Dinghy cruising a Welsford navigator - elusive cetaceans part 2

 part two video found here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNh7s8VCNBM&t=363s

Bereft about 'Stanford's' in London

 Bereft…

Surely it cannot be only me who feels bereft at the news that the London Store ‘Stanford’s’ may be forced to close its doors forever before 2020 ends. 

I know this has nothing to do with dinghy cruising but this news is akin to a sucker punch to the ribs for me, as I sit here surveying our travel wall and shelves. Here, hang hats from various countries, a Thai house for our house spirits to reside in, a seed pod from The Gambia, a tiny coke tin from Costa Rica. Photos adorn the stair well walls of our travels - our epic New Zealand Grand tour, the four weeks exploring Namibia, the five weeks self-driving Costa Rica. The Beijing underground railway travel passes hidden behind lava from Etna and some pumice from Vesuvius. From climbing Kilimanjaro and crossing the Serengeti to canoeing the River Gambia and horse back riding across the wild hills of the inland border regions between The Dominican Republic and Haiti, what links all these artefacts, photos, maps, journals and travel guides is one thing. That one thing they all have in common, they all started as an idea dreamed up from a visit to Stanford’s.

From the Caribbean to China and Thailand

Our journeys all start from inspiration gained at Stanford's Of London and Bristol 

Every map, every guide book, even the little journal I write my notes in now (a sweet A5 lined notebook with an antique Latin map of the world as its cover – one of eight others which grace my work desk – a record of our notes and ideas, dreams and aspirations spanning the last few decades) – all have come from Stanford’s.

The London Stanford’s has always been my go-to place when visiting our capital. When completing my part-time Master’s at the Institute of Education, no weekly visit to that place of academia was complete without me calling in at either the RGS map room, Foyles bookshop or Stanford’s.  I would run at 3.30pm when school finished (I could run quite fast in those days) the two miles to the railway station to catch the ‘earlier’ train up to Victoria. That train would give me a precious two hours before my evening course started, in which I could head for one of my three most favourite places in the city.

One of our many, many,  book shelves given over to maps, guides, travelogues and travel literature 

And is it only a year ago that I was sat on the floor at the Bristol branch with maps and guide books strewn around me – covering South America and the West Coast of the USA – maps of all types, scales and detail; obscure maps of national parks, travel writing books by American authors? Where I scribbled copious notes and ideas for two epic retirement travel tours covering Peru, Bolivia and Chile and then South Western USA? To be surrounded by shiny hardbacks, softbacks, maps of all sizes, scales, shapes and colours, racks of OS maps, shelves dedicated to the cycle trails across Europe or walking the Camino de Santiago (both still on the list of things to do before I reach sixty).

Where else can you sit for hours whilst other shop users step over or skirt around you, completely at ease with your domination of acres of floor space, each one greeting you with that knowing smile, twinkly eyes and quick wink. All complicit in your hogging of space, for they understand, they have been there, they ARE there – for that sense of awe, wonder, intrigue, inspiration, quest and sense of adventure.

Our planned seven week self-guided exploration of Peru, Bolivia and Chile put on hold by unrest in South America; our planned six week self drive exploration of south west USA, cancelled due to Covid; our planned seven week backpacking Interrail tour of Europe - on hold because of covid.

All these itineraries and plans, started out on the shop floors of Stanford's in London and Bristol 

Yes, sense of adventure. Stanford’s is my London bolt-hole, a place where I can dream, gain sanity, reflect on the changing world, gain perspective and plan, yes plan, those little adventures that have been so much part of our family lives. And yes, perhaps in recent years, a visit to Stanford’s has been an attempt to rekindle that adventurous spirit I had when I was in my twenties and that I feel I have now lost.

My, our, first steps to an adventure have always started at Stanford’s or with something purchased from Stanford’s. Not just maps and guide books, travel writing or notebooks but inflatable globes (to be left in schools in The Gambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia and Thailand). Or our collection of travel games – Scrabble, Bananagrams, The British Railway game, our travel chess and draughts boards – all from Stanford’s.

The old Stanford's in Covent Garden - my bolt hole and refuge from the chaos of the world around me

And what a place the London Stanford’s is. Over 160 years of history from when it was first established by Edward Stanford in 1853. The roll call of adventurers who have used the place as their first port of call for planning an adventure – Amy Johnson, David Livingston, Robert Falcon Scott, Ernest Shackleton, Florence Nightingale, Ranulph Fiennes, Bill Bryson, Michael Palin and Levinson Woods. How many of these have been my exploration heroes, how many of their books have I read and pored over down through the years? To walk in their steps, to reach for maps off shelves where they once stood?  

