Hello sailors ,  Firstly, let me remind you that on Sunday we are racing for the John Waller R M trophy, the first trophy of the year, so please let’s have a great turnout.  If you don’t have a R M, bring a I.O.M.  The weather is looking great, with sunshine and the wind due west about 8 to 14 knots.  Temperature are set to be around 10C but with the sunshine could feel a lot warmer.  Don’t be late because we want to get as many races in as possible.

Last Tuesday Jackie and I had a bit of a run out to Skegness, basically I have never been before, but the real aim of our run out was to go and see Martin, who as you all know has been suffering a bit for a while. We arrived around eleven am and had decided to stay for an hour and then go into Skeggy for some lunch, fish and chips.  Well plans don’t always work out and we stayed chatting with Martin and his lovely wife untill almost 4 pm, not forgetting the dogs, oh and the cat as well!  I took my new boat down for him to have a look, and he loved it.  Martin, in spite of all the work the hospitals have done on him, looks absolutely fantastic, and his enthusiasm for sailing and racing model yachts is something I have not seen for a while.   Jackie must have been bored to tears as we continued to chat about all things sailing for ages. Then Martin’s wife came home, and she and Jackie  got on really well, so Martin and I did not feel quite so guilty.  Martin can hardly wait to get back to the lake side and start racing again, although he has made me promise to let him have a go with the my new boat.  He used to be a top dinghy racer when he was younger , and knows loads about sails and rigs , stuff that I never even thought about.  He showed me his selection of model boats and even has a 6metre that is part finished and they are all up nice and neat on racks in his garage.    I can guess how frustrated Martin is, not being able to follow the hobby he loves, but I am sure that it will not be too long before we see him back at the lakeside.    Martin, all the guys wish you well and a speedy recovery, I just hope you enjoyed last Tuesday as much as I did , and we will certainly be coming to Skeggy again.  We eventually had our fish and chips at a plaice recomended by Martins and his wife the food was great , and then made our way home.

Mick