ENDEAVOUR ENTERING WHITBY
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When the replica Endeavour visited Whitby on her maiden voyage in 1997 thousands of people turned out to see her; vantage points were at a premium and my wife and I managed to find a space on the West pier. Even though I had my sketching gear with me there was no chance of a quick sketch because of the crush and I had to resort to the camera; this watercolour was one of several painted later in the studio.
TONY WATTS.
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The Albert Strange Association
AGM Weekend
March 11th-13th 2022
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Wells - next - the - Sea
Norfolk
An interesting cultural and social weekend is planned with the AGM to take place in the Wells Sailing Club clubhouse.
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So we know who is coming please can any members attending the AGM Weekend who have yet to send their details to Russell please do so asap
russellrd1@gmail.com
It is never to late to decide to join in!
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Friday evening: Early arrivals rendezvous for a drink and/or food at 7.30pm at The Golden Fleece. goldenfleecewells.co.uk
They say there's no need for any pre-ordering. We have asked for the menu to provide vegetarian and vegan options.
Saturday morning: We plan to visit “Rescue Wooden Boats” at Stiffkey where George and David Hewitt have been repairing wooden crab boats for some years (apparently they can take a bigger load than the GRP copies so are worth repairing). Also George is preparing a GRP mould for a sailing dinghy and David is pursuing his love of double ended Liverpool class lifeboats, which are being restored at Stiffkey.
After Lunch, the AGM: Held at the Clubhouse of Wells Sailing Club on the right in the above photo.
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Later we have TWO speakers: father and son, Jim Ring and Ash Faire-Ring. Jim has written a biography of Erskine Childers, author of Riddle of the Sands; Ash (at 18) is restoring the barge yacht ‘Growler'.
Saturday Evening: 7pm The Golden Fleece. Anyone already signed up is asked to note the following change of venue for both nights, Friday and Saturday. Both nights will now be at the Golden Fleece Inn, on The Quay, postcode NR23 1AH, and we have the use of their private upstairs room. Take a look at their website: goldenfleecewells.co.uk
Sunday: Hopefully a visit to Growler or a walk on the beach.
http://www.norfolksuffolkbroads.co.uk/norfolk-broads/wells-next-the-sea/places-to-stay-in-wells-next-the-sea
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Ed's
Top Tips
Now is a good time to check the expiry of your life-jackets, flares and fire extinguishers and get serviced or renew in good time for launching and sailing away.
Have you got a tip to share?
news@albertstrange.org
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Vote for FIREFLY you have until the 15th March
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Photo: Sandy Miller
Firefly has been shortlisted by Classic Boat magazine for the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenarian of the Year in their Awards. To vote for what is possibly the prettiest and the most original boat in this select fleet, and an Albert Strange masterpiece, you are encouraged to go to -
https://awards.classicboat.co.uk/centenarian-of-the-year/
Click on Firefly to vote, enter your details, then scroll down to Gstaad Yacht Club Centenarian of the Year, and click on Firefly again. (Once you submit, you can unsubscribe any time, unless you want to find out who wins in the May edition!).
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TAVIE II
The following is an extract from ‘Canoeing’ by a Dr. J.D. Hayward, published as part of the All-England series in 1893. He was a member of the Mersey CC and it outlines his initial thoughts on the design, which was subsequently produced for him by Albert Strange in February 1896. She was built later that year by Sam Bond of Birkenhead. She undertook a number of cruises of 50 miles or more from the Mersey to the exposed waters off the Welsh coast.
Rick Powell
ASA Technical Secretary and Archivist
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Several years' experience of the Tavie (Tavie I) would lead me to recommend such a boat to the man who requires a small salt-water cruiser. She is somewhat of a compromise between the light and heavy yawls. If rather more lightly built and given a foot more beam, with a heavy and removable centre-plate, she would require little or no ballast and could be easily moved about ashore; if enlarged a little in all dimensions, and with two-thirds of her ballast put on the keel, an excellent sea-going canoe-yawl or canoe-yacht would result.
