April Summary: back to Africa!

The month began with visitors from Luxembourg, Jon, Kathryn and family. One of the highlights of the week for the grandchildren was an afternoon at Falmouth's National Maritime Museum, always a favourite treat. It is a superb museum, and the venue for next month's two MEI Conferences, Biomining '23 and Sustainable Minerals '23.

A week after their return to Luxembourg Amanda, Jon, Barbara and I met up again in Cape Town for Comminution '23.

Due to our travels we missed the April Cornish Mining Sundowner, but on the day before we did get together with other sundowner regulars, Nick and Flee Wilshaw of gsl for superb steaks at Hussars in Rondebosch.  

Nick and Flee's company, gsl, was a sponsor of Comminution '23, and after the conference they set off for Kruger National Park for their first ever safari, which I am sure would have been a magical experience.  As it was for Barbara and me, as we flew up to Botswana for a wonderful week on safari. More of this in a couple of weeks' time!

Arriving in northern Botswana

Amanda returned to Cornwall last Wednesday and then flew to the nearby Isles of Scilly for the World Pilot Gig Championships. The Cornish pilot gig is a six-oared rowing boat, recognised as one of the first shore-based lifeboats that went to vessels in distress, with recorded rescues going back as far as the late 17th century. The original purpose of the Cornish pilot gig was as a general work boat, and the craft was used as a pilot boat, taking pilots out to incoming vessels off the Atlantic Coast.

The World Championships were first held in 1990, only attracting a few crews from Cornwall, but over the years the amount of pilot gigs attending has increased with crews coming from all over the South of England and Wales, the Netherlands, Ireland, France and beyond. Amanda rows with the Ladies Super Vets crew of the Helford River Gig Club, and the great news for Cornwall was that the Helford River women's A crew became World Champions yesterday.

The Helford Ladies Super Vets C Crew (Amanda on the left)

Now we are all back home, and putting the finishing touches to next month's Biomining '23 and Sustainable Minerals '23.