Tidal Diamond 762
- Rowing by Moonlight
- Waiting for the Tide
- Useful Links
- Diary Dates
Rowing by Moonlight
Hi All Tudor members.
Last week, just before this second catastrophic lockdown the rowing section once again headed out on its usual Wednesday evening jaunt, with 4 boats all crewed and coxed. It was a lovely calm evening with a large moon, we rowed to the entrance and on the way back we beached the boats and called in on the Ferry Boat pub for (exceptionally cheap) beer and chips.
This trip reminded me of previous Moonlit nights afloat and here are some previously published words on the matter.
Unlike other forms of boating our gig rowing continues all year round without a break due to its immunity to cold temperatures, wind, rough sea and lack of daylight.
It is this last point “lack of daylight” that I highlight here.
The Rowing section row at least one evening every week of the year which means that for several months we row in the dark, except that we don’t row in the dark, within 10 minutes of launching ones night vision builds up and even with a heavy cloud cover it is relatively easy to “see”.
I have done thousands of miles of night sailing but still enjoy the special pleasure of being afloat at night, removed from the comfort zone of daylight, the senses are heightened and even in the safe waters of Langstone a sense of adventure pervades the atmosphere.
Different phenomena such as a large full moon or the glory of the Milky Way add yet another layer of pleasure to the activity and it is the very physicality of rowing that not only keeps the cold at bay but due to the extra blood flow seems to pump up the pleasure level.
Attached is a pic. taken last week which reminded me of a night last winter, the water was glass smooth, not a ripple, the air was crystal clear without a hint of cloud and each and every star was reflected in the sea, it was if we were rowing through the night sky with stars above, below and all round, one of those small experiences in life that has the ability to plunge deep into the psyche and lodge there forever.
The level of afloat activity after dark is generally very low, however over this last 3 winters we have come across groups of sea Kayakers, in fact it has become a regular occurrence to spot their huddled group of lights traversing Langstone, they don’t respond much to our greetings, perhaps like us they are buried in the experience which chatter can spoil.
The coxes can get cold and the Cadets do a Trojan job of coxing for us, it cannot be overstated how grateful we are to these young folk and their stoicism in withstanding the cold for our benefit.
However to offset the downsides of coxing in the winter there are great benefits to young sailors by being able to safely go afloat during the hours of darkness, the experience dissipates any trepidation that they will “blindly crash into stuff” and along with this positive realisation is the equally useful lesson in “Navigating by lights”, the novice sailor can be forgiven for thinking that navigating at night must be far more difficult than during the day, but in a lot of of ways navigating by lit bouys and lighthouses is easier because the light patterns can be read from a far greater distance than any painted name. I am in no doubt that conning a boat at night brings the young sailor an increase in both confidence and seamanship.
For a gig rower all the seasons bring their pleasures but rowing under a “Winter Moon” takes some beating.
Ian DuCane
Maintenance Officer
maintenance
Waiting for the Tide
Well I just about managed to pop down to the club before the lockdown kicked in and managed to wash Pimpernel’s hull and decks down, and grab a few bits that I needed. Now I’m looking for the jobs I can do without needing to pop down to the club or out to a shop to get something. It’s an interesting challenge not being able to pop out when you’ve used your last screw, or finished the pot of varnish, but equally it can be very satisfying when you find you do have something that will do the job nicely tucked away in the garage where you forgot you put it. Perhaps I’ll have more space in the garage, not because I’ve had a clear out, but because I’ve used parts I’ve had in there for ages and finished jobs I’ve been putting off – well I can but dream!
As ever, feel free to drop me an email at this address if you feeling isolated and cut off from the world, even though this lockdown is slightly different things are far from normal. It is always nice to hear from members, and any ideas of things to include in the Tidal Diamonds would be most welcome.
Stay safe.
Paul Tansom
Tidal Diamond Editor
tidal_diamonds
Useful Links
I thought it worth continuing to include a few useful links here as a handy place to find them if you haven’t already got them bookmarked:
Paul Tansom
Tidal Diamond Editor
tidal_diamonds
Diary Dates
| Social |
Sailing |
| – |
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Frostbite Series 4 |
November 15th – cancelled |
| – |
– |
Frostbite Series 5 |
November 28th – cancelled |
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| Current Club Activities |
| Dinghy sailing in company – contact dinghies for more details. |
| Cruiser sailing planning & info – contact commodore<a href="mailto:commodore for more details. |
| Rowing, gigs can be booked – contact rowing for more details. |
| Women on the Water, weekly – contact wow for more details. |
Dinghy, Sailing, Cruiser
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All contributions for Tidal Diamonds to me by 1400hrs on Tuesdays please; please allow plenty of time for emails to reach me. However exceptions will always be made for emergencies. Note: all content is automatically published on the Tudor website unless requested otherwise.
Regards,
Paul Tansom
Tidal Diamond Editor
Tudor Sailing Club |