The straight stem of the Tavie makes her rather splashy when meeting waves and with all her 5 cwt. of inside ballast, she is none too stiff. If building a similar boat now, for the kind of waters on which I cruise, I should be inclined to enlarge her and to give her some overhang at the bow; say, 22 feet over all, with a LW.L. of 20 feet, beam 5 to 6 feet, a Rockered keel, a centre-plate of 1 ½ cwt., about 5 cwt, of metal keel, with between 3 and 4 cwt. of lead pigs for inside trimming ballast.* Such a boat would make a good single-handed Cruiser, she could easily accommodate a crew of four and with a low tent or raised well hatches a comfortable cabin for two could be arranged. I should rig her as a Yawl with a Jib, the Mainsail should be a standing Lug, or Perry's Gunter. Such a boat would easily carry 200 feet of sail area, and if required, would no doubt stand up to 300 feet in moderate winds, a sail area which would just bring her rating to 1. A fair sized open well would allow the single-handed cruiser to work her without having to do much jumping about on deck; but with additional sliding side-deck pieces the well could be narrowed to half, and when the cabin hatch was fitted on top of the forward two-thirds of this diminished well, the boat would be snugged down safe for a breeze in rough water, or for a watch below at anchor or in port A Berthon dinghy could be easily stowed, folded up under one of the side-decks, it would often be a convenience on a cruise.
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*Tavie II ended up at 22’ LOA, 19’ LWL, 6’ 4” Beam, 2’/4’ 3” Draught and 260 Ft2 Sail area with a 2 cwt CP and 11cwt Ballast keel.
A canoe-yawl such as that just slightly described could take a company of five or six for an afternoon's sail; while she could comfortably accommodate, and could be satisfactorily managed by a crew of two for a prolonged cruise. She could be safely navigated single - handed by a man who had had experience in canoe or boat management, and who had developed sufficient still and self-reliance for such work. She would fulfil most of the requirements of a single-handed cruiser, which I take to be;—a craft safe and handy to be managed by one man, situated is the well when under way, not too heavy or unwieldy for him to row her a mile or so when becalmed, with no sail or ground-tackle too heavy for him to be able to hoist unassisted; so built and balanced that she will almost sail herself (with a little weather-helm) and that she will lie-to, when this is necessary for reefing, cooking, resting, or other purpose. The boat should also have enough deck to keep out ordinary broken water and spray; she should be rigged so that all sheets and halliards lead to the well, and should have enough body below decks to hold a week's supply of provisions, clothes, gear and bleeping apparatus, and to keep them dry. There should also be enough cabin or tent space for the crew to sleep dry and comfortably aboard.
In the United Kingdom the nature of our climate, weather and shores, render such a sea-going, general purpose Canoe Yawl (or Canoe Yacht) as the Tavie or the larger one above referred to, more suitable for cruising on salt water than either the Canoe or light displacement Yawl. For land-locked waters, rivers and lakes, these latter varieties are preferable, but for tidal waters, where stretches of muddy shore or great rise and fall of the tide may preclude shore camping and may require the heavier boats to be anchored out some distance from land, a boat comfortable to live on is preferable, and one that can cope with a little rough weather, either at anchor or under way without becoming very wet. On a large proportion of our coastline it is not possible to land and pull up one’s boat whenever the weather becomes rough; if caught out opposite such a shore either shelter or a port be made.
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5th - 7th August
Very close to the Water
We have booked the famous Packing Shed at West Mersea
The First Weekend in August Friday 5th late afternoon to Sunday 7th afternoon.
The Packing Shed was originally built for packing oysters, the local
bounty. By 1990 was dilapidated but in 1992 the shed was restored
and now provides a unique local amenity as a venue for parties,
weddings, open days with cream teas and overnight stays.
The packing shed has two rooms, a microwave, a loo and lighting
provided by a generator.
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It’s basic but good being located right amongst the moorings with yachts of all kinds passing by. A classic site for classic yachts. Our ASA fleet will moor near by and take folk out sailing on the glorious Blackwater.
On Saturday evening we will arrange a meal delivered to our select location to meet with the yacht crews we have sailed with during the day.
We will have the shed to ourselves. Guests will need to bring their own food for breakfast and lunch with perhaps a “ping” meal on Friday evening. Saturday’s meal will be an additional cost.
A launch will be provided to take us to and from the island when we arrive on Friday 5th August on Saturday afternoon and take us off the island on Sunday 7th. The ASA yachts have tenders to reach their moorings and folk can bring their own inflatable or canoes.
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Sleeping on a camp bed or lilo on the floor, sitting on one's picnic chair, sailing aboard classic A.S. yachts and gazing at the remarkable action on the river including a barge and smack race.
Bring your watercolours, bring your camera!
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A Doctor writes ...
