Bluebird Runs 2019
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 1:24 am
I think we're all about done with this 'museum home row' thing so thought I'd start a new thread.
Also thought I'd post a slightly more in-depth appraisal of current events as I've been so busy these past couple of weeks I've had time only for quick one-liners. We came back from Bute in 2018 in triumph to be soon offered dates for Coniston in 2019 - the gold medal position of the project since 2002 - and realised we weren't ready. Undaunted, our team sprang into action with Op's Director, Malcolm working with the divers and water safety crew, Rich, Sal, Et al, to get our documents to the LDNPA as quickly as possible while the engineering crew gawped at the million and one jobs left unfinished (and unmentioned) before our trip to Bute.
Fast-forward to January 19 and the BEWG has evaporated and the dates for July have been vacated. We had concerns about what could be achieved in the limited time between announcing the dates and us actually arriving there with K7 but we had to stay across it in case we failed because that would have looked especially stupid. What we didn't expect was the sudden and total collapse of all that was planned.
This, of course, fed warm milk and honey to the conspiracy theorists who proposed everything from large-scale alien abductions in Cumbria to a fleet of Black Hawk helicopters deploying platoons of lawyers, leading counsel in tow, abseiling onto the ground in Coniston.
In the meantime we worked damned hard on the machine to get her closer to completion whilst Op's explored alternative venues. But what we couldn't do was commit to anywhere else so long as we gave Coniston first refusal, which was only fair seeing as they remain our partners in this. This left us with only the option to go somewhere else at short notice.
We therefore mailed our museum partners with our thoughts. They suggested that running elsewhere this time around might not sit too well with their trustees so we mailed back and invited the trustees to put any pertinent issues on the table by a given deadline so we could all discuss and reach agreement. No issues were offered so we then forwarded our press release with an invitation to add, subtract or offer a quote in support. That process will be complete by noon Tue 5th March so, assuming all is well and in agreement by then, we'll make a release and all you good people can spread it far and wide.
Apologies for all the messing about with dates, plans and venues but it really has been beyond our control. Hopefully we'll settle into a good and solid plan in the next 24 hours and we look forward to seeing you at a waterway near you soon.
Also thought I'd post a slightly more in-depth appraisal of current events as I've been so busy these past couple of weeks I've had time only for quick one-liners. We came back from Bute in 2018 in triumph to be soon offered dates for Coniston in 2019 - the gold medal position of the project since 2002 - and realised we weren't ready. Undaunted, our team sprang into action with Op's Director, Malcolm working with the divers and water safety crew, Rich, Sal, Et al, to get our documents to the LDNPA as quickly as possible while the engineering crew gawped at the million and one jobs left unfinished (and unmentioned) before our trip to Bute.
Fast-forward to January 19 and the BEWG has evaporated and the dates for July have been vacated. We had concerns about what could be achieved in the limited time between announcing the dates and us actually arriving there with K7 but we had to stay across it in case we failed because that would have looked especially stupid. What we didn't expect was the sudden and total collapse of all that was planned.
This, of course, fed warm milk and honey to the conspiracy theorists who proposed everything from large-scale alien abductions in Cumbria to a fleet of Black Hawk helicopters deploying platoons of lawyers, leading counsel in tow, abseiling onto the ground in Coniston.
In the meantime we worked damned hard on the machine to get her closer to completion whilst Op's explored alternative venues. But what we couldn't do was commit to anywhere else so long as we gave Coniston first refusal, which was only fair seeing as they remain our partners in this. This left us with only the option to go somewhere else at short notice.
We therefore mailed our museum partners with our thoughts. They suggested that running elsewhere this time around might not sit too well with their trustees so we mailed back and invited the trustees to put any pertinent issues on the table by a given deadline so we could all discuss and reach agreement. No issues were offered so we then forwarded our press release with an invitation to add, subtract or offer a quote in support. That process will be complete by noon Tue 5th March so, assuming all is well and in agreement by then, we'll make a release and all you good people can spread it far and wide.
Apologies for all the messing about with dates, plans and venues but it really has been beyond our control. Hopefully we'll settle into a good and solid plan in the next 24 hours and we look forward to seeing you at a waterway near you soon.