Night Shot

This is really yesterdays post but I ran out of time and needed to sleep.  Lou had to go to London for her work and was going on the train. So I took her to Wareham station in the morning. Spent most of the day dealing with enquiries about membership etc. Then back to Wareham to pick her up.  Thought I'd use this as an exercise in photographing motion as the low light gave me a chance to experiment with long exposures.  Realise I have a lot to learn, not only with composition but with how the camera works.  So many buttons!  Wareham Station is quite a bright place at night so couldn't get quite what I was after and the picture here is a photo shop composite.  ... verdict   Could do much better.

Whoops

I managed to take what looks like a carefully composed shot of the corner of a wall complete with lichen but in truth I was tracking a boat going across the bay and the wall got in the way.  I just thought it was a nice composed sort of picture. I now need a deep and meaningful thought to go with it..hmmmm

The Army is in Town Well nearly

I was out around town this morning when I spied some action taking place in the bay.  Theres been military exercises going on with marines attacking Lulworth Cove.  So they were probably something to do with that, I expect they were eyeing up places to go for a drink this evening!   However as I speak I can hear the boom of the tanks firing down on the ranges.

Nature can be rude too

I have to admit that this wasn't something I saw today, and was keeping this one for a day when nothing much happened.  There is a stream that flows through the town and into the sea by the Mowlem theatre. Now at low tide the stream it cuts a random path to the sea each day.  Nothing spectacular in that until ....  Naughty nature   How rude.  Or maybe it's just my sense of humour.

Crystal clear day but so cold.

Spent most of the day working on the computer,  so many things to bring up to date, then about 3:00pm we decided that we were wasting a perfectly good day.  With all the misirable weather we have had it's imperative to get out and enjoy the nice ones. 

It's Spring tide tommorrow and a particularly low one at that so I decided that the rocks along slippery ledge would be showing themselves rather well and with the good light was an opportnity not to miss.  I am way off getting stunning pictures and need to hone my photography skills a whole load more but I'm enjoying trying.    This one straight from the camera is quite pleasing Maybe tommorrow I can get down to Studland and take some piccys there .  Unfortunately it looks like it will be overcast.  Ho Hum.

Cirque du soliel

Lou and I travelled up to London yesterday to see the cirque du soleil performance of their production "Varekai".  For those that haven't heard of them they are a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment.

With the round trip to London the meals and the travel tickets it was an expensive day out but what a performance, and what fantastic athletes these people are.

Round the Island Race

Once again the brochure for the Round the Island Race has plonked through the letterbox.  I have competed in the RTIR twice before and  I look back with mixed emotions to the event.

In 2006 it was a pleasant experience sailed out on a very calm day on which a great number of boats were frustrated and didn't make it past the needles lighthouse. I had only had Watanga for about two months, so was not used to her size or her characteristics. The light winds gave me lots of time to think about the course and how to sail it. The finish was a tight squeeze through the line with strong tide causing major problems for most yachts. Overall we had a lot of fun and sailed back to Swanage the same day arriving tired but contentedly around midnight.

2007 however was a different beast.  We had collected more than £1500 for the MacMillan Charity so lots of people were interested in seeing how we did.  The day was windier and the start was way more crowded. With about 15knots blowing I decided to go with the Screecher which would be at it's top limit of safety, and off we went.  Now the only trouble with the screecher is it's a devil to tack and the wind was right on the nose. After a couple of bad tacks and lengthy tangles, we were being overhauled by all sorts of sporty boats. About 2 hours into the race,  on a Starboard tack, I was caught out by an indecisive skipper on Port. The result was £3500 of damage to us and we had to retire from the race.  I vowed at that time never to compete again, but 3 years on I've gained a lot more experience, I know my boat a lot better and it's starting to look attractive again!  I wonder what my insurers would say.   On the bright side I won the protest and the other boat was disqualified

The mysteries of the water leak.

