so eventually I managed to pack all my stuff up into the correct amount (and weight) of bags. success! three buses and one ferry later I arrived in gosport at midnight to join cv23 for prep week and the race. there were a few of us on board for that week and with others joining throughout we were a pretty busy wee boat. we got loads done but we did extend the jobs list massively as well...
we did all sorts of stuff, sorting the sails out, getting the specialist training we needed if we have a specific job on board, starting anti chafe protection up the mast and the victualling (doing the menus, buying the food, prepping the food bags and getting them all on board - a massive job)
I love climbing. anyone who knows me knows this. I just plain love heights. so when a volunteer was needed to go up the rig and do some work I was already tying myself into a halyard to be hoisted up the mast :) you get some great views from up there:
putting the elastic on the running backstays to stop sails getting stuck in there. our marvellous circus style canopy from above :)
view to port, everyone's very busy...
view to starboard
we worked some pretty long days, but generally had enough energy for the post work debrief in the pub by the marina ;) for me the longest day was the day we got our sails. four of us were dispatched up to the office to drag them out (on the grass) and flake them into bags, having labelled the corners and stuck all the glow patches behind the telltales. I had media training that day too, so had to disappear for two hours to do that.
when I emerged from media training, the rain had been going for over an hour. everyone was drenched, the sails were covered in grass and spirits were low. we managed to get the ones that were out back into their bags, but it was pretty messy. the rest we left in their delivery packaging to sort out when it was dry...
the sails being sorted out before being packed in the sail locker...covered in grass!
after the trauma of the sails, I went back up the mast. we had to put leather onto the spreader ends (to stop sails ripping or wearing when they are dragged across them) and also to splice spectra strops onto the spinnaker halyard blocks. sophie took a great photo of me doing the leathering on the top spreaders and I did a comedy selfie while doing the blocks. I am concentrating pretty hard in this one as my front facing camera on my phone is not great...
kate thinks this was taken by a seagull...
me putting the leather on the top spreaders. courtesy of sophie
anyway, six prep days later, and we were ready to go. we did a practice parade of sail for the media then left the next day. a week of delivery and training trip lay ahead of us. the calm before the storm is below:
lovely early morning photo of some of the clipper 70s during prep week in gosport :)
so, after training finished I charged around the UK for a week before heading back to the parents. this was really lovely. I saw loads of folk, relaxed, in dave's case cooked a lot (!) and got my washing done.
however it wasn't all fun and games. having survived level 2, my goddaughter and level 3, my glasses decided to snap and one of the lenses fell out. d'oh! wasn't expecting to have to buy new specs. as it had been some time since I'd had an eye test, I got that out of the way and the same day came out of the shop with two new pairs of reading glasses. you know, from the place that makes its name by doing buy one get one free :)
the same morning, I'd decided that as I seemed to have a free morning I would fill it. not by relaxing, reading or chilling out. oh no. that's not really me. I did a 3-hour introduction to circus class ran by the marvellous aerial edge at the briggait in glasgow. it was awesome. there are NO photos. and I hurt for around three days afterwards...
that week I was in glasgow. had to see the dentist and the hygienist for my annual checkup and polish, and see another bunch of folk. it was my mum's birthday too, so me and leigh were away doon hame to have lunch. they hadn't booked the place they like to go, and it was full, so we had to find somewhere else. it wasn't great, suffice to say they won't be back.
handily though, I'd left my photocard driving licence and passport at the parents, so they had a good excuse to come to glasgow for the day and have lunch there instead. a lovely two course deal at la vita in glasgow later, and all memories of the actual birthday lunch are erased. mmmmmm :)
drinks with folk the night after, then it was back to london town. clipper were launching the teamGB boat in trafalgar square. the video footage of the work required to get her in position is really awesome:
I stayed at a mate's flat in marylebone (plush!) and saw loads of folk I hadn't seen yet. I know, it's hard to believe by this time I haven't seen everyone I've ever met... I headed over to trafalgar square on thursday morning to see what the fuss was all about. it really looked cool and I think clipper did well to arrange it all.
teamGB, albeit with a daft stubby mast... ;)
from london it was onto the team building weekend with matt's minions (as we are now calling ourselves). but that gets its own blog entry :D