A sense of history that saw the first shop through two world wars, where its founders became royal cartographers to queens and kings, where Argentinian diplomats bought up all the stock of maps of the Falkland’s months before that war started, forcing the British Army to become reliant on captured enemy maps during the conflict. Where Michael Palin started his travel career and ‘Around the World in 80 days’ – that shot of him starting the journey from leaving Stanford’s.

Stanford’s has been, is, a much-loved vital part of our travel landscape, the world’s biggest map retailer, an organisation that prides itself on the depth and range of its stock. If you can’t find the map you want at Stanford’s then the reason is simple – it was never published in the first place!

Stanford's 1901

2020 has decimated the travel industry. As Covid 19 has spread, practically uncontrolled in many parts of the world, travel has been all but impossible. The world has become paralysed but like many of our businesses, taxes, rent, wages have not. Footfall and income to the London store has dropped away to barely anything and the shop faces the real threat of closure before the end of the year. This joyful, tranquil retreat in the chaos of London, where adventures are dreamed of or planned will be lost forever and I cannot believe that I am the only outdoor enthusiast and armchair explorer who will deeply regret its demise.

There is a life line. Stanford’s has been given it by the Mayor of London’s ‘Pay It Forward Crowdfunder Initiative’ – a project to help stricken businesses across the city. Donations from £5 will get the donor a reward from the shop should its target of £120,000 by Spring 2021 be reached, when Stanford’s hope that the travel industry will be up once again and people travelling once more.

I cannot help every single business facing the prospect of closure. I will do all that I can to help local businesses on my local high street throughout the impact time of this pandemic. I buy books online from small book businesses, I shun the Amazon’s of this world.

And, I will definitely donate to the Crowdfunder to save the London Stanford’s. I may only visit it once very couple of years, but there has never ever been a time when I have visited London when I have not ended up sat on its floor surrounded by maps and travelogues, guide books and journals, dreaming of adventures and explorations to come.

It is, and always will be, my place of refuge from the chaos of life, my source of inspiration, curiosity and wanderlust – a place where I see the detail of our amazing planet, where I plan new adventures to witness changing life and nature across our varied continents, where I can plan to meet old friends and create journeys to make new ones.

Moved just around the corner - the new (above) and the old (below) Stanford's of Covent Garden, London

When I started this post, I apologised for it having little to do with dinghy cruising. But, I have come to realise that actually it does. For dinghy cruisers are small boat adventurers. 'Adventure' doesn't have to be found only on epic journeys to far flung places. It is found in our backyards, our national parks, our countryside, our rivers and coastlines and yes, even our cities too. If you are a true adventurer blessed with an exploratory, inquisitive, adventurous nature, then please donate if you can.

https://payitforward.london.gov.uk/support-stanfords

https://payitforward.london.gov.uk/support-stanfords

Williamson and me

The summit of Mount Kilimanjaro 1991

Guide books and maps.....from Stanford's of London! 

Living close to a magical coastline

 I am lucky. I am a short car ride or bike ride way from a beautiful coastline. It's majesty and raw power are best seen during the autumn months when the sun is lower in the sky, the winds are stronger and the autumnal colours give a richness to the seascape. 

If during lock down I cannot sail this stretch of coastline, then I may as well walk it. 

Looking out towards the tombolo that is Burgh Island with its art deco hotel

No Surfers this morning but kite surfers are making the most of the empty waters on Bantham beach.

Looking westwards beyond Burgh Island. Between the two headlands on the horizon lies Plymouth Sound

The red sand beaches at Thurlestone

When it starts to get gusty! 

Looking eastwards towards the headland of Bolt Tail and the little villages of Outer and Inner Hope Cove

Looking northwards up across the lower stretch of the river Avon. 

Looking back towards the entrance to the river Avon

We have bought a motorhome

 Well our USA grand tour got cancelled due to Covid. Our south America tour never got off the starting grid. 

We managed to get all our money back, even from Virgin Atlantic! 

We part exchanged 'Florrie' our wonderful caravan and bought 'Bryony' our new motorhome. If we can't travel globally, we may as well tour our own country and European neighbours when circumstances allow. 

'Arwens Meanderings' is primarily a sailing blog. Occasionally I have posted about our international travels. 

Our adventures in Bryony will be the subject of a new blog. If you are interested, you can follow and subscribe to it here at https://wherenexthun.blogspot.com

The next lock down

 Well the new lock down has put paid to my forthcoming plans for an autumnal overnighter trip to Salcombe from Plymouth Sound. I had hoped to sail along the coast, and then do two nights, one up at Kingsbridge and one at Frogmore Creek. During the day between the two, I had hoped to sail eastwards along the coast to Prawle Point and perhaps a little further beyond that as well. 

At the moment, there is no guidance forthcoming on the pages of the Plymouth Harbour Commission. Last time, they stopped all boating on Plymouth Sound. 

Neither has the guidance been updated on the RYA site.

