Dec 2010

Sunday 19th December

Heavy snow again today

Phone Taymara Head of Unit Bob Richmond 01382 542516

Snow’s not a problem though. We started all the boats up and ran the engines up to operating temperature

E-mail Taymara webmaster, Ken Bushe contact@taymara.org




		Joining

		Regular meetings on Marigot, berthed alongside North Carr Victoria Dock, Dundee - Thursdays 7.30 pm and on Sundays throughout the winter





		Navigation Training

	Phone Taymara Head of Unit Bob Richmond - tel. 01382 542516

	E-mail Taymara website - contact@tyamara.org

		For Tay River Trip enquiries, booking and general information click www.tayrivertrips.org

		For other enquiries

		Phone Taymara Head of Unit Bob Richmond - tel. 01382 542516

		E-mail Taymara website - contact@tyamara.org




	Using Badger’s checklist. Once Badger was up and running we took her round the dock for a while and all had some boathandling practise.



	Mark, Graham and Susan all took the boat round the dock.


	Before we left, we cleared some of the snow from North Carr








	Don’t you dare.....

	Boathandling Training in Victoria Dock Sunday 12th December



	How old is this wall? It’s part of our heritage and it really is a beauty. Next year’s Turner Prize. We’re on our boats again in Victoria Dock..... working, maintaining the vessels and training.

....and this mooring ring? - still in perfect condition. Usually you only see this ring from the City Harbour Restaurant from the landward side, from behind this railing. Aha, but if you’re on a boat and the wind blows from the north while in this spot, the delicious smell of Chinese food can make even the best boathandlers forget their vocation. In olden days , we used to blame Sirens and Harpies for this kind of thing - not Chinese Restaurants, however nice their food is.....

Out in Badger on Sunday 12th December 2010.

So what, it’s cold. We’re safely berthed and sailing in sheltered water now, within Victoria Dock - thanks, once again, to Forth Ports.....What we do now is clear the boats of snow and ice when they are completely covered by it and then we just get on with our work. The few months we have in Victoria Dock during the winter give us the most valuable boat-handling training possible for new recruits/trainees and during this time, in sheltered water, we give helm preference to our newest members who can experience driving the boats uninfluenced by wind and tide and learn the basics within a relatively safe uncomplicated environment.

Badger’s out driving around, as ever. - Badger’s only little at 34ft. so she’s berthed on the outside and she’s (He’s?) usually the first vessel to go out..

This is Badger, by the way.

Badger very much likes Chocolate Digestive biscuits. (McVitties, Plain Chocolate) Please help our Badgers. Bring biscuits to the North Carr Lightship , Victoria Dock Sundays and Thursdays evenings and you’ll be made very welcome. Ask for “Ken” You can join in what we’re doing too, if you want. Hand me the biscuits though..

Here he is in context.. He squeaks when you squeeze him.

Dave practising at the helm.....bless him too. Dave doesn’t squeak exactly, but on occasion he can sound remarkably similar.

If you like colour, pattern and light, then Victoria Dock is the place to be.

The big boats look good too .

Lady Lex and Marigot seen from Badger during boathandling practise - Basic stuff today, parking against the harbour wall in three places and then coming alongside Marigot.

Jim made a bit of an a*se of coming alongside the wall the first time he tried but it wasn’t too bad. We let him off. This time.

- But when he took a full 24 hours to manoeuvre Badger into a position where she could come alongside Marigot....well.....

.....even OUR sensitivity and our celebrated discretion/diplomacy was challenged. (Jim is a professional seaman, so normally we cut him a bit of slack and go easy on him).

Thursday 30th September - Night passage to Newburgh and return

Even Dennis’s old tub bucket looks vaguely Mediterranean. What a nice evening.

We’ve no time for beauty though, we’re made of sterner stuff so we all attend a briefing then we pile into our boats and fire them up. Off we go under the bridge, with our lights turned on and our tails up.

The presence of the Tay Rail Bridge.

The skeletons and narrow stumps of the doomed old bridge still show beside each of the subsequent well constructed broad span arches.

