Jul 16, 2005 - 1400hrs UTC │Lymington

1400hrs 16 Jul 2005 UTC Lymington

Some more pics from last w/e on theBeaulieuRiver.

 

 

 

 

 

There’s been a small drift towards the pear shaped. ICOM have found that the main processor in the HFHigh Frequency – usually refers to HF radio which is long range digital radio that Berrimilla used to send all but a few of the logs on both circumnavigations. The radio was connected via a Pactor 3 digital modem to Alex’s laptop and used the Sailmail software application called Airmail to send emails and pull in emails, weather and GRIB files. Airmail also supports Iridium satellite telephone messaging and Alex used this as backup when the HF radio died approaching England. transceiver has failed – and they don’t have a spare in theUK- and it takes a month to get one fromJapan. Mildly outrageous – they are trying to find one in Europe and if they can’t I’m going to get serious and ask for a new radio because it is still under warranty and – as both the 30 amp and the 6 amp fuses were intact – I don’t see how it could be anything but a fault in the processor rather than something we have done to it. Otherwise, it’s a real showstopper. I have also spoken to Marc inSydneyin case we need to try to get one from there in a hurry. I’m kicking myself for not making a bigger effort inFalmouthto find an ICOM expert, but that’s life.

Not much else to report – it is as hot as a summer’s day in Sydney and all the Poms are out with lots of bare red skin and the roofs of their convertibles down. We are so used to the message in Oz that it comes as a bit of a shock – as does the number of people who smoke and those who have dogs. More than the sheep in NZ!  Pete has taken Siobhan and about 100 of her friends out toAlumBaynear the NeedlesA row of three distinctive stacks of chalk that rise out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight, UK. The Needles lighthouse stands at the end of the formation. (where the coloured sands come from) for a jolly in Berri and we’re all meeting this evening to go to Chequers – see previous sitrep.