I know that the responsible thing to do is to actually not go sailing. In that way I do not create any risks where people may have to come and rescue me or give me first aid help. 

Ah well. I will have to contend with writing a few more articles for various websites. There are a few maintenance jobs to do on Arwen. I want to measure her and buy a new proper tent for her in the New Year sales. 

There are a few summer trips I can do some provisional planning on as well. 

I also have the wood downstairs to build a Kentucky Stick Chair for the garden and I'll post the building log here. 

Take care everyone. To my New Zealand friends, enjoy your sailing summer and post plenty of pictures for us on the Dinghy Cruising Association FaceBook forum. 

If you are a member of the Dinghy Cruising Association, look out for my forthcoming articles in the next few journals,  listed below:

• Creating your own sailing vlogs parts 1 and 2
• Constructing a traditional sailor's ditty bag

See you on the other side of lock down folks. Stay safe and well. And to my American friends, I hope common sense prevails and the election goes the way you want it to!

Steve 

Dinghy cruising a welsford navigator looking for elusive Cetaceans

 https://youtu.be/q_ItFoblk4g

Part 2 to follow next week. 

Enrico in Italy - Miravar 2020

 is off on a raid - all the details here 

http://miravarvoile.blogspot.com/

and here is the taster video - looks a great sailing area

https://youtu.be/yEPXqgJXsQs

That guilty feeling...

 So I was late out feeding the garden critters this morning - talk about hard stares! Oh the guilt and to cap it all, squirrel Nutkin decided to show his displeasure by biting off the stems of the sunflowers so that they collapsed onto the veg box , from where he could attack the heads. 

Ever watched a squirrel try and carry a 2' long piece of sunflower stem with head up 32 garden steps? A hilarious start to breakfast outside at the coffee table. 

Searching for Minke Whales

 Snatching a day on the water tomorrow. High tide at 11.08 am 4.5 m.  Winds backing from NE around to WSW during the day with general winds around 3 - 7 kts and gusts around 8 - 12 kts. Visibility will be good all day and cloud will build during the day. Sea state will be smooth to slight. 

I'm aiming to sail around to Whitsand Bay, to the west of Rame Head and then anyway a few miles off shore eastwards towards the Great Mewstone near Wembury Bay. I'm hoping that the tuna, dolphin and gannets will still be around.

Launching from QAB, I'm hoping to be on the water by 0730 and I will actually motor out across the sound as winds will be very light at that time of the morning.  

One of the aims tomorrow is to shoot a considerable amount of B roll footage for future vlogs. I never get time on a sailing trip day to just do simple things like shooting the raising and dropping of sails etc. So, once clear of the breakwater I will spend some time filming different aspects of sailing Arwen and getting the close ups of various aspects of boat work.  

I might also go over to Cawsand, anchor off the beach using either the beach buddy bungee or rigging a simple pulley system through two anchor and grab myself a coffee if the hotel cafe terrace is still open. 

I'm not planning on actually creating a vlog from this trip tomorrow though. 

Let's hope I spot lots of reeling diving gannets over a shoal of tuna being chased by a pod of cetaceans.  

UPDATE

A very early start - launching on the ramp at 06.30. An omen of the day was watching two blue trailer rollers suddenly drop off the trailer as I drove it back up the slipway. They rolled the length of the slip but I was able to retrieve them. An inspection of the trailer shows that all the split pins and discs which hold the rollers on their bars have corroded away - so today I must source 16 discs and 8 split pins asap!

The predicted 7 kts winds never materialised. It was gentle winds or no wind at all all day. Still a bad day on the water is better than a day teaching in school....especially under the current circumstances. 

Frustration doesn't sum up the day. After a quick glimpse of a small dolphin just off Rame Head, nothing for a couple of hours. Two sunfish, another dolphin.

And then an extremely frustrating hour - four miles off shore drifting along in the tidal currents eastwards towards Whitesand Bay I could hear several 'blows' of whales. Despite the sea state being smooth, I couldn't see anything. And then a two second glimpse of a large back in the distance just past Rame and that was it.  

Several hours later light wind sailing and drifting about and nothing. 

But at least I know why - wrong time and wrong place - they were all partying off Fowey.

Enjoy Lone Kayaker's blog - he is a clever, clever man. 

https://thelonekayaker.wordpress.com/2020/09/11/there-she-blows-minke-whale-and-tuna-and-dolphins-and-porpoises-off-fowey/

In the meantime, I'm off to the local trailer parts supplier. This afternoon is earmarked for some trailer maintenance!

Minor tinkering

 I've been tinkering with the sprit boom. Two smaller blocks and 4mm halyard thickness for the snotter. I have also rechecked the position of the snotter attachment on the mast and have put in two positions - the original fixed one and above it a rope lashing that can slide up and down the mast. 

We will see if these minor adjustments help next trip out.