Petestack Blog

26 September 2010

Getting back to Fly

Filed under: Sailing — admin @ 12:59 pm

Can’t say that Fly’s been a pretty sight sitting neglected for too long, but Twig came up yesterday morning and we made a start to putting her right. So we built a tarpaulin frame from Alkathene water pipe, then I finished it off with some smaller white overflow pipe and guy lines before taking the pressure washer to the worst of the grime on topsides and deck. Still want to get the deck properly scrubbed before fitting the cover, after which we need to lift out the engine for blasting/repainting, clean the insides (never my favourite job, and least of all now!), fit the new forehatch, replace the leaking windows and get to work on the delaminated bunk tops. But at least it’s a start, she’s looking better already and that’s something to feel good about…

Still not recovered enough from the rib injury to think running or climbing a good idea, but hoping to take my camera for a walk somewhere this afternoon (a cracking day, as shown by the photos of Fly) to get my first real exercise for three weeks. So it’s a fair road back for Fly and a bit yet for me, but we’ll both get there! :-)

6 September 2010

Ouch!

Filed under: Climbing — admin @ 10:05 pm

First rock climbing of the year after the ultra-running and big hill rounds took over my ‘summer’ (aka six weeks of rain to coincide with the school holidays), and all’s well apart from the bashed ribs…

Headed for the wonderful Ring Crags at Ardnamurchan with Johnny MacLeod after shelving ‘Plan A’ (the Ben or Glen Coe) through wild winds, and might have recorded the perfect day on the still-very-windy peninsula if I hadn’t bashed my ribs sliding 10/12 ft down a gabbro slab and hitting the ground (probably the first time I’ve ever come off a VS slab)! So perhaps not quite perfect, but still very, very good if you ignore the (impossible-to-ignore) consequences…

  • Led Greta Gabbro (soft VS 4c, carefully chosen to get me going again after all those months away)
  • Followed Claude (HVS 5a)
  • Fell off Vulcan (VS 4b, 4c, but we’re talking more a stupid slip than a dynamic fall!)
  • Followed Vulcan (but we appear to have finished up the second pitch of the E1 Dead Ringer)
  • Led Pyroclast (Severe 4b, because I needed to know the fall hadn’t messed with my head… and appear to be OK there)
  • Followed Ringmaster (VS 5a, now struggling with discomfort on some moves)

Knew I’d hurt myself at the time, but not how badly and was pretty sore by the time I got home. So in to see the doctor (who said that kind of delayed response is quite common with rib injuries), given strong painkillers, off work today and tomorrow and then we’ll see… :-/

NB To get an idea of just how strongly the wind was blowing over the more exposed ground, check out the arcing rope in the final (‘Pyroclast’) photo!

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