Today we have another large cut drawing of the yard and this one from the Albacore as promised. About an hour before high water (5.8m) I made my way over to Tim's, with my large drawing board in hand and asked to come aboard. He waved me on and continued panel beating a rusty limb from his dodge truck without skipping a beat, his din echoeing the gunfire1. Straight up the ladder, I took position on the bow then set about marking in the outline forms without delay. The Olympic takes up the upper left, appearing in parralell on the starboard side, Bob's boat in the lower right seen from above shows the wheelhouse, deck and the wood storage platform and his dingy. Cutting across the centre is the spine-like main pontoon with boats placed intermitently on either side and on the joining finger pontoons. That's it. A straightforward program - general outlines with little mind paid to scale and perspective but when done confidently creates a whole that is coherant in itself but it must be kept on the honest side less it feel contrived. Next the deployment of the same arrangement of contrasting motifs as in the view from the Olympic. I covered the drawing like a second skin.

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No portrait commisions as yet2, but we did have some drama involving two of the residentials yesterday evening that provided some extra distraction; and the yard is still abuzz! Little Geoff and Kieth were involved in a disagreement resulting in a boxed ear! The pair of them are moored just aft of the Olympic and both men built their respective boats from scratch, geoffs is a wonderfully charming litte rig with an array of besboke fixings and gadgets. Nasty Kieth's is quite the reverse, an unfortunate design to say the least especially for a man with such evident skill and capability. 'The shoebox', 'the block', or simply 'the white bastard' are a few of the names bandied about to describe it, my contribution is 'the eclipse' owing to the fact that it blocks my once fair view of the treeline.

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Kieth's infamous 'blue touch'3 temper was lit when smoke from Geoffs wood burner drifted through the vents into his pristine bedroom. He responded by offering geoff the stark choice of 1) putting the fire out immediately or 2)he would put it out for him with a hose down the chimney. Understandably, considering the slightly menacing tone of some of the banter on that side of the yard, Geoff thought it was a joke and giggled it away. Kieth dissapeared back inside only to emerge at the end of the pontoon, hose in hand, and proceeded to stomp towards Little Geoffs charming rig. Still not sure, Geoff watches the approach of this Kieth, with what one can only assume is rapidly increasing alarm as Kieth yanks the hose to its maximum reach and begins stuffing it down the chimney. "OH LOOK IT DOES REACH" he shouts, as if talking to the whole yard and at this point Geoff who has scrambled to the top of his boat goes all in, grabbing a rope with his left hand and stretching out like a buccaneer, he aims a desperate swipe with his right. He strikes Kieth on the ear causing a stumble and from the ensuing stramash kieth eventually retreats with cut face and a stunned expression etched inn. He plodded back aboard his creation and shouted, somewhat unconvincingly, "I DONT TAKE ANY FUCKING PRISNERS".

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Well, by morning this Kieth, his Ann4  and their 'eclipse' had vanished on the early high tide and with my view of the treeline restored I sought out Little Geoff without delay to shake his hand and invite him aboard for a whack. I really must manage a study of those trees before Kieth retakes the mooring.

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Something further; I have heard some mutterings about a raft of new units arriving in a couple of weeks. If our funding is in order...?5 It is surley prudent for us to make a resevation in anticipation of our restored funding. Ill try and catch Mr H6.

 

Yours

 

John