Breezy one

Mother Nature has finally kicked in good and proper. 52 knots today, perfectly side shore. That's more than 50 miles an hour for you non-marine types! For the rest of, that's a Force 9, "Strong gale slight structural damage occurs, trees uprooted and slates removed". Still, a bit windy for most people, but we decided to brave it... With the media hyping up crazy storms and 60 mile an hour gusts, I pulled the new 76 Tri out the pickup rigged up my smallest kit, said a few farewells to loved ones and hit the water. Bloody hell that was windy. It started off just about manageable, but then the wind really picked up and it was just stupid. No more cobwebs....
Spanked, slapped and spanked again! hey but it was fun!!!
Mother nature wins. Completely spanked and pretty much blown off the water in the end, but this session definitely ranks as one of the best high wind Vazon wave sails I have ever had, a little much during the 50 knot/force 9 squalls. Good fun sail that looked very uninspiring when I got down there.. Went home happy. This week has been super windy but unfortunately a lot of rain has been on the menu.  I had three good wave sessions which were actually the first proper days down the line that I got in this year. The Tri Wave works great and I'm very happy with the way it's wave riding and jumping. Anyway here are a few more pics from this weeks sailing thanks to http://www.gsyphoto.com/ and Olly...

Nice way to finish 2013 and looks like a windsurfing session could be on the cards for after Christmas and the start of 2014. Happy Xmas everyone....

 

Oh for more wind

 Second session on the new 81 Tri fin. No major wind, but planing in the gusts. 5.3mtr not enough for the lulls. Such a great wind direction and nice clean lined up waves. Just needed more of it.   Great gusts, as well as long and tedious lulls, it was weird, in the lulls there was actually no wind at all, and then a 25knot gust would come along and take you flying, still, had a nice time on the water with a nice gentle cruise around in Vazon.
 



In early 2013 I began thinking that I wanted to get a new wave board and probably a quad.  However, knowing that I would likely be sailing in side-on to on-shore conditions more frequently than side-off, I was concerned that a quad board might not be the best choice for me. Then after doing much research and chatting to other wave sailors I pretty much confirmed that I still prefer a faster, single fin design over a quad for typical Guernsey conditions.  I like a wave board that can still get you up on the plane,  accelerating quickly as well as offering that extra speed when needed to aid in schlogging on the inside.  These are all good things here for sailors my size and can significantly aid in countering the effects of our typical strong on-shore conditions.  These attributes also help get you out over the breaking waves on the inside when still schlogging or marginally planning.  I have notice that Quads seem to be slower to plane and not as fast as my favorite single fin boards. Not everyone wants to go fast but I live by the saying, “Speed is your Friend” and “when in doubt, NAIL IT”!

A rare off-shore day,
 The boards seem to offers more control on a wave
allowing me to stay more in the critical sections with more comfort 

Unless you are sailing in solid down the line waves, you really don't need a 4th fin.
We only ever got quads because designers couldn't get Tri fins to work well and it was easy to add a couple of fore fins to a twin fin design.

Looking at surfing and windsurfing where they have used thruster set ups 25 years ago, this always seemed like a cop out to me and a fin too many, with extra drag and not much lift.
 The new shorter and wider designs of Tri fins today are superb all round boards, easily as good as the best quads, and a heck of a lot better than most quads in typical cross on Guernsey schlop. For me, where most of my sailing is with onshore wind swell, my Tri fin boards have opened up opportunities to really play with the wind swell, rather than just straight line to get airtime. The boards  seem to offer tight drivey turns and provide more surf time on a wave.
 What is exciting is seeing how good the Tri fin designs are in normal bump and jump sailing, an area that has been dominated by single fin boards. As for opinion, I reckon that what we will see next are more single fin boards again. All good sailors in powered up euro condition will be on multi fins unless forced by their sponsors to sail something else. Back foot heavy punters and people that are slow to plane will be on tri fins. Quads with small front fins will become specialist boards for good waves and sailors with a particular taste. Riding oriented mush sailing will be dominated by thrusters or big fin forward quads - ie surf style setups. Surfers have mucked around with fins on there boards for years whether it's 1'2'3'4'or even 6 fins, at the end of the day it's what works for you and the conditions that you sail in....
  

