Thursday 21st June 2012

No more sleeps to go and The Scribe writes this from a kitchen table in the village of West Peckham in Kent.  Due to circumstances that I have no intention of boring you with now, The Scribe had to pull out of the delivery trip with only two days to go.  She didn't make the RV at Tonbridge railway station, she didn't arrive in Falmouth with the boys and won't be there to make sure they all eat properly, wear a vest, clip on, clean the heads, ration the choclolate supplies and keep the kite stowed away in the forepeak.  The Scribe doesn't want to wallow in self-pity; suffice it to say, she finds herself rather glum over the whole affair. 

However in an effort to try and find the positive and remain chipper, at least I can continue to update the blog to let people know how the three amigos are getting on.  I have also been for my cloak fitting and hope to have it delievered early next week - I can then join the lovely Julie on the quayside looking out to sea waiting for the chaps to return from that long sea voyage....I do of course realise that as and when the three of them return home it will be by plane but the cloak thing just doesn't work at the arrivals gate in Gatwick!!!

And now to bring you up to date on the events so far.

As planned The Kipper, Steve, Bobbie D and Julie all made the journey to Falmouth on Saturday the 16th.  By about 10:20 am the plan had already gone to rats; The Kipper and Steve were on route to the train station to meet up with Bobbie D and Julie ready to catch the 10:40 hrs train up to London.  However, Bobbie D got a little bit confused and ended up in London far earlier than planned. The Kipper did for one fleeting moment think that this was a cunning plan by Bobbie D to avoid being involved in the menu planning.  Personally, I think Bobbie D was just recovering from the effects of his retirement party. 

I know that they did all eventually end up in Falmouth with Bobbie D and Julie safely tucked up in their 'Posh' hotel and Steve and The Kipper away to the boat. When they arrived at the harbour wall, they expected to find the water taxi available to take them out to Petra but it was nowhere to be seen.  After waiting forlornly on the dock for a while a lovely chap who was anchored in his own yacht saw them waiting and took pity on them.  He lifted his anchor, came alongside and gave them a lift out to Petra.  How lovely was that!  I know The Kipper and Steve were very grateful for the assistance because the water taxi was noticable only by his absence.  He did turn up again the following morning so one can only assume that he was either unwell...or out on a hot date...or just totally disinterested...

The Kipper and Steve did complete the menu plan on the trip down to Falmouth - I very helpfully sent my suggestions by way of text message - in no particular order - macaroni cheese, spaghetti bolognaise and chilli-con-carne.  Apparently, they had already thought of them.  The Kipper confessed that he had left the filet steak at home in the fridge; I'm sure Mrs Kipper probably enjoyed it on his behalf.  At the conclusion of the menu planning they apparently had 10 days worth of menu and needed another boat to carry it all.  I was also told that beetroot featured heavily in the planning: beetroot sandwiches, beetroot salad, beetroot stew.  I cannot tell a lie, I did over hear a throw-away comment whilst I was on the phone that went a little like this, 'That'll teach him to leave all the menu planning to us...'

I believe the prep on the Sunday went very well and all according to plan.  All shopping was complete but some concern was raised because after everything was stowed away, they still had two empty lockers.  I hope they haven't forgotten anything important like...toilet paper.  They were on course to leave as planned on the Monday morning.  I spoke to The Kipper just before they left.  As one would expect they were all looking forward to setting off, the weather looked like it was going to behave for at least a couple of days so they were going to make progress and head for a place called Audierne in France.  I parted with the following words of advice: wear your vests, clip on, make sure Steve has soap and that Bobbie D calls lovely Julie whenever possible.  I will confess to feeling utterly gutted knowing that they were just about to throw the lines off and go whilst I was pushing my mower around the garden trying to pretend that it was all okay and telling myself that there will be other sailing opportunities.... 

Heigh ho...I'm off to walk the dog now...

Maggie dog

9th June '12 - one more thing...

