Starts at 19:30 at the Royal Dorset Yacht Club – Custom House Quay – Weymouth

Inspections have highlighted serious wear to the Grade II listed bridge which is urgently in need of complete refurbishment.

Work is expected to start in early March and take 10 weeks to complete, but there will be a weeks break at Easter.

Weymouth Harbour Master has said it is likely there will be one lift in the morning and one lift in the late afternoon.

For the last couple of years I’ve worked in ‘The Bunker’ at Cowes Week, where we handle and process all the photos that appear on the website and help to select good pictures for the press.

I like to think mine is a crucial role and that the website just wouldn’t be the same without the galleries, but the reality is that Cowes Week is a big operation and my job is just one small part.

That said, the Bunker, which is hidden out of sight behind the main Regatta Office, is where much of Cowes Week is controlled from, and certainly is the hub of anything remotely technical.  So it’s a fascinating place to be for the week, it’s interesting to work alongside all the other people that make the week what it is, oh, and the lunches are too bad either!

In the same office are the teams that, at some level, handle the starts, finishes, results, race declarations, protests, event TV, website, mobile apps and just about anything else you can imagine.

A day in the life …

So my day at Cowes typically starts with the morning press briefing where we find out what specific events are scheduled that day and if there are any major new stories or celebrities expected.  This is useful since later that day the journalists in the press office are certain to phone and request images for their articles.

Typically the mornings are quite quiet.  The office is busy as other teams are busy at different times of the day, but for the photo desk nothing really starts until the photographer on the water drops off his memory cards around 12 o’clock.

We then start the process of selecting, tagging, processing and uploading the images to the website.  Anyone who has done this at home knows that processing a single image for a website is a relatively trivial task, but we receive well over 1,000 photos each day.  Each image also needs to be tagged with the boat or boats in the picture, and we also need to select a broad spectrum of images across all the classes that are racing over the week.

This selecting, tagging, processing and uploading continues until all the days images are done, which is often well into the evening.

We also produce a montage of the day’s best shots which is displayed on the many TV screens all around the town throughout the evening.  I’m sure any readers who were at Cowes this year will have seen, and hopefully enjoyed(!), at least some of our efforts.

Of course there are many distractions, good and bad, and all part of the Cowes Week experience.

Just outside the office a bar with one of the live music stages, great when the day is done and you fancy a drink and the lively atmosphere.  Less good though when it’s a lovely day and there’s a great band playing, but from inside the office (with no windows by the way) all you can hear is the bass line.

A highlight of Cowes each year is of course the Red Arrows display.  The team who spend each day filming the starts and finishes for live event TV were on hand, on the roof of the Royal Yacht Squadron, to film this too.

Ben Harris, of BH Marine, was the director of Event TV for the week, and asked for volunteers to act as spotters to help the cameramen move from one shot to another as the planes sped by – which presented me with an opportunity for a spectacular vantage point to watch the display. Definitely a perk of the job!

Another unexpected perk was when royalty visited the office.  We were engrossed, as ever, in going through the latest batch of images when HRH Princess Anne and her entourage came in to check up on us!

All in all an excellent week, it was as busy as I’ve ever seen the town and we’re all looking forward to doing it again next year.

Cowes Week Photo Gallery

Fairline Phantom 46

Ben had been asked to deliver a Fairline Phantom 46 from Jersey to Oslo and although he’s more than capable of getting the boat there alone, common sense dictates that he needs another pair of hands – accidents can happen all too easily.

On the surface this looked just like a fun trip – that’s certainly what my wife thought – but the reality is that this was a serious undertaking.  Not only was it a journey of around 1,000 miles, but the client has paid a considerable sum of money and he wants his boat to arrive in good time, in one piece and in good condition.

The first surprise was just how much luggage the travelling delivery skipper carries.  We’re all familiar with squeezing under the 20kg limit when going on holiday, but I’ve never seen anyone struggle to squeeze under 40kg before.  The reason for all the baggage became obvious when Ben unpacked all his safety equipment, first aid kit, navigational aides, charts, almanacs, pilots guides and picnic hamper.

He’d left the kitchen sink at home, but there was very little on board so we did need the hamper if we wanted to eat anything!

We arrived in St Helier, Jersey early one evening and once on board the first task was to thoroughly check the engines.  After all, this was an unfamiliar boat and the success of the next few days depended on them.

