Wednesday 23 July 2014

Summer time, and the living is easy

This has to be the longest consecutive period I've ever continually set
off for work in the morning with short sleeves and no pullover to fall
back on, whistfully wishing I could bring myself to wear shorts to the
office. There is nothing stopping me doing so except my own dignity. We
let the staff wear what they please, within reason. Shorts are within
reason, and they're all evidently a lot more sensible than me.

As a youngster out in the Middle East, I was a skinny wretch and
didn't seem to feel the heat, so that doesn't count, but the UK has
never before offered me as much balmy heat and humidity in one go.
Either that, or the middle aged spread that hangs heavy on me now at 10
stone is causing me to feel it more.

I'm not complaining. I'm a creature of the sun and love the warmth. I
resent only that I'm caught stuck in an office, looking out at the blue
skies beyond my window. And that I'm not wearing shorts.

Not sailing tonight, though would have loved to. But have to get
everything set for the off on Friday morning. Which means making sure my
sailing gear is both clean, accounted for and packed ready to go. Still
early days but the weather looks set to continue into the weekend, so
will make certain I have a few pairs of shorts, swimming gear and a
spare towel.

I'll also make certain to pack a fleece or two plus my wet weather gear.
Don't care what the forecast suggests, this is the UK after all.

Tides look great. New moon and spring tides, rising into the evening.
It's hard to take Cornish tides seriously coming from the Severn as we
do, but we shall. The Fowey has quite a tow on it, and even a couple of
knots of adverse flow can make quite a difference when your crusing
speed is what, at a guess, a little under 3kts if that?

Friday has a light easterly, which will make Polkeris a lee shore, but I
don't think there's enough wind to make that too much of a concern, so a
trip around Gribben Head in the afternoon for a pint and maybe lunch at
the Rashleigh Inn sounds like a fine plan.

Saturday has next to no wind, but high tide is just before 7pm. Dad
doesn't have the patience for drifting so I'll have to consign myself to
the drone of the outboard. We've never made it as far up the Fowey as
Lerryn, though that's always been an ambition. So Saturday morning into
Fowey town, followed by a potter up river to the Ship Inn at Lerryn for
the evening. It's an exceptionally pretty river.

Sunday the wind fills back in, veering into the north. Polperro is a few
miles east of Fowey, a proper Cornish harbour and I think the first pub
in that direction. We'll be in the shelter of the land each way, so I
think it's probably achievable; would love to do it but will depend on
how Dad feels as the weekend progresses. His stamina is the arbiter of
what's possible, and it's a thing I find completely impossible to
anticipate or predict.

No plans for Monday. The forecast is suggesting winds light and falling,
but it's a long way out yet. We'll be packing up to come home at the end
of the day, but maybe another trip out to Polkeris or over to Lantic Bay
or even chase the rising tide up river for lunch at Golant.

Anything is possible, can't wait. The only thing fixed is that I have to
be packed, prepared and ready to set off for Cornwall at 7am Friday
morning. Really looking forward to it.

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