Special Events

For my 50th Birthday the family all clubbed together to buy me a day at Thruxton Racing circuit. They had a choice of cars to choose from but I am glad to say they chose the Lotus Elise.

The lotus is a very basic car inside, none of the little luxuries that you would expect to find inside a modern car. Its all about the engine and body, when driving it you can become part of the car and feel what its limits are. Thruxton is not a demanding circuit but does have some nice sweeping corners as well as a chicane on the last corner before completing the lap. Down the backstraight I was able to touch 120 mph.

The present consisted of a briefing then a couple of laps in a Rover MG just to show us the circuit and where the braking spots are. After that it was into the elise for the first three laps. My co driver was very good and was able to indicate exactly where I needed to position the car to get the best exit from the corner.

When we did the next three laps he did not intervene too much it was all about seeing what I had learnt. Safety is paramount and you are not on the track on your own there are many other cars. If you want to pass the car in front you have to do it safely. This may mean moving off the racing line but it has to be treated seriously.

After a short break we then did the remaining 6 laps in two batches of three. This time the co driver is scoring your driving. When we had finished it was back for a de-briefing on the day. The instructor was impressed with my driving and said I held maximum speed through the chicane.

I was presented with a certificate and was delighted to see that I had scored 81% which I was told was very good.  It was a fantastic day and one I shall remember for a long time.

50th Birthday for Sheila in a baloon ride

We are in a field just outside of Exeter. Before we can go up in the balloon we have to get it ready. It is laid out in a field to make sure it is not tangled. All the passengers are expected to help with this. There seems to be thousands of metres of material here.

Once it is all flat they can begin to inflate it. It was amazing to watch it slowly grow out of the ground. It is tied down so it cannot simply fly away.

We all climbed into the balloon basket, as you can see I was very excited by all of this. Doreen looks calm but I had the impression she was a bit nervous.

We are now ready to go, feeling very excited. I am quite surprised by how loud the burner is when the pilot turns it on. Very soon the basket starts to feel light and begin to move. This is it no turning back now.

Once we leave the ground we actually start to rise quite quickly. The hot air makes the balloon rise. Once the burner is turned off we remain stable for a while and then as the air cools we would slowly start to descend again.

The view from the ground is incredible to see something so big just rising effortlessly. I watch as it gets smaller and smaller.

It is time for me to go back to my car as you disapear into the distance. The direction the balloon will travel is decided by the wind so the owners will follow the balloon in their Ford Galaxy to be ready to bring everyone back once the balloon has landed.

HMS Roebuck - Inshore Survey Vessel - Joined my son in Ibiza

Constructed at Lowestoft by Brooke Marine, HMS Roebuck joined the survey fleet in 1986. Classified at a Coastal Survey Vessel (CSV) she is principally designed to survey the coastline of the United Kingdom, but is more than capable of operating overseas.

Roebuck is bigger than Bulldog and Beagle, measuring 1,477 tonnes in displacement with a length of 64 metres, a beam of 13 metres and a draught of 4 metres. She had a complement of 51 and is unarmed. Powered by two Mirrlees Blackstone diesels she has a speed of 14 knots. She carries two survey motor boats and a Land Rover.

In 1998 Roebuck's white hull was repainted grey while her pennant number changed from 'A130' to 'H130', furthur signifying the integration of the hydrographic flotilla into the front line surface fleet.

 

I was very lucky when Gary invited me to join him in Ibiza and sail home on this ship.  There were a few other officers who had family on board but they were all fathers.   

Blue Nose Certificate

 

 

5th July 1973 - Crossed into the Arctic Circle

 

 

24th August 2008 - Crossed into the Arctic Circle while visiting Iceland