I have sailed and seen many a board shaped by my late farther who made Blade custom surf and sailboards back in the 60,70 and 80's and from what I have learned after playing with countless board design and fin set up combos, I agree that board shape and rocker line are more significant than fin numbers in the back end. But fin numbers can improve or detract from the boards performance if used in the right or wrong setting.

Single fin –
For: earliest planing, due to single fin and simple alignment with water flow along boards centre line. (Less drag).
Using a longer fin exerts leverage on board which the sailor 'holds down' and this in turn lifts the board in the water, allowing it to ride on the tail to reach better top speed. So single fins are faster.

 Against: can over power when too long a fin is used, causing a board to tail walk in extreme conditions.


Twin fin –

For: If you change from a single fin to the same area but spread over two fins, the board suddenly feels very different. The tail may feel insecure for the heavy footed sailor – but is very loose for turns and 'skatey' on the wave.
The lack of leverage with such short fins means the board tail doesn't over power, so any board gets a wider wind range.

Against: Tail can feel insecure for the heavier sailor – and may appear to plane later if you don't know how to unload the back foot. You can however overcome that with longer or more powerful fins.
Top speed won't be quite as good as for a single fin – due to two fins adding more drag than from a single fin.


Tri Fin –


What comes around goes around
Myself on an 80's custom Blade Tri fin


For: You have more tuning options with three fins – for example, using three equal size fins for a planted feel, or else using a longer central fin and two thruster fins set in the rail.
The tail should not overpower unless you go too long with the central fin.
The rail fin comes into its own when hooking a tight turn on a proper wave.
Three fins can also hide a lot of fin area, meaning you can point high and appear to go upwind well.

Against: Three fins will not help top speed. Setting the fins at the rail requires toe-in to match the water flow direction at the rail. The toe in that is optimal on the wave will not be the same toe in that works best in a straight line.


Quad fins –
For: Short fins that make the tail feel planted and the board won't tail walk when overpowered, so again you get a good wind range.
Lot's of fin permutations mean lots of tuning options. (Some might say, too many, confusing, tuning options.)
But the main plus for the quad is when on a wave – where the amount of fin and area in the tail can be used for drive on the wave and to generate speed. The fin tuning options can be optimised for any good sailor on a specific wave but that's pretty advanced.

Against: Toe in needed for outer fins and potential for getting this wrong is greater as the water has to flow across four foils. Four fins can mean the board is slower and later to plane than a board with less fins. Quad sailors all report their boards feeling a bit 'draggy' at times, say in a straight line – although you won't read this in most mags or online.
The sheer amount of fin area in some boards can mean they need a lot of sailor weight and good technique to drive them through a turn – and with bad technique or with bad fin tuning/placement you may find they 'straight line' in a turn.

  I am drawing the conclusion that the only place where a multi-fin is useful is wave riding, and even there if a single fin is used proficiently in conditions like the one we mere mortals have we would not have to go through the complication (and added weight) of multi-fins? Otherwise for flat to B&J to mast high wave riding, the single fin would appear to still be king. For where I sail (cross on/on shore wind) the only reason for a three fin, with small sides,center fin would seem to get a happy medium between a Quad and single fin, (And to be honest, I find the idea of having 5 fin boxes on a board as some manufactures offer a bit ... silly? Way too many options and all the possible combinations would be kind of overwhelming. We could go on and on so I'll stop here and say one last thing. I think it's time that the leading board manufactures gave you the options off buying all four variations of fin set ups to suit your personal choices.............

Down The Line Tri Fin Heaven

That made up for every session I've missed lately!! 

 Took my new  Fanatic 81 Tri fin for a spin.  Very short and very light but really floaty. Heaps of fun. I love my old boards but I don't want to sail them again now. You know those days when you wonder whether it's worth going out or not? Well, I'm glad I did. It was cross offshore and gusty, but the waves showed up and so did the crew, so we decided to get out there and have a crack. No one else around just us. Had some quality waves with some great, clean, down the line rides with enough speed to hit the lip hard which definitely kept me buzzing for a long time after. Heaps of fun hooning down the line and trying to destroy it. Plenty of water getting thrown about. That's what it's all about. Wind picked up and up, should of changed down to the 4.7 but unfortunately the "old" body ran out of steam and couldn't face the walk back up the beach to change board and sail , kept going anyway.  More of the same tomorrow by the look of the weather charts.
Better eat my weetbix tomorrow..

