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Why is it that people always say that they are busier than ever when they retire? Probably because you save up so many tasks and pleasures for that time, that when the moment finally presents itself, it’s really easy to overcommit; hence, one is busier than ever! It's not that I am complaining; I like waking up with a plan.
It was difficult, if not nearly impossible, to move boats into winter storage last month, so it seemed like a good plan to take a break from the grey and head for warmer climes.
Hence, once the solicitors and accountants had completed their work, paving the way for Heather and Steve Dennett to take over the reins at HSC, I discarded my Wellington boots and set off to Greece for a thoroughly enjoyable week of relaxation.
I couldn't be more delighted to take a step back and hand over my role to such capable successors. With their wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm, and experience, they will continue to serve HSC customers' needs with alacrity.
More of wellies later … first I have to recount something of our return to Pylos in the Peloponnese region of Greece. We had dropped in there by boat for an enchanting day last summer and thought at the time that it was well worth a return visit during which we could explore and enjoy this area more thoroughly.
A boat was always going to be a must, when surrounded by azure seas and golden beaches just asking to be explored, as Pylos is on the bay of Navarino.
Historians among our readers will know that the battle of Navarino was the last battle to be fought with sailing ships made of wood, as this was just before the adoption of iron hulls with steam engines.
Interesting, for a contemporary visitor, is also the fact that the British fleet under Admiral Codrington fought alongside the French and Russian (yes Russian) fleet to annihilate the Ottoman fleet who had a few Egyptians along to help swell their numbers.
Every year the Greeks celebrate the victory of the Allies over the Ottomans as they claim that this enabled the birth of modern Greece.
The two hundredth anniversary will be celebrated in 2027 on October 20th, and if the annual celebrations are anything to go by with their grand reenactment complete with fireworks and folk dancing, 2027's commemoration will be a fine event.
When I returned from Greece, Heather and her family took a well-deserved trans-Atlantic break on the emerald isle of Saint Lucia.
As you would expect we nautical folk can't stay off the briny for long, and so it was that Heather and her motley crew explored the pirate coves around Marigot Bay.
Just a couple of weeks after our trip to Greece, we re-encountered the aforementioned Admiral Codrington while visiting Versailles.
Napoleon was very keen to walk in the steps of a long line of King Louis but met his match when confronted with British might on sea and land.
Whether the French outshone the British with their opening ceremony at the Olympic Games this summer I will leave you to decide.
Certainly there was a lot more water involved, both falling from the sky, which was a pity, and flowing through the ceremony along with the Seine. All the boats carrying the athletes through a series of riverside tableaux had been electrified in one way or another. However the star of the show was undoubtedly Zeus - the metal horse - on display at the 'Horse in Majesty' exhibition at the Château de Versailles when we visited last month, reflecting the fact that all the equestrian events of the Olympic Games took place within the Château's grounds.
Further on in the exhibition I was particularly struck by the artist John Collier's depiction of the 11th-century Lady Godiva's ride through the streets of Coventry naked on horseback. Her mission was the result of a challenge to her husband, Leofric, Earl of Mercia, who wanted to impose oppressive taxation on the local populace.
A daring political statement indeed, albeit, no more shocking than some of the pantomime surrounding the most recent US elections, dare I say.
The part of the exhibition I liked best was the hippocampi.
In Greek mythology these mythical creatures were the fishtailed horses of the sea. Some believed them to be the adult form of the small sea horse. Poseidon, god of the sea, drove a chariot drawn by these creatures.
The exhibition was indeed very interesting and impressive and well worth our time. Unfortunately it closed its doors at the beginning of this month.
While we were gently bronzing and enjoying our time away, the rain continued to ruin any autumnal boating here in the UK.
The Pure Boating team found it impossible to repatriate our hire fleet, not to mention the many private boats that wished to come in for safe storage over the winter. Watching the EA website became an obsession, even on holiday.
