we waited for the ferry master to give us the green light to head down the slip. As the tide came rushing in, it looked like the weather was on our side for the day—dry and calm. Famous last words.
After our “healthy” breakfast we headed to the boat to get ourselves in drysuits only for George to realise he had mistakenly brought his partner’s drysuit instead of his own. Now, if you’ve met George and his partner Lauren, you’ll understand why this was hilarious—there was no chance George was fitting into that suit. He might’ve managed to squeeze a leg in, but that’s about it!
Once we sorted out our gear, it was time for George to show off his reversing skills. Alf, being the trusting soul he is, let George back Nessie down the slipway while Lewis, Tom and Alf stood knee-deep in the water, getting ready for launch. Maybe George left his dry suit at home on purpose? Surprisingly, everything went smoothly, and the Knott End ferry master had a front-row seat to our flawless performance. With that, we were off into the clear channel.
Alf kicked off our water time with the basics—boat handling 101. After a few warm-up moves, we got to try some medium-speed straight lines, then ramped it up with high-speed transitions from displacement to planing. Nessie’s bow proudly presented to the sky before dropping to the horizon. With a little throttle finesse (a tickle, as Alf so aptly described it), we found the sweet cruising spot. Things got interesting when Nessie developed a “stiff rear.” Her hydraulics were a bit off, making her a bit sluggish in the turns, but that just added a fun layer of difficulty to our manoeuvres. Alf wasn’t phased in the slightest, and we were up for a challenge. We spent time practicing precision moves—coming alongside lifeboats, navigating to buoys, and even trying some tight three-point turns. Man-overboard drills with Bob (the Buoy) kept us on our toes, and we practised approaching a shelving shore, transits and anchoring.
As the day wore on, the weather decided to test our resilience. The rain came in, and visibility dropped, but the sea stayed nice and flat. For those of us with proper drysuits, it wasn’t bad. For George, though? Let’s just say he looked like he was the one that was thrown out of the boat on the man-overboard drills!
As the tide went out, so did our time on the water. We headed back to shore with big smiles, despite George’s waterlogged appearance. Recovering Nessie onto the trailer went as smoothly as launching her. Before heading home, we gathered for a group photo, expertly taken by a local bus driver who wisely stayed under the shelter of his bus. With Nessie packed up and our debriefing complete, we hit the road.
Thanks to Lewis Renshall for the report
