Manchester Virus Hits Mid-Thames

Six teams started at Maidenhead Thicket only to hear a quick CW signal then off! Only Steve Stone and Graham Phillips who managed to get to the bearing field got a bearing. This appeared that Colin decided it was 7.25 the first signal was sent, hence by the time the rest of the teams arrived he had gone!

It was decided that a approx bearing would be given (this was read as 345 degrees). Steve quoted he had 330 and poor graham 310, the bearing / plus 4km passed towards Chinnor.

I and a few others decided to go towards Princes Risbrough. The 8pm signal was heard and the bearing swung towards the woods near Bledlow Ridge. On arriving at Stokenchurch thinking I would run into the nearby woods on the next transmission, discovered that Colin was still away from the 4km boundary marker.

With a dash I drove towards Christmas Common nature centre and after a brief search decided that Colin was not there. On the way out Peter Lisle stopped and stated Colin was definitely there! I then drove down to the bottom of the Nature Reserve where the signal was extremely weak. With haste I drove back up to the park only to find Mark Coventry, who had been there for at least two transmissions, stating the signal went across the M40 motorway. In convoy we drove to the footpath on the other side of the motorway and, after a short walk, found Colin's car. With transmission on ran (well mostly) down a footpath towards the edge of the M40. At the end the signal was massive, on turning around there was no sign of Mark or Steve Stone who also appeared like magic.

So I tracked back along the path (all too quiet, I thought) only to find Mark still hunting. I suggested he walk along the fence where he and I then found the aerial tied to the fence and after tracing it further Mark spotted Colin lying beside a bramble patch. Alas, all I could do was finish second. Some minutes later Steve arrived and later all teams found Colin before Close down, with most grumbling regards the approx bearing being 8km, instead of 4km! (Manchester Virus)

Brian Bristow