I found this and thought it was appropriate - let me take you back to the first ever sailing trip we all did together - June 7th to 15th 1995...my, haven't we all aged!!!  And who is that handsome chap on the right?  Yes indeed, that is our Kipper!!!  Just in case you're wondering, the helmsman with the pink tee shirt on his head is none other than Bobbie D...

and just so he doesn't feel left out...

...one with Steve in it as well...on the right in the white shirt and sunnies...

Sorry fellas, it had to be done!!

Saturday 9th June '12

7 sleeps to go before I'm on that train....

Last evening four excitable children plus lovely Julie (Mrs Bobbie D) met at the Five Pointed Star in West Malling for a final chat about the trip.  We will see each other once more before we leave but that will be at Bobbie D's retirement party and we don't hold out much hope of getting any sense out of him past 7 pm in the evening. 

At the start of the meetig I handed out the newly aquired crew tee shirts and immediately apologised to Bobbie D because The Kipper and Steve made me order an extra large for him.

In no particular order we discussed the following:

The journey to Falmouth has been coordinated and agreed: we will be meeting at Tonbridge railway station to embark on the 10:40 hrs service to London and then onwards to Falmouth Town.  Julie will be joining us and she and Bobbie D will spend Saturday evening together in what is described as a 'posh' hotel before Julie bids us farewell on the Sunday.  I feel it worthy of note that very early on in this meeting The Kipper said out loud that he will be buying the crew dinner before we leave.  I say again, The Kipper definitely said that he will be buying the crew dinner before we leave.  All present agreed that it was very nice of him to offer and of course, we will be taking him up on it. 

A reminder went out to remember to pack passports, the E111 form and our medical insurance.  I find it slightly unnerving how often the subject of medical/travel insurance comes up.  Suppose I ought to make an effort and get some!  It can be a bit tricky to get cover for a trip such as this because believe it or not some people might consider it fool-hardy and dangerous to be more than 12 miles offshore for any length of time.  Of course, there are companies out there who specialise in this field of insurance - Topsail being one of them so I will be accessing their website (www.topsailinsurance.co.uk) to see if I can purchase said insurance from them. We also discussed finances and agreed that we will contribute to a boat kitty and will order our Euros before we leave.  There was general discussion about the financial crisis in Greece and the slight worry that once they finally arrive at the final destination their bank/credit cards may not work and the Greek economy might have failed altogether.  See we can discuss grown up stuff when we need to. 

We reminded the Kipper to bring along the ships papers - Small Ships Register certificate, Insurance paperwork, a crew list with passport numbers ready to hand over to the various marinas they will be visiting along he way and his VAT certificate (Petra is a 1988 build so this could be required if the foreign authorities wanted to get really sniffy about it).  Steve also suggested that The Kipper should have copies of his boat insurance in Spanish, Italian and Greek: from his own experience of trotting around in the Med he knows that this will be a requirement and could cause delays and problems if it the copies are not to hand.  Insurance companies expect this and will email the necessary copies out to him. 

We moved on to discuss the jobs that need to be completed once we arrive in Falmouth.  The Saturday has been given over to travel and as we'll all no doubt be tired and emotional (that word again) by the time we've finished sitting on a train for several hours; we don't plan on doing much on the evening of our arrival.   Subject to us managing to find five seats together on the train, we'll be putting together a menu plan for the trip on the way down to Falmouth.  We discussed the logistics of ordering some minced beef, stewing steak and chicken from a local butcher and asking them to vacuum pack it and deep freeze it for us.  Julie suggested that Morrisons might be good for this so Steve is going to make some enquiries this week and order if he can.  We don't plan on switching the fridge on during this trip so it will act like a cool box.  Hopefully, if we put our frozen supplies in the bottom of the fridge it should keep for several days.  If not, I'm sure Neptune will be appreciative of a little extra protein in his diet. 

