Well Times have changed, and boats have got smaller.

As I sit here at the trusty Apple, and the snow lays all round. My thoughts turn to warmer days, sailing and beer. The new sailing season is around the corner and I have three boats in some what of disrepair.

My first NICE LEGS a Merlin Rocket (sail number 3300) sit up in Hartlepool waiting the new transom to be fitted. Then this has to come down to Spalding and have a face lift, as the varnish has seen better days? and the hull colour Blue, not the best of colours for sailing boats. My feeling is that is all should come off and be repainted white? but that will be when I get boat number 2 out of the garage. 

Boat 2 also another Merlin Rocket, but an older version  sail number 2245 as you can see her in all her glory. Stormer, but she don't look like that at present as she has all the top varnish off and I should really start doing the bottom. Top of the side decks where in two pac varnish a pig to get off, down to the wood. Never mind she will be great sailing on the river up the road from where I sit, until a friend of mind comes over from New York to take her away, as he has just got married and they boat like wooden boats. I have gifted it to them so there may well be two Merlin Rockets in the USA, 

Our new National champions

Our new National champions
Originally uploaded by cjr1100.

Not sure if Paul was showing Michael, that you can water ski, from a trapeze wire. I know that twenty minutes later Michael was trying to swim alongside his boat, whilst Paul was still on the wire. The things us, the crew have to put up with, from the people that sit in the back with the stick in their hand.

The Mottley Crew and Helms

The Mottley Crew and Helms
Originally uploaded by cjr1100.

On the steps of the sailing club, Jimmy two pints not sure which bar is closer

The beast at rest

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Originally uploaded by cjr1100.

Well the trip, was worth it. with 12 boats forming the TEAM TEMPEST GBR.

Jimmy loving the boat too much

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Originally uploaded by cjr1100.

Gay Paris ?

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Originally uploaded by cjr1100.

Some of the team sat up when punishment buggering was mentioned

The Ferry and down to Paris

The Ferry. We arrived at Dover at 10.35pm (boat leaves at 10.30). Never mind the people on the ticket desk had seen it all before and just told us to get on the next ferry that was 12 o’clock. On board the plans where made to stop in a warehouse car park and get helm and crew fuel? One coffee and a ham and cheese cob and we where back on the car deck ready to roll again. Change of plans we where now driving to the outskirts of Paris, on we rolled and arrived at a car park some where outside gay Paris, some of the team took this to mean some thing else

Team Tempest trip to france

Money Changers ( the 2004 version)

Lets set the scene, 3.30 pm on rain soaked Wednesday afternoon, dark blue van with the Munton Hart logo emblazoned all over it."Jump in quickly I have to pick up the beer tokens from the bank (name change perhaps?" From Jimmy Two Pints to "Ever ready!") Rushing through the rain soaked streets of Matlock to the Bank of cross-dressing, Our fearless driver Jimmy Two Pints, rushed into the bank with all the gusto of a bank robber on speed. Two minutes later, Jimmy Two Pints back in the van and speeding away for the scene on the missed opportunity. Jimmy Two Pints said " How silly that you have to sign for the beer tokens, before that you have checked them" First mistake .So off to pick up the crew of this unlikely partnership, and loaded up the van, with the crews huge big bags (The crew thinking that they where going away on a cruise) Time Line now 4pm location Derbyshire. Off to pick up the beast and the star of this travelling bunch of rabble "Slippery Sam", there she sat on her trailer and gleaming, and the other partner of Jimmy two pints, Phil (The Plumber) Munton, crew for Thunder GBR1054, Ken (Scotch bonnet) GBR1075 Virtual Insanity Now 4.30 pm (boat leaves Dover 10.30pm)(220 miles to get there). So leaving Carsington Sailing Club, 5 miles down road the trailer lighting board falls off, 20 minutes later on we go ........ Mobile phones ringing between Bill Hurleston (GBR 1054 Thunder) some miles ahead of us on the motorway. We sat on the motorway at Leicester for about two hours, because of a big accident, the boy's in blue doing their job really well. John (Tina) Gill starts talking about the exchange rate he got from his bank in Derby, and Jimmy two pints starts to unwrap his money and tells us that he "Had an exchange rate of 8.57 euro to the pound" John (Tina) Gill was mortified, (as that was about twice what John and I got) that Jimmy two pints got a better rate than him, then the penny dropped, the bank had made a mistake and given Jimmy two pints, UAE Dirhams, the mobile phone and radios went white hot with the news that Jimmy had no beer tokens.   So if the ISFA can make the next worlds in Dubia, Jimmy two pints in set for it.