Graham and Belinda take in the last light while Paul drives the boat

We more or less follow Marigot in Badger on the first leg to Newburgh, although the for the purposes of the navigation exercise we still maintain our own course, independant of her. In the event we only choose to differ from Marigot’s lead a few times and then only in minor ways.

Norman’s luminous green teeth come in handy in the dark. No one else has any, so we all wish we were him.

Belinda’s glow-in-the-dark Starboard Bracelet is pretty useful too. Here it is on her right arm. She has a Port Bracelet on the other arm (her left). Badger could teach the Royal Navy a thing or two about port and starboard training.

Badger’s Simrad Navigation Station as we approach Flisk Point. Eventually, Norman has to take his teeth out in order to see the screen properly. If he makes even one small mistake tonight we’re stuck on a sandbank for 12+ hours (or worse), so it’s important that even his splendid green teeth don’t eclipse our chosen route.

Coming up to Balmarino

The Red Ensign cracking and snapping in the wind. We’re proud to fly one.

Coming back into the spill of Dundee’s light

A clear night. For those of us who live with the flat tyranny of the miserly light of streetlamps, we are gifted tonight with a sight of the Milky Way and all the stars, planets and galaxies we’ve forgotten about for so long......and the thought of infinity; always a bummer if you’re trying to get to sleep.

Going under the bridge is a favourite.

Almost done. Badger goes in and lands Paul on shore at Davy’s Yard to wait to wait for Marigot and to take her ropes. Badger moves back to let her come alongside.

“On you go, Biggy. You go first....” “Thank you Badger”

Sat. 25th Sept. Passenger trips on Marigot and boat training for new members (and Ross) on Badger.

7 tons, 2 engines, 450 horsepower, no brakes - she’s a lethal weapon, mate. .

Ross saw a mermaid over there with a tail

We practised in open water first, then coming alongside in Broughty harbour and then some more basic manoeuvres in open water. A quick trip to the Lady Buoys is always good for a very old and weary joke. ( The North Lady and South Lady deep water channel markers, south of Barry Buddon) We went to the Lady Boys to look for dolphins. Well, you would wouldn’t you?

David gets the best pitch by the life raft and looks nautical, Graham makes his MiniMe squeak and Ross spots the camera.

A sunlit bow-wave to port and our own personal rainbow fixed in the spray around the stern, Badger rapidly overhauls Marigot in the race back to Davy’s Yard.

Ross approaches the Road bridge at full throttle . Chris relaxes.

Nice cloud astern

Marigot and Scotscraig Lighthouse.

Marigot passes the house where that strange lady stands outside when we pass and then she often waves something at us which...... well, we don’t know exactly what it is she’s waving but we are sailors and we’re familiar with both fear and imagination.

The arrival of the motor yacht Lady Lex to join Taymara in Dundee

For a selection of images of this vessel’s passage from Palma to Dundee - click here

The North Carr Light Vessel

A year after she was put up for sale for the sum of £1 by the London based Maritime Volunteer Service, ownership of the North Carr Lightship has finally been transferred to Taymara. Thanks for this are due (amongst others) to Susan Coyne, Bob Richmond and Richard Dale of the MVS

Now that we have our boat back, we can resume plans for her ongoing restoration programme which were put on hold by restrictions surrounding the sale.


	Taymara is a charity run entirely by volunteers on a not for profit basis for the benefit of the local community.


	We aim to provide a community boat service and maritime experience through sightseeing and dolphin watching trips which allow great opportunities to see the river and its wildlife as it should be seen - from the water!


	In addition, we aim to provide sea training for individuals and vulnerable groups who might normally be excluded from this experience. We also work closely with organisations who provide recovery and rehabilitation programmes which encompass drug and alchohol abuse.

		(Taymara is registered in Scotland, Charity number SC039319. Company number SC334650)


	Thanks to all our sponsors and all those who have supported us -


	Mr Clive McKeag, The DC Thomson Charitable Trust, The St. Katherines Trust, The Mathew Trust, The Tay Charitable Trust, The Alexander Moncur Trust, The Robertson Trust, Forth Ports and the Port of Dundee, The Apex Hotel, Dundee City Council, David Winch and Gareth Norman of Secureforce Controlled Environments