The following day, happy that the engines and the rest of the boat were all in good order, and after a quick trip for provisions, we set off for Norway.

Day 1 – St Helier to Ramsgate

The pilotage out of St Helier was straightforward, then we headed west to clear the island before turning towards the north in order to cross the channel.

Ben had previously warned me that parts of these delivery trips could be, well, boring, and I had clearly ignored him.  I mean, spending the day in a luxury power boat speeding across the ocean at well over 20 knots – what’s not to like!

Of course the reality is that after we’d cleared Jersey we set a course for Brighton – taking into account the range of the boat and not wanting to run out of fuel – we put the auto pilot on and sat back.  All that remained to do for the next few hours was to make sure we didn’t hit anything, and the radar did much of that work for us!

A feature of this whole trip was that we were fortunate with the weather.  Ben had waited for and selected a good window, but even so the conditions were just about ideal.  To compensate for the good weather, we found that the tides were against us most of the way.  In a yacht where even a small tidal flow is a large percentage of the boat speed this would have been an issue, but we were travelling at between 22 and 25 knots so it made little difference.

Having crossed the channel we stopped in Brighton to refuel.  Another feature of the trip, and one that I hadn’t anticipated, was the time this would take.  It wasn’t too slow in Brighton, but at smaller marinas in the coming days it would take up to an hour just to fill both tanks so was something we had to take into account when planning each day.

We left Brighton with just enough daylight to get to Ramsgate so we powered along the south coast and entered Ramsgate in time to fill up again giving us full tanks for the next day.

Day 2 – Ramsgate to Kiel Canal

This would turn out to be a long day, but it started with bright sunshine, no wind and a flat calm, perfect conditions to cross the channel again over to Holland.

We crossed the shipping lanes then headed north up the Dutch coast, passing Rotterdam before coming into Den Helder for more fuel.

Approaching Den Helder we were briefly distracted by a submarine that was on the surface and also heading into the channel.  We were then properly distracted by Dutch customs who came on board to check us out.

In contrast to some of the unsettling stories I’d read about UK customs, these guys were polite and efficient, they checked the boat’s papers and our passports, took the details they needed and didn’t hold us up more than was necessary.

Leaving Den Helder, after an hour of fueling and nearly 2,000 euros lighter, we continued north / north east following the coast around towards Germany.

The weather was still perfect so we initially moved to the fly bridge to get some fresh air, but a constant 25 knots of wind in your face can get a little wearing so after only a couple of hours we retired to the comfort of the cabin.

As dusk fell later that day we entered the mouth of the River Elba which flows into the North Sea from Hamburg and beyond.

We reached the lock at the entrance to the Kiel Canal and radioed ahead, but, despite being originally told we’d have to wait 20 minutes, it was over 90 minutes before we could finally enter and access the canal.

By this time it was close to midnight so we moored up in a busy little marina for the night.

Ben demonstrated how manoeuvrable such a big boat is by crabbing it sideways into a space little longer than the boat itself, then coming to rest alongside another craft.

Day 3 – Kiel Canal to Goteburg, Sweden

Kiel Canal

The Kiel Canal links the River Elba to the Baltic, it is 61 statute miles long and has a speed limit of 8 knots so even with an early start it still took us early afternoon to clear the lock at the northern end.

In many ways this was the best part of the trip, the weather was once again very kind, the scenery on both banks was beautiful and the relatively slow speed meant that being on the fly bridge was very pleasant.

We stopped at a picturesque marina about half way along the canal for more fuel – and apologies to the yacht that pulled in shortly afterwards and had to wait while we filled our apparently bottomless tanks.

Exiting the lock to leave the canal was an exercise in swift boat handling since all 30 or so yachts (we were the only motor boat) in the lock cast off at the same time and headed for the open gates. But once clear of the melee we were in the Baltic and back up to speed.

Heading further north we cleared German waters, briefly entered and left Danish waters before turning slightly east on the way to Goteburg.

Baltic sunset

With little other shipping in the area all we had to do watch the sun going down and keep an eye on the fuel gauges.

It was close to midnight as we approached Goteburg, but that far north it wasn’t really very dark.

