And so, for the past few days, John and I have been making much noise at the
South Wales Boat Show. This is the second year I have dealt with Ben and co, and it can be frustrating getting all of the people happy all of the time. This year, for the first time, we had the pleasure (!) of setting up in SA1, Swansea's equivalent of London's Mayfair. The whole area is yuppie apartments, wine bars and Thai Restaurants. Unfortunately, the whole area is also a building site. This means that we have been coming home completely caked in dust. Wednesday night saw us return home at 9:30 with slight sunburn. The area's right on the edge of the sea and so you have a cooling breeze all the time. This means you don't realise you are getting burnt. Mind you, the redness has already turned into a rather pleasant tan, such a rare thing for me.
The biggest problem with the new site is there's a road running right through the middle of it. This means I have to make a 'bridge' for the speaker cable (see 5 amp mains cable) to get it safely over the road and high enough that lorries etc can pass under it. We spent 4 hours yesterday, trying to do this, but we succeeded.
As you can see on the right, I have outlined the site with a dotted white line. The site is huge this year, and fair play to Ben the organiser, he's done his best to fill it. People turn up wanting personal attention, and he just doesn't have the resources to offer it. I feel sorry for him, but if you sympathise with them, and make them feel special, they normally get on with the task at hand by themselves. The show itself is great fun. Last year saw me trying a zapcat, a small inflatable 'U' shaped boat with a floor, and the biggest outboard strapped on the back. I got in, and it started to sink, a lot. I'm not doing that again. They also have kayaks, sailing dinghies, jetskis, and a wakeboard winch all available for you to have a go on. There's a 2 metre scuba diving pool, and loads and loads of stands offering everything from fishing rods to mains inverters. Admittedly, staying away from the food stands is a good idea. Last year I got 5 sausages in rolls and 5 bottles of water, and paid £60! This year I'm taking my own food and drink.
I have to dash, the opening's at 11:30, and I need to be there to do a sound check etc. Have a good weekend y'all.