On the Sunday two of us will be packed off to the supermarket and two will remain to complete jobs on Petra.  We have yet to decide who will be resposible for shopping - if I go, I can guarantee that there won't be any celery making an appearance in our shopping trolley and at Bobbie D's request, no beetroot either.  The jobs list for the Sunday will also include a rig and deck level check, check the anchor light during the rig check,  re-running the Navtex aerial, re-packing the Genoa which I am horrified to say has been 'stuffed' in the sail bag for reasons that have yet to be made known.  Of course, at the use of the word 'stuffed' The Scribe raised an eyebrow and put that job at the top of the list.  The toilet pump needs a service, we need to top up with diesel and water before we go and purchase and stow the emergency water rations.  At the moment, it has been suggested that the bottles be stowed up in the forepeak under the berth.  There followed a general discussion about the amount of water we were going to need and we did have remind ourselves that we are not actually crossing the Atlantic and are only going to be at sea for maybe 10 days at most...hopefully...all being well....


Moving on, The Kipper has been closely watching the weather and it seems the official line on this is that the weather at sea has been pants!  You don't have to have a weather forecasting degree to know that the weather of late has been howling - particularly yesterday - and forecasts with wind speeds of up to 60 to 80 knots have been mentioned.

Bugger that!!!

We all have our fingers crossed that this will have blown through and settled down over the course of next week and once we are ready to leave on the Monday, we'll have a good five day forecast to look forward to.  If I see so much as one 'Zebra's Bottom' (I cleaned that up) on a weather chart I'm going home. 

Going back briefly to the subject of water - Steve announced that he will only need to wash every other day because apparently those nice boys and girls from Gillette have announced a new deodarant that gives 48 hour protection.  Thank you so much Gillette: damn your clever marketing and advertising campaign.  For the record, we'll be carrying out our own clinical trials on this miracle of body cleanliness (I can't write or even think about the word 'odour' this early in the morning) and if it doesn't work Steve will be chucked over the side with a bar of soap and a strongly worded letter will be posted the minute we make dry-land. 

Strangely, the conversation moved on to a place called Formentera which is I believe on the Island of Ibiza.  Truly animated conversation from the boys around the table because apparently, this is a beautiful place (think paradise and the lost city of Atlantis...mmmm Patrick Duffy....and we're back in the room) where everyone and by this I mean the ladies, walk around naked.  At this point, The Scribe begged Julie to come with her for moral support...

She said no...

Time was moving on and after that conversation it was difficult to get the boys to focus.  The Kipper made mention of the fact that he has renewed the sim card in his dongle...I'm sure the ladies will be happy about that and the crew were delighted for him. The Scribe once again put forward the motion that the Kite will not be making an appearance (well okay, unless it's absolutely necessary) and will remain safely stowed in it's bag in the forepeak where it can't do any harm and cause any trouble.  The Kipper just had to show us all a picture on his phone of Steve's boat running with the kite up...Scribe remained suitably unimpressed.  Steve is going to speak to his nephew to see if he can borrow fishing line and lures, The Kipper is going to see if he can knock up a storm board this week for the forepeak hatch and the cabin hatch - working on the principle that if we have it, we won't need it.

He is also going to update the contact details for the EPIRB so if the worst happens, Falmouth coastguard will contact his son Roger who will then contact all or the crews nearest and dearest to let them know there might possibly be a problem.  Julie did enquire that in the event she doesn't hear from us, how long should she leave it before she starts to worry.  We suggested about 2 weeks - if she hasn't heard from us by then I'll be in trouble because I'll have to be back for work!  We promised that we will make sure Bobbie D calls her the minute he has any kind of signal or at the very least, sends her a text to let her know all is well.  Bless them, how long have they been married...posh hotels, tearful goodbyes and now I have visions of Julie doing an impression of the woman from the Scottish Widows advert pacing the harbour wall waiting for him to return.  Julie, I hereby solomly declare that we will look after him for you and make sure he clips on, eats well and phones you whenever possible.   

