The GPS Blog| Activity | Activity date | Activity description |
|---|---|---|
| Helford River | 2018-09-06 | A short walk down to one of our favourite canoeing spots on the Helford - without a canoe this time.
This is where Scooby previously learnt to swim just for the fun of it so Liz was keen to take him back for another paddle.
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Ferry Boat Inn
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| Night on the town in Lerwick | 2026-06-10 | Ferry back over as foot passengers from Bressay to Lerwick for an early evening trip round the town.
A pint in the Thule Bar followed by dinner and a pint in The Dowry followed by live folk music and a couple of pints upstairs in The Lounge.
Talented musicians but I'll take The Joyce Gang in The Hourglass for preference!
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Ferry
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| Lerwick to Aberdeen ferry | 2026-06-11 | Ferry back from Lerwick on Shetland to Aberdeen.
As we were in the last remaining pet friendly cabin down in the ships bilges somewhere, the GPS didn't have a signal most of the time so the track is a little "creative" (i.e. we didn't actually go over part of Scotland's land mass on the way).
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Ferry
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| Fowey to Megavissey | 2018-09-03 | A walk down into Fowey and then a ferry from Fowey to Megavissey. On the trip into Fowey the ferry had spotted a large whale and porpoises but no such luck on our trip.
From Megavissey, we walked round to Portmellon.
The 26 miles wasn't all dog walking - it includes the return ferry distance!
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Ferry
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| Kirkwall to Westray ferry | 2026-05-17 | From Kirkwall on the mainland across to Rapness on the island of Westray.
Some strong (4.5 knot) currents (according to Navionics) on the way. Liz very grateful that the strong winds from the north had abated for a while as the 4.5 knot current was flowing northerly. Still a little rolly for a little while. Hound was a wuss dog on the ferry as usual.
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Ferry
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| 2200 miles cycled this year | 2017-12-30 | With the start of Storm Dylan bringing in some winds, I cycled just far enough to reach 2200 miles in 2017 (and far enough to prove I'd finally fixed the slow puncture that had been giving me grief).
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Topsham Ferry
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| Topsham ferry cycle ride | 2020-03-17 | A sort, quick ride to Topsham Ferry - to get a ride in before Liz goes to work.
Would probably have broken 11 mph average if not stopping at Spar for provisions.
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Topsham Ferry
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| Short post work ride | 2020-03-19 | Up to the Topsham foot ferry with Liz after work.
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Topsham foot ferry
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| St Anthony Head hound walk | 2014-09-11 | Too windy for canoeing (F5/6 from the east) so a yomp with the hound around St Anthony Head. Top walk with just about the right amount of up and downiness.
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King Harry Ferry
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| Creeks and kingfishers | 2015-09-19 | First canoe trip of the 2015 summer holiday. From Mylor harbour, a little way up Restronguet creek up past the Pandora Inn, on to Looe Beach and then back via Mylor Creek. Had a kingfisher with us for quite a way up Mylor creek.
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Pandora Inn
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| Pandora anniversary dinner | 2015-09-12 | Sixteenth anniversary dinner at the Pandora Inn on the Fal. Only a day late but it was raining yesterday. Lovely food and the Rattler was good too. Sod of a hill on the way "home" when full of food and drink.
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Pandora Inn
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| Dinner at The Pandora | 2015-09-22 | Lovely fish pie dinner at the "Pan". After a nine mile walk earlier in the day, the drag back up the hill from The Pandora after dinner was just what Lizzie wanted!
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Pandora Inn
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| Dartmoor walk | 2016-06-05 | Because Scooby gave me such a nice welcome after being away for a week sailing (me - not Scooby), we took him for a walk on Dartmoor. Up high on the moor near the Warren House inn.
A lovely short walk on Dartmoor.
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Warren House Inn
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| Tregunwith to Pandora Inn | 2016-07-10 | From Tregunwith Farm Campsite to the Pandora Inn on Restronguet Creek for dinner. Two pints of Rattler helped out on the walk back up the hill from the Pandora.
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Pandaora Inn
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| Lympstone and back | 2016-12-19 | Round to Lympstone for a very nice and rather spicy tomato soup in the Swan Inn.
This ride takes me just over 500 miles since I started this regular cycling stuff back in mid October.
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Swan Inn
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| Dinner at The Pandora Inn | 2019-07-12 | From Tregunwith Farm camping down to The Pandora Inn for dinner.
