The new news 24 thread

[New POD]

 

Missus chariot now had eyebrows and eye liner touch up[/qu want to ote]

 

i want to hate it. I want to hate your wife. But something tells me that i don't. I'm just really really really amazed at the brazen vulgarity of it all.

The anti social anarchistic rebellion that says fuck your brains out with pink.

[MikeR]

Why did they not just fill it with rocks?

soon as I saw the first truck drive onto the sand I thought " they dont know what they are doing "

 

next time ...2 miles of rope , keep tow on a hard surface , wait for tide to go out

[Parky]

Probably would have been better attaching a few inflatables to it and waiting for the tide to refloat it. Could have been fun seeing where it ended up

 

2026. Residents of small Bangladesh village receive largest message in a bottle ever recorded, Message said “buy milk, meet on beach, DONT park on sand”

 

Message on dashboard also. That one said “Air suspension inoperative”

[GrumpiusMaximus]

You've got to just love a chancer.  

 

What made me laugh was when the RECOVERY TRUCK turned up at the end, without ceremony and just did it.  The poor guys in the Transits probably though they had the right tool for the job.  Only one word of that is correct...

 

Do you reckon they were trying for marine salvage rights?

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Missus chariot now had eyebrows and eye liner touch up

 

That's appalling and horrendous.

 

And I love it.

[louiepj]

Didn't Top Gear make an instructional episode on how to remove a car from the sea they could have watched.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Didn't Top Gear make an instructional episode on how to remove a car from the sea they could have watched.

Wait until the tide goes back out and drag it out with a tractor, then crack out your tame mechanic to get it running again and drive it home?

[Talbot]

Looked a lot like the two pikey transits were trying to drag it with the handbrake on / in park, and the pro recovery guys got it to roll.

[Richard]

Why would you recover it at all though? There's no value in it and it would already have released all its pollutants overnight. 

[davehedgehog31]

Missus chariot now had eyebrows and eye liner touch up

What's the female version of "Barried"? "Bernadetted"?

[spike60]

I live on the NE coast of England and "bogged on the beach" is a regular feature including an ambulance and a drowned Lifeboat launch tractor in recent years. Not all caught out have RR's and jet skis though they're here as well.

[richardmorris]

Still, I bet he didn't owe as much in finance payments as the owner of that Range Rover probably did...

57 plate with chavy red bits. Or is it supposed to be a private reg?

Not expensive to start with and worthless now.

 

Skinny tyres too probably helped it get stuck.

 

Hilarious video though.

[DeeJay]

Disappointing lack of rigger boots, or were they wearing rigger flip flops?

[DeeJay]

Missus chariot now had eyebrows and eye liner touch up

No tickets for me, thanks 

[Cavcraft]

In fairness to the Transit lads they were just trying to help someone who was stranded. Probably not the greatest idea they've ever had, but at least they tried. 

[drum]

This past week I've been mostly working on the moderns*.

 

Wife's golf needed a new shock on the front. As per, everything that could go wrong, did.

 

 

The pinch bolt sheared, then the drop link played awkward bastards. The nut loosened fine but then the whole thing turned. The spline head rounded off. Tried the other end of the drop link, but exactly the same happened. Nut freed then tightened on the exposed thread and despite having a half inch drive spline bit, the hole just rounded off.

 

 

I decided to drop the wishbone to make like easier*. Big mistake.

 

The bottom ball joint needed heat on the nut to free off. Can't get a socket on it so had two spanners for leverage and came close to rounding it off.

 

Then the TRE, which I should have left well alone, fucked up as well.

 

Came close to losing the rag and scrapping the whole thing.

 

All done now and mot passed with new drop link and TRE. At least the brake pads were easy, but there's dampness on the fuel cooler (didn't even know it had one) so more trials and tribulations to come.

[drum]

Then it was the turn of the Santa Fe.

Both back brakes were grinding so new discs and pads were acquired.

 

They're disc and drum combined and I had a helluva job getting the first one off. Once off, I could see how the handbrake shoes adjust, so the second one was easy.

 

A bearing is starting to rumble so thought I'd swap it over.

 

 

 

It's the whole hub you change which is attached with four bolts. The heads are very awkward to get at and look like spline jobs.

 

My bit couldn't fit passed the abs ring.

 

Think I'll give this to the garage to do.

[BorniteIdentity]

In fairness to the Transit lads they were just trying to help someone who was stranded. Probably not the greatest idea they've ever had, but at least they tried.

Absolutely.

 

I was born and inbred - but left 15 years ago. I’m ashamed of how much scoffing there has been from various people (some high profile) about what was - essentially - an innocent mistake on the part of the RR owner.

 

They, along with the transit drivers, have been publicly ridiculed and I just think it’s terribly sad - and indicative of what a horrible bunch of voyeuristic bastards we’ve become.

 

Sadreactsonly

[wrenchvolt]

Mazda 626 has now got a fresh MOT. Some repairs and fettling. Will post more details soon.

[cort16]

They've banned cars on the beaches around here for this reason.

I remember some "recovery experts" trying to rescue a Fiat Seicento that had slid onto the grass outside my mates house and got stuck. Within 10 minutes they were dragging it along the road on it's roof.