We had to navigate carefully into our chosen marina since there are many rocky islets and submerged obstacles, a number of them unlit, but we made it without incident.

Day 4 – Goteburg to Oslo

The last, and shortest day, was also the only one that started late.  It being a Saturday the fuel pontoon didn’t open until 10am so an early start was out of the question.

The delay also gave us chance to thoroughly clean the boat before the new owner saw it later that day.  Given that the boat was second hand and that we’d lived on it for a few days it was never going to be in show room condition, but that’s no reason to deliver it in a mess.

The bay around Goteburg was as busy as the Solent with a wide variety of craft, from speed boats churning up the water to cruising yachts and fleets of racing dinghies, with the occasional large ferry to keep everyone on their toes.

We made our way between all the islands and other boats, once again enjoying the view and the perfect weather.

It wasn’t long though before we got into open water and set a course for the Norwegian Fjord that would take us up to Oslo.

The shipping lane that leads into the fjord twists and turns to follow the deepest water and although it wasn’t that busy, there were enough ferries and cargo ships to keep us busy.

Once again we were stopped by customs, obviously Norwegian this time.  From their point of view we were in an expensive, fast motor boat and flying the Red Ensign, so I guess we were fair game.  At least I thought our boat was fast until they caught up with us effortlessly before waving us down.

Just like the Dutch a couple of days earlier, they were happy to see all our papers, take the details they needed and leave us to continue up the fjord.

This was my first trip to Norway, and I can see now why cruise ships love it so much, it’s really rather beautiful.

Unfortunately we had little time to enjoy the view, the day was getting on and Oslo was still some 30 miles away.

The boat was finally delivered to the private mooring of one very happy customer who was waiting on the pontoon to meet us.

So a job well done, but is the life of a delivery skipper the full time holiday that it appears?

The upsides are pretty clear … it’s interesting and challenging, you get to travel to many new places, on a variety of boats, and meet different people.

But, like any job, there are downsides too …

On this trip we were lucky with the weather, but if conditions had been different the trip could have taken longer, we might have had to wait in a foreign port for conditions to improve and being at sea could have been an uncomfortable experience.

Engine checks

We were also lucky with the boat itself.  Naturally it had been serviced before the trip and we carried out engine checks at least twice a day, but if something had gone wrong it could have anything from embarrassing to dangerous.

Then there’s the crew … and yet again Ben was lucky in this respect!  Seriously though, skipper and crew are together in close proximity for several days and they need to get along.  The skipper also needs to be able to reply upon the crew to perform their responsibilities, but also to have sufficiently experienced crew to give them responsibilities.  Often though the new owner will want to be on board for the delivery, maybe with one or two friends and family, and this can present another challenge for the skipper.

So, would I do it again?  Well yes, of course I would.  Being at sea, even when just spending hours watching the autopilot is always going to better than being in the office … and a Saturday night out in Oslo had its moments too!

RYA Sail Cruise – 12th – 18th June
The RYA organise this confidence building trip across the channel, arranging the route, berthing in each destination and the social activites, leaving the skippers and crews free to concentrate on and enjoy the sailing.

Find out more here www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/events/Pages/sailcruise.aspx

Round the Island Race – 25th June
The classic one day sailing race around the Isle of Wight is now in it’s 80th year.  The race often attracts over 1,700 boats and 16,000 sailors making it the largest yacht race in the world, and the fourth largest participation sporting event in the UK.

The start of the race is always spectacular as the boats jostle for the start line at their allotted time.

Find out more here www.roundtheisland.org.uk

RYA Motor Cruise – 23rd – 29th July
Similar to the Sail Cruise, this RYA organised event aims to give confidence to motor boat skippers who want to experience a channel crossing, while support by an RYA Yachtmaster who remains within VHF range.

Find out more here www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/events/Pages/motorcruise.aspx

Cowes Week – 6th -13th August
Cowes Week barely needs an introduction having been an institution in the UK since 1826.  It now stages up to 40 daily races for around 1,000 boats and is the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world.

There is also plenty to do for spectators other than watch the racing, the fireworks and display by the Red Arrows on the Friday night are often highlights.

Find out more here www.aamcowesweek.co.uk

Fastnet Race – 14th August
The Fastnet Race starts at 11am on the day after Cowes Week ends, so many sailors and spectators will still be in town to watch the start off the Royal Yacht Squadron.

