A lovely start to the day in Shaldon...
After a pleasant breakfast chat with Neil, I head off to the The Shaldon Coffee Rush - a fine cafe with even finer free wifi. Later in the morning I’m joined by Deb, Dude and Jim although it’s possible they are more appreciative of the coffee than the wifi.
The plan for today is to get a place on a boat and go in search of marlin. Er, sorry, mackerel. We are having a fab barbeque. I missed last year’s outdoor extravaganza having just returned from the USA and the 2008 King Crimson tour.
Long term readers of this blog may even recall that when we went mackerel fishing in 2007 I caught precisely zip. This year, the only way is up!
With that valediction ringing in my ears we strode off to the beach to catch the ferry over to Teignmouth. The beach is very busy because this is regatta weekend. No matter. When faced with a crisis we Brits do what we do best: we form an orderly queue.
Our transport to Teignmouth arrives...
There are some spectacular clouds attending our fishing trip...
As we queue to step aboard the ferry aquatic fun and games ensue between smugglers and the men from the revenue.
The voice over the tannoy pokes fun at the European parliament and its institutions which draws a loud cheer from the folks who are already cheering the smugglers. Walking around Shaldon there’s the odd house displaying UKIP literature warning people of the evils of federalism, Beaujolais-soaked bureaucrats, ceding sovereignty and demanding “I want my England back!”
Much like the folks attending the Health Care town hall meetings in America crying “I want my America back” one suspects that it would take a fairly short conversation to reveal that their America or England isn’t anywhere I’d like to live.
On board
Restless and the excitement mounts as we leave Teignmouth. Graham, Thomas and Neil are in fine hunting mode...
Dude, Jim and Deb are just as excited but manage to contain it slightly better...
Leaving Teignmouth and looking back toward Shaldon, we head for the open seas. Well, OK a couple of miles or so out from shore.
We must have only been stopped about a minute when Thomas hauled up the first fish to be caught on the boat. A round of generous (and possibly envious) applause came up from his crew mates.
Not too long after Thomas' good fortune, I managed to break my bad luck of a couple of years ago and hauled in my first fish. Ryan, who was looking after us land-lubbers, told me it was a red gurnard. We were all highly excited at seeing something so exotic.
Graham probably landed the bulk of our catch thus ensuring friends and family would have their fill.
My total bag came to the red gurnard, a couple of skad, and a pollock. Not a single mackerel.
Back into Teignmouth...
An evening of socialising and barbecuing our booty awaits...
After our fond farewells we headed down to the ferry to cross over to Teignmouth....
which was packed as usual...
We took a walk along the promenade...
Some familiar faces out towards the end of the pier...
and to balance the Muse-centric nature of this post, here's an oblique reference to Porcupine Tree!
Meanwhile back on the ferry and over to Shaldon...
Back at the Manor House, food was consumed and wine was drunk, and toasts were made in honour of our absent hosts N & H...
A beautiful evening in Shaldon...