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Pandora Inn
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| Mylor to the Pandora Inn - Falmouth | 2010-09-26 | From Mylor to the Pandora Inn and on to Feock. The Pandora Inn sadly burned down but has now been re-built. Well be back for more fish platters and cheesy chips
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Pandora Inn
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| Carrick Roads and Restronguet Creek | 2019-07-14 | With the promised easterly being more like a southerly, there was a long enough fetch for some waves that weren't to Scooby's liking. So after lunch and some icecreams (which were to Scooby's liking) we diverted into Restronguet Creek for some quiet top-of-the-tide paddling past The Pandora and onto Point. Then back below the rather marvelous Tregunwith Farm campsite (£9 / night for 2 adults, 1 dog, 1 camper van, 1 car and a canoe) and back to Mylor Yacht Harbour.
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The Pandora Inn
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| Dinner at the Pandorra | 2018-07-06 | Walking the hound from Tregunwith to the Pandorra Inn.
At Tregunwith Farm with the camper van - great location, friendly owners, relaxed atmosphere and great prices. Don't tell anyone else!
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Pandorra Inn
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| Mylor Bridge to the Pandora | 2014-09-06 | Lovely dinner at the Pandora Inn - first of the holiday. The 1 in 4 hill on the way back was a bit of an ask when full of Cornish Ratler and Gurnard (or Guiness and Mackerel in Lizzie's case)
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Pandora Inn
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| Malvern | 2026-06-20 | With the news that we've sprung a leak at home, the leisurely trip home was cancelled and we left York a day early to head home. Two hundred miles is about a much as we want to do in the van in a day so we stopped at the Malvern CAMC site. While the CMACs website IT couldn't cope with us wanting to book into a CAMC site when we were supposed to be at another, the CMAC "wardens" at York and Malvern were great and we got a refund on York as we were "buying" at Malvern. Actually saved us a tenner!
The food on this Orkney and Shetland trip has been a real disappointment. Some of it due, no doubt, the the establishments we've frequented but they all seemed to offer the same bog standard pub grub menus. To the point that it has been a standing joke about having to order fish and chips and "mac and cheese". So the decent pub food at the Swan in Hanley turned out to be the best dining we had all holiday!
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Swan Inn
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| Three tombs to the pub | 2026-05-21 | The community run pub on Rosay was a couple of miles from the great, free (gratuities accepted) "camper van aire" we were staying at near the ferry terminal in Brinian. Big thanks to the hosts Martin and Vivian - search for Peedie Farm, Rousay.
In fact, as per the activity title, we had to walk past three of the ancient tombs we had visited earlier in the day to get there.
Great, friendly pub and Midge (the owners' dog) had a great time playing with Tye.
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Taversoe Inn
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| Pandorra Inn | 2024-09-11 | Our silver wedding anniversary meal at the Pandorra Inn on Restronguet Creek.
In fact, it was a very sad day as we'd lost Scooby Hound at 05:00 that morning.
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Pandorra Inn
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| Tregantle and the Finnygook | 2024-01-19 | An interesting walk through Tregantle Fort (a non-firing day on the ranges) and then lunch at the Finnygook Inn in Crafthole.
Quite a lot of uppy downy again.
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Finnygook Inn
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| Porthleven - drinking and dining | 2023-09-10 | Stayed at the rather nice and basic Treza Camping.
Then down into Porthleven for a pint or two and some food.
Saw Trudy and Colin from Llantwit at the Harbour Inn and then visited the very nice Ship Inn.
Find of the evening was The Mussel Shoal where we had truly excellent fish and chips (and another cider).
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The Ship Inn
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| Pandorra Inn | 2023-05-16 | Dinner at the Pandorra Inn.
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Pandorra Inn
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| Carrick Roads paddle | 2023-05-17 | From Mylor Harbour to Loe Beach for lunch. Then back via the Pandora Inn (to beach and empty out some water). Lovely early summer's day. Bit shorter than planned but that meant be could meet up with Derek and Ruth H for dinner at the Waterside in Flushing.
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Pandoroa Inn
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| Dinner at the Pandorra Inn | 2021-06-30 | Down to Tregunwith Farm again with the campervan so a first night's dinner at the Pandora.
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Pandorra Inn
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| Anniversary dinner at the Pandora Inn | 2014-09-11 | After the 6.5 miles yomp round St Anthony Head, another mile and half to the Pandora Inn for our anniversary dinner. Fifteen years married, 21 years together and 30 years since we met. Less for murder as they say (and Liz never reads this blog - I think)!
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Pandora Inn
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| Railway Inn, St Agnes | 2022-09-10 | A walk into St Agnes to the Railway Inn. Served Aspall's cider, Guiness and the haddock and chips were fine for just over a tenner.
Recommended.
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Railway Inn
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| Doddiscombsleigh - without going to the Nobody Inn | 2015-09-06 | A sunny Sunday walk round the hills surrounding Doddiscombsleigh. The suggested footpath half way round didn't look right so we ended up doing most of the walk on quiet country lanes.
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Nobody Inn
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| SYC safety boat | 2020-09-27 | Late request to do a safety boat duty at SYC.
