Due to an issue with the Building we will all be in tents for the weekend.
This year for our annual Easter Eggstravaganza we will be going to Lymington with activities on the Solent. Our base will be 9th Lymington Sea Scout’s hut, which is situated right next to the marina, has showers and heating! We will be running a number of activities based on sailing and powerboating hopefully we are going to hire a yacht for the weekend as well.
In addition, we will be doing:
An afternoon / evening RIB trip to the Isle of Wight
Day sailing to the isle of white for ice creams/tea & coffee depending on the weather
Easter egg hunt and visit from the Easter Bunny!
Having a fun filled weekend
Below is the first attempt at a program
We will be out on the water a lot and may not be able to answer the phone immediately.
Main Contact - Titch - 07976052041
others, Carrie - 07588 535633, Elaine - 07812911498
All personal kit needs to be delivered to 2nd Warwick HQ on Wednesday 16th where we will be packing the trailer ready to go. Please be there at 7pm with your bag, it might only take 30mins.
We will be travelling down on Thursday evening by Leaders’ cars & Minibus.
We aim to be back by 5:30-6pm on Monday
We plan to leave at 5.15pm from TSN. If anyone can leave before this let me know as we could do with trying to get one car down earlier.
We will be sailing on a yacht, if you get seasick then some seasickness prevention might be an idea. you will also need some shoes/wellies/boots with non-marking soles so we do not damage the yacht
All Explorers will be participating in an evening RIB/ trips. This will likely be cold, so lots of warm layers, hat and gloves will be needed.
Some might end up in a tent, if they do they will get an extension lead for lights and phone charging etc
Sleeping bag & Something to sleep on, the floor is concrete so.. airbed or camp bed
Wash kit
Pink Furry slippers
Torch
Clothes for Thursday through to Monday,
Waterproof
Water bottle
Suncream - any sun on the water will be magnified and windburn is a thing when powerboating as well
We will be going out on the water at the end of April, the water will be cold even if the air is warm, especially for the Rib day and evening it is likely to be cold, moving at 20+MPH across the water, especially with spray is usually cold..
Torch of Headtorch with ideally a red light for reading charts etc at night on the water (don't worry if you haven't got one but if you have :) )
Wetsuit/drysuit (let us know if you don’t have one, we will see what we can do.
Boating shoes some for getting wet, and some for keeping dry like lightweight wellies or similar something you can put socks on with.. warm toes are happy toes
Towel, they have showers
Full waterproofs, and a windproof (we have some for RIB/Yacht but not for dinghy sailing.
Hat & gloves for cold, and maybe a sun hat & ample sun lotion too (we might be lucky)
Sunglasses are great in powerboats, not only do you look good but it keeps the water and bugs out of your eyes.. (not essential but nice)
A drybag or two if you have them, keeps your lunch and spare clothes dry (we have some but not loads)
Clothes to wear under waterproofs, something that will dry quickly like fleece or synthetic,
wool is warm but takes a while to dry, cotton is a disaster.
Denim clothing is a No for on the water
All that said a pair of shorts might not hurt as last time we all got rather warm in the sun.
A couple of quid to buy a stick of rock etc
A DVD or two and a Frisbee for the evening or if the weather is to nasty to go on the water.. or a game
A Swimming things and a towel (not for the sea)
Clothes and shoes for a not too extreme hike in the forrest if needed
Temperature regulation on the water is really difficult. Both extremes of temperature can make for a miserable day on the water if you are not prepared. We try to carry on activities at camp no matter the weather as if we stop activities we still need to entertain you and that is probably more difficult than the boating.
You have all done this before and should know how to stay warm, ideally stay in the boat.. The boats at Lymington are quite large unless you fall in you are unlikely to get very wet. wetsuit boots and waterproofs as required. We also launch from a jetty so hopefully only getting off on the beach could be an issue.
Unless something goes really wrong you should not get wet from the sea.. Therefore you can wear clothes to a degree that are less boaty.. we will have waterproofs for everyone so it's really staying warm. you will also need shoes that do not leave black marks all over the boat.
Wetsuits are not suitable for Yacht sailing
This is probably the most difficult to dress for; when you are on a RIB you do not move around a lot, so you produce very little internal heat. you are also moving at speed in the wind/spray etc. All of the stuff below applies, but a pair of wellies or boots with socks on are fine for most RIB activities as the chances of getting wet are quite slim.
Wetsuits are not suitable for Powerboating
For Cold weather (some of what is below is copied from an advert for Rooster clothing so its a bit salesy in places but...)
TIP #1: Ditch the rash vest (in cold weather)
They're designed to keep you cool, so you'd be warmer and better off without one. That goes for most swimsuits too! Instead get your hands on some naturally hydrophobic base layers. Cotton T-shirts are not a great alternative but if you are prone to getting cold search out a Skiing baselayer or similar there are warm boating baselayers but they can get expensive.. On the other hand rash vests dry quickly... (which is why they are cold)
This is a snug fit on the head with nothing sticking out to catch on things
While this is "awesome" it will be constantly in the way, when sailing
TIP #2: Headwear is king
To keep warm, carry some insulating headwear tucked into your buoyancy aid. A beanie is much better than a woolie hat, fleece is good.
The cuter it is the longer it will take to dry out when it inevitably gets wet
TIP #3: Cosy toes!
Growing feet are a problem for parents wallets, wetsuit boots are excellent but can be expensive, you can get wetsuit socks to wear under whatever boating shoes you have weather they be sandshoes or even your brothers old wetsuit boots that are a bit big
TIP #4: Don't get cold
The best way to avoid sea sickness is to sit under a tree, the best way to stay warm is not to get cold... Don't get wet unnecessarily, put that extra jumper on before you get cold not when you are cold..
TIP #5: Cold water flushing
Not all wetsuits are created equal - and unless they fit reasonably well they don't work very well. If there is a gap at the wrist neck or leg then they are "pointless", the wetsuit works by trapping a thin layer (between 0.2&0.5mm) of water by the skin that is warmed by the body. If you have a gap then you get "flushing" of cold water through the suit pushing out the water you have just warmed up. The same problem occurs if you have gaps at the wrist, neck and ankles, water "flushes" in and out letting all that warm water escape.
I know children grow fast but a wetsuit that they barely touch the sides of isn't a massive advantage contrary to popular belief, wetsuits do work when dry. They just work the same as any other clothes.
A wetsuit should be a snug fit all over.
P #6: Winter Wind
Wind and rain make you cold, even if you haven't fallen in, a windproof coat will make a big difference to staying warm, if it is waterproof as well then even better, a cycling top works just as well as a dedicated boating one.
We have brought some Highfit waterproof trousers and waterproof jackets for use on RIBs and Yachts to make you more comfortable, the waterproof trousers come up to your chest so avoid splashes going up your back.
Tip #7: Jog On
Cotton tracksuit/Jogging bottoms are very heavy when wet, and not very warm (when wet), depending on the weather we shouldn't get too wet even when sailing as we will be working from pontoons in the marina. However if we land on a beach for an icecream you may get wet to the knee. leggings or synthetic trousers work well, with fleecy trousers ideal for colder times. waterproofs on over the top.