Hampshire (UK) Hogs group & groupies ensemble

Ken,

What no Salisbury? The weather is against us I gather, but fear not, because Tornado is heading my way next week for its Bath and Bristol run. Hopefully the rain stop by then.

Not in this job Ken, I am running at a loss I recon with all the travel costs.

Well guess what it seemed to be brightening up just before I left home, arrived to photograph Tornado and it starts drizzling and I didn't get any decent shots either, just rushed it

Well you didn't do bad in the conditions Ken, and plenty of smoke too.

Maybe, but the framing is crap!

A lot of dew in the garden this morning.

Spent today watching a pro 'tog at work on the Solent.

Or more precisely, trying to act as though the photographers boat was not right alongside. We were the subject of a Yachting Monthly photoshoot for a cruising chute article being written by John Goode planned for the January edition, to coincide with the London boatshow.

We will be manning the cruising chute demonstration at the show in relays and this is good publicity for the sailing school. I've been promised that the drinks will be on Yachting Monthly at the show!

Was there any wind out there today?

Ken,

Just about perfect for what we had to demonstrate. We chose the Calshot Spit - Hillhead area and the idea was that the camera could pick up what the cats cradle of different ropes were doing so they needed to be close which would have been impossible today!

I don't agree with some of Johns ideas, but we are all different and its his baby not mine. He pulls the tack out to the pole end rather than the clew, which is how I would have done it. His method is more difficult when short handed and ways to make it possible with only two people on the boat is what the boat show display will simulate.

The dropping was chaotic. I was expected to lower the hallyard, ease the tack strop and gather the sail single handed, whith JG shouting "don't get it wet" all the while . I ended up buried under the sail on the side deck. The fact that we were on a lee shore meant time was critical so it was more important to get rid of it than worry about the photos.

Apparently for the boat show we will be getting a sock, which might be easier. But I'm a spinnaker man, I understand them better and cruising chutes are no simpler.

My understanding of a cruising chute is it's just like a big genoa that you tack down at the bow, then have two clew sheets like a conventional jib, the only disadvantge is when lowering, it isn't hanked to the forestay, but then neither is a spinny!

Will you guys resume speaking in English please?

Landlubber

Mark,

Trust us, that was in English. The Americans have different names for everything!

Richard

Rather quiet around here. The Duchess of Hamilton was scheduled for a run from Waterloo via Havant, Salisbury to Bristol on Thursday, but she is apparently not available and Bittern has been rostered instead. There's no timetable up at the moment.

Steam Dreams has a timetable for Bitternes trip tomorrow.

I've only bothered to catch the outbound times, because it gets back to Salisbury at 1855 on the return.

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