Saturday 9 June 2012

A Very British Summer

What a busy week. First there was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant (windy, wet and bitterly cold), then the Home Built Boat Rally raid down the Thames (windy, wet and bitterly cold at intervals) and finally the Beale Park Thames Boat Show (Friday's show cancelled because of ferocious wind, rain and cold). I had a great time.
The top picture shows Phil Oxborrow (Pathfinder canoe Tonawanda), Wayne Oliver (Sandpiper flattie Ever Hopeful) and Chris Adeney (strip-plank canoe) entering the lake at Beale after an invigorating trip down from Wallingford against a stiff headwind (is there any other kind of wind?). An hour or so later, the wind blew up hard and the rain came down in stair rods, blowing the Water Craft tent completely off the ground. The people inside it were alarmed but luckily unhurt.
Here is a picture of the repair crew at work, stiffening the bent tubes with bits of wood held on by zip ties. The editor of Water Craft, Pete Greenfield (left) is assisting by holding his hand in the way.
When I got home later that afternoon, the first thing I saw was the gazebo I had erected over the Bee to facilitate finishing and painting:


Blast.

4 comments:

Tillerman said...

Brilliant! It's the British weather that builds the British character.

Stiff upper lip. Pip Pip. Toodle-oo.

Patrick Hay said...

It's what makes British summer events so much fun to take part in. It can be rather trying for the organisers, however.

I'm beginning to think that Bee of yours is possessed by an evil spirit. If I were you I'd get it exorcised before you go out on the water.

Bursledon Blogger said...

Have you thought of a name for the Bee? Perhaps Monsoon, Typhoon, Tramontana??

Patrick Hay said...

Beelzebub?