And that was about it - Bobbie D and Julie had to get back because their poor puppy dog has injured his leg and can't be left for too long, The Scribe had to get away because she has to leave for Wales in the morning to go and assist on the Dragon Ride and has yet to do her ironing and pack her bag and, being a Friday evening in West Malling, the atmosphere in the pub was heating up nicely with the occasional outbreak of shouting coming from the smoking area.We decided it was a good time to leave and headed off with promises to see each other at the retirement party where we will all be wearing our crew tee shirts. 

Tuesday 29th May '12...Cont.

The Scribe received a phone call from The Kipper on Thursday (24th May) - not good news.

They left Dartmouth as planned for the passage to Falmouth but they very quickly realised that Petra's bilge was full of water.  After further investigations, it was discovered that water was leaking out of the water filter on the engine.  The Kipper reports that this is the first time his electric bilge pump has earned it's keep, gallons of water were pumped out of the bilge and on a positive note, at least we know it works.   

They beat a hasty retreat into Dartmouth and The Kipper put in a call to his trusty shore crew also known as The Scribe.  The Kipper has a Johnson water pump fitted on a Volvo engine - new in 2002 with an indirect cooling system.  Obviously, that will mean something to anyone with marine engineer in their title or anyone who knows their way round a marine diesel engine.  The Kipper had attempted a repair but failed.  He tried replacing the impellor and gaskets but that didn't solve the problem.  It was going to need a man with a spanner and a tool bench. 

One google search and two phone calls later and we found a lovely chap named Phil from a company called Riverside Engineering in Dartmouth.  I explained the problem and he was only too happy to help.  He was very apologetic about the fact that he would have to charge a call out fee of £60 but said that he could pop down to the pontoons to have a look and hopefully sort the problem out.  Message and details passed to The Kipper so that he could take it from there.

Several hours later, The Kipper phoned with an update.  He and Bobbie D had made it safely back into Dartmouth and he had then removed the water pump.  The offending engine part was conveyed by taxi to Phil's workshop (£60 call out fee avoided)  and after a swift repair he gave The Kipper a lift back to the boat.  Phil is described as being a lovely fella who couldn't have been more friendly and helpful if he had tried. 

The repaired pump was fitted and that was an end to that little disaster.  However, this now meant that they were completely behind schedule and as Bobbie D had to be on the train home on Friday, the only option was to remain in Dartmouth and seek replacement crew to help with the final leg of the trip.  It also meant that The Kipper had to phone home and break the news that he would be late home...about 3 days late home.  I don't think that phone call went all that well: let's just leave it there. 

Thursday 24th May 18:06 hrs

' Nice place to be stuck in.  Still waiting to hear from Steve to see if he can come down and finish the trip off.  Will keep you updated'.

21:42 hrs
'Steve will come down to help with the final leg of the trip to Cornwall'.

I'm not going to embarrass The Kipper by recording his next text - suffice it to say he and Bobbie had been to the pub so it was 'emotional'.

Friday 25th May '12 - 12:24 hrs

'Hi, how goes it?  Bobbie D left about 09:30 hrs to return home.  Spent all morning cleaning below decks, I trust to your exacting standards!  Smells nice now, it's amazing how 2 blokes can make so much mess!  Tomorrow outside cleaning and polishing, mustn't do too much in one day, cruising pace now.'

I spoke to The Kipper that morning; he sounded relaxed and seemed to be adapting to the retirement way of life without too much trouble.  He reports that he had been making friends with other cruising people on the pontoons, he had been trying to find a laundry - proving difficult but you will be relieved to hear that he eventually found one and it was conveniently situated right next to a pub.  He ran his water tanks dry so had to move from his visitors berth to the quay to fill up and was assisted by a very friendly chap who jumped aboard and helped him with his lines.

And there he was worrying about not meeting anyone and being lonely!!!

As Steve hasn't arrived back in the UK yet, he has a bit of time to relax and explore the area. 