THE CLAM THAT
SANK A
THOUSAND
SHIPS
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An old wooden dory rowed by some ancient son of the sea lightly bumps the quay, fractures and starts to sink. Is this the outcome of some rum sozzled brain? But no ... inspection reveals a hull honeycombed with tunnels and the dory to be that impossibility, a floating colander. Enter the villain of the piece, Teredo Navalis, the naval shipworm. Neither a worm nor solely the ravager of ships’ hulls, Teredo is a bivalve mollusc, a relative of the clams, oysters, mussels and scallops familiar to the seafood gourmet. Inhabiting a wide range of salinities from the open ocean to estuarine waters, from temperate zones to the tropics, the shipworm will burrow into any submerged wooden structures: the pilings of docks and quays, unprotected wooden hulls, floating driftwood, even the canoe yawls of Albert Strange....all are candidates for its attention.
So why call it a worm? Inspection of the burrow reveals a long, soft, brown, wormlike body up to about 50cms length and 1cm in diameter with a head at one end where the mouth is surrounded by two, white, trilobed shells up to 2cms long with sharp edged concentric ridges. This reminder of bivalve affinities is also the means of boring through the wood, the fragments of which are then carried into the mouth and thence to the gut. Here they are digested by enzymes transported from specialized bacteria found within the gills and together with the action of nitrogen fixing bacteria transform the cellulose, but not the lignin, into material assimilated by the mollusc. At the opposite end of the body protruding from the burrow entrance are two siphons one taking in water and the other expelling it. Two small shell like plates located here serve to seal the tunnel whenever necessary. The burrow itself is also lined with a calcareous secretion which acts as a lubricant and may also help deter predators. The incurrent siphon is used for respiration in conjunction with an internal gill chamber running along the body and additionally provides further nutrition by capturing small marine organisms. The excurrent siphon expels water, waste material as well as sperm and larvae. This brings us to the reproductive cycle of this animal.
The young Teredos are hermaphrodites whilst the adults are usually male at first, subsequently becoming female. When male they produce and release sperm via the excurrent siphon which other females capture using their incurrent siphons. These then fertilise numerous eggs which take about 5 weeks to develop into larvae subsequently sheltered in the mothers’ gill chambers. By the time of release they have already developed the bivalve shell, siphons, gill chambers and a structure used for movement and plankton feeding whilst swimming in the open sea. It is hardly surprising that Teredo is a widespread problem as each female can spawn up to 4 times every summer releasing between 1 and 5 million larvae on each occasion. Of course larval mortality is very high but some find and attach themselves to submerged wooden surfaces and change into the adult form before burrowing into the substrate as tiny “worms”. The adults have no direct contact with one another. Their burrows do not intersect. Somehow they can sense the presence of other worms and alter their tunnelling accordingly.
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Teredo Navalis by Louis Figuier 1868.
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From ancient Greek mariners to the present day Teredo has impacted human activity. On his forth and final voyage Christopher Columbus’ return was impeded when his two remaining vessels were found to be riddled with holes on arrival in Jamaica. Francis Drake also fell victim to the mollusc when, in 1579, he was forced to spend a month on the Californian coast repairing the hull of the Golden Hind. It is also suggested that Teredo may have been a factor in the failure of the Armada in 1588.The
Spanish fleet had been moored up in Portuguese waters for several months prior to sailing giving the mollusc time to inflict sufficient damage to slow their passage through the water. Early mariners tarred or waxed their vessels’ hulls whilst others moored in freshwater whenever possible to deter the mollusc. Another strategy was to fit a layer of sacrificial wood around the hull, a so called worm shoe. This of course added to the vessel’s weight and made for sluggish sailing. In the 1730s there was an explosion of Teredo damage to wooden pilings throughout the North sea coast in Britain and mainland Europe. Damage in this way to the Dutch dykes led to extensive sea flooding in 1731. The introduction of copper sheathing in the 18th century was largely successful and also brought the added bonus of reducing water resistance. It may be no coincidence that extensive copper deposits in Britain corresponded with an ascendancy of naval power at that time. Although the advent of metal, plastic and fibre glass hulls has now hugely reduced this problem Teredo continues to damage wooden pilings. Damage in San Francisco bay between 1919 and 1921 is estimated to have cost around 2 billion dollars at current value. The use of biocidal paints on hulls and piling has been successful but now brings its own problems in the form of environmental contamination particularly in harbour waters with poor tidal flushing.
In conclusion the battle is far from won and our old sea dog, he of the sunken dory, is in distinguished company and might well be excused when reaching for the rum!
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Dan McFarlane writes...
I've not done as much for Eel as I would have liked, other than drag her out of the hot shed in which she had been languishing, get her rigged and thrashed her about on Black Horse Broad a few times - That said, I broke a golden rule of mine not to touch a boat which had been sheathed. I've nothing to prove, except to myself, and my purchase of Eel was to some extent quite selfish - The chance to park some money in a sound investment, and add another famous name to the list of boats I've been privileged or lucky enough to have played with.
