Back from Ocean Training and more applicants flood in...

That was a fun way to spend eight days of training!  My brain ached after the celestial navigation.  As Ian Dury used to say in one of his songs.  "There ain't half been some clever bast***s"!  Someone, way back in history, decided how to work out the positions of the stars, planets in relation to our position on the earth!  THEN, they had the wherewithal to compile several tables that enable us (with proper direction) to look up our position according to which day of the year it is!  Took me all week just to get the hang of their tables and conversion tables, let alone finding my position and plotting it on a chart.  Anyhow, I managed it in the end and am back to tell the tale.


We have had several more applicants send in to me this week.  Some are still asking about using their own gigs.  The answer to this still has to be 'No'.  We have had to prepare a case to put forward to the MCA (Coastguard) to enable us to get our gigs Coded so that the French cannot refuse us permission to enter or leave their waters.  The precise lay-up of the GRP used, and dynamics of our gigs means that they are very specific about which boats can and cannot make the trip.  WE have to place certain items of safety equipment on board and have the design of the boats scrutinsed by the MCA so that they come up to scratch.  Only then can we use them.
If anyone did want to use their own gigs, we'd have to insist that they have them coded too, to the same standard as ours have reached so that we have a fair playing field for all applicants.  I can see that having a super slick wooden gig, or maybe even one similar to our carbon fibre one off gig, Tiger would have a real advantage over all others, so we have to ask that you stay with us, and agree to use our gigs only.  The price is going to be negligible anyway by the time you try and get yours coded and buy all of the safety kit that we will be providing for ours!


Taking part in this venture is for some, expensive.  You just have to realise that as a fact.  We will be running an event every year from 2012 onwards, so, if you want to take part, please start saving and fund raising now.


We still have some places left for our presentation in March if you get your names in soon.


Keep smiling!