Saturday 26th May '12 19:51hrs

'Had a day in Totnes wandering about.  Got chatting to some emergency bikers, they do blood runs.  Wind is dropping down from easterly F7 to a manageable F4/5.  Likely to reduce further to F2 Westerly.  Typical!

Sunday 27th May '12 - 20:19 hrs

'Getting into the cruising life, got the ferry to Dittisham for lunch, beer and ploughmans, just finished Sunday dinner, a roast of course.  Steve should be down here tomorrow late afternoon and we will complete the journey on Tuesday.  Hope this fine weather holds.

Witty banter followed...won't bore you...

Sunday 27th May '12 21:11 hrs

'Decided on Dockyard Fudge, comfort food.  Am aboslutely stuffed now.  Can you let the girls know, it was very nice.  Not sure it was wise to eat after a roast, sure to sleep well with my full tum.'

Message duly passed to the girls - Lisa and Christine

Monday 28th May '12 - 20:52 hrs

'Steve has arrived, we are off at 05:00 in the morning for Falmouth, no wind forecast!  He had a dreadful trip down, hope things improve.'

It seems that scabby crewman Steve had to take a bus from his home just outside Tenterden but the bus didn't turn up so he had to wait for about an hour and a half for the next one.  He eventually managed to get to London but was then delayed on the underground because someone had jumped in front of a train.  He eventually managed to get his train from London to Dartmouth but it apparently stopped at every single station between the two.  I believe he might have been a touch grumpy by the time he got there.  I think The Kipper managed to cheer him up by handing him a beer and then allowing him to carry out his duties as galley slave.  Harsh don't you think!!! Still, you can't do enough for a good Kipper!

They left Dartmouth as planned at silly-o-clock on Tuesday 29th to 'sail' to Falmouth.  As you will see from the below picture, the conditions continue to be testing and the risk of setting the 'ickle orange storm sail are never far away.  The Kipper reported that he had a full main up - in such testing conditions some might consider that reckless!!!

Tuesday 29th May 14:17 hrs

'Took this picture as I passed the Eddystone Light.  Furthest west I've been in my own boat, it's all a new adventure from here on!'

Just passing in a flat calm...30 miles to Falmouth

 ...and that says it all...

By 15:54 hrs they were tied up in Falmouth with beers in hand.  The Kipper reports that it was flat calm so they motored all the way.  It took them ten and a half hours to motor round from Dartmouth - these conditions can be very testing for the crew and if truth be known, just a little bit dull but they kept themselves amused with a magazine that Steve had brought along and preparing a hearty breakfast and lunch. I believe there was also mention of dolphins  - AFD! ( Anyone who has ever sailed with me will know what that means!)

And there you have it.  The first leg of The Kipper's 2012 Sailing Adventure is complete.  Petra is now safely moored up in Falmouth and it won't be long now before we all jump on a train to join her, prepare for our trip, throw the lines off and head south. 

In fact, it is only...19 sleeps to go before I'm on that train to Falmouth.  Am I excited about going? Hell Yes! 

The Kipper will be heading home now because he has a work commitment in Wales (The Wiggle Dragon Ride - www.participatesport.com).  He will be on the 10 am train heading east and should be home by 4 pm.

Tuesday 29th May '12

Nothing is every straight forward in the world of boats and sailing. 

The original plan saw The Kipper and his crewman Bobbie D delivering the boat safely into Falmouth.  Everything was looking good and they were well on track to be there for Friday the 25th so Bobbie D went ahead and booked a rail ticket home.  Having done that fate stepped in to lend a hand.  All was going very well as you will see from the pictures below.  The sailing was enjoyable if a little lacking in the wind department from time-to-time.  The two of them arrived in Dartmouth late on Wednesday the 22nd as planned and if the pictures he sent back are anything to go by, the conditions were pretty darned good. 

The following provides evidence to the fact that it is possible to enjoy sunshine and calm-sea sailing in UK waters and for those of us left behind on our various pontoons it's enough to make you weep...

Sunset over Torbay

Very testing conditions

Anvil Point - challenging sailing conditions eh!

