ABC of seamanship

Andrew Morton explains the steps he took to make sure he could manoeuvre safely alongside a new jetty in potentially shallow water

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Many years ago, I took my 25ft motorboat Tiptoe through the Forth and Clyde canal, before the new section was opened at the east end - the Kelpie end. In those days, the timing at Grangemouth was crucial because the water dried out under a low bridge at low tide. Yachts had to take their masts down, and we all had to choose the right moment to pass under the bridge without catching top or bottom.

The tidal range is 3-5m, which is handy. I worked it all out and phoned the lock-keeper to warn him of my arrival time, to which he replied: “You need to come a good half-hour earlier, Mr M”.

I accepted his advice without question, arrived at the allotted time... and hit the bottom with my propeller. My calculations had been correct and his instruction wrong, which reminded me of the excellent advice I was given many years ago as an accident investigator: “Andy, always apply the ABC of life to every new situation”

A: Assume nothing

B: Believe no one

C: Confirm everything.

To which was added, “And don't forget to X, Y, Z”. Xamine Your Zip!

Applying the ABCs

Wind the clock forward to October 2024. I want to pick up some friends from Kilchattan Bay on the island of Bute to give them a wee trip on Tiptoe. I've never been before, so first I looked it up on Google, to check it out. There's a stone jetty for sure, but it didn't look that hopeful. Next step, ask the 'experts'. I'm a member of the West of Scotland Boating Facebook page. So I posed the question, to which the universal reply was a polite 'No'. Although one wag suggested I refer to a chart! But logically, why construct a jetty if it's not accessible at least at high tide?

Testing the waters