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| twin sails bridge in action |
Saturday dawned a dry, cloudy but mild day. We were glad it was so calm as we were going to start the
voyage. We breakfasted at the RNLI
college, packed and checked out. We had
been advised that the Astoria was leaving 3 hours later than planned because of
problems caused on the previous cruise (storm Gareth) and knowing this we had
arranged to go on a tour of the facilities of the training centre. This proved
excellent – we saw the pool where they trained crews in rescue and survival
techniques and they were able to alter the conditions from flat calm to severe
waves with spray and sound effects.
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| the lifeboat simulator showing the white cliffs |
The
highlight however was the lifeboat simulator which was set off the coast of
Dover and they could alter the sea state and the appearance of different craft
and people who needed rescuing. We
thoroughly enjoyed it! We had a very enjoyable stay with the RNLI. Over lunch the nearby twin sails bridge was raised to allow boats through.
In the afternoon we had a taxi to the quay where the
Astoria was docked. Checking in took
longer than expected because of IT problems but eventually we made our way to
our cabin which we are very pleased with.
We had a snack and explored the boat before coming back to unpack. Having sorting ourselves out it was then time
to go for dinner. I must say the food
onboard has not equalled the quality of the RNLI college so far but we shall
see. We left Poole at 2015 instead of
1530 and so shall be later than scheduled getting into Dunkirk tomorrow.
We have travelled on the Scillonian which was launched in
1977 and it is now considered getting near the end of its serviceable
life. We have now joined the Astoria
which is still going strong having been launched in 1948. It looks a classic boat and surely has proved
its sea-worthiness, we hope to have a good cruise with no problems.
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