[trigger]

I wouldn't feel too sorry for them, not from what I've been told. I can't say anymore as I've had threats from one of their mates for calling one of them scummy.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Absolutely.

 

I was born and inbred - but left 15 years ago. I’m ashamed of how much scoffing there has been from various people (some high profile) about what was - essentially - an innocent mistake on the part of the RR owner.

 

They, along with the transit drivers, have been publicly ridiculed and I just think it’s terribly sad - and indicative of what a horrible bunch of voyeuristic bastards we’ve become.

 

Sadreactsonly

I was brought up with boats and one of the first things I was warned about was knowing the tide times before attempting any marine activity. My sympathy is deeply limited, I’m afraid. The Transit guys I’ve got a bit of time for but the jet ski owner? None. None whatsoever.

[wrenchvolt]

I grew up on the coast. It's become a conditioned response to look at the tide line before attempting anything requiring access along the shore. Tide times and boats/vehicles is number one priority. To some degree you learn by an expensive mistake or a bit of embarrassment brought on by general piss taking.

[Richard]

I wouldn't feel too sorry for them, not from what I've been told. I can't say anymore as I've had threats from one of their mates for calling one of them scummy.

 

Neither of the Transits is taxed and one of them looks too new for its number plate.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I grew up on the coast. It's become a conditioned response to look at the tide line before attempting anything requiring access along the shore. Tide times and boats/vehicles is number one priority. To some degree you learn by an expensive mistake or a bit of embarrassment brought on by general piss taking.

 

 

My favourite 'tide cock up' story:

 

My Mum and Dad used to be members of Gravesend Sailing Club when I was a teenager.  I was on the fringes and an occasional visitor and knew my way around a boat or two, so every now and then I'd crew for a race, etc.  

 

I was about 19, minding my own business at home (probably noodling on a guitar) and I got a call from my Mum.  'D, we need you to grab blankets and clean clothes, don't care what it is, just bring it down to the sailing club now'.  So I did that, jumped in the Ka and made my way over there in about 5 minutes.

 

Gravesend Sailing Club is a bit odd in that to get boats in and out, you have to use a crane because it's built into a sea wall that is part of the canal basin complex that leads into the Thames.  In effect, when the tide gets down, you get a small river that leads to the lock (we called it 'The Cut') and that can take you up to one of the cranes at relatively low tide levels.  There's another crane on the front wall.  If the tide gets too low, though, there's just river mud - and you can't traverse that at all.  When your boat is secured to the crane, you just climb up the ladder on the wall until you're back at ground level.

 

A tender had been out and mis-timed the low tide.  They were rowing back in with about 4 people on it and were about 25 feet short of the wall when they just ran out of water.  Stranded.  Nothing they could do.

 

By the time I got there, the air-sea rescue helicopter was just on the way.  They hovered overhead and winched everybody off the tender.  It really was quite a sight - the second helicopter winch I've seen in the flesh and they're really something  Bear in mind, this is 25 feet away from safety - it really is that marginal.  The worst/best part of the whole affair was that it was during Gravesend Regatta so the entire town is now watching from behind the fence.  Much laughing and pointing and 'helpful advice'.

 

Got in the Commodore's car, drive to Gravesend Grammar School, shout for the caretaker to open the gate so we could get to the helicopter that was landing there (he still remembered me, fortunately) and we all go in to give them the clothes that I'd brought down before the ambulance arrived to take them off for checks.  They all had mild hypothermia in the end - and it was around early August.

 

Gravesend Sailing Club have since installed a floating pontoon that solves the low-tide access issues.  It really is a great, very friendly and down-to-earth club if anybody around there wants to try out sailing.  Lovely place.  And quite cheap beer if you're a member...

 

The point remains, however:

 

Always check what the tide is doing before you commence any kind of marine activity.

[wrenchvolt]

I'm such a cock, got as far as this and started to laugh:

 

 

My favourite 'tide cock up' story:

 

My Mum and Dad used to be members of Gravesend Sailing Club when I was a teenager.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I did go for a swim in the Thames once.  In Gravesend.

 

Not recommended.

 

I can't help my 'Middle Class Membership Card' credentials.  Bewl Water was much more posh.

[wrenchvolt]

You see tidal creeks and rivers that when the tide is out there is no possible way to traverse. Mud is so deep and gives way to the slightest pressure, then restrains any boot, dagger board or wheel with a vacuum so intense you wouldn't think possible. Just to see water at different conditions on different days should give a person an indication that planning and know how is needed. With the situation of the tender being stuck, a bit of rain and wind in the colder months death would have been scarily close.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Yeah.  There was another air-sea rescue incident with club members that year but it was near Orkney and that really was life-or-death.  He'd decided to risk the weather forecast sailing to Shetland, got caught in a storm and all of his systems except his emergency beacon went out.  Only knew it had worked when the helicopter and offshore lifeboat turned up.  Got rescued and they managed to recover the boat.

 

Didn't arrive in Fair Isle in time for his honeymoon, though...

[wrenchvolt]

Didn't arrive in Fair Isle in time for his honeymoon, though...

 

Prolly for the best, cold water doesn't do you any favours....