Quite a short drive as the wind got up so the course was shortened to just one lap to comply with RYA Covid recommendations.
Attended one rather good capsize.
Camera decided that some photos would be better in black and white!
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Safety boat
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| SYC safety boat | 2020-05-30 | First SYC safety boat duty of 2020 and first organised SYC activity since lockdown.
There was a problem with righting an RS Feva - bloody boats keep going over.
Then we had to tow a "submerged to the gunwhales" boat back to Lympstone.
Tags:
Safety boat
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| Yacht towing | 2023-04-29 | Went down to SYC for a paddle but ended up towing a members 33 foot yacht back up the estuary as it has lost its prop and the winds were light and fading.
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Safety boat
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| SYC safety boat | 2023-06-21 | Wednesday evening SYC safety boat duty. Mostly very light winds
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safety boat
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| SYC safety boat crew | 2019-03-31 | At SYC to pretend to be an experienced safety boat crew for Rebecca B on her first drive of a club safety boat. Rebecca was more than fine and there were no "customers" as it was about a F3 to maybe F4.
However, just as we were picking up the race mark buoys, a request from Solent Coastguard reached us via the club (Solent had rung SYC) to go the aid of "a cruiser stuck in the mud off Topsham". So we dropped the marks back into the water and hared off to Topsham where we found a Cornish Crabber (or something similar) stuck in the mud just yards outside of the channel. The water was down to about two foot so it was hard for us to do anything and the cruiser was well aground. After about 5 minutes the real RNLI inshore boat turned up and took over (they took the folk off the Crabber after re-deploying the anchor).
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Safety Boat
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| Up river safety boat | 2024-05-04 | A lovely sunny May day with a F3 wind and little tide. Up to about the Goat Walk.
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Safety Boat
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| SYC safety boat | 2018-11-25 | Safety boat crew for James B at SYC. After two weeks in Bangalore in 30 plus degrees of heat, a morning on the Exe Estuary just a few degrees above freezing was a shock to the system.
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Safety Boat
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| SYC safety boat | 2022-06-04 | Forecast of F4 gusting F6 and heavy rain meant that we turned the dinghy cruise into a sail around the club.
But then there was actually very little wind and no real rain.
Can't win sometimes.
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Safety boat
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| Safety boat at Laser Open meeting | 2015-08-08 | Safety boat with Bob J at the Laser Open meeting at SYC.
The day started flat calm so we tied up to a buoy and listened to England retain the Ashes.
A sea breeze started about 12:15 and the sailing started shortly after that. Four back to back races. We spent all our time at the leeward mark - hence the "ball of wool" GPS track. All in all, a very pleasant way to idle away a sunny August Saturday.
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Safety boat
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| Out to sea dinghy cruise | 2012-09-01 | Safety boat duty on an out to sea cruise. Big tides and light winds.
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Safety Boat
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| Safety boat at SYC | 2013-02-17 | Too windy for us to go out sailing as we havent been out for a couple of months. So ended up doing safety boat. Good fun - a little bouncy. Suspect the occasional max speed peaks are GPS data anomalies.
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safety boat
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| March safety boat | 2013-03-24 | Safety boat at SYC. A cold march day - two degrees centrigrade. The windchill factor made it feel like minus four. GPS data anomalies account for the three or four short peaks in speed.
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safety boat
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| Another cold safety boat duty | 2013-04-01 | Force 5 to force 6 winds but not many boats out. Usual caveat about top speeds and GPS data anomalies.
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Safety boat
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| Safety boat for Hurricane and Dart open meeting | 2013-06-30 | A lovely morning / afternoon on the water doing safety boat duty for the Dart and Hurricane Open Meeting at SYC. Plenty of sun and wind.
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Safety Boat
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| Commodores Cruise | 2013-07-06 | Strawberries and cream at the Warren. Glorious weather. Liz doing safety boat driving.
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Safety Boat
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| Safety boat at SYC | 2013-11-10 | Safety boat at SYC on a pleasant autumn morning. Not a lot of wind so not much work for us on the safety boat (apart from trying to figure out how to make the race marks stand upright). Some GPS data anomalies... hence max speed figures out...
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Safety Boat
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| Bouncy safety boat duty | 2014-04-20 | A very wet and bouncy safety boat duty in mid April. About a force 6 on the estuary with waves of about 1 metre. Meant there was a lot of water coming over the front of the rib. Just the thing to help clear out a cold..
Forgot to turn the GPS on!
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Safety boat
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| Sunny beach cafe safety boat duty | 2014-05-17 | A lovely sunny May sail down to the beach cafe and back. Light winds but just enough.
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Safety boat
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| Push The Boat Out at SYC | 2014-05-26 | SYC's "Push The Boat Out" day to offer people a taster of dinghy sailing. A very successful day - about 70 people got to try sailing and the winds were an ideal F2 to F3.
