Text received from The Kipper - 15:07 hrs
'Forecast was good for our area but we felt that it had changed south of us before we could get through it. Would have meant 12-18 hours of 25 knots on the nose. Spent the day walking, took a short cut to Audierne that was 3 miles longer, nice countyside and Steve bought the beers. Watching the forecast with all the others waiting to cross! Must learn to ignore them and make own decisions'.
And there was thinking that they were holed up in some flea-pit Internet cafe going over weather charts and trying to decide what the best plan of attack would be...no, they were in the pub!!! We await the next gripping instalement from Audierne...
Friday, 22 June 2012
Friday 22nd June 12
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| Friday 22nd June 2012 1800 hrs UTC |
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| Friday 22nd June 2012 2100 hrs UTC |
10:00 hrs - No word yet from The Kipper ref their plan of action for today.
Thursday, 21 June 2012
Lisa & Christine sail with The Kipper
Back on a sunny but still chilly weekend in April, The Kipper and The Scribe took Lisa and Christine sailing: Lisa had sailed before but it was a new experience for Christine and I think to begin with, she was just a little bit nervous.
We all joined the yacht on the Friday evening and the girls very kindly turned up with offerings of wine - always welcomed aboard Petra - and fudge for The Kipper purchased from the Historic Dockyard after their visit earlier that day. They also handed out woollen hats with our designations embroidered on the front - Captain, First Mate and Crew. Brilliant! Loved my hat and it will be coming with me when we leave Falmouth for those chilly night watches.
We spent Friday evening chatting and planning the weekend ahead and preparing a lovely meal accompanined by the customery glass of wine. Neither Lisa or Christine were heard to say, 'Taxi for two ashore please' so we took that as a good sign.
Saturday morning dawned sunny and fair although still a little chilly. We all donned our new hats and our warm clothes and headed out to the Thames Estuary. We had settled on giving Lisa and Christine a guided tour of the Estuary because believe it or not, it is really quite interesting out there. We first of all negotiated our way out of the Medway into the Estuary carefully avoiding the large ships steaming in and out of the river. The weather was almost perfect, we sailed for a while but then the wind dropped off so the motor had to go on. We took a tour of the infamous wreck of the Montgomery and then headed out to the old gunning towers that were towed out into the estuary and dumped there at the end of the war. It was perfect conditions for viewing the towers - I have been round them many times before but they never fail to fascinate me. I am convinced that one day the villain from a James Bond film will suddenly descend the rickety rusting steps to a state of the art speed boat, ready to go ashore to wreak havoc and put in place a plan that will ultimately bring on the end of civilisation as we know it...
...I digress...
I think it safe to say that both girls thoroughly enjoyed their time aboard Petra. They enjoyed a period of respite during what was a busy and stressful time at work and after being on the boat for a couple of days they left feeling happier and calmer than when they had first stepped on board. That is the magic of sailing - it has a way of slowing you down to the pace of the boat and the water and life has no choice but to calm down. Mobile phones generally stop ringing because the signal is rubbish and there is no Internet. It doesn't matter if you look less than at your best because you all look the same and if push comes to shove - wear a hat!!!
All that matters is spending time with your friends, eating good food, drinking a reviving cup of tea or a nice glass of wine, chatting and sailing. I had to confess to being slightly worried about how the girls would take to the boat - particularly Christine because I knew that she had never sailed before - I need not have worried, she loved it and the pictures posted around her house back this up. She tells me that she has told anyone who showed even the slightest interest all about the trip and she has a picture of us three girls on her desk at work.
We all joined the yacht on the Friday evening and the girls very kindly turned up with offerings of wine - always welcomed aboard Petra - and fudge for The Kipper purchased from the Historic Dockyard after their visit earlier that day. They also handed out woollen hats with our designations embroidered on the front - Captain, First Mate and Crew. Brilliant! Loved my hat and it will be coming with me when we leave Falmouth for those chilly night watches.
Once we had settled in, stowed food and gear it was time to get underway. Christine thought it best to remain in the cockpit to assist The Kipper while Lisa and The Scribe went forward to sort out the lines for leaving the pontoon. Bearing in mind that this was the first trip of the season for The Kipper and The Scribe, there was some trepidation when we left because we normally manage to do something incredibly stupid on our first trip of the year; like for example wrapping mooring bouys around the rudder, hanging sails on upside down or maybe going aground...nothing catastrophic but generally, a bit dim. We put it down to being woolley headed after the winter months confined to the shore.
