RansomeCon - TARS IAGM 2014
Just spent a lovely weekend at Barnstable with The Arthur Ransome Society. 
We were based at the Barnstable Hotel, but as is quite often the case, people went off to do other things during the day.
As I had been on a first aid course, I reached my campsite quite late in the evening. The campers this time had been on a commercial campsite which meant a nice flat mown pitch without lumpy bits to stop you sleeping. It was also close to the toilet block and showers. I slept very well all three nights there.
Weather wasn't blazing hot, but not torrential rain all the time either. Some showers, but I had waterproofs for that and kept a spare set of clothes dry in the car just in case.
When booking the weekend, I had not put down for the Lundy trip although I have never managed to get there, but put for sailing instead. As it happened, the Lundy expedition had good weather and a successful trip. Arrangements for my sail were a bit more hazy. I had seen sailing and put down for both boats, not taking much notice about them. I had received a phonecall about a week before confirming that I wanted to sail and I said I would pack my waterproofs (I have a set of sailing waterproofs, but the hardly get used). The numbers for the boat then fluctuated up and down from five to three. The night I turned up at the campsite, a note was passed to me to arrive at the quay at Appledore at 12.30 on the Saturday for my sail.
The next day, after demanding the packed lunch I had ordered (a number of people, possibly on the Lundy trip, had taken lunches they were not entitled to and so the later people had to wait for the hotel to make up more), I went early to Appledore to make sure of where Yacht Patron was moored (the picture is not mine, I got it from the website). I then went back to the maritime museum to pass the time before my sail. At 12.30 I got to the quay to find I was the only sailor and I had the boat and skipper to myself! Lovely afternoon learning how to send a mayday, remembering the rules of bouys, helping set the sails and steering. We had motored out beyond the bar to sea just outside the estuary. The sea wasn't very big and the wind not too strong. It did die down when we attempted to tack towards Clovelly and it started to rain then. Made the decision to motor back into the river and used actual leading lights to find the channel. The skipper was apologetic that there hadn't been more wind, but I am on the water so rarely that it didn't matter to me.
Saturday night, after a Chinese meal, was a talk from Sophie Neville (Titty in the film). She is a lovely person and has had such an interesting life, including running horse safaris in Africa.
Sunday had options for walking, cycling and railways. I had opted for a walk along the Tarka Trail and took lots of photos as I had been asked to do a write up for 'Ship's Log'. I joined up with three others that had decided to go and set off. The part of the trail we were on was once a railway line and so was flat, straight and tarmacked. The cyclists were doing the same route, but further. It runs along the side of the river and is well used. The weather was very variable and waterproofs were on and off quite often.
Three miles along the path, we came to a cafe in an old station and stopped for refreshment. I had a mega hot chocolate with marshmallows, cream, rolos, crunchy chocolate bits and a flake.
My fellow walkers turned back after this, but I continued on with a vague plan of getting to the Instow signal box. It continued to rain intermittently and the path disappeared into infinity, but I ambled on. After an hour or so, I met some on the cyclists going the other way. They told me it wasn't long to Instow; I had come so far, it wasn't worth turning back before that. Reaching the signal box, I took note of the time and turned round to start the route march back. With no stopping and keeping up a steady pace, I covered 6 miles in under two hours. My feet were starting to blister and the tendons in the back of my knees were screaming at me but I was pleased at the time.
The pain wasn't so bad that I needed the phone number posted on the bridge.
Sunday evening saw the Dick Callum Cup. I have been in the winning team a number times and in the past have been banned on being on a team with certain people. This year, someone suggested I should be a team on my own. My team did pretty well. There was one hiccup where we were given the wrong round of questions and didn't twig until we went to swap answers. Sorted by doing the next round before checking answers. Ended up coming second by a couple of points. Lots of teams were close, so a very good quiz.
Monday morning was fine and sunny, but I didn't have time to get my tent down properly as the AGM was at 9.45. I bundled said tent into my car (where it has been ever since because of rain) and went to the hotel. Meeting went smoothly and I started my return trip just after 1pm.
