It’s been a couple of months since I last wrote anything… partying and then going away over Christmas kind of got in the way, and I’ve also had a very busy January at work. Added to this, I’ve had two friends ask me to help them move house in the past month (you know who you are! ), so this is probably the first genuinely free Sunday I’ve had for about… um… 8 weeks?
Anyways, looking forward to 2008 now… biggest thing that’s going to happen to me this year is probably going to be my niece / nephew who is due sometime in June… yep I’m going to be Uncle Pete!! And yes, I plan to spend as much time as possible in Andalusia ‘babysitting’ for my sis and my brother in law, what a shame!!
Gah… I also have Ive’s stag doo to plan this year, not to mention a best mans speech.. Lol. Need to get motoring on the stag do plans, only 3 months away…
In terms of New Years resolutions, I think the only one I’ve really made was ’sail as much as possible this year’ … already been out a couple of times at Millwall dock, and bloody hell the water is cold this time of year, even with a wetsuit!!
I’ve just spent the last weekend getting my RYA Level 2 sailing certification at the DSWC on Millwall Dock. It’s been a top weekend, whizzing around the dock doing various exercises – man overboard, mooring, following a course around bouys, follow the leader.. having to do my capsize drill again for the first time in about 8 years was a bit of a shock – b**dy hell Thames water is COLDD!! Also, the wind was gusting to god knows how many mph, so that was making things pretty interesting… a couple of the other students turned their boats turtle (i.e. capsized right over), which was fun to watch. Bit scary if the boat lands on top of you, though, I guess.
The course has got me all charged up about sailing again for the first time in about 15 years… and now I’m looking at getting into dinghy racing and having a go at a Pico or a Laser. Working up to skiff sailing, you see, in my dreams ha ha ha.
I’m also still thinking about getting more big boat experience – and possibly doing the RYA Day Skipper and Yachtmaster certifications. They do these at Docklands, but I’ve been told that it may just be easier (and more fun) to head down to the Solent and do the course in a week at one of the sailing schools down there. There’s plenty of well established schools round Port Solent and Southampton, like Sunsail. Talking with some of the people down at Docklands, it’s also apparently generally quite easy to get to be crew on random boats out of the Solent if you just head down there and hang around the docks a bit (especially during a big event like Cowes). A nice cheap way of getting bigger boat experience, though goes without saying you’re going to have to work for it.
So last week, after a company p*ssup involving much champagne on the top floor of our office, I decided to lose my balance and fall down the top flight of stairs. Result: One dislocated ankle and a whole weeks worth of hobbling and pain.
Needless to say, I decided not to go into work and decided to work from home instead. I was finding it difficult to sit down at my desk at home and work, as my ankle kept swelling up rather painfully during the day. A short trip to the Doc’s later and I was told I was doing all the wrong things. Apparently, I needed to:
i) Raise my ankle above the level of my torso.
ii) Get an icepack on it
iii) Compress the swollen area with a bandage
iv) Above all, stop putting my weight on it!
Taking this advice literally, I decided to re-arrange my home work area as above. I was lying on my bean bag when I took this shot. V comfy!
The ankle is now nicely healed, and swelling has gone right down. So remember, kids, next time you drink too much champers and fall down a flight of stairs, remember to apply RICE
It’s been a couple of years since Ed introduced me to the concept of sailing in London… no, not on the Thames, but in the old Millwall Dock, formerly the hub of the British trade empire, now home to skyscrapers, executive flats, and last but not least the DSWC, a rather cool not-for-profit trust-owned community sailing and watersports centre. I can’t emphasise what a great place this is – it’s basically non-exclusive, open to all ages and walks of life and funded by the trust and (I think) grant money. They also get local kids involved in the centre through their Youth Afloat program, so it’s really community facing.
But the real reason I go there is for the Twilight Sailing, which runs every Wednesday night over the summer. It’s an idea nicked from the Aussies – basically, you are all supposed to whizz round a sailing race course, downing a tinnie for each marker bouy you pass. This continues until sundown, at which point, in typical Aussie style, you all dock your boats and go have a massive barbie and get even more wankered.
Sadly, the public waterways laws over here are a bit stricter than they are in Oz, so instead of drinking out on the water, you just race your boats until sundown, then rush to the barbie and get pissed really quickly before closing, which is more the British style.
Still, it’s pretty cool sailing a boat on this massive dock, surrounded by the Canary Wharf towers and various other skyscrapers, as the sun sets behind the buildings, and you scramble to control the boat as another insane gust of wind nearly capsizes you. Yes, the presence of all those tall buildings makes for some very interesting wind patterns. Last night, me Ian and Chloe really thought we were going in the drink at several points….
Needless to say, the barbie is bloody excellent as well. And all this for 20 quid! It really is a great experience, and not the kind of thing you expect to be able to do in ole landlocked London.
I am now thinking of joining, and finally getting round to doing my RYA-1 and RYA-2 qualifications (been sailing since I was 11 without any qualifications at all!). They also do tidal / river sailing training, and the big Yachting qualifications as well.
However, I think ultimately I want to be able to learn how to sail one of these babies…. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the 49er, a rather quick and somewhat unstable 16 foot skiff…. bit of a bugger to control, as this video demonstrates…
I’m starting to get tired of London… quite a few of my best friends have moved out in the last 12 months or so, or are planning to move out. It’s amazing how a city changes when you start to realise that people you depended on for an impromtu beer or trip to the cinema are all dissapearing. Most of my friends are now scattered across the UK, Leeds, Cambridge, Hull, Liverpool, and it’s now the case that an impromptu visit often involves hopping in my car and battling your way through London traffic for an hour or so…
So my sis and brother in law live in Spain, and I have a few other friends out there as well. The other day, my sis dropped me an SMS saying she knew a manager in a British IT firm based out of Malaga, and they were crying out for British IT people. Also, as it’s a British firm, the ability to speak Spanish isn’t a prerequisite! The downsides? Well, the pay is rubbish, and it’s in Euros, so that is why they are having a hard time getting Brits in to work for them (mind you Spanish tax is only 12%). The upsides? Well, improved quality of life, sunshine, a chance to properly experience Spanish culture, and to live somewhere that’s completely different from London. Oh yes, and the chicas!
Seriously considering it… I’ve been spending a lot of time in Spain over the past few months, and as I have family out there, it is starting to feel somewhat home-like.
), so this is probably the first genuinely free Sunday I’ve had for about… um… 8 weeks?
