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UKRS#04 Weymouth : 6th/7th May 2000 |
That UKRS flag again...11 UKRS'ers make it to Weymouth for a weekends diving from the hard boat Our W.
(From Keith L : Group Report)
What a nightmare organising, but we finally made it. On the Wednesday before the trip we were down to just nine divers due to unforeseen circumstances, but it all came right in the end and eleven was a good turn out - on a boat that is built for 18 (I think).
First problem was that I'd arranged everything - except where we should meet! The group immediately split into two with some of us at the hotel (the Eastney - very good) and some down at the old rooms, those down at the Old Rooms didn't know each other so it was about 22:30 before everyone was assembled, except Jason that is as he decided to come down on the Saturday morning.
As well as the well known names we had a few "new" names in the group - Steve, Stuart and Mike who were not quite sure what they had let themselves in for. In usual UKRS style the pairing were sorted out down the pub with me inflicting myself on Nigel and Adrian for the weekend (bad luck guys) making up the threesome.
"You've got HOW much kit?"The weather forecast for the weekend was dire - force 5 to 6, rain etc. So Saturday dawns bright and sunny with very little wind, and it stayed the same all weekend. A leisurely 10:30 start (late slack) and the presence of two vans in the group (one for kit - thanks Nigel, one for people - thanks Dave) deliverred us to the boat, we loaded up and off we went.
Plenty of room on the boatOur W must be one of the best day boats that run out of Weymouth. It's fairly new, purpose built, excellent facilities, good skipper - and that tail lift! (more on that later).
Plenty of room to kit up, stow gear and then a liesurely steam out to the dive site.
KL boards the easy wayAlasdair has described the diving in his report so I wont go into detail here, we organised the trip for "all comers" and a few of them even came. People were just trying out new bits of kit and enjoying themselves with some easy diving. We had a few "moments", Nigel had problems with his brand new twin set (first time in the water!) on the first dive and abandoned, so Adrian had to put up with me all on his own. The Pin Wreck on Sunday was "interesting" as well with Adrian demonstrating the self inflating DSMB that doesn't (fill the bottle...) and the reel that wont (rewind after use...), but that's all part of the fun of diving.
The boat was a great hit with everybody, especially those of us on twin sets - there is no ladder. Instead of a ladder a small platform with grab rails is lowered into the water down some tracks (a bit like a fork-lift truck really), you just stand on the platform, grab the rails, and get winched back up to deck level.
All in all a good weekends diving. A Weymouth trip on Our W has already been agreed in principle for next season (the boat is booked solid all this year) and will probably become a UKRS regular. Next year we'll try and run it a bit later and run it for intermediate/advanced - watch out for the posts to the group.
Nigel getting his newsgroup fix
Alasdair wondering which bit of kit will break next
(From Nigel Hewitt)
KL Indoctrinating PADI divers into the BSAC way with the help of some Buehlmann dive tablesEleven of us UKRSers on a hard boat for the weekend. Nothing much disastrous happened so not much to report. Keith billed it as a all-comers dive so it was open to anybody so all the *beginners* turned up with their Nitrox and Twin-sets (Jason left the Heliox at home). One real beginner brought a new twin set and scared the daylights out of Keith who does not want an incident on his patch.
The guest house was good and diver friendly, the boat was a huge success but I'll come back to that. Most of us came down Friday night to avoid the early start syndrome so we avoided the iniquitous five pound parking charge by using one van and one minibus for transport. This time (not as UKRS#3) the weather was as ordered. Warm, dry and even sunny.
The first day stared with a leisurely loading session onto "Our W" but we were a bit early for the tide so we sat a while. The plan was to tackle a wreck on the slack and then drift a reef after lunch. The first dive was pleasantly uneventful except that NigelH pulled out early slightly nervous of his new rig (first time in real seawater with a twinset). It was 17 meters and a wreck but I can't remember what it was called.
The high spot was using a dive boat with a lift for the first time. Virtually everybody was impressed or at least pleased. On all the dives we were coming up on SMBs and Woody put the boat right on top of you, you swung in on the back. Stood on the plate 5 feet down in the water and waited while the deck appeared. This should be a mandatory fit to dive boats. UKRS#n organisers please note. The second dive was billed as a drift but we forgot to order the current so it turned into a leisurely swim round at about 12m.
Arriving back at the jetty we had a serious climb as the tide was well down but the tanks went off to the dive shop to be filled and picked up next morning. We rolled off and killed time dumping the pictures out of Keith's new camera till it was time to go and eat. The second day dawned well and again the weather was good. The same scheme was planned except an hour later to match the tides. The Pin (sp?) Wreck was murky but a definite wreck in 27m. Adrian's first attempt at sending up a DSMB demonstrated what can go wrong if you don't check the kit thoroughly. (Not enough air in the self inflator and a reel tangle.)
The afternoon was uneventful but with current this time. Diving in a three and keeping watch on two I think this is the first time I have done an entire dive moving backwards. Highlights? Jason's tales of doctors who can't tell DCI from a sprain leading to four hours in the pot which does nothing for a pulled muscle. Alasdair demonstrating multiple O-ring substitution. Watching Keith trying to subvert innocent little Adrian, PADI DM internee, to the Dark Side (BSAC).
