Back to Glasson from Anglesey

Dolphins were spotted before our evening meal. Though the threat of a delayed dinner made us somewhat angry, observing the dolphins at play was the most memorable moment of our training weekend. On way to a quiet spot for dinner, the dolphins began to ‘jump’ near the boat; they were so close that we could almost touch them. Excitement over, dinner was the hottest ‘Korma’ known to man. Though enjoyed by all, the boat was drained of milk in an attempt to cool our mouths down. While we enjoyed the rest, we knew it would be short-lived as we would be embarking on an all-night sail back to Glasson dock. A shift change from the first night meant that the port watch saw us through the initial shift from 8PM until midnight. After some sneaky sleeping by the port side whilst on watch, the starboard team began the graveyard shift from midnight until 4AM. The alphabet game (I’m on Tenacity and I brought an A, B) kept us motivated, though more importantly, awake. Following what seemed like the longest night of the expedition, breakfast finally arrived. Sausage butties and cornflakes were welcomed by all after securing the boat in our final docking location. We will be spending the remainder of the afternoon planning our true expedition from Preston to Oban in Scotland and discussing how food can be altered (though due to Toryn’s excellent planning, little change will be required). Though cheesy, some lessons were learned during our trip;
· Hosepipes always work when the nozzle is turned and stared down (Michael D)
· Dolphins are at least 100x larger than Neil though he claims they could be reached (although his arms are most definitely too short)
· Coke and Brownies can get you through anything, except staying awake on watch (Michael B)
· Alistair cannot be relied on to wake people up (Neil’s marathon 5 minute nap)
· Bunk beds are never long, wide or deep enough for Jonny T (especially while already occupied)
· Elliot’s impression of a manta ray (and it’s mating call) is far too accurate
· Toryn has a strange fetish for onions (in an already spicy curry, any need?)
· Ian is one of the most sarcastic people any of us have ever met, though has excellent taste in biscuits
· Colin is a robot, capable of sleeping though anything, not getting wet in the rain and to drink more tea than is possible
· George is able to hide her Geordie accent for at most 48 hours, then resorts to ‘Yai ay man’ to random fishermen
The Tenacity of Bolton is a superb boat that we had a fantastic weekend aboard. The future possibility of a longer journey this summer is something we are all looking forward to and we will keep you updated via this blog (and Twitter).

Total weekend mileage 187 NM, all in 39 hours of sailing...

Poetry in Motion

At the prospect of writing some prose, the group turned up their nose, just wait, better yet, this is what you’ll get, and here is how our limerick goes:

There once was a DofE group from college,
Who were somewhat lacking in knowledge,
They took up a boat ,
And set it afloat,
Despite having got lost in Horwich.

Arriving in Glasson at last,
Alistair smoothly drove past,
He reversed through a hedge,
We forgot all the veg,
And panicked at the sight of the mast.

While leaving the lock in haste,
The Snickers were not to our taste,
While watching the breadth,
We neglected the depth,
And were consequently disgraced.

Listening to Flanders and Swann,
Our course headed to Yns Mon,
We all had a fright,
From a green flashing light,
Though it was only a Belicha beacon.

As we left Holyhead in a hurry,
Toryn told the group not to worry,
Don’t panic he said,
I’ve got some naan bread,
And a pan-full of pre-prepared curry.

While attempting a cunning stunt,
Eliciting many a grunt,
In shorts and flipflops,
With Yatesy and Topps,
Beavis made of himself, quite the ….fool.

Enjoy J