Finally, last week Regine was looking forward to a gentle trip upstream with a couple of our electric hire boats and had even packed a flask and a snack to make a day of it! It's a good job she now has her skipper's ticket and a few hours of experience as the river was extremely hairy, and the lock keeper at Benson was rather surprised to see anyone on the river, albeit in wellies and bright orange buoyancy aids. "What were we doing travelling upstream on red boards, and how far were we intending to travel in the rain?" she wondered. (Sorry ma'am, it wasn't raining when we set off!)
We were heading for Benson Waterfront and its slipway, where the ordeal was due to pause, while we headed back downstream to collect another pair of abandoned Scoops. Leaving Andrew and Eric to slip the boats, we decided to abandon another round of beating upstream in favour of drying out and attempting a second journey once the red boards turned to yellow.
One of the reasons for passing over some of my HSC responsibilities to Heather Dennett was to have more time to travel and pursue other interests. Inevitably many of these are in fact associated with my lifelong passion for all things nautical.
Hence I found myself signing up enthusiastically for a visit to the headquarters of the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute) in Poole, organised by my livery company.
Our group was given an in-depth tour of the training facilities offered to lifeboat crews, including the impressive simulator where one of our Shipwrights managed to spectacularly crash the lifeboat without ever reaching the sinking ship!!!
Believe me, steering any kind of boat in stormy seas with a gale blowing is not for the faint-hearted. And posing as a crew member during this exercise made me feel truly seasick. So I shan't be signing up any time soon to join the ranks of the incredibly brave volunteers who risk their lives on a regular basis for members of the boating public and professionals alike.
During a visit to the northeast a few weeks ago, it was interesting to hear about the all-female lifeboat crew based at Cullercoats. The women operate a B-class inshore lifeboat, most recently launched on October 22nd (this year!).
One of the highlights of our Poole visit for me was being able to view the lifeboat manufacturing facility based on-site. You may not realise that the amazing RNLI vessels are actually built and maintained right there at the RNLI HQ.
Crew members have to know how to maintain their own systems and engines so we saw at close hand the workshops used by tutors on site for this kind of training in mechanical engineering.
I mentioned several years ago during a visit to the Poole boat show that I had stayed at the RNLI College for the duration of the show.
If you get a chance to go and stay there, make sure to book a tour. With luck you may also get to see lifeboat crews training in the pool in which giant waves and storms can be created.
The following day we got to visit the home of the Special Boat Service. ForcesNews.com describes the SBS as the maritime counterpart to the SAS. They form small teams that undertake daring undercover raids.
We were incredibly privileged to talk to some senior members and to learn about their vessels and their activities. To say more would put me on their hit list so for once I shall leave it at that.
When I returned to the office after all these adventures, it was time to roll up my sleeves again.
I was asked to value 'Lady Valletta' for probate, a service which sadly I am often asked to perform. Finding a new owner for a boat in such cases slightly takes the sting out of the transaction for the family for whom a boat may simply represent a burden.
When viewing 'Lady Valletta' in Chelsea Harbour, I found that she represents amazing value and a superb opportunity for someone who fancies owning a Bates Starcraft and doesn't mind taking on a project.
She is 45ft long and in need of some TLC after more than two decades of ownership under a really lovely lady who has recently passed away. Her family have entrusted the sale of 'Lady V' to HSC, so please give us a call if you think this might be something that you could be interested in.
Heather is very excited at the prospect of adding a new section to the HSC website for ‘projects’. This filter will make it easier for those looking for a bargain and ready for a hands-on challenge to find boats that need a bit of a spruce-up. Perfect for anyone eager to embark on a rewarding restoration journey!
A well-known Dunkirk Little Ship will also soon feature in the 'projects' category, so keep an eye on our website for first dibs.
If the project idea is more than you have time for, then do bear in mind that 'Rajdhani' is still available and in prime condition. She can be viewed in Chichester.
HSC's new owners are very experienced in the restoration, care and maintenance of these lovely StarCraft. Indeed they were responsible for the fab galley and heads on 'Raj' (as she is affectionately known), as well as the addition of two new diesel engines and a whole lot more ...
In our next newsletter I will be writing a short obituary for an interesting and unusual woman by the name of Victoria Fash, who, during the period of her life when she lived in the UK, had a selection of 5 lovely boats.
