Adventures afloat

Last week was one of great excitement - not only was I privileged enough to watch the Pendennis Cup from their spectator launch, but on Saturday Mr B and I, and others who race with Charlie Choak were invited on his boat to watch the Red Arrows.

The morning dawned grey with heavy clouds and no wind, and as the Red Arrows were cancelled at the last minute last year due to low cloud, we were all fearful the same thing would happen. Av rang that morning and said it was lovely weather in Dorset. Good, I muttered, through gritted teeth.

Then, late morning, the sun broke through and shone, with a light breeze, for the rest of the day. And it was magical. The only downside was that the wonderful yachts didn't have their sails up so I couldn’t take pictures of them under sail, but here are a few of the afternoon.

I also interviewed the boat designer Roger Dongray on Friday which was a fascinating morning. He’s the man who designed the Shrimper and Crabber, if that means anything to you readers. Most interviews take about 45 minutes but this one went on for nearly two hours! An amazing man and incredibly modest about his talents.

Now, it’s back to real life. Taking the lone sailor to hospital on Monday. I had dentist and doctor yesterday, and life will settle down again.

Nothing like a few adventures afloat to make life special, though.