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Down in Falmouth for 10 days. Went down to the Haven to watch Suhaili come in (all the way from St Mawes). Only a handful of people watching and most of those seemed to have little idea of what was happening!

Anyone else down to watch it the Parade of Sail?
 
It was on the local TV...

Can't see what all the fuss is about, the planet has moved on and men have been to the moon, flown supersonic and circumnavigated the globe in under 75 days almost fast enough to be home in time for tea.
 
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Sandy said:
It was on the local TV...

Can't see what all the fuss is about, the planet has moved on and men have been to the moon, flown supersonic and circumnavigated the globe in under 75 days almost fast enough to be home in time for tea.
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Easy... it's the sailing equivalent of a slow bicycle race
 
Needing a week off work and too tired to spend it working on the boat, we decided to spend a few days in Falmouth, hopefully feel inspired with a bit of ocean racing, see what was going on down at Falmouth Haven.
I can report very little, infact very dissapointing. Its as though either Falmouth has tried to play down the event or Macintyre has not bothered now that it is starting in France. I know a lot of people on this forum dont really care about this type of event. But for me it has inspired me since i was young, when the notice of race was first posted i seriously sat down and considered doing it, after reading the lengthy rule book decided that it was'nt for me. But a number of people have spent a great deal of time ,effort and money into getting to the start line. whatever their reasons i support them and wish the event itself to be a success. Unfortunately the event looks like it could have been organised by your local lions village fayre. There is nothing going on no jamboriee nada.
Its a shame for what is in theory a comemoration of an incredible achievement. I hope Vendee put on a better show.
 
lonederanger said:
Needing a week off work and too tired to spend it working on the boat, we decided to spend a few days in Falmouth, hopefully feel inspired with a bit of ocean racing, see what was going on down at Falmouth Haven.
I can report very little, infact very dissapointing. Its as though either Falmouth has tried to play down the event or Macintyre has not bothered now that it is starting in France. I know a lot of people on this forum dont really care about this type of event. But for me it has inspired me since i was young, when the notice of race was first posted i seriously sat down and considered doing it, after reading the lengthy rule book decided that it was'nt for me. But a number of people have spent a great deal of time ,effort and money into getting to the start line. whatever their reasons i support them and wish the event itself to be a success. Unfortunately the event looks like it could have been organised by your local lions village fayre. There is nothing going on no jamboriee nada.
Its a shame for what is in theory a comemoration of an incredible achievement. I hope Vendee put on a better show.
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The organiser wanted a lot of cash and in kind benefit from Falmouth / Cornwall, and in these times of austerity things like adult social care, housing, and infrastructure investment needed the cash in the face of savage Tory cuts to council budgets.

Cornwall only has about half a million population but our council tax has to provide the services to support the huge influx of tourists every year.

A tough call by Falmouth Town Council and Cornwall Council, but understandable.

It wasn't helped by the way the organiser basically tried to blackmail Cornwall in a very aggressive way.
 
Comrade Red said:
The organiser wanted a lot of cash and in kind benefit from Falmouth / Cornwall, and in these times of austerity things like adult social care, housing, and infrastructure investment needed the cash in the face of savage Tory cuts to council budgets.
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I suspect some from further east of this small island have no idea about the economy of the fringes.
 
I now have the digital download of "The Mercy" and watched it with my Wife a couple of nights ago at home. I saw it in the cinema with my Son when it was first released but it does warrant a second viewing on the small screen and we both enjoyed it, if enjoyed is the right word for such a sad story.

When my Son (age 25) and I were at the cinema in Cheltenham he observed that he had never been to a film with so many old people in attendance. I guess that the last couple of generations just think "Donald who" and give it a miss.

Richard
 
Sandy said:
I suspect some from further east of this small island have no idea about the economy of the fringes.
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I would hope this was not directed at me as i live in surrey, i expect very few of you take your missus on holiday and sleep in the back of an estate car.

