If anyone is still persevering with this, the worst blog in history, well done!
In the end I decided that simon McKenzie Smiths blog was so much better that I would leave it to him!
Our advice was not to take a computer - this was not good advice. In the end I found that I was trying to cover too many bases with the driving, maintenance and the blog. Dom has blogged with many photos from his blackberryand I will find out where the link is and put it up here soon.
we finally made it to Paris on Saturday, on schedule and very happy but a tad tired. We had a fantastic welcome from a very enthusiastic crowd but especially from Jane, Angus and Caroline. David and Clare also changed a habit of a lifetime and took the weekend off to come to Paris for which i am truly grateful.
I have read through the comments on the Just giving pages and thank you to each and every one of you. I am bowled over by your generosity. it makes the trip seem much more valid to have raised a great deal of money for really good causes.
a question I have been asked a lot in the last couple of days is "what was the best part?" Naturally this is a very difficult question to answer but I can say from the initial despair when the engine let go 30kms out of Thessaloniki in the pouring rain, to the elation as we fired up the rebuilt engine in the overnight ferry after an epic 8 hour shift through the night took me from a very low place to a very high one. For me this was our greatest achievment. I count myself as having had several strokes of great good fortune during this episode; first was encountering Rupert Marks (car 23 aka Noddy) in an exuberant mood having repaired his spring in a John deere garage and then having had a few too many beers waiting for the ferry. It was he who said in a slightly slurring way, why wait until ancona to strip down the engine to find the cause of the machine gun noise coming from within. Thus he and I started to take the ancillilaries off the cylinder head whilst the ferry was approaching the harbour. this prompted looks of utter astonishment from the sweeper mechanics who were convinced we had lost our senses. The plan (if you can call it that) was to get towed onto the boat and continue working until the crew chucked us off the car deck. the second major stoke of luck was Toby Kilner of Car 82 walking past us as he left the car deck for a well earned rest. His question to me - "would you like a hand? this looks like fun!" was all i needed. Toby has been a pillar of strength to many on the rally and with a huge amount of knowledge and equipment to back it up this was a great stroke of good fortune for Dom and I. Anyway, no one ever did come and ask us to leave, in fact just the opposite, at one point in the night a senior officer appeared and asked if there was anything the ship could provide to assist us. The three of us worked constantly with Dom making sure we had adequate supplies coffee and crisps and bizarely, chocolate puddings! Off came the cylinder head to reveal a cracked inlet valve. Yes we had a spare along with the lapping tool and paste. Rupert provided a valve compression tool and quite quickly we got onto the reassembly. finally at about 5am greek time, we fired up the engine which ran a sweet as a nut. The only problem was an air leak on the inlet side which meant the engine would not tick over - we could not complain. we all retired for a celebratory beer or two before getting a couple of hours kip before the ship docked in Italy. Again looks of amazement from a number of the mechanics as we drove off the ferry under our own steam. To put this in perspective, there have been many crews who have worked on cars all night to get back on the road again however, i still think it is unlikely that any vintage Rolls Royce has ever undertaken a reasonably extensive engine rebuild on an overnight ferry! My etermal thanks go to Toby and Rupert who made it happen.
I have met some remarkable people during the course of the rally and hope to stay in touch with many. We have seen some extraordinary sights and scenes in the many weird and wonderful spots we have been to. In time those unfortuante enough to know me well will be bored rigid with an endless stream of 2nd rate photos with some commentary of what it all meant at the time. This trip has tested the car and the crew in ways none of us could have anticipated. I am not aware of Dom and I having any arguments and given we did not know each other that well at the start i think that in itself was anhievment. I am glad i brought ear plugs and I hope Dom understands when I say I am glad we do not have to sleep together anymore! It was Dom's idea and his generosity has meant that I got to experience an adventure of a lifetime - thank you Dom.
maybe some more later...
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