Messages

Tony, Hope you are well and weather still OK.  We are having a wet spell at the moment.  Flood warnings out for the Severn and Wye.  We have had some gale force winds also, with gusts up to 100mph for Scotland.
  In the paper this morning 3 Trimarans capsized in the Bay of Biscay during racing in the Transat Jacques Race from France to Brazil.  All crews were rescued thanks to RAF Nimrods from Kinloss and Sea King from Chivenor who found the boats and directed French rescue boats.  The rescue was co-ordinated through Falmouth Coastguards and Kinloss.
Dame Ellen MacArthur in a single hull was ahead in the race and was OK.  Something to be learned here perhaps?  Thought you may be interested in this bit of nautical news.
The Captain called in today and wanted your news.  He said he is very envious of you but would rather be on a 15,000 tonner.
We are all OK here.  Gill sends her love.
  Speak to you again.
      Peter

Jo Brown
You’ll soon be whizzing down the slopes so go find one of those half pipe snow filled stream beds and have some fun. Hope you get a good resort with decent off piest, a swimming pool where the beer is good and white wine is cheap and bubbles.
We had a real good bonfire night Saturday which as one of the few brits I had to organize. Never had a bamboo bonfire before, it burns very hot and if you put on unsplit logs they sort of explode adding to the fireworks which were set off by a Kiwi with a local Fijian helper. It was Divaly (Hindu festival of lights) on 1/11/05 but our fireworks were better co-coordinated and choreographed. The Guy was made mostly by Omera from Columbia and her small son Chagi, it was so lifelike that the yanks who had not heard my lecture on 16^th century English history were asking what the burning man was all about. A couple who were sat at the back came over as the fire was dying and said it was very good and as they were from South end on Sea they should know a good bonfire when they see one.
Text me when you get your assignment if it’s a resort I can get to on the snow train I would like the extra days skiing practice. You don’t need to be wished luck you can do it with out luck, they don’t know what going to hit them so go for it.

Danielle Swan
A chartered  accountant as well, BAC Filton will be running at a profit next. The first half of my flight back in February is on an A330-200, wings from Bristol?
Here in Savusavu all the yachties are making plans for surviving the Cyclone season with calculations being made of potential wave heights and the best way to survive them, its just a lottery as a good category 5 will cause havoc but there is only a 1 in 50 chance of that happening with the reasonable sea temperatures we have at present. I’m having a diver check my mooring next week and a local charter skipper is helping and advising me.
Good luck with the exams and trust the cricket ground will be ready for next season.

Hey Tony
Hope your well !
Time is ticking down until I leave for my big adventure..I still don't know when or where yet but hopefully (fingers crossed !!) I should know within the next week or so.  You sound like your having an amazing time..really looking forward to seeing you, haven't had anyone decent to hit with a ski pole for ages !! 
Life tip toes along as usual round here..still can't believe that we are only two months away from the end of the year..you always think something momentous is going to happen to you 'this year' and before you know it the time has flown by and you have flipped the pages over on the calender, calling time on yet another year!!  Anyway, that last comment ,made me sound a tad sad so I wil go now, crossing my fingers, that next year brings you home safe (if only for a while !!)  So Long Sailor...Love as always Jo x x

Hello Tony

Good to hear you are well!  Am feeling particularly grumpy today at work so thought I would read your news to cheer me up and it's done the trick!  In January I decided overnight to become a Chartered Accountant so have my second batch of exams in three weeks (passed the first batch back in May).  They are like a big black cloud over me at the mo so roll on the 23/24^th November so I can get them over and done with (only another yaer and a half to go!).

Halloween last night, my pumpkins looked fantastic although didn't have any of the trick-or-treaters that I was expecting (last year they cleared me out so I was prepared this year and stocked up on goodies, now my cupbaord is full of chocolate - not good for someone permanently on a diet!).

Baby Charlotte has started walking now and already Matt has eyed up some ski's for her, she should keep everyone busy on the slopes.  Joanna will be leaving us soon :-( likely December although still to be confirmed so it will be a big reunion come Feb/March time for all.
Andrew is the same as ever, busy with the Cricket Club who have knocked down their old pavilion and have started to build a new one near the road, fingers crossed it is ready for next season.

Ross-Vegas is the same as ever but they have started work on Belmont roundabout in Hereford to make way for Asda.  I did smile when I read the 'Work Commences here for 42 weeks' sign, what a joy going into town will be!

Got your latest postcard and will message you my address.  Is the address in Savusavu still ok for you, PO Box 262?

