Isle of Wight and Falmouth
Thu 29 Jan 2009
Having had a full measure of Turin it was time to make way to my friend Duncan, who family lives on the Isle of Wight. Duncan had spent about 3 weeks with me in mid 2007. It was shortly after the creation of ChannelWhitsunday.com and as a school leaver, he had completed studies in film and television. This made him a great asset, so I kept him as long as possible :)
Duncan greeted me cheerily at Bristol airport, where my lighted loaded Ryan Air flight meant 3 seats for myself and the opportunity to ignore the expensive in flight service… along with everyone else.
We caught up on things on the cross country drive to arrive for the short car ferry ride across the Solent to the Isle of Wight and then welcomed at the family house. I don't think that I have ever been so warmly welcomed into a home. Somehow credited with positively affecting a young lad's life, the Shear family were wonderful…. And their house - WOW. The frame is built with out nails, as were old barns, in young oak just a few years ago. The timber was still drying and shrinking, which would make the house stronger as it aged. My room was on the top floor, the slanting ceilings framing windows that looked out across the island to the East. It was magic. Home cooked meals, hot showers, and very fast wifi internet all featured.
The visit was further enhanced with a boys road trip to Falmouth. Duncan's father Tim was assisting in the design of a new model 44 deck salon yacht from Rustler, a highly reputed UK yacht builder with a full order book despite the economic weather. Fish and chips dinners, wine in small pubs, a day in the river side bar and café accented a visit to the factory where if was interesting to contrast the layout and design of the 44 deck salon to that of the Dehler 41 DS that I had just been on in Phuket.
Tim was deservedly proud of the 2 years of careful planning and execution that was nearly completion… just in time for a second of this design to be started for another person who was clearly impressed also.
This stop in the UK was completed with a couple more nights on the Isle of Wight. The weather, being somewhat less than perfect keeping us mostly indoors and enjoying the tech talk of the lads around cosy fires and hot tea.
