Sailing

I started sailing as a child in Walton backwaters on family holidays. Arthur Ransome's Secret Water was based in this area and my father bought a small cruiser which we used for family holidays.

Since then, my father and I have been lucky enough to sail on yacht Widgeon also kept in the backwaters and recently celebrating her 100th birthday. We sailed twice across to Holland for a week in the canals. This was an interesting twist on the traditional Parish Church Sale becoming a Sail with other members of the congregation travelling by ferry to live on the yachts in Holland. On the second trip this was the start of my passage to Luxemborg and a flight to South America.

I have also sailed with Jean's friend Larry on his catamaran Quaesita on a glorious cruising holiday around the Scottish Islands and we persuaded him to enter the Scottish Islands Peaks Race.

In 2003, Larry bought a new yacht Clio, a Nicholson 38 which was lying in Hayling Island on the South coast. We helped him with the first voyage - delivery to Liverpool.

In 2006, I was offered the chance to have another go at the Scottish Islands Peaks Race and this time we finished with the extra challenge of running every peak in the dark!