Having successfully left the dock and the lock at Chatham, we headed down river and found a sheltered creek to anchor in for the night. Once the anchor was down and set and the engine switched off, we introduced Lisa and Christine to one of the peaceful spots on the River Medway. I know that the Medway isn't the most picturesque river in the Country and that it boasts mud flats and industry along it's banks, but I can't help but like it. There are lots of little creeks and anchorages in which to tuck yourself away and it really is quite lovely. It is a haven for birdlife - the Oyster Catchers can be a little vocal at times but we can all live with that. The mud in the river always provides good secure ground for your anchor - once it is down and dug in you won't be moving anywhere in a hurry. The only drawback is that sooner or later the darned thing has to come back up again and The Kipper doesn't have a windlass - he has crew for that.
We spent Friday evening chatting and planning the weekend ahead and preparing a lovely meal accompanined by the customery glass of wine. Neither Lisa or Christine were heard to say, 'Taxi for two ashore please' so we took that as a good sign.
Saturday morning dawned sunny and fair although still a little chilly. We all donned our new hats and our warm clothes and headed out to the Thames Estuary. We had settled on giving Lisa and Christine a guided tour of the Estuary because believe it or not, it is really quite interesting out there. We first of all negotiated our way out of the Medway into the Estuary carefully avoiding the large ships steaming in and out of the river. The weather was almost perfect, we sailed for a while but then the wind dropped off so the motor had to go on. We took a tour of the infamous wreck of the Montgomery and then headed out to the old gunning towers that were towed out into the estuary and dumped there at the end of the war. It was perfect conditions for viewing the towers - I have been round them many times before but they never fail to fascinate me. I am convinced that one day the villain from a James Bond film will suddenly descend the rickety rusting steps to a state of the art speed boat, ready to go ashore to wreak havoc and put in place a plan that will ultimately bring on the end of civilisation as we know it...
...I digress...
.
The wind didn't desert us altogether and we did have a good day out on the water. At one point, the wind piped up so much we decided it would be good to put a reef in the sail. The look on Christine's face can best be described as a 'picture' when the boat tipped over at one of those alarming angles. The Kipper and I both tried to reassure her that this was quite normal but she remained to be convinced. Lisa took it all in her stride and both joined in to help with tacking our way towards the River Swale where we had planned to spend the evening. They saw Whitstable from a different perspective and we searched for seals on the beach on the eastern shores of the Isle of Sheppey. Unfortunately, we managed to rip the mainsail when we put the reef in - the leech lines had managed to get themselves into a proper tangle and so when the outhaul (reef line 1) had been wound on tight after reefing, it ripped a big hole in the sail. It wasn't the worst thing that has ever happened and could certainly be put right by the lovely sail repair chap.
Sadly, our plan of sailing around the back of the Island to pick up a mooring bouy at Harty Ferry was scuppered when The Kipper received a phone call from home telling him that a member of the family wasn't too well and he was required in Devon! In view of this, we cancelled the plan to go into Harty turned around and headed back towards Grain chimney and the mouth of the River Medway. It proved to be a long day in the end but we made it back to Chatham and tied up safe and sound in the marina. Everyone had caught the sun and had that healthy windswept look about them. We enjoyed a meal and more wine and finally, everyone turned in tired but happy.
The Kipper was up and away early on the Sunday leaving Petra in the capable hands of the three girls. Sunday morning dawned fine and dry and saw the three of us in our jammies out in the cockpit drinking our morning tea. As we sat there chatting, we exchanged pleseantries with people passing on the pontoons and basically acted like we owned the boat and this was just another day in paradise. Lisa and Christine both said they could get used to this!!! We visited the excellent shower facilities at Chatham and made ourselves look presentable again and then tended to Petra and did the same for her. We removed the mainsail and then carefully folded it away and placed it neatly in the bag ready to go off to the menders and then we cleaned and polished and left Petra looking tickety boo. When we'd finished we popped to The Ship and Trade pub on St Mary's Island, Chatham for a bite to eat before heading home.
