Lovely day today, off to Cosford. It’s just a 15 minute drive from home, and well worth a visit. Blinding sun reflects off the roof of the huge hangar.
The hangar is big, but some exhibits have to live outside.
Prototype Tornado. Lots of classified bits missing!
Cold war exhibition.
Douglas Dakota, as used in the Berlin airlift.
Roundels everywhere!
Hercules tactical transport plane.
Unusually for this summer, it was reasonably sunny this afternoon. Not quite what you’d normally expect in July, but ok.
Bridgnorth is quietly trying to go upmarket a little. Lots of nice gardens where you can get a drink.
A funicular railway takes visitors up from the river to ‘High Town’ which is the commercial centre.
Lovely views of the surrounding countryside from the top.
Ironbridge looking great as always.
The town, from the bridge. Lots of people about today.
Up early this morning for a trip to Donington Park. It’s a truck meeting, but there’ll be plenty of other things to watch.
Pit crew surround the Renault factory truck.
A marshall tries his luck with a grid girl. Don’t think he got a phone number, but full marks for trying.
The trucks seem huge compared to other racing cars, but the competition is furious, and very noisy!
They fly past the pits..
Trucks are surprisingly vulnerable to damage. This one got a bump at the back which destroyed a rear tyre.
Next up are the Formula Ford single-seaters. These are driven by a mixture of kids wanting to become the next Lewis Hamilton, plus a few guys of my age who have more money than sense.
The kids didn’t all make it to the finish.
Donington Park is right next to East Midlands airport. This can lead to some slippery track conditions as the jets spray the tarmac with fuel on take off.
The winner of both truck races. A mechanic struggles to change a wheel in the background.
Jim, with an enormous American truck.
Next up we have a Porsche race. I know some of the drivers from the Porsche internet forum. Everyone here is an amateur, but the cars are really well turned out. Here are Fraser and Andrew.
Marcus and Ben in the Hartech Boxsters. The beauty of this class is that you can enter pretty much any car you like as long as it’s a Porsche.
Mark in his 996 Carrera. He won the first race.
Despite the apparent difference in performance amongst the Porsches, racing is very close. Performance is evened-out by making the more powerful cars carry some ballast.
At the end of the day there’s plenty of time to see the cars before everyone packs up and leaves.
Or you might argue, the festival of diesel, as wind and tide were not favourable for a run up the estuary this afternoon under sail. No matter, it was an impressive sight, with just about anything that would float making its way from South Sands back to the town in flotilla.
Lifeboats, new and old, lead the way.
The fleet follows on.
Lovely old lifeboat bringing up the rear.
Last night we had dinner in the Galley, and got a window table!
Lobster, very nice.
This morning, we start with a D Day remembrance ceremony.
THEY THAT GO DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Open day at the Salcombe lifeboat “Baltic Exchange III”
Inshore lifeboat “Joan Bate” with a new coxswain.
And at last, the suns puts in an appearance.
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