Anyone for a week or 2's RIBing next year?

[Daniel]

I am starting to put together a plan i have been thinking about for some time, not least becasue i now have a boat more suited to it. Itenary might look something like:

Day 1: Margate/Ramsgate/Dover wherever > Brighton
Day 2: Brighton > Solent somewhere
Day 3: Solent cruise
Day 4: Solent > Channel Islands
(poss day in channel islands)
Day 5: Channel Islands > Heading north along french coast (cherbourg?)
Day 6: Further north along french coast (ouistreham?)
Day 7: Further north along french coast (dieppe)
Day 8: Further north along french coast (calis?)
Day 9: If required as day 8
Day 10: Calis > Dover > Ramsgate/wherever i started

Plus a couple of days incase we are delayed anywhere.

Proposed time: 10 - 14 days
Approximate sea miles: 550

Thoughts, other people interested etc. welcome - as i said this is very much conceptual, i've not done that much research into port access, fuel etc.

This would be very much an open RIB's adventure week, loads of food and drink in good restraunts and B+B accomadation although i might consider carrying equiptment to sleep on the RIB incase i had to. I'm quite confident i have two friends who will come with me in top-banana.

[Brian]

Daniel,
Might like to join you for days 4,5 and 6.
When are you thinking of?

[Daniel]

No preferance Brian - the warmer the better, July?

I'd welcome your company, particularly for the channel crossing and drinking aspects! I would say Mike Tapp and I will 90% do this or something similar, even if on our own, although an escort across to Alderny or wherever would be a prerequisite.

I'll post again when i have done some more homework... no one else with a 5.5 --> 7.5 open RIB fancy this?

[ribraff]

I'll be up for that, hopefully i'll have a happymax sorted for my 6m! Brian, would you be leaving from Devon?

[Daniel]

You, being in the industry, might be able to get a better deal but Mr Maddox of www.waynemaddoxmarine.co.uk has got a 150 Opti, 2004 model year, for a good price - £8k all inclusive, including nearly £1k's worth of instruments infact. It's so new it has not even arrived yet 'coz i was chatting to him today and he can't find any space in the shop, 23 new engines i counted.

[Phil]

I am thinking of being in the Baie de Seine in June when there will be D Day celebrations;however this does clash with Ribex.

I may well be interested in any event.

Last year I did Ipswich - Ramsgate -Boulogne-Dieppe-Honfleur-Cherbourg -Alderney -Solent -Ipswich. I would be more than happy to help you with planning ,fuel etc Let me know as and when you firm up

[Brian]

Ed
Yes, leaving from Torquay. Would make sense to go together.

Daniel
Cant do 4-6th June-RIBEX
Cant do 12-13th June-S/W Cruise
Otherwise all the rest of June plus all July free.

[Brian]

Or...............
if you wanted to get complicated...............

you could attend RIBEX and then on the Sunday afternoon, go Needles Channel to Alderney and onwards.
I can then pick my moment and go Alderney-Torquay.

Depending on Phil's agenda, we might bump into him too.

[Daniel]

another idea...

...we could completly reschedule the idea and leave from the SW the day after your SW cruise? (top banana will be there anyway) Just an idea - it would leave me (or your wife ) with a car and trailer problem though.

Phil - would appreciate some input, need to have a serious look at this myself which i will do after i've eaten too much some time this week. If we stick to my initial plan (Ramsgate > Ramsgate in July) then would you be interesting in some or all of the route?

My concern with either Brian or yourself joining me for a long period of time (please don't take this personally) would be the vast differance in boats. I'll need to pace myself for 10 days in a 6mtr open RIB, also my crew are less experienced than myself. Joining you big boys for a number of days is one thing but i feel we might have different agendas over the entire period - but i am open to persuasion on this one.

[Daniel]

I've got my RIB cruising cap on at the moment and am currently in the process of doing my homework for this trip. The dates are:

Depart Ramsgate Monday 12th July.

This puts us in the Solent for Wednesday 15th July + Thursday 16th if anyone wants to join us.

Travel to Alderney Friday 16th July, subject to Brian being able to make this?

Saturday 17th July Channel Islands...any locals about?

Then back to Ramsgate along the french coast, as long as it takes really!