I think it safe to say that both girls thoroughly enjoyed their time aboard Petra. They enjoyed a period of respite during what was a busy and stressful time at work and after being on the boat for a couple of days they left feeling happier and calmer than when they had first stepped on board. That is the magic of sailing - it has a way of slowing you down to the pace of the boat and the water and life has no choice but to calm down. Mobile phones generally stop ringing because the signal is rubbish and there is no Internet. It doesn't matter if you look less than at your best because you all look the same and if push comes to shove - wear a hat!!!
All that matters is spending time with your friends, eating good food, drinking a reviving cup of tea or a nice glass of wine, chatting and sailing. I had to confess to being slightly worried about how the girls would take to the boat - particularly Christine because I knew that she had never sailed before - I need not have worried, she loved it and the pictures posted around her house back this up. She tells me that she has told anyone who showed even the slightest interest all about the trip and she has a picture of us three girls on her desk at work.
They also want The Kipper to know that they really enjoyed meeting him, sailing with him and are very grateful to him for extending the invitation to them to go sailing. The feeling was mutual - it is safe to say everyone got on very well. The girls now have an open invite to go sailing in The Med whenever they can get away - they would have their tickets booked now and are slightly miffed that The Kipper has to return after the delivery to finish work this year.
Tuesday 19th June 12
The Kipper sent the first update by way of text message received at 16:11 hrs
'Hi, we are about 6 miles out of Audierne. Had to motor most of the way, came through the Chanel Du Four at dawn. We are now sailing the last 12 miles under spinnaker. Yes, we got it out of the bag!!! All is going very well, may be looking for a weather check if I can't get onto the Internet (www.passageweather.com) Sun is shining, light breezes from astern, hot, can't ask for much more.'
The Scribe responded with the following words of wisdom ref the spinnaker: Don't take your eyes off it for a second, it will do something bad! At this point she said that it sounded excellent and she wished she was there but secretly, she was sort of glad not to be given that the monster had been allowed out of the bag. She finished - And don't come crying to me if that sail mutinys, takes control of the boat, takes you to Somalia, hands you all over to pirates and then steals all your money!!
The Kipper said that there was no danger of mutiny because the naughty spinnaker had realised he had no money left after funding the trip!! By 17:02 hrs he was tied up on a bouy in Audierne having a celebratory arrival drink in the evening sunshine.
Wednesday 20th June '12 - 10:52 hrs
The Scribe felt the need to point out that the weather at home was excellent...for a change!
Wednesday 20th June - 17:37 hrs
'You don't have to rub it in about the weather, it's been so misty, sorry not mist just low cloud about 10ft from sea level so no photos from here yet. Have a very nice one of the Le Four light at dawn (to follow) Had a maintenance day, stopped leaks in the hatches, topped up diesel, repaired light in forecabin. Went ashore for a shower but they were closed on Mercredi!'
Thursday 21st June - 10:15 hrs
'Still sitting at Audierne, got a 25-30 knot westerly blowing and getting stronger. Forecast is crap, gettng stir crazy already. Still, the company is good'
The Scribe asked if they might take a trip ashore?
'Could be difficult we are about 100 metres from shore, we could end up soaked before we got there, in the conditions need one to say aboard. We are down wind from you, can you smell us yet? Washing on board today.'
The Scribe mentioned that there had recently been a strange odour wafting past the house - note to self, write to Gillette and tell them there are three test subjects ready and waiting in Audierne.
She now has visions of the three of them, all smelling slightly fusty with that 'I haven't washed, combed my hair or shaved for three days and I'm proud' look about them, all huddled below decks in the saloon squeezed together on the port side seat trying to get a good spot to view the small DVD screen, they'll be watching old movies but occasionally taking a break to mop the condensation soaked windows with kitchen roll. Each will be secretly looking at their watch trying to figure out if it's too early to suggest the first alcoholic beverage of the day. Occasionally, they'll poke their heads out of the hatch to survey the weather and within about 10 seconds they will declare that it's still pants and return to the seat only to find that someone else has nicked their spot. The Kipper will manage to fit in a nap (never able to sit through an entire film without falling asleep) actually, given the combine age of the three chaps, they'll probably all nod off...with the exceptionn of Bobbie D who is possibly the youngest (?) and is used to an active life of following dogs around on the end of a very long lead.
I spoke to The Kipper a short while ago and he tells me that they haven't yet resorted to the DVD's but it is looking increasingly more likely for this evening. The wind is dropping and is looking promising for Friday morning ish. They were going to try and head ashore this afternoon to find an Internet cafe and have a good look at the weather and try to formulate some sort of plan.
