Close Coasting

[Ranchi]

I’ve been watching Britannia on one of the AIS type apps and see that she took a rather leisurely sail into the bay (Weymouth to Torquay.) Of course I wonder what it’s like to be on board. Also though,it got me thinking about cruising close to land. I certainly have a love of maps and enjoy matching maps to the progress of a ship judged by the available landmarks visible from the deck ( rather sadly I recall many final nights sailing up the Channel trying to judge our position by the pattern of light flashes beamed out by lighthouses on the south coast. The charts of the time showed the frequency & characteristic pattern of each lighthouse. Of course today you’d just go to your cabin and switch on the TV!)
It got me thinking though about what are favourite memories of close coasting ( sadly no more since the Concordia disaster- although there had always been strict rules; we have a P&O handbook from the 1950’s which clearly states the rules for close coasting -linking speed and degree of turn possible.)
So here are some of my favourite voyages close to shore on P@O vessels:
Going around the Lizard & Lands End really instilled an appreciation the topography(?) of SW England. We were given a training loop by a Sea King to add to spectacle.

Passing Cape Sunion & theTemple of Poseidon at sunset one August evening. Just had an amazingly atmospheric place.

Doing a circuit of Stromboli one dark night to see activity and then the Capt.(Wacher ?) announcing that was fun… let’s do it again!)

Doing the passage along the north of the IoW & past the Needles on Oriana (2017?)

I’m sure there are more, but they are the ones that spring to mind.

Lastly, though not close coasting, I used to watch for the position of the sun to move to the port beam as we rounded Ushant. During my working days it was the signal to me that work, & & the long journey south were left behind & the holiday had begun.

What are others’ favourite sail by locations?

I hope those on board have a thoroughly enjoyable sail.

[Manoverboard]

Our closest ' close coasting ' was sailing up the Guadalajara river to down town Seville ... on Adonia.

Our ' closest encounter ' was flying at about 100 feet round parts the Cape coast in South Africa experiencing the periodic violent winds that seem to appear from nowhere.

As an aside a number of the ships that have been sitting off our Dorset coast line have gouged trenches in the sand and destroyed part of the environment that was once an attractive sea bed.

ps ... Bon Voyage to those who made it

[Ranchi]

Re the damage to the sea bed; is this due to the props turning, or the anchors dragging or is it due to the changes to the natural currents caused by the big ships sitting there? Just wondering.

[Onelife]

I enjoy following the coastline with a pair of binoculars especially on entering and leaving different ports…problem is, I can never remember which ports they were.

[Stephen]

I enjoy following the coastline with a pair of binoculars especially on entering and leaving different ports…problem is, I can never remember which ports they were.

Window peeping shopping by any chance

[Onelife]

How did you know I have telephoto zoom binoculars?

[Stephen]

How did you know I have telephoto zoom binoculars?

The lenses in them were acting like a bl**dy magnifying glasses and burnt two holes in the curtains.

[Manoverboard]

Re the damage to the sea bed; is this due to the props turning, or the anchors dragging or is it due to the changes to the natural currents caused by the big ships sitting there? Just wondering.

According to the latest info it was anchors and chains, you may wish to read the report

[Quizzical Bob]

Favourite coastal sailbys? Norway of course, across the bottom of Italy and turning right up to Messina. Sailing out of Stockholm. The Pentland Firth with views of the Orkneys to the north. Leaving Rejkjavik and watch the Northern Lights from our balcony.

Sailing through the Gatun lakes in the Panama Canal and being spellbound by the variety of the tropical vegetation, if you can call that coastal.

I love it when you turn south of the coast of Portugal and start heading south and you experience the long Atlantic swells.

My most impressive experience was sailing along the Beagle Channel and watching open mouthed at the all the beautiful glaciers and on the same cruise feeling a sense of awe at Cape Horn and remembering what it meant to all the sailors who had been there before.

Most of all I suppose is the sail down Southampton Water when I can wave goodbye to my little industrial unit at Hamble and I know you have the whole cruise ahead of us.