Happy Christmas Everyboaty!

Now what could there be to report on the boat front in a dank and dreary December? Ah yes, there is another boat in our garden. We now have a matching pair of 12 foot clinker-built cat-rigged Overy One Designs. The only difference is that the rotten bits aren’t in the same place…. We are fondly imagining ourselves having one each and racing each other up and down Overy Harbour when we are in our dotage. When I mentioned this at the last meeting someone ( in whose effigy I am now sticking pins) suggested we already are in our dotage. Hmm.

So how many boats are there now in the garden? Just grabbing my wellies and going out to count…..

Brian has been to see Avocet in her muddy Lancashire berth to inspect the storm damage and pat her reassuringly on the bowsprit. I know she really wants to be in the garden with the other……seven.

E-mail from he-male: from Bob Legg

 You know when we run aground we claim we just wanted a brew up or a scrub. Well when the Navy Lark shout left hand down a bit and run the Arc Royal onto the putty the brew up and scrub excuses just don’t wash. They recently ran a destroyer onto an Australian rock (probably had the chart upside down) and a learner driver ran a nuclear sub onto a sandbank off Scotland ( charged with drunken diving ) and those are just the ones they admit to. The Lords of the Admiralty aren’t stupid so they have booked a cricket match on every sandbank during the festive period, so that when some drunken sailor runs aground they have a credible excuse. The Navy have so few ships left that they are not likely to interfere with our New Years day Boules match on the Gunfleet sands so I shouldn’t worry about it. Bob.

The last meeting …..

was uptairs because a party was taking place downstairs. Luckily for us they had too much food and we were invited to help them out. The conversation ranged from the vandalising of speed cameras to the Royal Navy’s navigation skills, the frog that turned up in our loo, the Deben bar (again), and magic moments afloat in 2002. (We were getting mellow by this time.) We also discussed what we might do for our early May meeting. Brian Bateman has invited us all to the Manningtree Sailing club for the night, meal included. Unfortunately the tides aren’t quite right for that weekend, being around 1300 or 1400 hours. Which would be easier to alter, the tides or the Bank Holiday??

New Years Year’s Day Boules match on Gunfleet Sands –

We are having a problem with the Royal Navy who want to have a cricket match on the same day. The Admiral who promised to come to our next meeting to discuss a possible combined cricket/boules operation ran aground on a traffic island and didn’t make it. The other problem is that if the Navy see our Silhouettes dried out on the sand they might try to do the same with their frigates/destroyers/aircraft carriers. I suppose we could always give them a lift home.