WDMCC Summer Jolly 2015

Well on the hottest day of the year we all managed to get out on our motorcycles for a visit to the Historic Dockyard at Chatham. Writing from memory, Niall & Liz were on their nearly new Ducati Multistrada, Paul on his big BMW RT tourer, Sheryl on her Honda NC, Chris on his new lightweight Yamaha street bike, Neil on his Triton (travelled the furthest from Witney), Sally on her Hinckley Triumph Bonneville, Richard (taking the photo) on his new Triumph Tiger 1050, Mike on his Honda Deauville and Jo and I on our Triumph Tiger 800.

The dockyard is a great place to visit. We took in a 1950's sub, HMS Ocelot, a wartime destroyer HMS Cavalier, a relic of Victorian gunboat diplomacy HMS Gannet and the Ropery. The Ropery against expectations was very interesting. The lady guide made the visit very memorable with her 1850's ropemaker persona that she adopted. James asking on the submarine "I wonder what they did for entertainment'" drew many laughs and lewd remarks!

After the visit we rode back to Blackham for a garden supper. It was a lovely warm evening and tucking into Jo's excellent food and sinking a polypin of Larkin's excellent ale kept us convivial and merry until at least midnight.

I got Neil to kick over my AJS. I have always thought it heavy to kick over and this might be the reason for what I think is a lack of power. He thought the engine spun easily and the compression is good. He thought it might be the pattern silencer.

Much to Jo's disgust I got my usual longing for a smoke after I have had a lot to drink. I fished the old pipe out and filled it with some rather dry but fragrant baccy. In the morning I knocked up a fry up and the weather was still good and we had breakfast in the garden.