On Saturday, members of PHYC were invited up onto the bridge of the Irish Ferries' Isle of Inishmore. This was by way of acquainting yacht skippers with the view and difficulties faced by the master of this 34,000 ton vessel encountering yachts in the Milford Haven waterway and in particular whilst manoeuvring in its berth area (very close to the club, and only a couple of minutes from the start/finish line in a typical race!) We were greeted by the senior (of four) master, Captain Gerry Burns who very personally introduced us to life on the modern and massively wide bridge overlooking both sides of the ship, but with limited visibility of the bow and any small vessels close underneath. Despite its vast size, the bridge is apparently only manned by three people in normal operation, which was quite a surprise to most of us, as was the steering hand control - resembling a coffee mug and about the same size! Problems with small craft begin as the ship enters the haven, and Gerry said that whilst most skippers keep a safe course and distance, there are still a few who don't appreciate the constraints the Inishmore has to operate under. These are not just draft confining her to a channel, but also tidal effects and in particular windage as well as port rules about proximity and speed near LNG ships. An overarching factor, just as for small boats is to consider what would happen if she were to lose power at any point. This factor tends to place her on the windward side of her deep water channel if possible. Although she can stop relatively quickly (for a ship!), we are still talking about half-a-mile at the speeds she would be doing in the haven, so it's not a realistic collision avoidance option. Gerry had a bit of fun with us saying that faced with the choice to run a yacht down or jolt 1,000 innocent passengers up on a mud bank.... it's obvious what he would have to do... as we all feared the worst he said "the bank every time".. phew! At this point, Gerry admitted that he was also a yachtsman, having bought a boat from Neyland which he currently sails in Northern Ireland. The complexity of docking is considerable and Gerry gave us a fascinating insight. The Inishmore is one of the most capable ferries in Europe being equipped with 35,000 horsepower main propulsion and 6,000 in side thrusters plus a plethora of instrumentation. Completely different turning and slewing tactics are employed in different tide and wind conditions. High winds act on the broadside 'sail area' equivalent to two football pitches so she might take a slewing course that can be up to 40 degrees off the direction she's pointing in. The visit was finished off by a tour of the impressive engine rooms and refreshments in the crew canteen. We would like to thank Gerry and Irish Ferries, as well as Milford Haven Port Authority for allowing this most interesting and enlightening trip on an otherwise miserable wet day. Pembroke Haven Yacht Club, Hobbs Point, Pembroke Dock, http://www.phyc.co.uk">www.phyc.co.uk