Batten down the hatches!!! Thar's a hoolie blowin in

What A Night

Well, finally everything lined up favorably for our first night diving expedition of the season. Good weather reports plus flat calm waters had us salivating for a night dive on a night that won"t soon be forgotten. Setting off from St Peter Port at around 5.00pm on a dark November evening  under picture perfect conditions.  We were soon over the broken-up steel wreck of the Oost Vlaanderen know locally as the Cement wreck after it's cargo of cement and guns. The shot line was soon over the side and anchored in on the first try (as usual). As the tidal current settled we were over the side and in the water. 
What a way to kick off the week. 15 metres viz and tons of sea life all over the place. Once the sun sets the vibrant colours of the daylight dives go with it, and the colourful fish somehow manage to disappear from view and the cast of ocean characters change as the night shift comes on.
  Instead the ocean is filled with a variety of mollusks and crustaceans coming out of their daytime hiding places for their night time feasts. This is also the time for the predators to appear, creatures like the conger eel and squid who are mainly hidden from view during the day in wrecks and under rocks can be seen swimming freely out in the open at night. Many marine creatures will take advantage of this magical hour to hunt with the squid already ahead of the game out and about looking for love. To add to the night’s diving excitement it was time to turn off my torch. Once your eyes have adjusted to the underwater environment you may notice that the water around you appears to have a certain glow, and any movements you perform can be traced in swirling patters of Phosphorescence. This is caused by the plankton in the water and the disturbance your movements causes, something that is invisible during daylight hours.
 It was time to push on and get back to the shot line, on the way back Matt stumbled into a Monkfish.  He brought me over to the side of the wreck and pointed out one of the seas nastiest predators just a few feet away from the shot line sitting on the bottom waiting for it's tea to swim past. You know me, I am always game for catching myself dinner but we were all a little chicken when it comes to grabbing a fish that size with no spear and just a small dive knife. Here we are three grown men sitting on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean too afraid to grab a fish. I was loving every minute of this dive and did not want to leave the bottom but my time was up,,,

A Final Wave Good Bye

Bob Warry

After a long and courageous battle with cancer, my father passed away peacefully. While I feel a profound sense of loss, what gives me comfort is that I had a remarkable father in so many ways. I'm left with one final life lesson from him: love never dies. His love of the sea will always be with me.
To honour my Dad's memory and his love of the ocean, a paddle-out was held at Vazon. Jenny, myself, friends, family members and windsurfers turned out on the beach at Vazon on a windy Saturday morning to watch and join in with a group of surfers to pay him a spectacular tribute. One hundred  people gathered together on the sea wall and proceeded to watch about 60 surfers taking to their boards (some on old Blades that had been pulled out of dark corners of their garages) at 11 a.m to participate in the paddle-out, which is a traditional way of saying good-bye to a departed surfer. The surfers, in their appropriately dark-coloured wet suits, paddled out on their surf boards with flower leis around their necks or with loose flowers (sometimes held between their teeth to where the water was calm, and then joined hands to form a circle to say their goodbyes to a great pioneer of the sport, a few words of remembrance was said by myself before throwing carnations and roses into the middle. Once in a circle, we all clapped whistled and shouted. It was touching to see so many surfers and windsurfers of all ages celebrating Dad's life in true water man style. "I'm sure Dad was looking down in awe of all the love." It was "a total testimony to know that on this cold day over 100 people came out to pay tribute to him and his life and all he gave to the sport." Before the paddle-out, Kevin Hinshaw of the Guernsey Surf Club spoke about Bobs surfing life to the crowd on the beach. 
 He will truly be missed. Thank you to the Guernsey Surf Club,Windsurfing Guernsey and all that turned up..

Here's a report taken from the Museum of British Surfing:

Guernsey Surf Club are reporting the sad news that respected surfer-shaper Bob Warry has passed away. He was interviewed for The First Wave project & the surf museum has a couple of his lovely Blade surfboards - you can hear some of his interview on this link: http://www.thefirstwave.co.uk/surfers/bob-warry/ 
Interview with Richard Browning 14/05/13


Blade Surfboards by the late Bob Warry Guernsey
 Here are two of his boards from the 1970s donated to the Museum of British Surfing



club news letter releases

Guernsey Surf Club

Kevin Hinshaw
Guernsey Surf Club
with an old Blade Mal 

Dear members,
It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that the amazing Bob Warry passed away at 8.00 this morning.

