Not one for tall tails

Artemis_C2121

Artemis_C2121

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 Dec 2006
Messages
570
Location
Cyprus
www.sailblogs.com
Now some of you have met me and know i am not one for telling yarns or taking the p***.

Yesterday we set off to Brightlingsea and a fine days sailing it was. Arrived early afternoon and after the Harbour Master assisted us to our space on the pontoon settled down in the sunshine having a beer watching the world AND a three legged squirrel go buy. Hold on!!!!!!! THREE LEGGED SQUIRREL.

A rapid check on the strength of the beer (4%)then down to the gally to count the empties (3). was so surprised well the pontoon is not collected to the land so not expecting to see a squirrel, didnt manage to get a pic.

Settled down once again enjoying the warmth of the sun and mulling over what I had seen when SWMBO shouts from below "there is a man going past on a bike" Knowing the pontoon is only 100 meters long I thiught i should i should have a look, low and behold pontoon is deserted. "not there on the other side"

Cant be thinks I its all wet on the other side best chect what she has been drinking but as i turned around a chap complete with cycling shorts, shirt, helmet passed the cockpit quickly followed but the Harbour master who shouted to us we think he is breaking the 4 knot speed limit.

Put the camera away settled down again with lots of un answered questions buzzing in my head, How did a squirrel get out here? did the guy on the bike give it a lift? how did it loose a front leg? did the guy on the bike run over it? do you really need a helmet when cycling on water? perhaps its the second coming and jesus has moved on with techno stuff? was just thinking I will not be able to sleep with all the un answered questions in my head.

Just when I had decided to go below SWMBO said is that a rat swimming over there, nop you guessed it it was the bloody 3 legged squirrel. S**t perhaps the guy on the bike was an exterminator. time for bed i need to sleep.
 
Nev

Thanks for that factual report.

Every one in St Kats think we have lost it as we have been laughing our selves silly reading it.

Would you think the the chap was practicing for the Tour de France?

Was he on a Water Raleigh Or was it a pedal steamer?:D
 
I've seen a squirrel on the pontoon before (last year) but wasn't close enough to count the number of legs on it.

If you'd seen the guy who drives his car between St Osyth and Brightlingsea Hard then you would have had the full set of 3 in 1 day and could have claimed your £15.

Mike
 
Whats the common link between:

a) a 3 legged squirrel

b) A bloke riding a bike on water

c) The Artemii?


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Answer: Nuts.
 
The life of a liveaboard ......... hmmmmmm, seems like a good, if rather odd one to me :D
 
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I had a chat with the cycling-on-the-water guy this evening, he was just converting his machine back into a boat having cycled from Clacton to St. Osyth by road, then to Alresford creek over the water, then back to Brightlingsea by road. I didn't envy him making the creek crossing, converting back to road form and then cycling home to Clacton all in the dark! An interesting bit of kit - water propulsion is effected by a sort of mechanical dynamo in which a propellor is driven by a cable from a wheel which is in contact with the rear tyre. The floats can also be inflated by pedalling.

Mike
 
Hello from the floating cyclist

Thanks for the write up Artemis_C2121, very good. :D

I'm interested to hear of a car doing the crossing, anybody know what it is?

Hello also to Tante_Helena, is that your bike in the picture?

I've got a recumbent as well http://uk.geocities.com/martin_renew2000/bike.html

Yes Mike, it was rather late when I got back. I did the Brightlingsea to Point Clear crossing in the dark and disassembled the kit by feel. I had the Land Rover with me to save a bit of time as I set out too late in the morning (or was it afterspoon?) so I just put the bike in the back still half assembled and drove home like that. Was intending to do the whole trip (Clacton to Wivenhoe) by human power alone but was rather late leaving home so used the Land Rover to get to Point Clear and only went as far as Alresford Creek as it was getting late by the time I got there.
 
Hi Floating Cyclist,

Yep, that's my recumbent trike (a Trice Q made by ICE). I often cycle over towards Walton/Harwich/Clacton so you may see me about now and again. I do about 1100 miles per month so am wearing my way through tyres and sprockets at a shocking rate. Cycling can be nearly as expensive as sailing!
 

Hi Floating Cyclist,
Hello,

Yep, that's my recumbent trike (a Trice Q made by ICE).
Ah, yes very nice. I might well have bought one of those if they'd had one in the shop when I went to buy mine. Have been back since and they did have one then. Asked to sit on it and found it very comfortable. Felt really good. Do you find being so low down a problem with cars/lorries and is the width sometimes a problem?

I often cycle over towards Walton/Harwich/Clacton so you may see me about now and again.
Haven't done yet. Yes, I like the Harwich ride too. Nice chips from the shop near the bike shop.

I do about 1100 miles per month so am wearing my way through tyres and sprockets at a shocking rate.
Wow impressive! Wish I had the time. I did cycle back to the shop once to buy some new tyres. Took the tent and used the foot ferry at Tilbury. Lovely trip apart from the hills near Brands Hatch!

Cycling can be nearly as expensive as sailing!
 
MikeBz said:
"Car" was an exaggeration, it's this: http://www.ctruk.com/charter.php (picture was taken at Point Clear by the look of it).

Mike
Click to expand...

Ha! Yes I see what you mean. I thought maybe it was a Dutton Mariner or something. I used to see those at kit car shows. I've got a kit car as well - I like unusual transport.
I've seen a 6 wheel vehicle that looks like that in a garden at Point Clear, no boat parts on it though. Maybe they are removeble or perhaps that was a different one.
 
Floating cyclist said:
Wow impressive! Wish I had the time. I did cycle back to the shop once to buy some new tyres. Took the tent and used the foot ferry at Tilbury. Lovely trip apart from the hills near Brands Hatch!
Click to expand...
Did you get your trike from Trikes 'n Stuff/Wheels NV (Ian Buck) then?

Trice Q is very comfortable and I don't feel at all bothered by being so low down; almost the opposite, I feel nice and safe as I'm not going to fall off. The width isn't an issue on the road, not usually on cycle paths (it's the same width as a wheelchair) but can be slightly irritating at times when taking trains. I just did a tour in Germany which involved taking eight trains in one day and I had a bit of faffage to get it onto one of the eight trains, although did manage OK.
 
Tante_Helena said:
Did you get your trike from Trikes 'n Stuff/Wheels NV (Ian Buck) then?

Trice Q is very comfortable and I don't feel at all bothered by being so low down; almost the opposite, I feel nice and safe as I'm not going to fall off. The width isn't an issue on the road, not usually on cycle paths (it's the same width as a wheelchair) but can be slightly irritating at times when taking trains. I just did a tour in Germany which involved taking eight trains in one day and I had a bit of faffage to get it onto one of the eight trains, although did manage OK.
Click to expand...

Sounds like fun.
I got mine from Future Cycles, Forest Row, East Sussex.

Have you seen this site? http://blog.nutsonbents.mail2web.com/
Some great pictures from around the world.
See Archives on right hand side of page.
 
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