A long-standing plan to visit the London International Boat Show which we did after collecting Steve’s Christine from Gatwick. Much time investigating maritime computer software and then my guests made us late and we struggled to tackle a snowstorm which meant me taking them home and getting back for bed at 3.30pm!
This day had been planned well in advance for a trip to The London International Boat Show at Earls Court but Steve had mixed up his dates and it was always going to be difficult combining this visit with collecting his friend Christine from Gatwick Airport. Steve arrived and we left at 7.00am and made our way down the A1 to the M25 London Orbital Road and across the Queen Elizabeth Bridge
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This trip was busy from the commuter traffic but at least we kept moving and had time for a refreshment stop before we arrived at Gatwick in good time to collect Christine. The traffic wardens guard the arrival space zealously and so I had to make several circuits of the block before I could collect her. Then the drive back into London and traffic was bad so that we could only get to Earls Court to enter around 11.00am. Time to study my catalogue on arrival so that I could identify all the exhibitors of interest to me and locate them easily.
I had a great time finding out about two new competitors to the PC Maritime computer software navigation people and I tried out their systems and asked lots of questions, particularly of the main one, ICS. It seems that they all use the Livechart Ltd electronic charts and that their software all seems to be the creation of Dr Brian Morris and colleagues from Euronav Marine Software. Now connected with ICS, he has left P.C.Maritime to stagnate somewhat. Steve and Christine went their own way together and look all the world like a married couple and we just met up at times during the show to have refreshments and compare notes.
They seem to act like a couple and share the same views and prejudices and I began to have problems as we prepared to leave. This came to a head as we were all stuck for four hours on the A1 as a snowstorm caught out the local authorities who had failed to salt the road so that the lorries kept jack-knifing. Steve would not take his car on to Sawtry because of is unreliability and so I had to drive them both up there; only getting to bed at 3.30am in the morning. News of widespread bush fires in Australia with the city of Sydney being evacuated.