SCUBACHAT
Emmerdale at Cappers
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THAT TELEVISION ’ S EMMERDALE DID SOME filming at Capernwray recently .
I ’ m a member of Westhoughton 2295 branch and just happened to be diving at Capernwray during the filming of one of the stunts for Emmerdale , involving several of the cast .
We got chatting about the stunt and my own interest in scuba diving , and there was some small talk about the long running programme they are part of . I even spoke to the director and have exchanged emails with a view to WSAC being included in one of their episodes ! On that latter point they may need some convincing , but the bosses haven ’ t actually said ‘ no ’ as yet ! All the Emmerdale team were super cool – from security , to the cast , director , lighting crew , I even managed to get a brew out of the girl serving the hot drinks ! PAUL WILKIE , WESTHOUGHTON BSAC
The Ballad of Reading Uni ’ s Refurb
IN 1994 , WHILE THE NATION was torturing itself with 14 consecutive weeks of Wet Wet Wet at number one in the charts , Reading University BSAC had their eyes on another type of wet appreciation and took delivery of a brand-new Humber 5.8m RIB . Exactly how this extravagant purchase was funded is a complete mystery to our current membership . University clubs are not generally known for their extravagant budgets and a new boat is quite the splurge . But at any rate , we are grateful for our historical benefactors , and I ’ m sure they would be pleased to know that Bungle II served the club admirably for two decades and countless expeditions .
But it wouldn ’ t last . A number of years languishing in a boatyard in West Bay , Dorset had left the boat weather damaged and forlorn . Well-meaning attempts at restoration had left the boat in an even worse condition . For example , the entirety of the tubes had received a liberal application of anti-foul paint back in 2016 . Subsequent years open to the elements degraded the paint to the extent that any attempt to get in or out of the boat left you covered in a lurid toxic dusting of orange , which required significant levels of scrubbing to remove .
This left the club with a significant headache . We didn ’ t have the money to
30 retube the boat . The types of solvent advised to remove anti-foul would surely destroy the tubes in the process . Selling the boat was proposed in committee meetings , but thankfully we didn ’ t follow through with it .
We went for one last push to get her back on the water . First step , get that awful paint off . After trying and failing with dozens of combinations of chemicals and abrasives , we finally hit on the right formula and in one big weekend our members managed to strip it . But that was just the beginning : Night after night of graft saw the boat with a refurbished trailer , new wiring and sounder , and even a Bluetooth stereo !
Safety being our watchword , we elected to do extensive sea-trials before actually getting divers in the water . A few trips to Southampton allowed us to establish that everything was working as it should , and also gave us the opportunity for some boat handler training . We then scaled up to running some conservative trips inside Portland Harbour until we finally took the big plunge and ran the boat outside the harbour for the first time .
But it hasn ’ t been smooth sailing all the way . Breaking down in Portland Harbour in the pouring rain and having to be rescued by Guildford BSAC was a low point . The irony of it all was we were only out there doing a favour for our frenemies at Southampton Uni , who had themselves had fallen foul of engine trouble that weekend .
But since then , we ’ ve had more great news – a successful grant application to the Friends of the University of Reading has allowed us to procure a new-to-us engine and increase our fuel capacity to allow us to get to far-flung sites .
There ’ s an old saying … You have two good days of boat ownership – the day you buy it , and the day you sell it . Well , I ’ d beg to differ . Money pits they might be , but there ’ s no denying that owning a RIB is a huge benefit to a club , and one we are glad we didn ’ t lose . Our adventures are just beginning . DAVID ASHMORE , Reading University BSAC