Ever since I've had Watanga the damn thing has leaked,  at first it was a major headache and there was one serious problem the would in certain sea conditions cause quite a lot of water to come aboard.   Anyways over the four years I've had the boat I have corrected, sealed,  and genearally made good imperfections and design fault leaks.  But this latest one has got me stumped.  The boats on dry land, and it hasn't rained since I last emptied the port bilge.  Theres an inch of water in it ????????????.  Forward and aft are dry.   I think I must be going nuts.   Is the boat just sucking it out of the air?   Why only the port bilge.

To be honest there isn't a great deal of insulation internally  and the port side is in shade most of the day so it could be condensation.   It does produce large amounts of condensation, but just seems excessive and not consistant with other years in the same spot.  Ho Hum.

I found a great piece of youtube the other day.  It reminded me of a similar event that happened to my son Luke on a Ryan Air flight out of Belfast I think.  He watched baggage handlers mishandling his guitar, (They wouldn't allow it in the cabin) and when he recovered it the neck had been broken.  See what you think. 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo  

Now on the way into the house I saw a Redwing (Turdus iliacus) in the garden. I have to admit I thought it was a thrush but saw the same bird pictured the blog Purbeck Footprints  (see favourites). Thanks to the RSPB bird indentifier website I am now a better informed bird watcher.

This little fella is the UK's smallest thrush, and comes all the way from Scandinavia.  Only very few nest in Britain.

Success

A great weight off my mind as everything went well,  I started to think that people were starting to get a little bored after about 20 minutes but happy to say it was effective none the less as a couple of applicants came up afterward to say they changed their thoughts about application.

As for sailing the day got brighter and windier as time went on, the people staying or going out later enjoying the better wind and conditions.  

Membership duties call

The start of the membership processing starts today,  over 50 people have applied,  there will be some dissappointments I'm sure.  This is the best part and the worst part of the job.  Best because I get to meet lots of new people, some of which will become friends.  Worst because I have to turn people away just because we have no room.

I'm glad we went sailing yesterday as there is even less wind today, I'm sort of hoping the club will be quiet early on while I'm conducting my presentation.

A sail it was

It was lacking in excitement but as I will be busy tomorrow I'm glad we got out on the water.  This time of year you can never guarantee the next time you'll get out.  Happy to know also that we were under the watchful eyes if the coastwatch. Wasn't too cold but wore the wrong gloves, (fingerless) and paid the penalty with very numb fingers.

The Sun has got it's hat on

Whoo hoo the sun is out , there's a light wind from the North. We may just have a sail this afternoon. Hmmm. Just looking at smoke gently rising vertically from the chimney opposite I guess there may not be enough wind.

If it's too light then the alternate is to go to Watanga and do some maintenance. There still plenty to do after mopping it out the last few days Got to get up the mast at some point to renew the filiments at the masthead. If they weren't so expensive and still somewhat dubious as far as the insurance companies are concerned then I would fit the new LED bulbs, after all it's better to have a light that can be seen at a slightly lesser distance, than one that has failed altogether.

I still haven't decided on the layout of this page and as you may have noticed have changed it with the additional picture at the top. It was cropped from this one, a rather tranquil scene of the old pier taken from Buckshore looking east toward the Isle of Wight.

More dreary days

On my daily trek to the sailing club I pass this building that has a rather strange parapet.



The Heritage Centre is situated in the Old Market Building on Swanage seafront on the site of the "former "Bankers" where the local quarried stone was stored before shipment.

The building was built in 1892, originally as a market hall, by George Burt (1816-1894). Burt was the head of the major construction firm founded by his uncle, John Mowlem. Like John, George salvaged stones, tiles and whole structures from building work in London and brought them to Swanage. The centre contains information on the " history, geology and geography of the town and surrounding area, this is made available on film (10 minutes), a series of short videos and on banners. Educational packs are available and talks can be given. There is also a small retail area including local crafts.
.

