July 2003 News Letter - Members Only

The June Long Weekend - in Brief.

We were fortunate enough to hear that the M4 was, yet again, blocked, this time West-bound between J16 and J17, on the afternoon of Thursday 19th June... just as a small group of us had gathered at White Horse to load the essentials in the Transit and set off as a spearhead party to establish the campsite. We were not towing anything so the back roads were fine, other than a bit of a jam in Devizes.

We arrived about 30 minutes behind schedule, collected the caravan and set up the site. We explained to the Shrubbery Camp Site staff that there would be a party of reprobates joining us, and that we four were the "elite" crew. They took this advice in good heart.. though some of the happy campers were perturbed by the appearance of a Transit, caravan, small car, and four "characters". Thoughts of certain ethnic minorities probably crossed their minds!

The evening consisted of setting up the caravan, eating some of the best fish and chips I have had in Dorset, and taking a little medicinal beverage. We were very well behaved, just glad to have avoided spending the night on the M4.

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Friday dawned beautifully, others appeared, and the rest of the campsite was assembled, being the caravan awning and the 6 man tent. Breakfast facilities were also installed in the awning. Over the next days the campsite party was to grow and indeed the diving party was even larger as some members were in B&B accommodation, and other campsites...

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Dawn over the Shrubbery...............................................The full site assembled and ready for occupancy

We were given a "freebie" on the Friday by none other than John Walker aboard Miss Pattie. We were taken to a patch called "Lane's Ground" - yet another of those quiet little sites that JW is aware of and is willing to share with us. Not the most exciting terrain but good for fish, scallops, and so on...

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A seriously camouflaged Brill.... and a very nonchalant Dogfish they all look the same to me .. dozy!

In the afternoon we set sail for the St. Dunstan... and missed it... even though we have been there before... these things happen... A generally good dive was had by all. The RIB was repositioned after the first wave of divers and the second party got on the wreck.

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On the morning of the 21st we tackled the St. Dunstan again for those of us who had missed it.. excellent wreck - always full of life, of all types.

Over the remaining days we visited the Saw Tooth Ledges, various parts of Lyme Bay, and a new site known as the "Boulder Field"... again with plenty of life.

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There were many Jellyfish about, most of them small, but note this one, about 1m long, with minnows hiding in it "tail"

Breakfast was served in the Awning of the caravan every morning. Evening meals were taken in local hostelries.

On the Social Front there was a great deal of balmy evenings relaxing with a beer or two, and the discovery of the "Steak and Pizza" restaurant in Lyme Regis, where they stayed open late for us, and whose waitresses were virtually a cabaret for us. One of the other guests joined in by massaging Mark Horton's head as She passed by! WHAT She used must be censored from such a public document as this... What we can say is that for a moment She appeared to have THREE...!

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The journey back was more eventful, with complications to the brakes on the Transit, an excellent RAC man, and we were just one hour late getting back.

All in all a good weekend. Torrential rain and storms on a couple of nights, yet wonderful warm days.

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