Messages

Merry Xmas Tony and a happy new year! Will pass on your email address to Dave Evans when i see him next week.
Kerne Bridge was hit but it was above the west flood arch (opposite last years strike!)and i had the TM on in hours and concrete barriers and scaffold in place within 2 days, all the stone was re-used and English Heritage was informed, HJS marked all the stone up so it was all replaced in original positions then dave roden got it rebuilt within 7 days!(10 metres of it!)just in time for xmas.
All the best for 2006! and enjoy your ski trip.
Kindest Regards
Rob

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Tony
Here in Australia with no luck of finding Todd.  Sail down to Auckland was very good to say the least with fair weather the majority of the trip. And I had a chance to use the sextant!  How's savusavu been treating you?  Better yet how's the Fiji Bitter?  I'll be returning the second week of January to continue work for the conservation society.  speak to you soon - james 

happy xmas and new year wishing you the best xx

Hi Tony,
Hope you have a good Christmas, really looking forward to seeing you in Feb.
Take care,
Ricky, Sue, Jamie & Jack.

Just to say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  We are off to Madeira on Boxing Day for New Year.
See you in February probably.
Anne

Hi Toney, glad to hear your shoes finally turned up. Hope you have a very Happy Christmas, don't get too much sun.See you in Feb

Rob Poulton
3 saddled is is good, give my best wishes to Dave, George, Graham and Gordon I could do with them here to help with getting cariad ship shape. Black Lion wier should have been paid for by the riparian owner of that section of the Dulas Brook, but if we had the money it does protect the bridge and has needed doing for years when we had no money. Could you ask Dave Evans to give me an Email on yachtcariad (at) yahoo.com

Simon France
Dont tempt providence?? so far your rudder ripair is holding up well and there was no sign of osmosis at the last inspection. Thanks for a good job.

Peter Kirby
Teeth are OK at present I am doing quite a bit of dancing which is good for the skiing musels and my general fitness is much better than it was when I left so should be all right.
The skid resistance of the road surface at the approach ot Kerne Bridge was way below the minimum specified by the DoT for trunck roads so if nothing has been done the accidents will continue.
Pity about the messenger the test pilot you had to fly it to Kembal would have got it down in one piece. See you and gill in 6 or 7 weeks time.
Tony

Hi Tony, just thought I'd drop you a line to say Merry Xmas. I read all your progress reports, mostly with envy, sometimes with terror, but always with interest. I'd love to have the guts to do what you are doing. I take my hat off to you. I'll raise a tost to you on Xmas day with a dram or two of malt whisky and wish you well for the new year.Take care.

Hi Tony, how are you?  Hope your toothache is better and you will be fit enough for your skiing holiday.
  We are all looking forward to seeing you in February.  Our weather here is still quite good.  We haven't had the bad winter we were forecast but there is still time.  Another hole has been put into your bridge. (Kerne Bridge).  Hereford Jarvis are cutting the new stone.  I think most of it fell into the river.
Heard from John Eagles the other day.  He is semi-retired and back at Oaksey.  He told me the Messenger broke a Con Rod and had to make a forced landing on the French/Belgium border.  Bent the under-carriage and broke a wing.  I don't think I shall be volunteering to rebuild it again.
  If you have the time and would like to pop down to the Club at Newport when you are here I would be pleased to take you.
  Well, have a super Xmas in Fiji.  We wil be going to the Till.  Take care.  See you in February.
Love, Gill, Peter and all the animals at Whitehall.