Next year is in the Broads.
We were based at the Barnstable Hotel, but as is quite often the case, people went off to do other things during the day.
As I had been on a first aid course, I reached my campsite quite late in the evening. The campers this time had been on a commercial campsite which meant a nice flat mown pitch without lumpy bits to stop you sleeping. It was also close to the toilet block and showers. I slept very well all three nights there.
Weather wasn't blazing hot, but not torrential rain all the time either. Some showers, but I had waterproofs for that and kept a spare set of clothes dry in the car just in case.
When booking the weekend, I had not put down for the Lundy trip although I have never managed to get there, but put for sailing instead. As it happened, the Lundy expedition had good weather and a successful trip. Arrangements for my sail were a bit more hazy. I had seen sailing and put down for both boats, not taking much notice about them. I had received a phonecall about a week before confirming that I wanted to sail and I said I would pack my waterproofs (I have a set of sailing waterproofs, but the hardly get used). The numbers for the boat then fluctuated up and down from five to three. The night I turned up at the campsite, a note was passed to me to arrive at the quay at Appledore at 12.30 on the Saturday for my sail.
The next day, after demanding the packed lunch I had ordered (a number of people, possibly on the Lundy trip, had taken lunches they were not entitled to and so the later people had to wait for the hotel to make up more), I went early to Appledore to make sure of where Yacht Patron was moored (the picture is not mine, I got it from the website). I then went back to the maritime museum to pass the time before my sail. At 12.30 I got to the quay to find I was the only sailor and I had the boat and skipper to myself! Lovely afternoon learning how to send a mayday, remembering the rules of bouys, helping set the sails and steering. We had motored out beyond the bar to sea just outside the estuary. The sea wasn't very big and the wind not too strong. It did die down when we attempted to tack towards Clovelly and it started to rain then. Made the decision to motor back into the river and used actual leading lights to find the channel. The skipper was apologetic that there hadn't been more wind, but I am on the water so rarely that it didn't matter to me.
Saturday night, after a Chinese meal, was a talk from Sophie Neville (Titty in the film). She is a lovely person and has had such an interesting life, including running horse safaris in Africa.
Sunday had options for walking, cycling and railways. I had opted for a walk along the Tarka Trail and took lots of photos as I had been asked to do a write up for 'Ship's Log'. I joined up with three others that had decided to go and set off. The part of the trail we were on was once a railway line and so was flat, straight and tarmacked. The cyclists were doing the same route, but further. It runs along the side of the river and is well used. The weather was very variable and waterproofs were on and off quite often.
Three miles along the path, we came to a cafe in an old station and stopped for refreshment. I had a mega hot chocolate with marshmallows, cream, rolos, crunchy chocolate bits and a flake.
My fellow walkers turned back after this, but I continued on with a vague plan of getting to the Instow signal box. It continued to rain intermittently and the path disappeared into infinity, but I ambled on. After an hour or so, I met some on the cyclists going the other way. They told me it wasn't long to Instow; I had come so far, it wasn't worth turning back before that. Reaching the signal box, I took note of the time and turned round to start the route march back. With no stopping and keeping up a steady pace, I covered 6 miles in under two hours. My feet were starting to blister and the tendons in the back of my knees were screaming at me but I was pleased at the time.
The pain wasn't so bad that I needed the phone number posted on the bridge.
Sunday evening saw the Dick Callum Cup. I have been in the winning team a number times and in the past have been banned on being on a team with certain people. This year, someone suggested I should be a team on my own. My team did pretty well. There was one hiccup where we were given the wrong round of questions and didn't twig until we went to swap answers. Sorted by doing the next round before checking answers. Ended up coming second by a couple of points. Lots of teams were close, so a very good quiz.
Monday morning was fine and sunny, but I didn't have time to get my tent down properly as the AGM was at 9.45. I bundled said tent into my car (where it has been ever since because of rain) and went to the hotel. Meeting went smoothly and I started my return trip just after 1pm.
Next year is in the Broads.