In mitigation, I was worried that if old Eel spent too much longer in that shed, she might start to come apart at the seams, and I felt that the best place for her was in the water, preferably salt water. That I have not managed to get her there yet is a shame - However, she did need a new bumpkin, and some snagging and finishing off. As I mentioned to Thad, a new bumpkin, bowsprit, and the tiller yoke re-forged are the only achievments so far, and now she is ashore under-cover because I was half-way through putting right her brightwork when the plandemic was initiated. Barring her deck, hog, part of the stem, and her centre-plate case, a surprising amount of Eel appears to be original. I believe the tiller to be original, and I know that the trunk is - so keeping them in good order is more important than actually sailing her, sadly. I've retained the 'original' bowsprit and bumpkin as historical artefacts. It was clear from the gear that I inherited from the late Trevor Pallet that he likewise intended to get Eel back into her element (which isn't the broads, unless I'm a much worse hand than I think).
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In short, it will be awhile before Eel shows up at an ASA meet because she isn't actually finished - In her current state, with no fit-out, she is little better than a day-sailing half-decker. Trevor Pallett poured an eye-watering amount of money into Eel, and I believe he got every penny’s worth of it from Alan Staley, but I think he had arrived at the point at which he'd to finish her off himself, or quit.
The first problems I've dealt with but there is much more to do before she is ready for the briny. The bright-work of the trunk is the current issue - No simple one - The original beading of the joinery work has been buried in varnish and resin and the screw-heads are mostly half gone - It is a much more complicated job than a simple strip and re-varnish. If I can't see my way to completing that this year then it must be time for me too to quit. I really hope not.
On the issue of a fit-out, there seems to be little to go on barring some basic general arrangement I've found in 'Holmes of the Humber' and Holmes' own notes on arrangements which he admired retrospectively - canvas dockets as stowage and engines spring to mind. I inherited a trolling motor which was no use - I think I worked out that it would run for about an hour on the available charge and Alan Staley's documented trials indicated that it wouldn't turn her head to wind in a force four.
I don't feel that I can do what I like with Eel - she is too special for that, so everything I do has to be as close to original and authentic as possible. I need to re-instate her row-locks and sweeps, for example, or possibly experiment with a sculling oar pintled on the chock which Alan Staley fitted for the trolling motor. Nothing is simple. I've a design worked out for a 'simple' fit-out which is close to the original, whilst working around a new bulkhead which Alan Staley fitted in way of the forward end of the case to prevent the previous failure recurring - Effectively he has introduced additional shear bracing there. As I inherited Eel, T.P. had arranged two canvas pipe cots on either side of the case, which won't do - they were hung on simple bent hooks attached to the case which if they don't rip right out of the case, will certainly strain it.
I believe Eel is of merit, as I do of all the things I'm trying to look after. She embodies something of the argument for individuality and innovation. There is something fascinating about the fact that someone put together something which was so fit for purpose that it is still fulfilling that purpose four generations after the fact. There is a lesson there for all of us. If we can get past this period of throw-away consumerism which is purely profit driven and marketed as green and sustainable off the back of some re-cycling panacea, then I see some hope for the future. I would argue that the Victorians were actually building for the future.
Dan
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Paul Jones writes...
Lad Lavicka has unearthed a manual and I would like to know if anyone in the ASA world might be interested in having it. It will go to an interested party for much less than the advertised 2/6! It came off Sea Harmony, if that wasn’t obvious. For all the trouble that cantankerous rattle trap gave us, I’m tempted to ritualistically burn it!!
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Gordon Laco writes...
I always enjoy reading your Albert Strange newsletters… I was just reading the book review, and realized that I know something very interesting about the wreck of the iron sailing ship Invercauld, whose story is mentioned in the book.
There is a fellow here in Midland whose wife was adopted. After a lifetime in Montreal, she and her husband moved here after he retired. To make a long story short, it transpired that Madelaine’s parents were a Canadian girl and an English soldier who was in Toronto for training during WW2. The girl got pregnant… the soldier returned to England to his wife there… the baby was born and put up for adoption.
But the soldier loved the Canadian girl; he left his wife and came back to Canada after the war and married the Canadian. They tried to find the baby, but once adopted, that was impossible. So along came Madelaine 60 years later and found her parents… here in Midland and both were still alive. What a story; she wrote a book about it.
While getting acquainted with her real family, she discovered the story of a great great uncle who claimed to have survived several years on a sub-antarctic island following a shipwreck… it transpired he was the ‘handy’ fellow of the Invercauld mentioned in the book reviewed in the newsletter.