Bob was a pioneer of surfing in Guernsey and the sport owes a great deal to him. He was a multiple Guernsey Surfing Champion, innovative board-builder, artist, wind-surfer, fisherman, seaman, craftsman and immensely talented individual.

 He loved everything about the sea and was a very capable person who was willing to share his immense knowledge in a quiet modest manner.

Bob was one of the top surfers in the UK throughout the mid 60's and he never lost 'the stoke'. We had the pleasure of surfing with him until he fell ill some months ago and he will be sorely missed by everyone at the beach.

Our thoughts are with his wife Phyllis, his son Phil and all of his family.

God bless you Bob

 Windsurfing Guernsey (GBSA)

Matt Le Poidevin (in yellow)
Guernsey Board sailing Association

 Many of you now may well have heard the sad news about the passing of Bob Warry. Bob was a pioneer firstly in surfing and then in about 1980 he took up windsurfing. He was undoubtedly one of the first to sail a short board in Europe and his pioneering attitude saw him shaping up windsurfing shortboards whilst the rest of the world was drifting around on Windsurfer Regattas. It was that head start that he gave us the help needed to put Guernsey on the windsurfing map. Within a few years the foundations of Guernsey windsurfing were firmly established with the likes of Clem Brouard, Phil Nicole, Simon Lovell, Mick Middleton and of course the boy Phil Warry all riding his creations and achieving notoriety beyond these shores. Bob was a modest man and unless you knew of his achievements you would never have guessed that he was one of, if not the greatest watermen that Guernsey has produced. He will be sadly missed, a great friend to many and as much best friend as a father to Phil and husband of Phyllis. Our thoughts are with the Warry family at this time.

RIP Bob.

More posts and tributes

Thinking this morning cemented the fact that Bob was a pioneer of Guernsey surfing and all of us sat out there today have him and his generation to thank for paving the way for us! Lets make sure we do the same for the next generation to come! His contribution will never be forgotten! RIP Bob....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Never one to give a lot of respect when I was younger, this is a guy you had/ have to give respect to.
A great surfer right up until I last saw him in the water, an excellent shaper and restorer and sadly now a legend of the Guernsey surf scene!
RIP!..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yup. Agreed. Blade all the way as first board (last seen being battered to death on the groyns at Vazon where  Scott Ogier left it fearing for his life! Bob would have laughed, not at the loss of a great 7.0 single fin but at Scott for just making it to the steps alive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bob was a great gentleman of the sea who had the ability to also design and craft beautiful weapons of the sea worthy of any art exhibition....he was also a pretty mean painter and raconter.
I am sure that I am not alone in saying that we will remember and miss him greatly....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I had a great respect for Bob who I surfed and windsurfed with on many occasions. He also made me many fantastic blade boards. A truly great guy sadly missed...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well we were blessed with some of the best conditions of the year. I'd like to think Bob had some  doing in it. From the pictures it looked like a very fit memorial for such a wonderful man. Well done all. Despite the localism and petty squabbling seen nowadays in surfing. It's times like these that still prove surfers are still in a very special tribe. Look after each other people, it's what makes surfing magical...

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"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it."
Phil Warry

  I will miss the relationship we sheared with the ocean.. In a word. He brought to my life the FULL JOY that this passion we call the ocean has to offer

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

       

 



This is why I windsurf

Had an insane day yesterday overpowered on a 4.2 and head high waves the first real top session of the season. Just a few amigos out on the water with the entire break to ourselves. Couldn't resist launching into some big air cos the waves were just begging for it... Anyway... was in "survival mode" most of the time, some Very big air when I had the balls, but most of the time was spent trying to keep it together and stay on the water.... 