Take care and big hugs, Danielle xxx

Thank you for sending the Sea-me control box, sounder and switch.  We have tested all these parts and have found that only the switch is faulty.  It will not pass current through it.  We are therefore returning the control box and have taken the liberty of including a sounder of the type we make.  This includes an on-off switch and I am sure that you will find it a convenient solution.  The wiring diagram is contained within the User Handbook which I also enclose.  In brief 12V DC buzzers are polarity sensitive and so must be connected plus to plus.  The plus conductor on the sounder is the brown wire and this must be connected to the 5^th terminal from the right on the green connector block when it is fitted in the bottom face (not the back aluminium face).  The blue wire goes to the 6^th left hand terminal.

You say that your Sea-me has only worked for a few weeks.  This is obviously a concern to us and we would like to work with you to understand and resolve the problem as it is very rare for something to go wrong with the antenna.  I hope that we can do this by email – our address is sales (at) sea-me.co.uk.

You have not said why you think Sea-me is not working but there are some initial checks you can do:

1. Switch on.  The green LED should go permamently on and the red LED should flash.  If that happens then as is well.  If both LEDs flash then there is a connection fault between the control box and the Sea-me antenna.

2. If you got neither of the indications above then please measure the voltage at the antenna terminals on the green block.  You should get a reading of around 12V DC – your boat’s battery voltage.  We have had an instance in which there was a very poor connection between the ship’s battery and the control box and this caused a sufficient voltage drop when Sea-me was switched on or it not to work.  You will not see this when you do the voltage check as the current taken by your multimeter will not be enough to cause the drop but it is worth making sure that all your connections are good.


3. Please measure the current drawn by the antenna. You do this by connecting your multimeter in series with one of the antenna wires and the green block.  The other antenna wire remains connected to the green block.  When only the green LED is on you should get a reading in the region of 150mA.  When the red LED is on the current should rise to around 350mA.  If there are no radars operating in your area you can induce this effect by switching your own radar to transmit.  This will cause the red LED to go on permamently.

Please let me know why you think that Sea-me is not working and how you get on with these tests.


Yours sincerely





Peter Munro

Stacie Fry
Todds Email is  skipfreedom (at) yahoo.com Tell him I have chained his boat "Salmonberry" to it's mooring bouy and have stowed the jib in the cabin. He has gone to Australia to earn money. Look down this list of messages to see his message to me  it's all the info I have. Wish u Good luck with finding him he will probably sail from Fiji in April 2006.

Matt
It's rainning here 1 inch centres and bouncing. Dinghies are drowning but it's still nice and warm.

Tony

hi Tony,
I am short of time for now so can only say hello, but i will write a fuller message tomorrow or monday  hopefully. Looking forward to seeing you again in the new year. Good luck with the cyclones. You'll be pleased to know it's p*****g it down here!

Tony,

I was looking for an old friend Todd Forney and I came across your site.  I read the message by Todd.  Maybe its not the same Todd, but it sure sounds like it.  I sailed with him from Washington State to California on the Salmonberry a few years ago.  I would love his e-mail or for you to pass mine along.  staciefry (at) yahoo.com

Ann Rivett,
The floor loading specification for offices is quite a lot higher than for hotel bedrooms so better to be safe than sorry. Will be back most of February look forward to seeing you and Paul.

Hi Tony,
we were in the Til when you phoned Saturday.  You sounded really well.  I believe you are coming back in February to go skiing?  look forward to seeing you.  Did you ever work in Swan House?  They have moved us there from New Street.  Bit of a problem with weight dispersal.  We can only put furntiure/cabinets round the edges of the rooms - the centres have "soft spots". Best of Luck.
Anne and Paul

Todd "SALMONBER"
Will go and put  stronger warps on your boat later to day and keep an eye out and take action if it's needed. Will try to contact you on your Email address but if you want to get me I monitor this site at least 3 times a week unless I am off sailing.

Peter and Gill Kerby
Thanks for the news, the captin is dead right but there are weather windows if like me time is no problem, I will be doing my home work. Tell him you get what you pay for with outboards.
Do you have an address for Simon as I want to get another CD from him.
Ray Hannah still flying, theres hope for me still. Why dont they grasp the nettle with the Vimy and get 2 Vee 8 truck engines and change them to petrol even if it means 1 carburetor per cylinder to get the 5-600 hp at under 3,000 rpm (Gibert Davis your sort of problem).
Lots of work to do on Cariad the trip to Wallis was a hard into wind sail to find the faults I now have 6 months to address. As yet the old tiller is still OK but a spare is essential, I hope not to have to fit it until I get home.
Brook end street is a sewer flooding problem caused by Welsh Water not keeping the stormwater overflow at smallbrook Road (known as the Wombles) clear of debris. Gordon needs to sort it out.
Weather here is steady around 30 C but we are getting stronger winds and more showers as the dry season ends. Great to hear from you and regards to Ricky.

Keith Nichols,
Will write up the return journey from Wallis and try to answere some of your questions.
Oz is such a big place and to go down to Perth is out of the trade winds that make my life easy. So it looks as though we won't meet, but it's a long time till July 2006. Good luck to you both.

