Ticking clocks and inner tubes

So this past week has seen some major developments with Basecamp, the Academy's mini 6.50. The boat has been stripped of its old graphics, with fresh primer and tango orange anti foul applied. The majority of the work took place in the middle of no where- aka a field on the Isle of Wight. With two guys working on the hull, Nikki and I were freeded from the boat for the rest of the week. For me this meant working at a desk, continuing my planning for the Figaros' transportation next year, while also sorting out the vast number of corporate and race sails we have accumulated, and finally banging my head against a computer screen- in the vain hope that it might somehow solve all of the 'errors' that keep presenting themselves on FileMaker. 

In the meantime, Nikki has been occupying herself with a fid and some rope, making up some new guys and a bobstay should the current ones unexpectedly snap. The rig also needed to be seen to; the shrouds had to be made secure, the windex and instruments removed, wires protected from the elements and various parts cleaned. A lot of progress has been made with the background planning to th campaign, such as sorting out accommodation in Lorient, planning some training dates and deciding when and how the boat will get there.

Working as the  Sailing Project Assistant for the Academy I gain an insight into the workings of the Academy and the Company, OC Sport, that the other sailors on the programme don't get. Everyday I learn more about what needs to happen to get a campaign off the ground, and to keep a fleet of boats in perfect working order. An awful lot goes on behind the scenes, and I only see a part of it- while I work on the logistics and day to day running of the boats with Phil Johnston, Charles Darbyshire and John Thorn have a whole other world of problems to solve and aspects to manage!

At the weekend I took a breather to recharge my well used batteries in preparation for a 70 mile bike ride around Berkshire the following day. Sadly the weather gurus had forecasted snow, and the organisers were worried that there would be thick ice on the course with the drop in temperature. So it got called off!

However, keen to try out my new bike computer and to see whether the 'slime' I had put into my inner tubes really did prevent punctures (ironically I'd managed to get one during the process), I did 65km round Richmond park. It was no warmer than 2 degrees Celsius with a chilling headwind, but there must have been a good 200 cyclists out on the path. On top of this there was an endless stream of cars, making a pleasurable ride through a park feel more like being on a conveyor belt in the Bentall's Centre on  Christmas Eve. Still, once I had got over the initial panic of being surrounded by people and vehicles (a rarity on the island), I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was met me at the top of a hill by my mother who was brandishing her walking stick; I tried to pedal faster at that point to avoid being poked for going to slowly. I managed to get past ok but was forced to do two more laps before being let back into the car- thanks coach!

I'll keep you updated on twitter and Facebook with the latest looks and movements of the Mini, with another informative and entertaining (well, I'll try my best) video coming your way next week.

Lizzy