Spirit Send Off?

[jools]

First set of pics posted in the gallery!!

[Nadia Lehmann]

Great photos Jools.


I had the first update from the SOC at about 20:00.
They were doing okay, but had dropped their spead down to 6-7 knots and were coming across some very heavy headwinds.

Haven't spoken to them yet, will give them a ring on monday.

Will keep you all posted.

(can we get this thread to 25,000 (for the journey miles) by the time they get back? )

[Keith Hart]

Must dash - off to work (0720 hours).

Thanks Jools for the pics and the HQ, thanks to everyone who came down for a great weekend, great compaNY AND GREAT ribS. There were so many people to meet that I never had time to chat much with every one.

There are loads of stories to tell:

Quicksilver - first day two punctures , second day out there with the best and the biggest

Keith Hart - first day HEAD punctured (yes really) , second day out there in my little SIB , through the barage surrounded by lots of BIG boats, back again safely

I'm sure the others will tell their own ups and downs.

Thanks for the RIB rides (Topaz, Cyanide, Dromedary, Channel Spirit). Hey, I got to drive Cyanide (thanks Brian) I'm glad I didn't know what it cost at the time!

Any way it was GREAT to see Spitit and the lads off.

As I said over the weekend "Quicksilver may be the smallest, but it was there!"

See you when they come back.

Cheers

Keith (see I do really exist) Hart

[Nadia Lehmann]

I hope everyone made it back safely - esp Mike and Diana who left at 04:00 this morning.

May I add my thanks to all for the many boat rides, drinks and laughs you lot supplied me with - good to meet up with everyone, and looking forward to seeing you again sometime.

Take it easy out there.

[Keith Hart]

Back from work now (double time on a bank holiday). I've just been looking through the photos, thanks again Jools, thanks Stealth.

I did manage a couple of chats with Alan and crew. Great lads, I was very pleased to have been at the send off.

This was the first time I have actualy been out with other Ribsters and Sibsters. Thanks to you all for not taking the 'p' out of little Quicksilver, I think one or two may have been surprised to see us there. Several folks told me how much fun they had in their first sibs.

Any way thanks for your company lads and lassies, it was a GREAT weekend. I hope to meet you all (and more) again soon, perhaps at the Spirit of Cardiff welcoming event.

Cheers

Keith (still smiling) Hart

[Keith Hart]

Hello folks

How about any update on damage repairs to the fleet?

Cheers

Keith (pssssssssssssssst) Hart

If you were there you will know what I mean.

[GraemeCooper]

Hi Keith

Great Idea


Topaz suffered - as you are aware from first hand experience - a badly damaged prop.

Telephone calls to day have revealed a replacement - at around £350 - £400 !!!!! - or a repair at about half of that amount.

In addition to this we picked up some strange damage to our trailer - resulting in having to remove the mud guard and attack some metal with a serious looking crow bar (thanks John & Yvonne). Estimate for damage yet to be received.

However, Battle Scars are part of Ribbing - and we will remeb them with Pride !!!! (once te shock of paying for them as subsided)

Graeme

[Alan]

Hi all.

I dunno, you don't have internet access for 5 days and its SO difficult to catch up!

Laura & I have just arrived home from Devon after taking a couple of days off. Cyanide's journey back to Torquay was not without incident - picking up a pot line at about 27kts for example! Fortunately no damage done to props or leg.

We ran with SoC for 40 mins or so and then cracked on ahead to get back to Falmouth on Sunday. The seas got progressively worse the further West we got with a South Westerly F5 on the nose. Very uncomfortable even in a 9.5m RIB! Speed was down to 12kts or so and we were not going to make Lands End by nightfall so we elected to divert into Padstow on the North Cornwall coast. Lovely place but a struggle getting B&B's at 7pm on an Easter Sunday!

We ended up spending two days in Padstow after nosing out to look at the sea on Monday and deciding a) conditions were no better and b) that having bashed my bonce on the radar arch discretion was the better part of valour!

We made the trip back on Tuesday, leaving early with a freshening South Easterly wind and ominous forecast. Not sure whether it was this or that it was our second attempt but Falmouth coastguard asked for 2 hourly updates on the way round. Conditions in the Bristol Channel were a smooth rolling swell.....conditions off Lands End were, to use the traditional ribsters term "interesting!". 10-12ft very steep and close together. Fortunately conditions eased after 5 miles or so and we were able to make good time back to Plymouth for a lunch stop and Torquay for 4pm. So much so that the Coastguard complained we gave a much later eta than we needed!

We all had a fantastic weekend. It was great to put faces (and boats) to those we hadn't met and to be part of the SoC sendoff. Although having seen the pics of the SoC windscreen and experienced the Bristol Channel on the same night as them I now REALLY think they are nuts!

Lots of pics to post and email. Will get round to that later.

Cheers,

Alan (& Laura)

[seajay]

Perhaps I should confess I was helming at the time.....but it was only a small marker...honest!

Chris