Tony

Hope you are well, we sent out some shoes 3 weeks ago to the address you gave us, so they should have reached Fiji by now. We are going to Togabo on 13^th Oct, will think about you at Columbos' bar when we have a rum & coke (more rum than coke!)

Tony sound like things are going well... Also, realy enjoyed the tea and sucking down suds at the Copra Shed.

When you arrive back in Savusavu you will notice that I left my yatch behind and flew to Australia. My sails were just mot up for the trip, so i'll spend some time working, enabling me to fly in with new sails.

So, Wild-Man, would it be possible for you to add another line to my mooring? And could you send me a phone numder or another contact, so I may contact you while your in Savusavu?

Please email me when you get the chance; skipfreedom (at) yahoo.com

All the best, Todd

Just received your latest email Fiji to Wallis Islands.  Sounds as if you had an interesting voyage.  Your decision to base Cariad in Fiji and prepare for the Indian Ocean crossing sounds very sensible.  The Captain called in the other day and wanted to know your progress so far and said that in his experience of the Indian Ocean it can be a bit tricky even for 50,000 tonners so advises you to pick your timing for the voyage and wishes you all the best.  Rumbled on something about an outboard motor.
Had a super night last Friday in the Till with Simon and Kevin.  Both played to their usual standard and both send you their best wishes.
On Sunday went to the Classic Goodwood Revival Meeting with Ricky.  Great racing, great cars.  Ray Hannah with the Old Flying Machine Aircraft was there and gave the usual spirited display together with Sally B who may not be able to display much longer because of a stupid EU ruling regarding insurance.  As she is owned by a charity she is classed as an airliner and therefore requires airline insurance.  Another EU cockup!!!  Also your favourite aeroplane the Vimi gave a display or rather did several touch and go's now powered by two Chryslers so a bit more lively than when we saw her last at Fairford.  Sounds a bit like a people carrier (car I mean) flat out.
Have you got much work to do on Cariad? It sounds as if she is coping very well so far.  Have you used the spare tiller yet?
  It was our Autumn Equinox yesterday, 22^nd September, so you will have all the sun now although we have had our fair share so far.  Still in the mid 60's.
  I hear Brookend Street was flooded the other day when we had a flash storm.
Well thats all for now so from Porgy, Bess, Jack, Josh, Gill and me, lots of love and take care.  Peter

Hi Tony

Its hard to believe it is over a year since I saw you and Cariad sailing into the distance. For you it has become a great adventure.

I have been keeping up with your exploits and if I know what I have experienced whilst flying with you around the country and on the continent you will have left your mark in every place you have visited.

I can remember flying into Headcorn for the first time and it seemed that everyone knew you or had heard of you !!!! Then we fly across to Schaffen again pilots from Germany Holland and France all had memories of you. So I am sure that when I travel the world you will have left a trail of Meakinism – there is probably a Meakin cult somewhere now, on one of the islands visited by you.

I read your log and find it fascinating but can you tell me what it is like to be in the middle of the deep ocean hundreds of miles from land alone and in the night? What are the sounds you hear? How did you feel when a whale surfaced next to your boat?

What about Cariad is she proving to be the ideal boat to travel the world in? and with all the modifications you made to her do you wish you had done anything different or modified her a little more?

I can see that you will be in Australia in July / August next year. My plans were to be in Perth, Western Australia for the start of the spring weather, say end August mid September. This also coincides with the tenant vacating our unit in Perth. The plan is to occupy the unit for a few months, renovate and update the unit etc. This looks like bad timing as I will just miss you being in Australia.

By the way I have just made some scones from a recipe from your Mum’s ‘Glamorgan WI cook book’ – I’d send you one but I’ve eaten them.

Take care
Keith
EMail:k.nicholls (at) hotmail.co.uk

Jamie and Matt
Thanks for the help with photo's. I have just arrived at Wallis Island which is French so will do the photos when I get back to Savusavu, Fiji in 2 weeks time.

Ben
I have mentioned the cricket to every Auzzi I meet; but can't afford to stay 4 to 5 months in Auz. I can live well in Fiji on 100 pounds a week. I will be in Auz July and August 2006.

Matt & Tony,

I've corrected missing photographs in the gallery, all should now be well.

Tony, surely while you're down that way you should press on to Australia immediately. We've had 'em at cricket, we had 'em at rugby. You'll be able to hold your head up.

All the best.

Hi Tony and Matt,
I've checked the problems with the Gallery page, a large number of photograph files are not proper JPEG files. They seem to have all been created by the same camera, which does not produce compatible files. I'll see if I can download them and correct the problem.

In other news, those casino messages were a result of the site database being attacked recently. Our web host has prevented this problem from happening again, and I've removed the offending articles.

Hi Tony,
I have uploaded the photos on cd of panama and galapagos, including the ones taken from up the mast, not sure why they are not showing up, I'll try again and see what happens.
Matt