Matt managed to capture a shot of me smacking a small ramp on the inside. More wind and swell today 

Vazon wavesailing

Sundays forecast: South rising to 25 knots gusting 35 knots in the morning, to South westerly 35 knots gusting 45 knots in the afternoon and to 40 knots gusting 50 knots in the evening. Slight sea becoming rough in the morning and very rough in the afternoon.  
  Well Well Well we knew a storm was on its way hitting the west coast beaches around midday so put out the txt to three amigos at 7.30am as I was fizzing to get in the water, probably too keen. ... Big, hardcore session! Big winds today and I was overpowered with 4,2 and 75ltr.. Nice to be back out sailing after a long break. It looks like winter is starting to set in with the end of daylight savings Saturday night. Pretty bumpy windy session but not at all like I was expecting. Wind was a little iffy with the first two hours being pretty good....(went form zero to hero) gusty wind conditions so enough in the gusts but grovelling in the lulls and a bit overpowered at times when it hit 45 knots in the harsh chop. The swell perked up rapidly as the tide came in and the wind really kicked in. Good angle too! Wind was really X shore so had some good down the line hits especially on the shore break. Just as things started to hot up with the rising swell the Gopro unfortunately took a hit in the shore break and snapped the mount on the GoPro so missed some cool footage at the end (shame).

Busy Moving Into MY NEW HOUSE!!! and diving the Rudolf Wahrendorff

I've been away for a while, mostly due to the fact that I've been moving house, but partly because I have no Internet at my new house (don't even get me started on that one), and getting into a new routine I have sort of let my posting slip. Sorry all. ... But amongst all the moving boxes and carnage that goes with house moving I still managed to find my dive gear and sneak an early morning dive on the Ammo wreck a few weekends back...

 

 

                     

Rudolf Wahrendorff

V209 the 2nd FFT Group A built in 1928, integrates in December 1939 into Kriegsmarine to be a armed patrol boat. July 24, 1944, to escort a convoy leaving St Peter Port when it is attacked by  Avenger 850 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm.




Country: III DEUTSCH REICH
Ship Type: Patrol
Tonnage: 381
Dimensions: 45.3 x 7.7
Previous name: PRINCE RUPERT, DR. RUDOLF Wahrendorff
Owner: Kriegsmarine
Ports: Unknown
Builder: Schichau Seebeckwerft AG Year Built: 1928
Launch: 1928
Dimensions: 45.3 x 7.7

The Kriegsmarine was the name of the Navy of  Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of World War 1I and the inter-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany.

The start of the second world war saw a huge rise in the industrial needs of Germany they had only one way to get the raw materials into the island and that was via the sea, it won’t of escaped your notice that we are an island nation. Raw materials would be bought in from across the sea to our port and harbour but they would need protecting throughout their journey. This protection was given by these merchant ships via the Kriegsmarine but it left one vital link in the chain unguarded and that was the approaches to our coastline.
 Initially the armed trawler was a simple and effective attempt to protect the ports and harbours of the country, the Kriegsmarine  quickly saw the benefit in converting fishing trawlers to protection duties around the approaches to their major ports. Many trawlers were quickly converted to both anti-submarine and mine-sweeping duties and crewed with the experience of the German Navy.

Ship wrecked

Diving is what we do best...
After all, most of the best destinations in the world are on your door step. The weather conditions have been kind here in Guernsey with another scorchio evening of diving on the SS Dagenham.

"DAGENHAM" (S.S.).

IN the matter of a Formal Investigation held at the Municipal Buildings, West Hartlepool, on the 27th and 28th days of May, 1909, before LANCELOT ROBSON and ROBERT JOBSON, Esquires, Justices of the Peace for the County Borough of West Hartlepool, assisted by Commander C. K. MCINTOSH, R.N.R., and Captain C. B. GRAVES, F.R.G.S., into the circumstances attending the loss of the British steamship "DAGENHAM," of West Hartlepool, through stranding on or near the North-West Grunes Rocks, about six miles from the Hanois Light, Guernsey, on or about the 8th April, 1909.

Report of Court.

The Court having carefully inquired into the circumstances attending the above-mentioned shipping casualty, finds for the reasons stated in the Annex hereto, that the vessel stranded upon the Les Grunes de l'Ouest, off the north - west coast of Guernsey, owing to the master steering too fine a course after passing the Casquets and not making due allowance for the set of the tides and also neglecting to take proper bearings of Les Hanois lighthouse after it appeared in sight.

The Court finds that the loss of the steamship "Dagenham" was caused by the default of the master, Herbert Denyer, and suspends his certificate, No. 040725, for a period of three months from the date hereof, and recommends that he be granted a chief mate's certificate during the period of such suspension

Annex to the Report.