Thursday 21st June at 12:00 hrs UTC
Of course the wind is in the W/WSW pretty much exactly where they want to go. They are reluctant to head out into Biscay with the wind firmly planted on the nose and the promise of a bumpy ride across the continental shelf. And...who can blame them.
Thursday 21st June 18:00 hrs UTC
'Hi, we are about 6 miles out of Audierne. Had to motor most of the way, came through the Chanel Du Four at dawn. We are now sailing the last 12 miles under spinnaker. Yes, we got it out of the bag!!! All is going very well, may be looking for a weather check if I can't get onto the Internet (www.passageweather.com) Sun is shining, light breezes from astern, hot, can't ask for much more.'
The Scribe responded with the following words of wisdom ref the spinnaker: Don't take your eyes off it for a second, it will do something bad! At this point she said that it sounded excellent and she wished she was there but secretly, she was sort of glad not to be given that the monster had been allowed out of the bag. She finished - And don't come crying to me if that sail mutinys, takes control of the boat, takes you to Somalia, hands you all over to pirates and then steals all your money!!The Kipper said that there was no danger of mutiny because the naughty spinnaker had realised he had no money left after funding the trip!! By 17:02 hrs he was tied up on a bouy in Audierne having a celebratory arrival drink in the evening sunshine.
Wednesday 20th June '12 - 10:52 hrs
'Morning, had a well deserved lay in this morning, flat calm with very heavy rain showers, gale warning W8 expected later. Doesn't look as though we are going anywhere soon. We are keeping a good eye on the forecast but a window may be appearing early hours of Monday morning. Rubbish. still, have lots of food to eat and we are in a nice sheltered bay. If rain stops will stroll into town.'
The Scribe felt the need to point out that the weather at home was excellent...for a change!
Wednesday 20th June - 17:37 hrs
'You don't have to rub it in about the weather, it's been so misty, sorry not mist just low cloud about 10ft from sea level so no photos from here yet. Have a very nice one of the Le Four light at dawn (to follow) Had a maintenance day, stopped leaks in the hatches, topped up diesel, repaired light in forecabin. Went ashore for a shower but they were closed on Mercredi!'
Thursday 21st June - 10:15 hrs
'Still sitting at Audierne, got a 25-30 knot westerly blowing and getting stronger. Forecast is crap, gettng stir crazy already. Still, the company is good'
The Scribe asked if they might take a trip ashore?
'Could be difficult we are about 100 metres from shore, we could end up soaked before we got there, in the conditions need one to say aboard. We are down wind from you, can you smell us yet? Washing on board today.'
The Scribe mentioned that there had recently been a strange odour wafting past the house - note to self, write to Gillette and tell them there are three test subjects ready and waiting in Audierne.
She now has visions of the three of them, all smelling slightly fusty with that 'I haven't washed, combed my hair or shaved for three days and I'm proud' look about them, all huddled below decks in the saloon squeezed together on the port side seat trying to get a good spot to view the small DVD screen, they'll be watching old movies but occasionally taking a break to mop the condensation soaked windows with kitchen roll. Each will be secretly looking at their watch trying to figure out if it's too early to suggest the first alcoholic beverage of the day. Occasionally, they'll poke their heads out of the hatch to survey the weather and within about 10 seconds they will declare that it's still pants and return to the seat only to find that someone else has nicked their spot. The Kipper will manage to fit in a nap (never able to sit through an entire film without falling asleep) actually, given the combine age of the three chaps, they'll probably all nod off...with the exceptionn of Bobbie D who is possibly the youngest (?) and is used to an active life of following dogs around on the end of a very long lead.
I spoke to The Kipper a short while ago and he tells me that they haven't yet resorted to the DVD's but it is looking increasingly more likely for this evening. The wind is dropping and is looking promising for Friday morning ish. They were going to try and head ashore this afternoon to find an Internet cafe and have a good look at the weather and try to formulate some sort of plan.
Of course the wind is in the W/WSW pretty much exactly where they want to go. They are reluctant to head out into Biscay with the wind firmly planted on the nose and the promise of a bumpy ride across the continental shelf. And...who can blame them.
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...
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...
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| Maggie dog |
Saturday, 9 June 2012
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.
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.
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