RIGGING OUT SUPPER

Saturday 26th April

All photos Jo Edye

 

There is no question that Ranworth village hall is a really lovely venue for our season launching get together, but there is also one thing you can almost guarantee as well - the microwave will fail. Cannibalising another appliance for its 13a fuse got the machine running again, but not for long. With 40 odd potatoes to bake and an oven with limited capacity this was no time for panic, so abandoning the new-fangled machine the spuds were baked in the traditional way which didn't overly delay the food service. They'll be installing an air fryer next, the charlatans.

Jamie's little bar was doing a roaring trade as the 44 of us gathered to hear tales of winter maintenance, the dry winter and it's deleterious effect on some of the wooden boats and the news of Nick's retirement from running Grebe boat repairs. The food was served and it was very good indeed, I can't remember all the dishes on offer, but Glyn's chilli was excellent as was the sausage casserole, there were a variety of salads and, of course, the baked potatoes with plenty of butter.

After dinner we all settled down to listen to Ian and Fiona's adventures on their circumnavigation aboard Asante. It was a riveting tale, and all those who weren't washing up (sorry Cally and Ruth!) enjoyed it a good deal. It was accompanied by some excellent photos and also videos, of which the ones of the big swells on the Pacific were almost enough to incur seasickness in those watching them. There were many areas where imaginative solutions were needed, such as the complex issues of re-cycling on remote islands and  the limited food buying options needing serious resourcefulness of the catering team (Fiona). What came across most was just the vast distances that were being  covered, this meant a water maker was imperative so as well as having to run a generator and the engine a good deal of diesel was needed. I forget the overall amount of Diesel that Asante consumed on the voyage (Ian did mention it) but it was A LOT! But they avoided piracy,  navigated the Panama canal, visited the Galapagos Islands, survived umpteen customs inspections and saw wonders beyond compare. It was the trip of a lifetime.

I remember talking to Ian when they were first planning, and I asked him what he was looking forward to most about the trip. 'Coming home!' he said. Well, he's almost home now, just the refit in Cape town and a couple of thousand miles to go.

And so the evening ended, another lovely start to our season on the rather smaller cruising grounds of the Norfolk Broads!

See you on the water!

Jo Edye, Sun Glory II