Liz got to try helming a Topper on dry land!
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Push the boat out
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| Squires Cup safety boat | 2014-06-08 | Safety boat duty on a rather damp and drizzly Sunday in June. Free tea though!
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Safety boat
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| Dawlish Air Show Dinghy Cruise | 2014-08-23 | "Officer of the day" and safety boat duty on an out to sea dinghy cruise that coincided with the Dawlish Air Show. A few dramas a long the way but saw the Red Arrows and, later, the battle of Britain memorial flight (including two Lancasters, a Spitfire and a Hurricane).
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Safety Boat
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| Safety boat for cancelled dinghy cruise | 2015-05-16 | The weather forecast was for F4 with F5 gusts and that is pretty much exactly what we got. The NW F5 gusts were too strong for a safe down river dinghy cruise so it ended up being replaced by a quick sail near the club
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Safety boat
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| Liz's first safety boat drive | 2018-05-20 | Liz doing safety boat duty for the Squire's Cup at SYC.
No capsizes but a bit of interest right at the end when it was briefly thought that one of the Darts was unaccounted for.
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Safety boat
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| Dawlish air show dinghy cruise | 2015-08-22 | "Officer of the day" for the Dawlish air show dinghy cruise. A good day out even though not everything went to plan. The thunder and lightening was a bit of a surprise and curtailed the "out to sea" bit of the dinghy cruise a bit early and stopped the later parts of the show from happening e.g. the Red Arrows. The Vulcan bomber on its last ever visit to the Dawlish show was very impressive. All in all a very good day out!
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safety boat
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| Wednesday evening safety boat duty | 2015-09-09 | A Wednesday evening on the Exe Estuary crewing for Bob J on safety boat
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Safety boat
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| March Safety Boat | 2016-03-13 | Shamefully, this is the first time we'd been on the water in 2016. A safety boat duty at SYC. Very little wind to start with but it filled in to be a nice south easterly (after half the fleet had given up due to lack of wind). First sailing photos with the new camera.
Tags:
Safety boat
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| Squires Cup Safety Boat | 2016-06-12 | Safety boat for the Squires Cup racing for dinghies and cats on the Exe Estuary. Not a lot of wind so not much call for our services. Some rain at times.
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Safety boat
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| SYC Mystery Dinghy Cruise | 2016-07-13 | "Officer Of The Day" for the SYC "mystery dinghy cruise". What the mystery was to be was, er, a mystery to us.
So we decided that it would be cricket and drinkies on the Bull Sands in the middle of the Exe Estuary at low water.
F4 gusting F5 a fair bit of the time but it seems a good time was had by all.
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Safety Boat
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| Free Sailing Safety Boat | 2016-08-13 | Doing safety boat for a Free Sailing at SYC on a lovely summer's afternoon. A pleasant F3 with the occasional gust made for almost ideal sailing conditions with just a few things to keep us slightly busy. A surprising overall distance as we spent the first 15 minutes at anchor (and expected to remain there for much of the afternoon!)
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Safety Boat
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| Topper Open At SYC | 2016-10-09 | Junior Topper Open event at Starcross Yacht Club.
Safety boat crew for the 4 back-to-back races for the 23 boats at this open sailing event.
Decent winds all day between F2 and F4 from the north east.
GPS battery ran out after only a couple of hours so most of the track is missing.
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Safety boat
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| SYC safety boat | 2016-11-27 | A last minute replacement safety boat duty at Starcross Yacht Club. No boats to rescue except us when the rather nice 50HP fuel injected outboard stopped working. Towed back to shore by the other safety boat!
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Safety boat
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| Safety boat at SYC | 2017-06-18 | Safety boat crew for Bob J at SYC. Three races in a gentle sea breeze with not a cloud in the sky.
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Safety Boat
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| Safety boat at SYC | 2017-06-24 | Safety boat for SYC dinghy cruise. Nearly an out to sea cruise but it was a little lumpy just out towards the fairway buoy.
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Safety Boat
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| SYC safety boat | 2017-08-28 | Safety boat for free sailing day at SYC
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Safety Boat
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| RNLI pursuit safety boat | 2017-11-12 | Safety boat for the RNLI pursuit race at SYC. With both Windguru and the Met Office Inshore forecasting F6 gusting F8, it was always going to be "interesting".
The race was abandoned after about half an hour when it was gusting about F7 - but with not too many boats on the water (and only one broken mast).
As we were heading back to the slipway, the gusts did reach F8 with so much spray being raised off the water it was hard to see ahead from the rib!
No major problems though.
There's a video here that shows some of the "action". Starts off looking quite benign but quickly shows that it was proper windy.
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Safety boat
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