Wednesday 23rd May '12

'We have tied up on the same visitors pontoon as we used (trip last year...or maybe it was the year before...) The second pint is being savoured, the first didn't touch the sides!'

The Scribe had to turn in as she had to get up for work the following morning (!) so she left The Kipper and Bobbie D to their reflections on the trip so far, their plans for the remaining sea miles to Falmouth and no doubt several more pints of beer. 

More to follow...

22nd May 2012

The journey so far...

The Kipper has been sending fairly regular text updates regarding the journey so far:

Saturday 19th May - 08:59 hrs

'Arrived Dover, 08:00 hrs! Average speed over the ground 7 knots!  Some good sailing and some was rubbish.  A little weary now, off to bed to recharge the batteries.'

Saturday 19th May - 09:00 hrs

'Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz' (He's a funny guy!)

Saturday 19th May - 18:40 hrs

'Hi, don't know wether to say good morning or afternoon.  Put sail bag on, changed to working jib now relaxing in the sunshine with beer and nibbles.  04:00 start tomorrow.  Should be in Eastbourne by 13:00 or so.  Stronger NE winds forecast, looks like a fast reach!'

Saturday 19th May - 19:22 hrs

'Just had a complaint from the crew, chicken curry with my rice , where's the Naam bread!  Can't believe it!'

At this point, the scribe suggested issuing Bobbie D with a toothbrush and telling him the bilge needs cleaning. The order was duly given.

Sunday 20th May - 11:31 hrs

'You'll be proud of me, left Dover 11:00, two reefs in main and no headsail running before 25 - 30 knots of wind, against the tide.  Very comfortable and making good progress.  Expected Eastbourne before 20:00.'

Sunday 20th May - 19:42 hrs

'At Sovereign Harbour.  Locked in, cleared away, celebratory drink in hand.  Average over 6 knots not bad when the first 4 hours was against the tide! Brilliant days sail.'

Sunday 20th May - 19:48 hrs

'Gin and tonic before dinner then down the pub.'

There followed some witty banter between The Kipper and The Scribe during which The Scribe pointed out that it sounded like they were having a jolly good time.  The Kipper just had to point out that The Scribe had to return to work the following morning and wasn't that a shame.  She politely reminded the Kipper and the crew for that matter that it was alright for those old-timers who were at retirement age but the youngsters have to continue to earn a living.  Scribe feeling very unhappy about being left on dock - they deserved the 'old-timers' comment...and if the texts that followed are anything to go by then the Kipper was smarting just a little bit.  That'll learn him!

Monday 21st May - 07:49hrs

'What a pleasure it is to receive your very informative and intelligent messages! (Still smarting) Just woke up, Bobbie D is sleeping like a log, well, if logs snore that is.  Hope to leave on the midday tide for ?.  We'll see once I have my eyes open and the tea has reached the parts it needs to.'

Sribe duly apologised for texting soooooo early and waking The Kipper: following reply received:

'No, it's fine, was up, just taking my time to get going, trying to get into the retirement mode as I'm SO old!'

Yep...still smarting...

07:58 hrs

'Still waiting for the weather to come through, out look was promising, F4-5 NE veering NW.  I will let you know the destination when a decision has been made.'

Monday 21st May - 10:23 hrs

'Decision made, leaving at 14:00 to take over night passage to Poole - outside the IOW. 90 mile trip.'

Tuesday 22nd May - 07:16 hrs

'Arrived!  Anchored in South Deep Poole Hbr for a well deserved sleep.  What a crap time from 02:00 onwards, wind went from 5 knots N to 20 knots W in 5 minutes.  But we over came!  Now for tea before bed.'

The Scribe enquired if they had used the little orange stormsail yet? 

12:27hrs

'Not had to use the little orange thing yet, max wind speed we've had is only 20 knots! Have awoken on a glorious day, blue skies, sunshine, hot if a bit breezy.  Having tiffen on the aft deck, cushions and table and all.  Think I may have broken Bobbie D last night (!) - he was tired when we got in, day off today, well, apart from cleaning and shopping.'

