Trip Report 

Easter Saturday Boating and Diving - 2th March 2005
By Rich Foster

Woke up at 8.00 expecting to have to wake up my flatmate (who was unusually a bit pissed the night before), only to find he was awake and actually functional. Ricky buggered off to get dive kit and shotlines, while I drank tea and then went to the Boat.

Rocked up to Camber and the Boat was in the water, the sunlight reflecting on her taut tubes, looking lovely. Drove the boat round to the slip and then loaded, after a tea and a sausage roll from the best bakery in pompey!!

Left the slip at 9.30, with no faff (apart from James Aqua-Suring his new wrist seals on the way out of the harbour)
Had a chat to QHM and then out into the Solent, which according to the shipping forecast was Easterly, Force 4-5 & rainy. What awaited us no wind, flat calm and bright sunshine - Ace!!

Grooved across the Solent enjoying the feeling of a working boat between my legs (cruising at about 27 mph, which for those that remember was somewhere near flat out on the old boat). Round the ledges and arrived at the Camswan, to find another dive boat (Jo Dan IV) on site with a shot already on the boilers.
Cruised around and located the wreck, we decided to use their shot (also due the fact that ours would have tangled up as the skipper had 30m of line down & none of us (except Ricky who had put the shot together) could be arsed). 

After seeing if the skipper could make us a tea (£1 a cup!!) we put James. Al and Ricky in - Jonny decided not to dive so we drank tea and ate chocolate.

Al surfaced after 7 minutes, claiming ear problems and James and Ricky managed 11 minutes - the reason for the short times I hear you ask - well (not surprisingly) it was black. Very Black. Viz was about 1ft.

For some reason, Al did not even touch the wreck, yet he went the deepest out of all of them - Odd............ 

After recovering the boys and a swift Mars Bar later we headed home. Al drove from Bembridge to the Horse Sand Fort, where we left Jonny to take some pictures (with some very nifty boat work in the tide by Al!). Had a quick debate about whether we should leave him but decided to use him to take some 'action' pics!

After our photo session we collected Jonny Boy and rocked into Portsmouth and as none of us had had anywhere special to go, we had a cruise around the warships (and for once didn't get bollocked by the MOD Plod!) and then into Gunwarf where James and Ricky went and got pasties in their skimpy thermals! 
After a nice scoff (proper pasties and a Banana & Chocolate one for afters! - it was like being back in Cornwall!!) we then went to see if we could get fuel from Gosport but their pump was broken! 
Back to Camber and put the boat to bed for the day - met by James L & Lou.

Rounded the day off with a pint in the Bridge!

A top day - weather and conditions were fantastic even if the diving was pants.

Quote Of The Day
If anyone wants to dive in the Solent this weekend, they're better off putting a bin bag over their head and sticking their head in the bath! - Ricky after the dive.