The "Dagenham" was a British screw steamship, built of steel, at Sunderland, in 1907, and registered at West Hartlepool, her Official Number being 124,344. Her dimensions, according to the register, were, length 239.3 feet, breadth 36.0 feet, depth of hold 15.6 feet, length of engine room 40.3 feet, and she had a registered tonnage of 885.37 tons. The vessel was fitted with triple expansion engines, built by Messrs. Richardson, Westgarth & Co., of Middlesbrough, the diameter of the cylinders being 19 inches, 31 inches, and 51 inches, with a length of stroke of 36 inches, the indicated horsepower being 980, and the speed 10 knots. She was owned by Messrs. Furness, Withy & Co., Limited, and the registered manager was Stephen Wilson Furness, of Baltic Chambers, West Hartlepool. On the voyage in question she was under the command of Mr. Herbert Denyer, whose certificate of competency as master is numbered 040725. The "Dagenham" had three compasses, one on the top of the wheelhouse amidships, one on the bridge deck before the wheelhouse, and a spare one. These compasses were last adjusted by Morton, of South Shields, in June, 1908. She had two lifeboats and one small boat, and a sufficient number of lifebelts for all on board.

The vessel left the Tyne on the 6th day of April, 1909, bound for St. Malo, with a cargo of 1,930 tons of coal, on a draft of 15 feet 5 inches forward and 17 feet 5 inches aft. The crew consisted of 18 hands, including the master and two mates, each of whom held a master's certificate. Everything went satisfactorily until the evening of April 8th. At 3.05 p.m. on that day Cape La Hague was abeam, on the port side, distant 5 miles. At 4.10 p.m. the Casquets lighthouse was abeam, distant 2 miles. The course at this time was W.N.W. magnetic, and was continued until the lighthouse bore S.E. by S., when the course was altered to S.W. 3/4 W. magnetic. At about 5.10 p.m. the Les Hanois lighthouse was sighted on the port bow, and shortly afterwards a bearing was taken, which showed that the vessel was being set in towards the land. The master, noting this, altered the course at 5.25 p.m. to W.S.W. magnetic, but no other bearings appear to have been taken of this lighthouse, and the course of W.S.W. was continued until the vessel struck a 6.05 p.m. The weather, from passing Cape La Hague, rounding the Casquets, and up to the time of stranding, was fine, with light breeze and a haze over the land, the sea being quite smooth. At the time the vessel struck the master and chief mate were on the bridge, and orders were immediately given by the master to put the engines full speed astern, which was done, and the engines were then worked ahead and astern alternately until 6.25 p.m., but the vessel remained fast. Soundings had in the meantime been taken, and a depth of 10 fathoms was found aft, seven fathoms forward and 17 feet amidships on the starboard side. These soundings showed that the ship was held on a pinnacle of rock amidships. The vessel was now found to be making water rapidly. Fearing an explosion of the boilers, the master then ordered all hands into the boats, as the position of the ship appeared hopeless. The boats were kept in close proximity to the ship, and at 8 30 p.m. the master and second engineer boarded her to make an inspection. They found her practically full of water, so returned to the boat and finally abandoned the steamer. The master remained in one of the boats in the vicinity till 2 a.m. on April 9th, when the ship broke in two, about amidships. All the crew were eventually safely landed, but the log-book and other ship's papers were, according to the evidence of the chief mate, lost whilst getting ashore through the surf.

On reviewing the evidence, it appeared to the Court that too fine a course bad been set from the position where the Casquets lighthouse bore S.E. by S., as the master, according to his own statement, had simply allowed that the west-going tide would counteract any indraft towards the land due to the flood tide, and had, therefore, set a course magnetic to pass only about three miles outside any outlying danger. This was too fine for safety, as was proved when the lighthouse of Les Hanois appeared in sight on the port bow and then finding, as he did, the steamer set in to the eastward of her course it was the duty of the master to haul out more to the westward and take repeated bearings of Les Hanois, until he had it on a safe and proper bearing. The course was, however, only altered to W.S.W. and no further bearing was taken until she struck. All the witnesses agreed that the weather was fine and clear, with a haze over the land. The master attributed the casualty to being set in by the tide more than he anticipated, and also to the state of the atmosphere causing him to be misled as to his distance from the land. The chief and second mates, in their evidence, confirmed the master's statement as to the somewhat peculiar haze prevailing over the land, but the second mate admitted that he thought at the time that the ship was being navigated too close to the shore. The land was in sight all the time on the port hand after passing the Casquets, but no attempt was made by cross bearings to verify the position. According to the evidence no disturbance of the water or tide ripple was observed near the place of stranding. All proper and reasonable efforts appear to have been made to free the vessel from the rocks, but without avail. The ship made water so rapidly after striking the reef that the pumps were practically useless, but the second engineer, who was on watch at the time, appears to have acted with commendable promptitude in taking all proper precautions after the position seemed hopeless. He was on duty alone, it being the time of changing the firemen's watches, and he remained below until ordered on deck by the master. He was commended by the Court for acting as he did in a most trying time.