The Scribe spoke to The Kipper last evening and received the following report. 

They are trying their best to keep the boat up to my girl-clean standards and Bobbie D has been issued with a new toothbrush.  The conditions during the sail along to Poole were really not much fun.  The wind was playing the usual silly games of dropping away to nothing so they conceded defeat and put the engine on only to have the wind return, change direction and build and then drop away again.  When this goes on in the middle of the night and you are not properly in a watch system it can be very tiring and not much fun.  It is usually about then that I give up sailing and remind The Kipper that nothing goes to windward like a 747!

They did try to get alongside the harbour wall or town quay at Poole but there were no spaces to be had.  Apparently, they couldn't even get their dinghy alongside and The Kipper was a little reluctant to go onto one of the pontoons in the marina in his little dinghy because he felt that it wouldn't be the done thing and they might get a little sniffy about it.  Strange - it's never stopped him before!

When they finally went ashore to do a little shopping and grab a bite to eat, they found the place packed out with motorcyclists.  Some grumbling comments from The Kipper about the amount of people and how they just wanted to head back to the boat for some peace and quiet.  Now, anyone who knows The Kipper will know that he is a motorcyclist and works with the lovely chaps (and lady) from the NEG (National Escort Group) so it was a bit strange to hear him grumbling about motorcyclists.  I promised not to tell them!!

All-in-all, it sounds like the two of them are having a good trip.  The Kipper was due to head out for Salcombe today so I eagerly await details of the next stage. 

18th May 2012

The Kipper has left the Marina.

At 19:35hrs and after weeks of preparation, a very excited Kipper finally set sail from Chatham marina bound for Falmouth.  Onboard with him as crew for this first leg of the journey was crewman Bobbie D who was equally as excited about leaving.  Of course we couldn't just let them throw the lines off and leave quietly so a small dock party was held to wish them bon voyage, fair winds and calm seas. 

Christine, Lisa, Julie, Bobbie D & The Kipper
(Note the wine glass next to The Kipper!)

 Lisa and Christine kindly provided the flags and a bottle of fizz to toast them on their way and a small cake was lovingly prepared by...Tesco...provided by the Scribe of this blog.  Lisa and Christine recently joined The Kipper on a sailing weekend and it seems they have been well and truly bitten by the sailing bug. The now have open invites to join The Kipper in Greece to enjoy sailing in the sunshine.

We spent about an hour with them before it was time to depart.  It was clear that The Kipper was eager to begin - he really has been looking forward to this day for a very long time.  Bobbie D hasn't quite retired yet - after 33 years long and arduous service with Kent Police he has about 14 shifts left to complete and a retirement party to host so he will definitely be returning from Falmouth with The Kipper.  The pair of them were truly excited about leaving so in the end, we girls took the hint and got off the boat.  After all the final hugs, kisses and whispers of good luck, be safe and fair winds, we helped them throw off the lines and off they went, into the lock at Chatham and then away.   We stayed and watched them heading down river past Upnor Castle and on towards Gillingham and Hoo.  We stood there and watched them, waving our flags until they finally dispeared from sight; it would be terribly romantic to say that we watched them until they rounded a gentle bend in the river and were hidden from sight by trees and yonder hills but this is the River Medway so, we watched them until they were lost from view behind a concrete bollard.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I wanted to be aboard with them and how bad I felt standing there watching them go.  Actually, we all felt quite emotional after they had gone and Julie needed a hug - duly administered by the scribe. We said our farewells and went our seperate ways but with the promise to meet up again soon.  After one final glance over the wall we confirmed the fact that they weren't going to change their minds and come back, they hadn't forgotten anything important and clearly had no intention of a sail-by for one final wave. 

All that remains now is wait for the next update from The Kipper to let us know their progress along our southern shores. 

Going...

Going...

Gone....