Bovisand

MKSAC Newsletter June 1996

The weekend got off to a great start with Graham and I being first to arrive and therefore having the pick of the accommodation. This also meant that we were first in the bar where we were soon followed by Frank, Lance, Ashley, Steve and Karen, Colette and Mark. Chris and Adrian who were towing the boat spent the night in a service station trying to get some sleep! !

Saturday morning dawned bright and "very" early and we met up on the jetty for our first briefing meeting. By this time we had also met up with Chris, Adrian and the boat which was duly launched and ready to go (the boat that is not Chris or Adrian). Adrian went off to get breakfast and some sleep and Chris (very tiredly) came along as Dive Marshall. Off we headed to dive "The Elk".

The Elk is an ex trawler that was commissioned during the First World War as a minesweeper only to be re-commissioned in 1940 and very promptly sunk. She lies two miles south west of Bovisand and is upright on a sandy bottom in approx. 30m (or so I'm told!!). Unfortunately nobody warned up that the "blip" which appears on the echo sounder for this wreck is "very small" and although, as it turned out, we were right on top of her we were not sure and so decided to head in and get a head start on the second dive of the day - The Elk would have to wait.

Second dive of the day was "The James Egan Layne" and she was worth waiting for!  She is an American Liberty Ship, five miles from the Fort and in a depth of approx. 24m. She lies upright some 6m proud, and she has every right to be (proud that is). This is a lovely wreck covered in dead mans fingers, soft coral, anemones and teeming with fish. The wreck is quite intact but fairy open with lots of entry and exit points. A great dive was had by all and we headed in tired, contented and thirsty !

Sunday morning started again bright and again "very early". Boat launched we headed once more to conquer "The Elk"  Having checked and double checked our transits we arrived to find another boat had already shotted the wreck (this is the easy method of wreck location - it also enables you to stay in bed longer - a positive note in my book) Who knows, this time when we dived her we may even find Adrian's watch (sorry Chris!)

Well, I am told that "The Elk" is a good dive although a little small but unfortunately Graham had trouble clearing so we never did get to see this wreck.  I'll get her next time !

Second dive of the Sunday was "Tinkers Shoal" - this reef is a few minutes from the Fort in 7m to 12m, you can't miss it - you just drop over the side on a line between the East and West buoys and there it is. The reef is an area of rocks, kelp and gullies. It was used as a Victorian dumping ground and so makes a great rummage dive. It is covered in marine life with large dogfish, crabs, starfish, sea urchins, dead mans fingers etc. I think we all came back with some mementoes (non edible of course) and, as Ashley quite rightly says "one divers junk is another divers treasure''.

Third dive of the day (weren't we busy) was a night dive in the harbour itself. Now this dive was worth it just to see Ashley and Steve's stride entry from the harbour wall approx 5m above the water. They decided our entry from the jetty 2m above the water was too low and not to be outdone, off they went !!! (Very impressive lads). Not too much to see on this dive, there is actually a nature trial you can follow around the harbour if you start from the slip and not the jetty but we went for the more "exciting" entry point. Saw a pipefish and a very large lobster and then headed into the slip and off to the bar (hard life isn't it?)

Monday morning and the last dive of the weekend. We couldn't use the club boat as high water wasn't until 5.15pm and Chris and Adrian wanted to get off so we used one from the centre and were skippered by Andy Hetherton, the BSAC Southern Regional Area Coach. We dived in two waves. The first wave of Lance, Karen, Colette and Frank went back out to the James Egan Layne and covered the stern section. Again, a great dive was had by one and all and they all arrived back in time for lunch - good planning guys.

Ashley, Steve, Graham and I headed off on the second wave and decided to dive the Rose Hill which was a little further out and a little deeper. Andy put a shot on the wreck and told us that the shot was probably seaward of it and to head off at 90 degrees - no wreck !! Turned out the shot was inshore of the site and the wreck was off at 270 degrees - oh well at least we helped get Ashley and Steve on it. Andy was very apologetic but, hey that's diving This trip was worth it for the rib ride back - Andy didn't tell us that his previous jobs had included ride operator at Alton Towers, chiropractor, sadist and masochist - at the time of writing I hurt from my toes to my shoulders but boy were them waves fun !!!!

In summary a good weekend was had by one and all. thanks go to Karen for organising the whole thing, Chris and Adrian for towing the boat, Ashley and Steve for !heir magnificent stride entry, Lance for "holding the boat' (ask him !!), Frank for this hairy chest (if this guy ever tries to tell you he is cold on a dive don't believe him) and Colette for the loan of your hat and toothpaste.

One final thing ..... "Lance, just in case you are still in any doubt YOU DO SNORE !".

Viki