At the conclusion of the evidence, Mr. Corder read and submitted the following questions upon which the Board of Trade desired the opinion of the Court:—

(1) What number of compasses had the vessel; were they in good order and sufficient for the safe navigation of the vessel, and when and by whom were they last adjusted?

(2) Did the master ascertain the deviation of his compasses by observation from time to time; were the errors correctly ascertained and the proper corrections to the courses applied?

(3) Was the vessel supplied with proper and sufficient charts and sailing directions?

(4) Were proper measures taken to ascertain and verify the position of the vessel when abeam of the Casquets lighthouse at or about 4.10 p.m. on the 8th April last; were safe and proper courses thereafter set and steered, and was due and proper allowance made for tide and currents?

(5) Were proper measures taken to ascertain and verify the position of the vessel from time to time after Les Hanois lighthouse was sighted on the afternoon of the 8th April last?

(6) Was a good and proper look-out kept?

(7) Where and upon what did the vessel strand, and what was the cause of the stranding and loss of the ship?

(8) Was the vessel navigated with proper and seamanlike care?

(9) Was the loss of the steamship "Dagenham" caused by the wrongful act or default of the master?

The master having addressed the Court, the Court replied to the questions as follows:—

(1) The vessel had three compasses; one on top of the wheelhouse, one on the bridge deck in front of the wheelhouse by which the courses were set and steered, and a spare one. They were in good order and sufficient for the safe navigation of the vessel. They were last adjusted in June 1908, by. Morton, of South Shields.

(2) The master stated in Court that he did ascertain the deviation of his compasses by observation from time to time, and the errors, as ascertained by him, were correctly applied to the various courses steered.

(3) The vessel was supplied with one blue-backed chart of the English Channel and the sailing directions relating thereto, published by Messrs. Imray, Laurie, Norie & Wilson, Ltd., 1907. The Court is of opinion that this was a somewhat meagre equipment for the navigation of the vessel.

(4) Proper measures were taken to ascertain and verify the position of the vessel when abeam of the Casquets lighthouse, at or about 4.10 p.m. on the 8th April last. Safe and proper courses were not thereafter set and steered, inasmuch as proper allowance was not made for tide and currents.

(5) Proper measures were not taken to ascertain and verify the position of the vessel from time to time after Les Hanois lighthouse was sighted.

(6) A good and proper look-out was kept.

(7) The vessel stranded upon Les Grunes de l'Ouest, off the N.W. coast of Guernsey, owing to the master steering too fine a course after passing the Casquets and not making due allowance for the set of the tides, and also neglecting to take proper bearings of Les Hanois lighthouse after it appeared in sight.

(8) The vessel was not navigated with proper and seamanlike care.

(9) The loss of the steamship "Dagenham" was caused by the default of the master, Herbert Denyer, and the Court suspends his certificate No. 010725 for a period of three months from the date hereof, and recommends that he be granted a chief mate's certificate during the period of such suspension.

Mary Toovey

Mary Toovey

Thanks again for some great video Mat

                                     

SS Mary Toovey sailed from Guernsey for London with a cargo of stone and was reported missing presumed sunk on the 10th November 1899. Ships life boat washed ashore at Stourville near Cherbourg on the 13th She was owned by W. H. Poole of Newcastle, UK.

