Belated June Update!

Here it is, a very belated newsletter for June.

Life is getting busy. Blending the trivials of a hot summer, busy work lives and an intense training regime, there isn't much time for anything else, but I promised a monthly update!

The team is still pushing onwards towards their goal.

This June, the team took to the water on their first every venture out into the water. What intended to be a day doing boat maintenance and prepping for the ocean, ended up being thorough testing of our waterproofs as well as our ability to stand upright on what felt like one of those fairground bulls designed to try and throw you off.

No one fell in, but you knew that as the video would have been up on Facebook within thirty seconds of it happening! Although it did feel like we were only mere seconds from plunging into the briny marina.

Seeing the boat in the water, its natural habitat was a strange, proud moment for us. We had only ever properly seen it out of the water. We have seen photos, but they are just a snapshot of a disconnected history. It was a major milestone for us, and one that I will remember as a founding moment for the team. SS1 sat there in the water, waiting for her crew to take command. She has more experience on the water than we do, so we knew we had to do her proud.

The second day, we tentatively took her out of the Marina with the late tide. We rowed down the estuary and out beyond the safe water marker. It was a good session with some mild seas as we got used to how she performed in the water along with the plotter and various safety equipment on board. A basic, but validating first trip out.

Two weeks later the crew were back aboard and committed to their first overnight stay. The first day was... rough. The seas were choppy with the 6ft waves lifting the having the boat about. Half the crew were being sick overboard, but stuck it out. We spent the night in a little cove just near to Torquay called Anstey's Cove which was sheltered from most of the larger waves. We dropped anchor and spent some time getting used the boat at night, even so far as to actually managing to get a little, and much needed shut-eye on deck.

Waking up to a beautiful sunset was another of those affirming moments that made us realise why we do it. The row back to Exmouth was not as bad, and we rowed hard against the wind, doing barely 1 knot for nearly twelve miles, until we made the turn into Exmouth, and we hit a whopping 5 knots!

The month was neatly rounded up by our annual visit to GlastonBeoley Community Festival, which is always a highlight. With even more people attending then ever before. DeadLegz will always have a close relationship with GlastonBeoley, with every member of the DeadLegz crew having a connection to it, especially Rob, one of the Artists; and Kev, one of the key founding directors.

We were privileged to have one of Arrive Alive Charity's Community Ambulances on display for a few hours. We didn't want to hold him up for too long as he was on active duty and we didn't want to put lives at risk by having him off the road too long. We appreciate Lee's time and dedication for helping us.

With me writing this, almost half way into July, a lot more has happened and we have progressed even more. Keep tuned in and like, follow and share. We still need much more money to get to the start line. We are especially looking for corporate sponsors to use us as Advertising space. Our media coverage for the event is going to be pretty significant.