Just another Sunday morning call

We launched the Mersey at 10 this morning on exercise in the knowledge that there was enough sea for it to be fun but not too fun.

Martin decided to take a reasonably experienced crew out so as to run through a number of Seamanship evolutions (Drogue, Emergency steering and Man Overboard) in real time rather than as pure teaching exercises. This was all very well executed and the exercise has probably given a number of crew lots of confidence. I spent my time guiding our other fisherman, Dan, through some chartplotter stuff (Waypoints, routes and conning the Helm). He proved to be very competent giving me very little to do.

Of course no exercise is complete without a chance to put the boat through it's paces in the rough stuff. We spent no small amount of time looking for some interesting seas and found enough to demonstrate to the newer crewmembers just what our boat can cope with. Needless to say, those on deck returned to station rather damp, including our erstwhile Coxswain.

Meanwhile the ILB spent the morning developing the boathandling skills of the crew. With 3 or 4 changes of crew everyone got as much time out on the water as they would want given the strain on ones knees when it's lumpy out there. Different skills are required driving up-sea and down-sea so both need practising reqularly. It requires fine judgement to get places quickly in the ILB in inclement weather but at the same time to ensure that the crew is still able to function when they get to the casualty.....forward progress is balanced against crew physical well-being.

By 12.30 it was all over, both boats back in the boathouse, washed, fueled and ready for service. How was your Sunday morning?!

Here's another Sunday morning call
Yer hear yer head-a-banging on the door
Slip your shoes on and then out you crawl
Into a day that couldn't give you more
But what for? Oasis