jbsh

(Disclosure: this post relates to my work with Knowledge West, it also doesn’t have that much to do with technology, start-ups etc)

One of the great aspects of my life is working with very cool companies that are doing very cool things and making very cool products. Unfortunately most of my work is around developing their business or helping with innovation so not easily shared.

Last Friday I got a chance to research some of the cool products that a company we’re working with make (ok it was mostly fun). Flexifoil are one of the top power kite manufacturer in the world for quality and performance. The University of the West of England are going to be working with them to get even better.

Easy does it

This was mostly fun, though the difference between even a 2.5m Blurr kite and the traditional diamond with a tail of string and cloth off-cuts was staggering. The morning on Weston-super-Mare’s uphill beach was almost perfect for learning. As you can see from the photo on the right, we actually had sun! The breeze was a bit light but it gave us the chance to play without getting dragged all over the beach if we messed up.

There was plenty of messing up! These are performance kites and they’d started us on the ‘Traction’ range, which even in those light winds was enough to pull you off balance. Getting the hang of the four control lines (2 power and 2 brake) and figuring out where the ’sweet spot’ was while not getting blinded by the sun was a real challenge that everyone pretty much got the hang of by lunch time.

Getting dragged around WSM

Around lunch time it began to cloud over and the wind picked up. I tried out a different kite, a 4m Blade IV. Slightly bigger, more powerful and a bit trickier to handle. The dark line behind me are the gouge marks where I was literally being lifted off the sand and unceremoniously dragged along until I could de-power. The kite is just off camera almost vertically above me.

After lunch we broke out the 3-wheeled buggys and had to learn all about tacking & gybing (which is fine for me) with a ’sail’ that moves around your body like a windsurf sail (ok, still mostly fine) and moves vertically from brushing the sand to overhead (that bit was harder to get a handle on). Fortunately for me, Sy had shown up and gave me a crash course which got me hurtling up and down the beach in no time. Mostly under control.

Hanging in there

Whilst we were getting the hang of it Flexifoil’s tame pro-boarder pitched up and began playing. The guy was officially bonkers. He’s actually flying one of the big surf kites, an Aaron Hadlow Pro (at least 7m across). After another couple hours of kite flying it started raining, so he switched into his wetsuit and started tearing up the seafront.

Hanging in there

A fantastic day with some amazing kit,thanks go to Stephen Batty and the team at RBI for organising. Now if I can just find a spare £1,000 for the gear, some spare weekends, maybe a van…

Photo by Clare Borley

The Cambridge Folk Festival might be a strange topic for this blog, but it is a function I have been working for the past sixteen years!  Most people attend events such as this to watch great bands performing live.  They get to enjoy the atmosphere and attempt to dance between the rain drops. I however am there to work!  Obviously many people are there to work; security, general helping staff, vendors, bar staff, stage hands, electricians, gas engineers, not to mention the performers, but as it is often said an army marches on its stomach.  That is where I come in……

I meet up with a select team of people each year under Bob the chef as part of the ‘Quintessential Cuisine’ team tasked with providing food for the “Staff and Artists”.  This merry band of 5 produce breakfast, lunch and evening meals for 2000 people over a four day period.  I am part of this team, but I also specifically look after the artists and their riders.

A contract rider includes specifications on stage design, sound systems, lighting rigs, as well as an artist’s wish list-from transportation and billing to dressing room accommodations and meals. At some festivals, a promoter will refuse a demand (crossing out the request on the document), but at Cambridge the stars usually get what they want, whether it’s new black cotton soaks, or a box full of fruit so they can prepare their own smoothies.

So I spend considerable amount of time preparing special meals for some artists and vast numbers of sandwiches and deli platers for others.  What this does mean is that when the rest of the catering team are not working I am in the kitchen trying to get on top of things so that when the main rush hits, I can help out with the staff meals and coordinating service times.

This break from the routine of health/clinical psychology and research analysis is wonderful.  As a qualified chef, preparing food is a careful balance of colours, flavours, textures and presentation not to mention getting it on the table in time (no mean feat when you’re basically working on a camping gas stove).  I also experience a whole different side of humanity.

It essence it keeps me fresh and if you’re not going away on holiday then a change is as good as a rest!

This is awsome!

Its sometimes difficult to explain to people what sailing training is really about. They tend to think of big square riggers a la Hornblower and the Tall Ships Youth Trust (which is part of it). Generally they believe me when I tell them that the young people do everything on board (sail handling, helming, repair work, cooking, cleaning, engine maintenance, navigation, etc), but that’s not what it’s really about. I try and explain that its about bringing a group of young people (that have never met before) together and over the course of a week help them form into an effective and social group, but that doesn’t really convey what it’s about.

As a volunteer Ships Captain with the London Sailing Project I could refer to our ‘mission statement’ which is accurate but a bit dry:

No more - I’ll just point them to this YouTube video, produced by the 22 kids and Afterguard (yes the Captain is in there) over 6 days sail training (plus a bit of post production) filmed between the UK, France and Channel Islands. They’re raising money for the project (visit http://www.justgiving.com/rockstar to donate). Oh, and of course there’s the website and Facebook page.

Remember, those young people hadn’t met beforehand to plan that out, and because of the volunteer nature of the LSP, the afterguard (Captain, First Mate, Watch Officers and Watch Leaders) probably hadn’t met before either.

Fantastic!

IMAGE_00018
Originally uploaded by Poo Bar

Having said I was off sailing & drinking around the Solent, this is what we woke up to in Ocean Village this morning.

For the last 20 years I’ve been a member of the London Sailing Project (a UK based sailing charity) whose aim is, in the words of Commander Walter Scott written in 1960: ‘providing (through the medium of sea training in offshore craft) opportunities for London boys to acquire those attributes of the seaman, namely; a sense of responsibility, resourcefulness and team-work, which may help them throughout their lives.’ Of course, these days we take both boys and girls and they come from all over the UK.

Part of the deal with the Project is that we spend one weekend each year helping out with refitting the boats, and one weekend re-familiarising (FAM) ourselves with all the bits that get changed as a result of legislation, upgrade, repair etc. This weekend was my FAM.

We’d spent the day pottering about the Western Solent before heading up to Ocean Village for the night. With Northerly winds forecast we didn’t fancy bouncing around in Cowes and we wanted to be back at the LSP home port of Universal early on Sun once we’d finished the FAM.

Although very nice, Ocean Village doesn’t have much character being mostly a waterfront re-development. However we did, entirely by chance, stumble into the oldest pub in the UK (the Red Lion in Southampton). As well as fine ale, Mike (the barman) was able to tell us about the trail of the conspirators to the plot to dethrone Henry V, the Saxon cellars, the unique carved kitchen fireplace and how it was the only building in the street to survive WWII.

An excellent, if slightly chilly, weekend.