thanks again everyone for the kind thoughts - much appreciated.
T15 - thanks for posting you saw my AIS on Marine Traffic.
I had concerns it wasn't transmitting as Milford Haven CG couldn't see it the other day when I was ejected from the boat.
It might have speeded things up if they had done as it was on the whole time the boat was floating away from me.
We pulled into Strangford to try and raft up and eat some lunch so all the small boats were there.
Nos - what I can tell you is that the seat ripped out with the big heads still bolted to the bottom of it with the sandwich of GRP between the big head and the bottom of the seat. So it left 6 x 3 inch holes in my deck and treadmaster. The big heads just punched out of the GRP holding them in.
Kieron at Rib Shop had re-glassed the deck to fit these, but from what I recall about the ejection, the boat crested the swell with a slight lean to port, then I stopped seeing sky and saw a lot of water coming at me and the boat twisting to port, then I was in the water. The seat stayed in the boat.
I think it must have been a sharp twist to Port on the way down into the trough and my trim self adding some extra momentum to the sideways force on the seat.
As far as my JustGiving page is concerned (
Andy Proudfoot is fundraising for RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution) I would like to re-assure anyone contemplating a donation, all that money goes to the charity, I don't see any of it... and now I need to make sure I cover a fuel bill for a Tamar and a Tyne and a Seaking.
to restore the good kharma......So if your thinking of donating please do
HMS, Tom L S, and Paul G were very welcoming last night by the time I made it to the post first leg revelry and made me feel very welcome so thanks for that.
Today was a beautiful morning - still and sunny - boded well. I had a little bit of a ribbing (sorry for the pun) during the skippers meeting this morning.
Apparently the rear seat in my Rib is now known as the naughty seat. No one wants to sit there. As I had turned up in my dry suit from the hotel in the morning, I was also asked if I had slept in it...well you never know when their is going to be a flood do you.
I had a bit of catch up to do as I got in late last night and hadn't fuelled, but we all got away and it turned out to be quite lumpy from Howth all the way up.
I inadvertently seemed to be creeping ahead of the pack all the time, but the sweet spot on the engine is 4000 rpm and that gives me about 23 or 24 knots, and optimum fuel consumption, I was also trying to find a speed where the boat felt comfortable. Must have seemed very anti social of me to stay 400 yards ahead all the time, but I kept turning around to make everyone in the small boats floatilla was still moving.
Its extremely comforting to have Top Hat - the safety boat there with a lot of experience at the helm. You dont feel so vulnerable.
The two Highfield ribs seem to handle the chop well, I like their shape with the slightly upturned bow. They seem like a soft ride.
We pulled into Strangford Lough intending to raft up and eat lunch but the tide was rushing in, so we sort of drifted around a bit and ate lunch, then cracked on. Ran through a thunderstorm on the approach to Bangor, washed a ton of salt off the tubes and instruments
Was quite refreshing.
Thoughts so far on other pieces of my kit. Love the Garmin 750, wish its direct sunlight performance was a tad better but on the whole its been really good to use. The Gecko Helmet is absolutely brilliant. Just the fatigue reducing factor through windblast is such a plus. I wish I had the VHF hooked up to the ears in it, as I miss quite a lot of radio traffic with wind noise and the helmet being on, but its been a big hit with me on this trip.
The Tohatsu 90C has so far been great. It rumbles along - quite raspy, and sits happily at 4000 revs doing around 22 to 24 knots. Fuel consumption is OK at that speed, but push into 5000 rpm and around 29/30 knots and you can watch the gauge go down.
Tomorrow is an early start - 6.00 am - would be good to get some decent weather, and calmer seas, driving in chop is ok in a 10 metre rib but just lumpy and uncomfortable in Merlin.
Sula
Imogen
RIB Saffron
Clewless