About Town

It's been a bit dismal the last few days so nothing exciting to go on about. Took a walk on the recreation ground on Wednesday. This is the site of the War memorial. The stone cairn was erected in 1920 in memory of those that died in the Great War 1914 to 1918, and was added to after the second world war. There are 164 names of local men and women inscribed.

For God and the soldier we adore,
In time of danger, not before!
The danger passed, and all things righted,
God is forgotten and the soldier slighted."

- Rudyard Kipling

Time for maintenance

Went to do some work on Watanga today, it has been some while since I last looked in on the boat and found it to be very wet. The weather in December to January has been the rainiest for a long time and with the hatches slightly open for ventilation quite q bit has got in. Trouble is that then means mould. It's not too bad at the moment but as things warm up the inside will be a breeding ground.

So.. have spent 2 days getting every drop of water out of the boat. Rigging up a ventilation system to run off the solar panels and generally cleaning up Cillit Bang seems to work wonders with mould stain.

I had sunshine most of the the day but on return to Swanage there was quite a mist. Corfe Castle being positively fog bound. Found a stray sheep on the way home. as you do when living in the sticks

Busy weekend

A busy weekend this, Started the day helping Greg assemble his spare Dart18 in preparation to compare it with his old one on Sunday. We got very wet getting it ready in a downpour. Nicky phoned up whilst we were doing this and I had to shoot off to Jump start her car --Again.

As you can see from this second photo that the sea was a trifle rough. In the evening we went to a surprise party for Marcel

Sunday was such a different day. Clear blue skies, a gentle westerly wind. Not surprisingly there were lots of boats out this morning, most people staying out for about 2 hours

Coastwatch

In all the time I've been in Swanage I have never before seen any of my friends who volunteer for coastwatch actually in the lookout, until today.

Just like buses there were two in there and whats more I got an invite up to see what they do. It has to be said that on a windy January day there's not much to write about, in fact about four entries all day. It's a great view from up there and of course they do a valuble job and have to say that I have been on their books a few times myself. Last year I had to call the coastguard twice, to help persons in distress. It was the Coast Watch who instantly became the eyes and ears for the coastguard until help arrived

Haircut day (Thursday)

What a nice change not to have the news wingeing on about snow and ice and transport disruption, affects on the economy, could the government do better. blah blah blah.

Sad and sobering that it has to be the death of thousands of people in Haiti to deter the british press from an endless round of self pity and recriminations.

Had a haircut today, not many left to choose from but there you go!

Argh No Internet

It is not until the internet fails that you start to realise how much you rely on it. No emails to start with, no google, no weather. All things I rely on in the morning to help shape the day. I am such an Internet nerd/ silver surfer.

Typical day, get up switch on computer. Make tea,

Check emails for action items,

check weather to see if suitable for sailing, walking photography or staying in.

I do a bit of spread betting so need to check portfolio for any emergencies.

Then I can get on with the day!

But even then I find myself returning to Google time and again, What was the name of that actor in the film? Is there a recipe to use up the item in the fridge. What is the part number for the battery in my phone?, must put mustard on the tesco order, where can I buy? ..... and on it goes.

Picture for today is a friendly (and hungrey Thrush) in the garden

Lou had a day off work today as we planned to go to the cinema to watch the much talked about Avatar.
We intended to get to Tower Park by 12 o clock in order to get dinner in as much as you can eat chinese diner. We had a stop off in the Dolphin centre to buy a new jumper. There is a reason for this
Yesterday I found lou in fits of laughter, she'd washed a jumper of mine but on taking it out of the washing machine, it would have looked good on a barbie doll.

Back to Avatar, a long film of almost 3 hours, so I was a bit worried that it would get to be a bit boring. But never fear, the film draws you in, and before you know it the credits are rolling. The graphics are stunning and have so much detail it's incredible. You have to watch it in 3D, It just brings the whole thing to life and is not about promoting 3D technology. Storyline is a bit tame and somewhat predictable but is very easy watching.