Talk Like a Pirate Day

[Going Underground]

Arrived home and statue ornaments and bird house fallen over in the back garden - Potted tree fallen over in front garden and the small stones that sit on top of soil all over drive - that was some storm me hearties !

[RJSRdg]

**** STORM ALERT ****

The waters look far to choppy to sail tonight and Bosun Richard is not feeling to well so I propose that we do NOT set sail this evening

We can possibly look at sailing at a later today, but those seven seas are even to rough for the hardy Cap'n Kev tonight

Now I see this!

Felt well enough to do it and completed in a mammoth time of 5:12:43! Now on a *very* slow train back to Reading from Waterloo!

And actually weather not too bad for the periods when I was out and about.

[RJSRdg]

Bosun RIchard set sail from his office at 16.15 (the storm in Reading having cleared and the sky being blue) without checking the Forum first and sailed with Good Queen Bess from Reading at 16:30. Being due to dock in Moorgate at 17:30, it should have been plain sailing to get to Cannon Street by 16:45. Unfotunately I found myself becalmed at Moorgate (first two Northern Line trains to Bank were already loaded well beyond the Plimsoll Line and then a four minute wait for the next one - four minutes would be a recurrent theme for the rest of the evening). Subsequently by the time I had reached Cannon Street and "buried some treasure" in the main line station, it was already nearly 6 bells and I assumed my shipmates had already set sail.

A four minute wait for the first Upminster service meant the watch was started at 18:04. I sailed downriver to Bow Road, where I had a four minute wait for a return service to Mile End. I had a choice - catch the next Central Line train to Chancery Lane, double back to Bank then up to Old Street, or catch a West Ruislip terminator through to Hangar Lane. An Ealing Brpadway was two minutes away, or a four minute wait for a West Ruislip. Given that I expected the interchange at Bank to be busy, and having already experienced crowding on the Northern Line, I opted for the latter and knocked off Liverpool Street, Chancery Lane, Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street and Hangar Lane in short order.

Out through the subway and alongside the A40, mixed jog/walk as not currently fully fit, I arrived at Park Royal with four minutes to wait for the next train and realised there would have been no advantage in running anyway.

Up to Rayner's Lane, eastbound Piccadilly 1 minute (which went through the station and didn't stop!), Met 3 minutes behind (so 4 minutes altogether). Salied to Harrow-on-the-Hill, where there was another Met train waiting on the other platform face. Expecting that to go first, I jumped overboard and changed trains, only for the train I'd just got off to sail away... However I noticed as it passed that it was a Baker Street terminator, which wasn't what I wanted. After a wait of probably 4 minutes, my train sailed too, calling at Preston Road, Finchley Road, Baker Street to Great Portland Street. Over to the other side and a four minute wait for an H&C back through Baker Street to Edgware Road (Subsurface). Up, out, under the flyover and into Edgware Road (Bakerloo) with a westbound train in the platform. Up through Paddington to Warwick Avenue, where the navigation went awry, the navigator not having sailed these waters at night before.

Ran down one road, realised it wasn't the right way when I reached the A5, walked back to Warwick Avenue station, stopping several times to try to read my A to Z by the lamplight. Tried another road (Warwick Avenue westbound) but came to a mini roundabout and didn't know which road to take. I asked a nearby pedestrian for directions to the canal, she pointed me back the way I'd come and along Wqrwick Avenue (eastbound). Glancing down a side road I spotted the Warwick Arms and the canal beyond, finally regained my bearings and walked the rest of the way to Royal Oak(4 mins wait...). Turns out afterwards that three of the four roads from the Warwick Avenue crossroads can take you to the canal - the only one that doesn;t is the one I took first! Had I turned left at the mini roundabout, I would have come out by the curly bridge, but I haven't been that way before...

Down through Latimer Road, Wood Lane and Goldhawk Road to Hammersmith while I deliberated whether it was better to get a District or a Picc to Earl's Court. As I descended the steps at Hammersmith D&P, a District was pulling out of one side of the platform and a Picc from the other! Caught the following Picc, arrived in West Ken just as the District was pulling out, reached EC, ran up the steps to the District platforms just in time to see that train arriving! That wasn't the train I wanted though, I wanted the train to High Street Kensington which was due in ... (I'll let you guess how long!). Up to HSK, over the bridge, another 4 mins wait for the Circle to Gloucester Road, where I changed back to the Picc. With hindsight it would have been an easier change at South Kensington, or I could have carried on to Embankment and caught the Northern there. Piccadilly to Leicester Square then Northern to Warren Street via Goodge Street. Change to the Vic up to Blaclhorse Road and double back to Finsbury Park. Up the Picc to Turnpike Lane, back down via Holloway Road and Caledonian Road (and the former Gillespie Road!) to King's Cross, Northern to Old Street, double back to Euston and change to the Charing Cross branch to finish at Mornington Crescent. Time on the watch was 05:12:58 but I forgot to stop it until I had climbed the first flight of stairs so say 5:12:43.

By now of course the last fast train from Paddington had long since departed so I went "up top" to try to get a Wifi or 5G signal to find a way home. Couldn't get a signal but I knew there was a Reading train from Waterloo just before midnight so headed there and caught that. It left 15 late and lost more time en route so it was almost 2am by the time I got to bed. At around Bracknell I looked up the forum to post my time and discovered the event had been cancelled!

[EastActionWoman]

I think this means you won Rich! I admire your dedication and even feeling a twinge of regret for not joining you last night.

[Going Underground]

For bravery on the high seas during rough weather, Richard is hereby promoted from Bosun to the admiralty

[RJSRdg]

Maybe not bravery - stupidity perhaps!

As for promotion to Admiral: https://youtu.be/GPEBaAhIfXs?t=60