6 Days in February

Yes, it really does take that much hard work to set up for Rallye Sunseeker

Shortly after getting back from Rallye Sunseeker I had to go shopping for a few groceries from the local Sainsbury's and printed on their shopping bags was a list of silly jokes in support of Comic Relief, I quote;

Who designed Noah's Ark?
An Ark-itect

Why did the child study in the aeroplane?
He wanted a higher education.

Why did the clock get sick?
It was run down.

and there were more.

Now they must be worse than my puns. So having seen and read these I apologise to all the stage set-up team who had to put up with my verbal diarrhoea and silly idiosyncrasies over those few days. While on the subject of set-up crews and we did have very slick organisation, very good accomodation, weather and comradeship we do need more people to join in with this side of the Rally Sunseeker. We could do with a few younger members joining in to learn how the stages are set-up, where things are kept, where they are needed and how the stages are turned round in time to ensure the rally runs to schedule. To give you some idea of how the week is organised, here goes;

Tuesday 20th February

The team meet at the club stores at Perrots Farm at 10:00am. For a few this becomes a very early start as they have been down to Southampton to collect the vans, on loan from Hendy's. I have a much easier job, collect the hot cross buns and danish pastries from Goughlans that Neil has already ordered and for on the way to the farm.

From 10:00am onwards we load the lorry, trailers and vans. The vans and trailers are packed with their relevant equipment for later in the week. We drive down to Southbourne during the afternoon to the Sherwood Hotel. The lorry is parked on the forecourt of the hotel, this becomes the store and workshop and the trailers put along-side the lorry. After dinner we all go 'round to the pub for a few well earned jars.

Wednesday 21st February

My work for today is to help brushwood Uddens and Ringwood South. In Uddens a few saplings growing on the bank of a stream have partially fallen over, what with all the rain and wind over the winter the banks have been washed away and with it the small trees. So I soon get warm and the blood circulating putting a saw through these saplings and producing instant brushwood.

Uddens takes all morning and Ringwood South all afternoon. Back to the hotel about 5:45pm to have dinner at 6:30. Then its shower, change and out to socialise for the evening.

Thursday 22nd February

Back to work in Ringwood South, known as Ashley Heath (Stage 5) and Eblake (Stage 11) on the event, to put in most of the stakes. Notice I say most of the stakes, in the forest they have a childrens adventure area and any special stage equipment soon becomes extra play items. Stakes make great swords or spears!

Between Paul, Russ, Joe and myself we have agreed that the first thing we do this morning is to erect the green netting at the golf course. This netting protects a green on the golf course from stones that are thrown up by the cars on a corner at this location. After many years of doing this job together we have it off to a fine art and it is completed in an hour.

The straw bales for one of my artificial corners are delivered by Neil and Ness.

Friday 23rd February

Again my jobs for this morning are back in Ringwood South. As I now have the trailer with me I can call in at Ringwood North and collect the remainder of the straw bales I need. I can now build the artificial corners on my stage, these are then covered in black netting to make them look more solid, I leave the stage hoping that most of what I have put out will still be there on Saturday morning.

Friday afternoon all of the set-up crews meet on the sea front at Bournemouth to start work on this stage.

As I have the trailer I am asked to call in at Kwik-Fit at Pokesdown on my way from Ringwood to the sea front. I have to pick up as many old tyres as possible and deliver them to the sea front stage. The manager at the tyre depot had hoped these tyres would not be returned so he did not have the expense of disposing of them. Having off loaded the tyres we now help B.P. fill the dustbins and plastic bags with sand, these are to stop elements of the chicanes being blown about. Metal barriers need to be erected just about everywhere and also orange netting needs to be put in place in the gardens.

Finally we leave the pier and are driving in convoy back to our hotel when Paul receives a phone call for help in the town square, more metal barriers to erect. I carry on back to our hotel to load up ready for a very early start on Saturday morning.

All the necessary boards for each stage are packed into large plastic bags, this job is always completed by B.P. during the week. I load on my boards, packs of arrows, extra safety tape, wire and headsets for the stage timing intercom, extra stakes, orange netting junction numbers, yellow saftey markers, extra mallet and staple gun and any other bits and pieces I think I might need. All these items are packed in to the Land Rover in such a way that they are easy to get to when laying out the morning stage. After dinner we have a briefing from Neil regarding any latest requirements for the stages or extra materials to take and any other information relevant to our various stages. I hope I have everything ready for Saturday, the "big day".