Comrade reds quote probably hit the nail on the head , business men like macintyre wanting to make money out of it ruined it.
My point it is it is such a shame, it should be celebrated event not a damp squib. I will still follow it but i am far more interested in the french version longue route 2018, Any boat under 50 feet no rules no fees. David Arlot is competing who is a friend of mine spent alot of time with him in the caribbean.
 
lonederanger said:
I would hope this was not directed at me as i live in surrey, i expect very few of you take your missus on holiday and sleep in the back of an estate car.
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No not you, and I apologize if it was taken that way, more the big money people in London and the Solent that think sailing is about "lodsamoney".
 
The Rools indicate no electronic equipment/devices to be carried., and no electronic watches/clocks of any kind. They can, if they're canny, find a way to listen in to one or other of the MF/LW 'time tick' broadcasts. Failing that, quite how they'll keep an idea of accurate GMT for astro purposes remains to be seen.
 
zoidberg said:
The Rools indicate no electronic equipment/devices to be carried., and no electronic watches/clocks of any kind. They can, if they're canny, find a way to listen in to one or other of the MF/LW 'time tick' broadcasts. Failing that, quite how they'll keep an idea of accurate GMT for astro purposes remains to be seen.
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To quote Pvt Frazer from Dad's Army, "we'er doomed". How we navigated before then is a total mistery.

I've seen an appeal for cassette tapes, those old fangled music storage devices, for one of the participants! IS this allowed? Would 8 track (remember those) be more appropriate?
 
lonederanger said:
I know a lot of people on this forum dont really care about this type of event. But for me it has inspired me since i was young, when the notice of race was first posted i seriously sat down and considered doing it, after reading the lengthy rule book decided that it was'nt for me.
Click to expand...


I too followed it - but you must be really old (or if you were young you should have been locked up :) ) to have considered participating. My father and I followed every article, in The Observer (I think). It was light years away from, my, reality (living inland in Scotland) and to me was not much different now to travelling to Mars. Crowhurst and Teignmouth Electron really put a dampener on the whole adventure - and that story is hardly enlightening now.

It was the time of heroic achievements and first decent TV coverage, Old Many of Hoy, Harlin and Eiger Direct, Bonnington on Everest and Annapurna, Brown in Patagonia - nearly all of which had casualties.

But the reaction of most is 'Donald who?' or 'what Electron' but both are indelibly etched in my mind - odd things we remember?!

Re-tracing those steps - it takes certain kinds of people and I confess to have succumbed to many of the comforts of the 21st century. I cannot believe the participants are interested in any pageantry. I assume they are doing it 'because its there'.

All credit to them. I will be following their progress, as I also follow the Vendee (as I am sure there will be countless others, watching without fanfare and remembering the part that overwhelmed the achievement - and became the part they remembered most vividly).

Jonathan
 
There wasn't "nothing" on exactly. You could go and see the fleet for yourself at the Haven. You could meet Sir Robin at his book signing at the bookshop. There was a talk on his voyage and you could meet him in the Chain Locker. There were also private events like the cocktail parties and the dinner at the Cornwall Yacht club. There was also the fireworks display. The next day was the Parade of Sail and then the race started (1/2 hour early) off Pendennis point. Yes, it was low key but doesn't that suit a race where a high point is being out of contact with people for 300 days?
I thought the atmosphere irresistible which I compounded by arriving slightly late for everything just as it was finishing - including the start of the race. I was told it was very exciting.
 
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We were out today for the start. True to form they didn’t quite adhere to the published timings and the race was started 30 mins earlier. We had joined the parade of sail (after an early trip down to the Helford) which was fun (lots of boats trying hard not to hit each other whilst getting close to Suhaili). We decided to anchor for lunch before watching the start and then planning to follow them down to the Lizard. When we next looked up they had gone! So we decided to head off in the other direction. Conditions were perfect; F5, calm sea and lots of sun. Nothing beats Cornwall on a day like today.
 
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