Power Boating Level 2- Day 1

This was the first of a four day powerboat level 2 course which will hopefully end with a qualification gained. We were using RIB’s, which stands for Rigid Inflatable Boat.

I was apprehensive but very, very exited to powerboat. It would have been my first time doing anything of the sort but none-the-less I couldn’t wait to try it. The day started onshore learning how to put together a safety box and talking through safety procedures. We then mored onto the slipway where it was demonstrated how to tow a boat with a trailer and launch a boat into the water.

It was then time to get on the water !!!

We set up our boat- Connected the fuel, attached the kill cord and made sure the tell tail was working. I started by driving figure of eights around two buoys but was struggling with keeping one hand on the throttle and the other on the wheel. Finding instead that I required two hands to turn the wheel.  Next we tried doing figure of eights in reverse, this i found had less than desirable results.

After that we moved on to moving on a buoy. If I do say so myself I smashed this; both crewing and skippering.   Next we were taught how to come alongside the pontoon. This wasn’t a compete success but not a complete failure either, as after a few practices I could come alongside in a controlled manner.

During the last part of this session we discussed collision regulations and practiced turning in a tight space, ie 3 point turn.

By the end of the day it was apparent that I learn at a slower pace than most of my peers but was not disheartened by this fact. It was a good day and I was left feeling much more confident than i had that morning. Can’t wait for the next session.