Name:	MARY TOOVEY
Type:	Cargo Ship
Launched:	31/05/1894
Completed:	06/1894
Builder:	Wood, Skinner & Co Ltd
Yard:	Bill Quay
Yard	52
Dimensions:	226grt, 133nrt, 120.2 x 21.2 x 9.0ft
Engines:	C2cyl (16 & 32 x 22ins), 45rhp
Engines by:	North-Eastern Marine Engineering Co Ltd, Sunderland
Propulsion:	1 x Screw
Construction:	Steel
Reg Number:	104254
History:	Alfred F Toovey (WH Poole),
06/1894	Newcastle
10/11/1899	Missing
Divers.. Mat Moley Paul Phil

As we headed out between the twin piers at the entrance of St Peter Port things were unexpectedly looking up! On the boat ride up to the wreck site north of Herm, we came across a pod of five dolphins who attached themselves to the boat. They were jumping out of the water and seemed to enjoy playing in the boats bow wave on the sides and behind us. With the sun shining and the sea calm it was time to leave the dolphins behind to catch slack water. On this occasion, armed with a set of numbers from the fishing boat captain, Captain Keenie. The gathering of usual suspects headed out to investigate the Toovey. With slack water still over an hour away, and with the prediction of 9mtr spring tides, we were expect some current on this site. Once we arrived on the numbers, we spent some time finding and placing the shot line on the wreck ( five times in all) as she is a tiny target to hit. The shot was dropped and I entered the water, upstream from the shot line buoy.

Whilst descending down the line, we were rewarded by excellent under water visibility, with the line clearly visible plunging away down into the depths. Dropped to around 40 meters and there was nothing (no wreck). I was just about to abort the dive after a quick scout around when a discarded crab pot caught my eye in the distance. As I got closer I could see the defined line of a structure about 10 meters away. As I got to it, it was obvious that it was the stern section of the Mary T. Soon the hazy outline of wreckage festooned with pout rose up from the bottom. The shot indeed had plunged into a low lying reef which this wreck has made her last resting place. It was time to go to work and get the shot tied in by the vessels boiler. The wreck itself has clearly been the subject to time, tide and it's impact with sea floor. Today, much of the deck plating lies collapsed on the rocky seabed. It is however still possible to swim along the line of the wreckage and peer down and make out the curve of the underside of the hull as it sinks down into the bottom. The remains of the boiler and propeller shaft can easily be followed back to the stern area of this vessel. Propeller are still in place with its three blades at the end of the shaft along with the ships rudder. Drifting back along the wreckage one soon comes across the remains of the steam compound engine still standing proud from the hull bottom, close by are the remains of a sizable ships boilers. Continuing forward the wreckage continues for a short distance but seems to be much more broken up and dispersed than the rear end of the vessel. Nevertheless this area of the site still provides an interesting area to rummage around its cargo of granite chippings. The bow section must of sustained some heavy damage as it hit the sea bed on sinking as its cargo of stone has spilling out of the hold on impact and spread out over the sea floor. A few minutes later, a large shadow loomed up ahead.  On approach it was evident that it was a windlass, and a large one. It rose off the bottom 4-5ft. A quick inspection for lobster came up blank.  After a complete loop around spending 20 minutes on the bottom I headed back home and started the long slow ascent to the surface. With everyone safely aboard, Silvia K headed home back through the pier heads with the last rays of the afternoon sun dramatically illuminating the remains of Castle Cornet that overlooks St Peter Port . A picturesque end to an afternoons diving, which to begin with had looked unpromising. 

 
 

Wood, Skinner and Co. Shipyard, Bill Quay, 1907

Wood, Skinner and Co of Bill Quay, Newcastle-on-Tyne builders of the SS Mary Toovey  --- James Skinner and William Wood opened the Tyne yard with six slipways, in 1883 at Bill Quay. Both of the business partners had experience working for other well-known shipbuilders. Initially the yard built coasters and short-sea traders, largely for Scandinavian companies. In 1897 it incorporated as a limited company. In 1914 the company was listed as shipbuilders and repairers at Bill Quay. The yard also made ships for the Burnett Steamship Co. Ltd of Newcastle. The small steamer Angelus was the first of 30 colliers and short-sea traders to come from the yard. Burnett had a strong working relationship with Wood, Skinner & Co. Ltd for 32 years. It only came to an end when Wood, Skinner went into liquidation in 1925. During WW1 the yards output included 12 self trimming colliers, two "Insect" class boats and six WAR 'C' and 'D' ships. Between 1921-25 the yard relied heavily on orders from Gas, Light and Coke Company and Burnett, Sharp and Stephenson, Clarke building a total of 11 ships for them in this period. The yard failed financially in 1925 having built 330 small vessels and maintaining a reputation for building colliers.