When we knew Peter could no long come on this trip, Steve courageously stepped up to the plate and towed the boat from Portland to Plymouth – no mean feat. We managed to get Equinox in the water on Friday and round to Bovi, but the squally showers and large swell kept us away from the underwater delights.
Saturday was to be the real highlight for me, a day diving HMS Coronation, which has been opened up to divers registered to dive it, with a dive trail. Thoughts of cannons, anchors and Russell Crowe as Captain Jack Aubrey in scenes from Master and Commander were running through my mind, but when we went down to Bovi at 9am is was clear it was not to be that day. I had to settle for a coronation chicken sandwich instead. Perhaps next time.
We did get wet behind the breakwater in the afternoon, too rough further outside the harbour, and we dived around the fort. Loads of pink sea fans, a few large spider crabs and some interesting bits of wreckage.
Sunday we had booked on Discovery Divers monster RIB. The best day of the weekend, we went out and did HMS Scylla in the morning a bit of lunch then back for the James Egan Layne in the afternoon, two favourites of mine. The Scylla is quite incredible now. Last time I dived her in 2009 there were just a few bits of hull plating not yet covered in encrusting life. Now she is a wondrous site, every inch of the top of the wreck and railings is covered in deadmens fingers and plumose anemones of different shades of orange, white and bluey grey. It reminded me of the Sound of Mull wrecks and a lovely site. As Keith told me later, ‘there was a lot of white fluffy stuff’ J. Safety stops were a challenge with a large chained buoy and a violent +1.5m swell
The JEL is a great contrast to the Scylla, a proper wreck as opposed to an artificial reef, she has all her cargo from WWII and it makes for a interesting dive trying to work out what you are looking at. Large schools of fish, Pollack mainly and plenty of Wrasse were present on her and some nice open swim-throughs between her hold compartment columns and deck girders. Afterwards I swopped some stories with Danny the discovery divers owner about unexploded ordnance – the bombs I’ve seen on dive sites and the ones he has blown up as an EOD diver in the Royal Navy!
We went to the Mussel Inn for a nice meal one evening and after Sunday night we came home Monday morning.
HMS Coronation – we have unfinished business, just as the scene from M&C comes back to me…
Capt. Jack: Do you want to see a guillotine in Piccadilly?
Crew: No!
Capt. Jack: Want to call that raggedy-ass Napoleon your king?
Crew: No!
Capt. Jack: You want your children to sing the "La Marseillaise?"
Crew: NO!
Stu: Want to dive the Coronation?
Dive Crew: YES!
