4 April 2009 - How to Mend a Trailer with a Keyring
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Hilary's Blog - 4th April, 2009
It's been another interesting couple of weeks :-). "Little Wig" is back on the water at Westbere and so I went down to the last race meeting of "Westbere Frostbite Club" on Sunday, dragging Toby along as crew (well, more as ballast to be honest!). There was very little wind anywhere and "Little Wig" needs a bit of a puff to get going, so I knew we would be slow. There are certain things I had forgotten, though, like the limits of the start line (yes, I went the wrong side of the marker buoy and had to go
On Tuesday this week the RIB trailer, which has had a major overhaul thanks to Paul and Toby, was deemed fit to transport the RIB from its winter home in the barn 5 miles down country roads and motorway to somewhere it could be serviced. A carer and I in the Mondeo were to escort the Land Rover, towing the RIB, on its short and apparently straightforward journey. Having made it as far as the motorway slip road huge amounts of black smoke started to appear from one of the wheels. We stopped quickly, fearing that the wheel was on fire, only to discover that the smoke was entirely due to the zealous application of grease to the axle. In removing the hub to check, however the split pin, which effectively ensures that the wheel doesn't fall off, was broken. A suitably strong piece of wire that wouldn't snap was called for. Toby tried a standard keyring, but to no avail. Fortunately for us my carer was carrying heavy duty keyrings and sacrificed one that not only fitted in the hole but which held at a steady 40 mph to the workshop. She had already helped me "acquire" an old graphite club from Bruce in the shop at Boughton Golf Club, which we needed to help fix a small part of the boat, so all in all I owe her several favours in return!
Toby and I have spent 2 days in Southampton interviewing potential wet crew. We have been extremely lucky in both the number and quality of the applications we have received. It is proving extremely difficult to make a decision. It's about getting the right team together. Choosing from the people we have interviewed so far is hard, they are all equally well-qualifiedand.
In the meantime, adverts online have drawn in applications for both carers who can drive and drivers. We are sorting through the CVs now and will be in touch soon.
I have to say a HUGE thank you to a few people and companies... contacting last year's Sponsors has been a last-minute affair.
"OLIVE GOUP" have come up trumps and are once again providing us with a modified Tracker-come Iridium phone which will not only allow you to follow our progress, but also be an emergency connection to phones on shore. Since I'm expecting my 5th neice or nephew to be born whilst I'm in the middle of the Irish Sea (no mobile cover) I know that it will get used as a telephone at least once and I'm very grateful.
Tom and Karren Ellis, who run "THB CLOWES" insurance have also been fantastic. Despite the fact that they had already allocated their funding resources for this year, they are helping us with the cost of the insurance for the fleet of vehicles that we currently have - a landrover, a Mondeo and a Motorhome, all of which need covering.
"OCEANSAFETY" are also continuing to make sure that, should the worst happen, we will still be safe. They have serviced all the lifejacekts for us, and upgraded mine to their new Sport model, which has a D-ring that we can hook a safety line onto whilst hoisting me (in the seat) up horbour walls and, if necessary, to rescue me. They have also agreed to lend us a liferaft for the duration of the trip (just in case), but I'm assured by Toby that it WON'T get used.
"HAWTHORN FARM", a campsite almost within site of Dover Harbour, have once again agreed to host the crew before and after the sail. This means a huge amount as we will be able to train without having to worry about where to put people up. They were incredibly generous last year (especially since we drove off with a gate pass, although it was returned... eventually!) so it's even more surprising that they are opening their doors to us again.
"DOVER MARINA" is providing us with berthing for both the Artemis and the RIB before and during training. This provides us with incredibly sheltered water for training the wet crew to come alongside the Artemis in order to transfer crew and to practice rescuing me from the water in a safe but realistic setting. It also provides us with some choppy water and some good day sailing for putting the training into practice.
Now I just can't wait to get back on the water ...
Page last updated on 13 May 2009 at 01:09