Find out more here fastnet.rorc.org

Bournemouth Airshow – 18th – 21st August
Incredible air displays, attractions and fantastic evening entertainment – don’t miss the the UK’s biggest free aviation festival this summer.

Find out more here www.bournemouthair.co.uk

Weymouth Monday Fireworks – August
No summer season in Weymouth would be complete without a series of spectacular firework evenings, which take place each Monday in August from a floating pontoon in Weymouth Bay.

Find out more here www.visitweymouth.co.uk/index.php?resource=204

Freshly elected Rear Commodore / Flag Officer Ben Harris of BH Marine and Graham Castell, the new Commodore, welcomed over 460 people through the door.

The new refurbished J- Class style club with a rather enthusiastic Jazz singer, Georgie T, proved to be a huge success.

The club is now open 6 days a week to members and potential members and visiting yachtsmen and women. The lunch and evening menus which are prepared by the award winning RDYC Chef are certainly recommended.

Funded by Arts Council England this is the South East region’s contribution to Artists Taking the Lead, a series of public art commissions across the UK to celebrate the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

And the reason that’s it’s interesting is that it involves building a 9m yacht out of donated wood, and sailing it along the south coast to arrive in London in time for the games.

The team of craftspeople are actively seeking donations of wood from the public, where that piece of wood is important to you and has a story to tell.  Using the latest boat building methods these random pieces of wood will be turned into something seaworthy.

To date the team have received a 15ft mast, a spoon, a paddle, a house sign and a bread board – which sound like a challenging combination!

In addition to volunteering to help build the boat, the public are also being asked to nominate potential sailors for the voyage.  A crew of 6 being required to sail alongside a professional skipper.

Find out more, and view the webcam to see the boat taking shape, at their website – www.theboatproject.com

This is particularly exciting time to be involved with the club since Weymouth, where the club is based, will be home to all the sailing events at the Olympics next year.

With this in mind, the RDYC is undergoing a complete transformation in early 2011 and is due to re-open in March with a fresh, modern and welcoming atmosphere inside and out.

Plans for the new look club include:

• state of the art bar with LCD TV broadcasting all the latest sailing action from around the world
• two luxury lounge areas with full wireless facilities for relaxing, socialising or meetings
• projector & PA systems for corporate functions, RYA training and viewing marine activity including the 2012 Olympic sailing live
• fully seated luxury dining area offering lunch and dinner prepared from the best of fresh local produce with panoramic views over the historic harbour
• dedicated presentation cabinet displaying all the club’s historic trophies and silverware
• family-friendly, decked outdoor space incorporating a canvas covered BBQ & seating area, model wooden play boat for children, atmospheric lighting and soft landscaping
• a brand new website, offering social networking, articles, videos, live web cams and listings for key events throughout the year

The work is being undertaken in partnership with local company World Class Events who have worked closely with super yacht designers Anders Design, construction specialists Melcombe Regis SW and ourselves, BH Marine, as marketing and marine specialists.

With so much to offer, the new club will have a wide appeal, from professionals and local businessmen, to young sailors and families, as well as visiting crews.

New social membership fees will start from as little as £25 per year.  Full members will benefit from discounted food and drink, discounted RYA training courses, club nights, discounted swinging moorings and the opportunity to sail on board other yachts and motor vessels.

For more information, please see the website www.royal-dorset.com

The last couple of years though have been difficult for the management team as the event has been without a title sponsor, but last month a new sponsor was announced.

Aberdeen Asset Management PLC will now sponsor Cowes Week for 3 years, starting in 2011.

Various new developments are in discussion, but one immediate benefit for the fleets is a reduction in race fees, a piece of very welcome news.

Here at BH Marine we’ve been involved in some way at Cowes Week for many years (although not quite back to the start!).  From crewing and instructing, racing or corporate charters to working behind the scenes, Cowes Week has been an important part of our years and so we welcome the news that the event continues to be well supported.

At Cowes Week 2009 Ben Harris undertook the slightly unusual challenge of directing event TV.  Working with a team from Solent University, and from a makeshift control room in the Royal Yacht Squadron, he directed coverage of all the racing together with some onshore events such as the display by the Red Arrows.

You can read more about Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week on their website at www.aamcowesweek.co.uk