Lymington
June 30, 2022
HM 198. Lymington - where you can sail for £1 and a free doughnut!
Born locally, it was while Ryan Willegers was studying Marine Biology at university that he took a "summer job" on Sealink ferries. He never looked back, and after a 22 year career of sailing ferries he ended up as Operations Director of "Wight Link". He became HM of Lymington in 2006.
His passion is to get youngsters and people on a budget out on the water. With the local yacht club @rlymyc he helps run a scheme where any youngster can learn to sail for just £1 a session - and for that they get a free doughnut and hot chocolate! What a great scheme.
Not surprisingly Ryan's other passion is ferries, with 10,000 ferry movements in his harbour each year. Lymington has severe silting issues with 20cm "accretion" every year blocking the main channel. Discussing how to navigate a narrow channel (full of yachties!), Ryan explained that most ferries (and tugs) do not steer with a traditional rudder and propeller. They use "Voith Schneider" propulsion - a set of vertical "helicopter" blades under the hull - see photo 6. This allows a variable thrust to be generated in any direction, combining propulsion and steering in a single unit. So there you go - that is why ferries are so efficient at docking! However thick fog and winds over 47 knots can still prevent the ferries running on time.
Shallow and winding harbour entrances are traditionally marked by sets of posts. These markers often have names which record local history. As you enter Lymington one marker is clearly named "Jack in the Basket" (photo 7). To save them time, fishermen's wives would row down the river and tie up food and drink in a basket hung on the last stake. The drink was carried in a "black jack" tarred leather flask - hence the name and distinctive basket atop this well known mark.
Chatting to Ryan on Good Dog was a pleasure, and we never fully discussed the time a "Ground Effect Airplane" took off from his landing slip! From here we left the Solent, sailing west past Hurst Castle and the famous Needles.
Born locally, it was while Ryan Willegers was studying Marine Biology at university that he took a "summer job" on Sealink ferries. He never looked back, and after a 22 year career of sailing ferries he ended up as Operations Director of "Wight Link". He became HM of Lymington in 2006.
His passion is to get youngsters and people on a budget out on the water. With the local yacht club @rlymyc he helps run a scheme where any youngster can learn to sail for just £1 a session - and for that they get a free doughnut and hot chocolate! What a great scheme.
Not surprisingly Ryan's other passion is ferries, with 10,000 ferry movements in his harbour each year. Lymington has severe silting issues with 20cm "accretion" every year blocking the main channel. Discussing how to navigate a narrow channel (full of yachties!), Ryan explained that most ferries (and tugs) do not steer with a traditional rudder and propeller. They use "Voith Schneider" propulsion - a set of vertical "helicopter" blades under the hull - see photo 6. This allows a variable thrust to be generated in any direction, combining propulsion and steering in a single unit. So there you go - that is why ferries are so efficient at docking! However thick fog and winds over 47 knots can still prevent the ferries running on time.
Shallow and winding harbour entrances are traditionally marked by sets of posts. These markers often have names which record local history. As you enter Lymington one marker is clearly named "Jack in the Basket" (photo 7). To save them time, fishermen's wives would row down the river and tie up food and drink in a basket hung on the last stake. The drink was carried in a "black jack" tarred leather flask - hence the name and distinctive basket atop this well known mark.
Chatting to Ryan on Good Dog was a pleasure, and we never fully discussed the time a "Ground Effect Airplane" took off from his landing slip! From here we left the Solent, sailing west past Hurst Castle and the famous Needles.