At around 10:15pm last night Pinky gracefully slipped her berth, taking advantage of the high tide and following wind. There was an emotional farewell from the quayside with relatives and friends saying their goodbyes. Before embarking the crew ate a hearty meal at the Naaz Indian Restaurant (apart from Captain Jack Kieran and First Mate Marc who had to make do with a takeaway)
Not since the days of Captain Sparrow has Mansfield seen scenes of such excitement. While the crew were optimistic and confident in their abilities and the capability of their machine the spectators were only too aware of the vast amount of effort in the recent preparations and the risk that something had been missed …. Pinky represents the leading edge of Mansfield technology and the smallest error by one of the highly skilled engineers could spell disaster for the whole mission.
For now, all thoughts of possible problem or failure have been forgotten as the memory of the triumphal departure remains fresh in our memory. Who could forget the lights twinkling, the eerie sounds of the Dixie horn and the underlying theme music of Layla fading gradually into the night.
All is quiet now with only the empty berth to look at, the last message received over an intermittent communication channel was “land sighted, presume Calais … send more ATF”. All we who are left behind can do is hope and wait for more news at the first rendezvous point on Friday night.
Kieran and a sponsors wife
Party mood before departure
A proud sponsor
The fond farewell
Subject: The adventure begins ..... 
Wed Sep 10, 2008 6:58 am
