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The PBO staff took part in the sail-by at the International Fleet Review yesterday, despite suffering engine problems an hour before the start. As the wind was strong, skipper Rob Gibson made the decision to go ahead under jib, filling and depowering it to control the speed.
As we fell into place alongside the 68ft Clipper yachts, we were joined on one side by Gypsy Moth, and the other by Lively Lady. Ahead was Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's Suhaili.
Of the 300 vessels in the sail-by, 34 belonged to PBO readers. One was Veronica, a beautiful 1932 Scottish herring drifter, who we spotted between a warship and a racing yacht. Another was Shima, whose crew had been sailing together for 40 years. And just before the sail-by we were delighted to anchor close to Troika, an ETAP 35I.
Our crew - a mixture of PBO and Sail UK staff - waved madly and cheered as we passed HMS Endurance, the 15-year-old ice-breaker carrying the Queen. Excitement rippled in the cockpit as someone spotted Her Majesty descending from the top deck to the one below. Perhaps she was moving for a better view point? All eyes turned to the lady in blue and we dipped the ensign. But it wasn't her - as we later discovered from the photos! Ah well.
Yachts and motorboats of all ages and design veered unwittingly to starboard as they passed the royal ship. White-ensigned police RIBs kept them in check and occasionally even returned a wave.
From the sea Southsea Common looked like a beach of gigantic pebbles - where the colourful stones were the bodies of the 150,000 people watching the action unfold on the horizon as well as on giant screens. Thunderstorms politely waited until the sail-by had finished, then the heavens opened and lightning lit up the fleet - an unstaged precursor to the dramatic fireworks finale.
After the sail-by two of our crew crept back into the dank depths of the engine room to sort out the faulty cooling system. By pumping through freshwater they managed to start the engine briefly, but it continued to overheat so we headed back to port under sail. On reaching the marina the wind dropped altogether, but who should pass but the harbourmaster! He kindly towed us in and we toasted him, the Queen, Nelson, and a day that will go down in history.
For photos of the spectacular event see September's Practical Boat Owner, out 3 August
Alison Panes / Practical Boat Owner, 29 June 2005
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