Tombstoning ...

Tombstoning - jumping off cliffs, piers, harbour walls or other high points into the sea - has claimed a number of lives across the UK in recent years. Since being in Plymouth, we have been struck by the number of "tombstoners" there are around this area.














If you walk round to the Barbican in the evening, you cannot miss seeing tombstone-jumpers in dripping wetsuits, with shivering but admiring little brothers in tow, and often surrounded by doting teenage girls!! That is youff for you ... the picture below gives a better idea of the height of the jump ... taken at maximum zoom too - gulp!!

Of course there are rocks below which have to be avoided (adds to the fun perhaps?) - one hopes that they only jump at times when the tide is at its highest!

Brittany's Tricky Turn ...

Usually the Brittany Ferry slips silently into port .... except the other day, when for some reason (probably due to the tide/wind), it decided to turn around first in a very narrow stretch. I have seen/done some close 3-point turns in my time (or even 5 point turns!), but this one beats them all. Watching the whole process was entertaining for us ... but I wonder how the people living in the homes by the water felt?

Getting closer .... a bit too close, I think ...

Success!!

I expect the passengers & Plymouth residents were on waving terms by the time it was finished (being done very slowly, the whole turn took about 20 minutes). Still, it would take a lot of skill to manover something of that size ... sometimes the ferry has had to steer around a warship (or more often wait for it to pass), and of course there are always lots of yachts/or a dinghy or two around.