CUSTARD, LOVELY CUSTARD
A quick look back at Scilly '97
| September these days means Scilly and a brilliant week's diving and relaxing. The journey out was on the day of Princess Diana's funeral and I've never seen Penzance so quiet. At least it meant we didn't have any problems getting our cars down the pier to unload them. Another smooth journey out (one day we are going to pay for all these nice crossings) and we were ready for a week's bubbling. We knew that for once Jim had a full boat, the seven of us, two Irish couples and Clem. What we didn't know was the fun Clem was going to provide. |
"Diver on gas"
| Clem Maguiness is a Lieutenant Colonel in the army, (which probably means you and I are paying for his diving and his kit - he actually had more kit on the boat than Ian - is this a first?) and the guy who wrote the article on the Cita in a recent issue of Diver. |
"Clear behind"
| Clem most definitely had his own way of diving! Solo and with more kit than you've ever seen (except for spare regulator hoses when Ian at last managed to outdo him). Once kitted, in typical army fashion everything was barked as if it were an order, 'Diver on gas', closely followed by 'Clear behind', followed by 'Dive, dive, dive', this last one with regulator in mouth. As the week went on everyone was have great difficulty suppressing their mirth at Clem's entry procedure. |
"Dive dive dive"
| On the diving side the week definitely had its ups and downs. The down was that we didn't get on Tearing Ledge. We did get out to the Bishop Rock, and dived the rock itself, but the swell out there was not very pleasant and the Ledge was a complete no go. We've applied to renew the licence (this is a protected site) so better luck next year! |
| The up was that we had a nice big new wreck to dive, the Cita, a 3038 ton freighter which ran aground in Porth Hellick on St Mary's in the early hours of 28th March this year. She was German owned, Antiguan registered and Polish crewed (apparently they were all asleep at the time) and was en route from Southampton to Belfast and 'forgot to turn right' at Wolf Rock. The wreck reawakened the dormant spirit of long ago 'wreckers'. As her containers became loose they washed providing everything from tobacco to trainers, clothes (Ben Sherman shirts and Marks & Spencer pink blouses) to coat hangers, mahogany doors to computer mice, plus Action Men, bathroom scales, spare tyres and granite grave stones; there was something for everyone. |
| Today the wreck has slipped back underwater and lies on a slope with her bow in 15m and the prop in 33m. She's still just about in one piece although the accommodation block has slipped and is lying at a crazy angle. I think two things really stick in the memory, the constant clang, clang of loose chain, and the eerie sight of the curtains, torn but still flapping gently in the accommodation block windows. |
"Cracking dive if you like that sort of thing"
| I think there was only really one naff dive (well perhaps two). The definite one was on the Thomas W Lawson, the largest sailing ship ever built (seven huge masts). This is a bit (OK then, a lot) kelpy and personally I gave it a miss, but as Clem barked "cracking dive ...". The maybe naff one was scrabbling around for fridge magnets and other 'goodies' from a broken Cita container. Sorry folks, boring for me, but "cracking dive ...". |
"Diver on the port bow"
(This has to be bellowed with left arm pointing at diver for full effect)
| Scilly Wednesday is now firmly established as Custard Party Day. So, in a great bit of pre party planning, after Tuesday diving Matt, Ian, Tracey and I set off for the nature trail and the serious business of blackberry picking. The job made all the more interesting by the fact that most of the berries seemed to be on the other side of a well concealed ditch which in places had some pretty disgusting water in it. A really peaceful afternoon until the cracking of branches was followed by 'aaargh', a thud, and the sight of a rather deflated Tracey on her bum. Following last year's overdoing of the blackberry picking (despite Matt's best efforts at quality control) we were a bit more restrained this time, although what we didn't know as that Gill & Co were also 'doing their bit'! |
A somnolent posture
| And so to party night down at the Bullen's flat. Benji, our salty sea dog, got things off the a great start by declaring that the wrapper from the sticky toffee pudding was superb (he actually wolfed it down so quick I doubt it even touched the sides). After several helpings of sticky toffee pudding (do I recall Clive eating most of this on his own), apple and blackberry pie and crumble, treacle sponge there was lots of groaning and just about everyone in a somnolent posture (remember Albert and the Lion?). |
Pavlova and other goodies
| The week ended with a brilliant meal up at Juliet's, who had made a pavlova specially for the more sweet toothed of us. A great way to finish a great week. |
And so to '98
| For some reason I keep saying that I'm going to give Scilly a miss for a year, but somehow never seem to get round to doing it. That must say something for the diving, the islands and the people, those who come along and of course Jim, without whom Scilly just wouldn't be the same. |
| 1998 is booking now and the list is on the board. The dates are September 13th to 20th. If you want to hear more talk to a Scilly Diver. |
At the final night dinner a card to yours truly included the following little ditty which just about sums up another cracking week of Scilly diving ...
The week has fast gone
Dave's job is near done
It's time for the final reckoning
The diving was good, so was the pud
The islands once more are beckoning
We were not outwitted
Though T and I were outkitted
By a brown job who dived all alone
We would never do this, but in the bad viz
Clive, Ian and Matt lost their clone
On the Cita some dragnets
Brought up fine fridge magnets
(She got lost and went hard aground)
As the tides became neaper, the diving got deeper
The luck of the Irish all round
Clive stayed alive and Andy was handy
Matt was sometimes a prat
Ian is pacy and Tracey's quite racy
But Jim looked a fool in the hat
That just leaves Lisa
Whose fins did deceive her
And Dave who carried the can
So the end of the rhyme, we had a good time
As planned we all dived the plan!