Sigogne - Liberation & Convoyer Report - 21st July 2018
Exactly 24 hours ago our Racing Pigeons were at Caen docks resting and being watered after their channel crossing. Around midday, Tours, once a Gallic-Roman settlement, was their resting and watering hole. The Chief convoyer and pigeon fancier, for over 6 decades, Barrie Smith, rested them for an hour at the beautiful liberation site of Sigogne, before feeding and thereafter liberally watering from 3:30pm onwards.
Today the sun poked its head out around 6am, to greet the NFC Transporter, in thankfully a clear dry sky with very high clouds that were broken and not going anywhere for several days over the Northern hemisphere. The team decided to cut the strings and give the birds their freedom at 6:30am in a sunny 4mph Southwestern wind. The flock cleared the site in less than a minutes and headed home in textbook fashion, as Barry and Bob our responsible driver watched them high tail it back to England & Wales.
On their way home, they should have light variable winds of no more than 4 to 9mph, and very little gusts, including the channel, which makes a welcomed change. Temperatures should get to around 24 degrees in France and even hotter in England. Our winners should encounter no more than light showers as they disperse to their home lofts but in most cases, these will be easily avoidable.
Barrie reports that Sigogne is the perfect liberation site for the NFC as it has extremely friendly French pigeon fanciers, that make the team very welcome on its large home football pitches. There are open skies with no obstructions, it is on high ground and no water courses to lure in mist and fog.
Best of luck and great racing to all our valuable and appreciated members.