Madelaine and her husband travelled to the island and actually found the ruin of the shelter her ancestor had lived in during his sojourn there. She wrote another book about that story called ‘Wreck of the Invercauld.
Nice people, great stories.
Gordon Laco
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Steve at Off Centre Harbor writes...
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I thought you might enjoy getting direct links to a few of the beautiful boats at the Worldwide Classic Boat Show (since it's totally free to attend)... |
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It's a rare chance to see over 1,000 of the world's best wooden boats, without getting up from your favorite chair, as they're all gathered in one place online at the ClassicBoatShow.com.
We just extended the Show for another full week, so you still have 10 full days to enjoy the show if you get your free pass today. |
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Paul Jones writes...
Congratulations on yet another good newsletter. I would like to point out that Lad’s last name is misspelled in the list of Yearbook contributors (it’s Lavicka). Also, where the heck did you get that photo of the guy who is my doppelgänger? It should be banned!!
Cheers,
Paul
Thanks for pointing that out Paul. Apologies to Lad.
Sorry it is too late now to disassociate yourself from your photo, Book Locker, February issue of the ASA Newsletter.
But we now have an even better image on file for next month when you will hopefully be providing us with another review.
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Colin Henwood writes...
This canoe yawl has been uncovered and the photos are attached - it is a near basket case. If you have any ideas where to find someone to take her on that would be great. She is 20ft x 6ft 5ins and there is a rig.
Thanks in advance!
Colin
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Any brave soul interested should contact us here;
news@albertstrange.org
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Tom Holdich writes...
...does anyone know what yearbooks exist beyond the bound versions?
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We are happy to accept letters on most topics, please send them to:
news@albertstrange.org
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As Albert Knew It
Reach for your magnifying glass
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IN THE
GALLEY
WITH
DOLLY NORRIS
"A lot of folk don't know this"
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From a Bootham School "Biograpical Sketch" written in the school magazine on the report of Albert's death:
"Fellow-yachtsmen soon learnt how good a cook he (Albert) was, and in harbour, when his celebrated stews wafted their odour across the anchorage, would crowd round in inconvenient proximity.
Albert's celebrated stews must have almost certainly been influenced by his time in Liverpool where "Lab Skause" that delicacy introduced by Scandinavian seamen was responsible for the gentlefolk being know as Scousers.
Recipies varied dependent on what was in the pantry at the time but here is a basic recipe you can add to and improve to your taste.
Scouse
Stewing beef or lamb.
chopped Onions.
Chopped carrots.
Quartered potatoes.
water or stock, seasoning.
You could add any other root vegetable or cabbage if you have it.
Gently fry the onions until clear and add the chopped meat and brown it all over.
Add the vegetables, but not the potatoes, stir until braised.
Add the stock and simmer for a couple of hours.
Add the potatoes and simmer for another two hours.
By now you will have filled the harbour with a rich aroma and probably made new friends.
Blind Scouse
Same as above but without the meat
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Sad news. Following an alleged breech of Covid regulations while catering for a Downing Street Office Party Dolly Norris has been put on gardening leave for the foreseeable future, so you will just have to look back through previous Newsletters, all available on the website https://albertstrange.org and see if there are any dishes you have missed. Goodbye Dolly
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Up the hill from the harbour at the back of the Market Hall, this is early morning on Leading Post Street looking towards Merchants Row captured by Simon Potts, Market Janitor and AS fan who has a good eye for the older parts of the town.
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Continuing the search for our most illusive ASA Member Mike Kiljan the indefatigable octogenarian.
Somewhat reminiscent of the abominable snowman this photo was our most recent clue to his whereabouts.
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Fortunately the young Lord Stegg (ASA Hunk Of The Month August 2019) has at his own expense mounted a single handed search and recovery expedition to locate the errant Butler. Perhaps because he misses his Man but more likely because he needs him back on his estate in Southern England undertaking more repairs and redecorations.
Somehow, apart from the excellent skiing conditions we think his Lordship's journey may have been in vain.
After two years on the run this Valet should now be considered feral and allowed to run wild.
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Hopefully next month Mike will grace us with a full report of his activities and future travel plans.
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Caption Contest Submissions
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We were near Batley when the drugs kicked in
Hunter S.Thompson
At first the superglue convention seemed like a good idea
Tim Knight
End of Covid regulations
Stephen Bartlett
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This Months Caption Contest
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This is in fact a highly respectable and fully paid up ASA member from Yorkshire, any suggestion what might have caused him to sink so low?
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