Thursday, July 27, 2006

Back in the Internet cafe world

Brighton is devoid of lots of people so I am making the best of it, as the weekend will be manic, The weather is overcast and humid! Swimbo has gone off to fill up the credit cards while a Blogger mate, now in London, living it up! is having trouble being issued with one. How about "Amex" their in Brighton they should make one available but at a price I guess? Well I have 7 minutes to go and no more change so, I will write quickly as my time is running out (in more ways than one) :o)) 13-00 in M&S once again for lunch and then back to the boat to plan my next delivery from Sunbury to Brighton, that should take all of five minutes! Last Monday I visited an old frind of mine at monkeyworld in Dorset and we jawed for a while, he has become very famouse since the Monkey business series started a couple of years ago. We were both in the Zoo busines for many years and I would quite happily say that he is the best Primate keeper in the UK if not the world. He has decided that he has done enough for primates for the momentand for one week only he is doing a round UK coast ride on his motorbike raising funds for a new kids hospice in Dorset. More power to your elbow Jeremy. Make Brighton your firsts stop.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

I`m sixty three on Monday

But Im not telling anyone as they all think I am younger (Yea right!) I was sitting here trying to think of a memorable time in my life when I was "small" and I thought of the time, when at age seven I walked into my mums bedroom in the middle of the night to find that she was sleeping on her back , something that she wasn`t allowed to do, as she would always cough, and keep my Dad awake (who always had to go to work the next day!) I didnt want to wake her so I gently kissed her and noticed how cold she was.

The next day I was sent out to fetch some cigarettes and on the way back I was passed by virtually the whole of our neighbours in the street going out in various cars including a 1935 Taxi with the perambulator back (what a memory) the Taxi stopped and my Dad said that I was to go straight home and that my Grandad would be waiting for me, which he was!

When I asked to see my Mother again I was told that "She had gone to live with Jesus"

She died aged 37 from Lung Cancer!

One for Fuff! whose been wearing sandals then?

Friday, July 21, 2006

Changes at the Marina

Well the "Walk of fame cofee house" has gone and a splendid new "Gourmet fish and chip"- shop has opened (owned by the same people)! he wrote the Tears of a clown song for Leo sayer and his wife ( of course) does all the work in the shop! they are a great couple and very hard working. He`s into promotional things and the theatre etc. We had a meal there on the day they opened and it was great. Half way through the meal an ageing guy with a gold chain around his neck appeared at our table and asked if the new owners were doing OK to which I replied " who are you then? " he turned out to be the Mayor of Brighton (as if I didnt know) and we had a brief but pleasant chat about the new venture. Just outside the Walk of fame, there is another venture in the form of Tuck tucks (three wheeled taxis similar to those in India) they are splendidly painted in colours differing from Rattan to the union jack, and its cost £2.50 for a trip that would cost £5.00 in a "normal" taxi! However I did wait for a ride and noted that four Tuck tuck drivers were awaiting a lift from a fifth and decided to ask them how long I should expect to wait for one and was told ten minutes and that there was only one now in service for the night! Given that there were three people (a tuck tuck carries only 2) in front of me I decided that a return ticket that I already had from a previous excursion could be used instead.

I do feel that they should catch on but and its a very big but. if you would like to ride in a three wheeled scooter with a driver more used to delivering Pizzas then take one, but they do throw them around a bit (as would be expected) How the hell they have got a Hackney carriage license for them I have no Idea, but I do believe that the UK can now be confirmed as being into the last throes of becoming a thirld world country, having had our health service compared with that of india! and actually sending people too far down our waiting lists, to India for their treatment! :o(( Thank God (your`s not mine) for India and its accomodating people!

Friday, July 14, 2006

Brighton today

Sitting in the internet cafe! as the wind is creating a small problem for the folks I was due to instruct on boat handling for the day, so I`m here and writing. The delivery of last week fell through as the owner found a couple of lads to do it cheaper, and anyway, I had a bad feeling about the delivery as I felt the boat had some inherrant faults. It turns out that the new owner has had to have various repairs done to both engines and his upper steering isn`t working (surprise surprise) It still hasn`t left port and the delivery fees are going up and up by the day! shame! Am I a bitch or what?

The weather today is great for sailing and at force 5 gusting 7 its quite lively for sailors too let alone the odd "stinkpot" that has ventured out today to return soon after somewhat chastened!

I had a call from my friend in Ipswich currently on a marine science degree course at Plymouth, with a couple of questions re the manufacturer of the Andrea gail and aquisition of the blueprints. I have already tried that route and they wouldn`t play ball, but they do still manufacturer the boat so a copy of the modern plans would be OK for her purposes ( her thesis) .
This afternoon I shall have lunch in M&S and then back to the boat, at 16-00 I will give some instruction on coursework to another new owner and then out to dinner for the evening! what it is to be retired! tough life isnt it?

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Well Last Monday!

I dived over the side and scrubbed my bottom! its been a while since I have grasped the spatula and given my hull a damn good clean. There was so much weed on her that it took a while to clear it. I then fired up the engines and took off for the river (chanel) for a blast I opened her up to about two K and we went to 12 knots and gradually she climbed up to fifteen and with the tachos finally showing 2300 rpm we peaked at 16 and a half knots just a little over the point at which she planed. She usually goes to 2600 rpm and 20 kts but with some weed still on and around the "P" brackets, shafts and the rudders. I felt that she was doing OK considering. took her down to worthing beach and back just for the hell of it. I stopped on the way for another swim and generally had a good time. After I had her snugged up in her berth I noticed that I still had the bathing platform ladder down and so this would have caused the equivalent of a skiier being dragged behind so I was even more pleased with how she had done.

The weather has been hot and stayed that way until wednesday when it became stormy and overcast but humid. Its now moving back to nice weather and the Barometer is rising steadily so were in for some better weather for the weekend so Yahoo! its back out for more racing around and swimming.

Seriously though! I really have to get back to sailing before much longer and I just have to do some more long passages, I am getting old and missing out, putting myself into a position where I will be looking back and saying what I should have done " Twenty years from now, you will be more dissapointed by the things you didnt do, than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe haven, catch the trade winds in your sails, Explore, Dream, Discover," MARK TWAIN Yea right! I can, I must ,
I just have too, I will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!