Just a quickie to say Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.
It seems like one of the few bits of kit that hasn't gone wrong is the RUDDER, must have been a good job...
Simon

Hiya tony, all i can say is im very impressed with the information that you churn out about your epic trip, makes a great read, also that you have had the balls to do it! Same old same old in hereford, id like to think youd be happy that i got 3 bridges saddled this year and have plenty more in the pipeline! Dave, george and graham are still grumbling on, but still cracking workers, god help us when they retire! Im sure your old work problems are deep in the past but i thought you may like to know that we finally got black lion weir rebuilt after all those years, dave roden did a cracking job, and i also got the old chaps(on the welsh side!)retaining wall rebuilt! (hes an ex merchant navy chap, lovely bloke and 86!, was moored up next to the s.s.great britain during the war in the falklands!)anyway hope everything holds together, and enjoy your ski trip in feb, kindest regards, rob. (p.s. dave evans is working for OW now)

Matt
That all sounds good on the holiday front. Sorry to pusth point about getting to Val Thorens, but you know I always have at least one day exploring and if i can do Val to Les Arc on skies in the day it will make my holiday. I hope Jo will be able to sort out a connection from the 5.35 train from Bourg San Morice - Aix on Les Bains to get me close to the resort. Are you up for a trip like this??
My Email is yachtcariad (at) yahoo.com.
Jo with spanners and screwdrivers sounds very dangerous.

Tony 

Tony

Just to let you know the holiday is all booked, there are 13 or 14 of us going now. Also you will be pleased to know Jo is is now a fully qualified Salomon ski technician! Hope all is well with you. Also could you give me your email address for your christmas card. By the way I have checked and Valmienier is only 17km away from the link into Val Thorens.

Matt

Erwin & Omera Zehnder yacht "SALIARA"

The zip for your stack pack appears to have arrived at Copra Shed let me have a forwarding address and I will send it on to you if I hear nothing it will stay in Rachels office.

Tony

Peter France & SWGC
I'm well away from the Christmass hype here the people are almost all church goers so it's probably how the UK was before world war 1. I feel a real fraud when you say I've done well when all I'm doing is boat maitenance and sitting around enjoying myself, but somebody has to do it. The weather here has gone good again though pretty hot, it seems that so long as the wind stays away from the north there is little chance of a tropical storm that can start to rotate (Cyclone). Best wishes to all the club members old and new and hope you get some wave during this winter.

Dave Howell & NUSC
It's a lazy time here much of it spent waiting for weather and boat parts. I hope to be back in the UK in February 2006 and expect to get down to the club to see you all. Hope the steelworks isn't making to much mess on the boats and that your parafin stove is OK you would all love the sailing around here the cruising is the best in the world with beautiful unspoiled ancharages and steady winds of 10 to 20 knots unless a Cyclone blows up then you have to find a hurricane hole. I have beefed up my mooring and believe it will hold in winds up to 70 knots but hope it doesn't get that strong.

Tony

Trip sounds fantastic (for those with the courage!). Best wishes from all at Newport Uskmouth Sailing Club, Wales

Hullo Tony. Just to say we haven't forgotten you. Your reports make rivetting reading, and we quietly envy you, but wouldn't have the courage to take on such a trip. Have a good Christmas, away from all the advertising. Watch out for a bloke with a wooden leg and a parrot - he is bad news. PF.

Tony, I saw my first Xmas pudding in the shops this week and my first thought was of you on you third portion on Xmas days, (quite impressive after 4 previous courses). Look forward to seeing you when we hit the slopes next Feb!

Jim James
I thought you'd like the purple padler. Hope you are keeping busy if not I can send Alwin a list of faults to look for and toys to make for Dylans little boy??


Peter Kirby
Have been a bit under the weather with a bad tooth and then a cold but it's over now. The weather here is 30 C and above with hot sun one minute and torrential rain the next. This has caused me to leave the boat with hatch open, result wet in the cabin. Jobs are coming along slowly but it's always 2 steps forward and 1 back as more maintainance comes up. Horrible dingy is back in use as the zodiac is out on loan to Omera who has big problems with her RIB inflation collar.
Glad I got through the Bay of Biscay in July before the storms built. Look after your selves and see you in February.

Tony

Hi Tony,

Thanks for photo of Waterborne Samoan Bridge Inspector. He be an asset to the Council.

All well here.

Good luck and best wishes.

Jim