Guides Regatta Rowing

Jireh, our sturdy Drascombe Lugger sailing dinghy has been called into action to provide a safety boat for the guides as they practice their rowing for Dartmouth 2008 Regatta. A mix of novices and more experienced rowers, together with yet another summer gale and blustery squalls passing through made for some interesting moments. But the girls did very well and are shaping up nicely. A few more practices should see them performing wth style!

Decoy Country Park

After a week of wind and rain we were blessed to have a sunny day for our Church 'Top of the Town Cub' outing to Decoy Country Park in Newton Abbott. Twenty four of us boarded the minibus kindly loaned by the Willows Church and braved the holiday traffic to Newton Abbott. It was a first for all of us and the TOTT kids were delighted to find the largest play park I have ever seen, complete with water feature! Also on offer was the chance to hire sit-on-top canoes, and many took advantage of this to get even wetter. At 4 o'clock we all drove the quarter of a mile to Bruce's and Eunice's house (Bruce is out minister at Dartmouth Baptist church) where a BBQ was awaiting us - thank you Eunice for your cooking. An hour after we dropped the kids back to Dartmouth the heavens opened once more. Praise God for His provision of fine weather!

I'm afraid the pictures are not of a very good quality - I forgot to take my camera and had to take them on my ancient mobile phone.

Visit to Portsmouth and Deal

This week saw us travelling first to Portsmouth to see Daniel and Crystal, also Hannah and her Dan. Jonathan and Becky very kindly put us up once again (our beds are permanently kept made up I think!) and it is always a real blessing to spend time with these lovely friends who continue to serve God in all they do. I took Daniel for a paddle, in a kayak - not trousers rolled up in the sea Jonathan! Afterwards we were fed royally at Hannah's and Dan's new flat.

Lynn and I then travelled further east, staying the night in a b&b in Folkestone before attending the funeral of a dear friend and former colleague John Kelly. John sadly passed away recently after suffering from some sort of brain virus. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Wendy, Sam and Jade and all the family. Many friends and colleagues attended the funeral and it was good to see the support for John's family and to catch up with old friends.

Steve and Barbara sail in!

Living in a popular sailing centre does bring me in contact with many and varied people, but I never cease to be amazed of what a small world we live in. I regularly meet people who know old colleagues or friends of mine, and sometimes they actually sail in themselves! It was a real delight then to get an email from Steve and Barbara, friends from many years ago when Steve and I served together in a Royal Navy Volunteer Band. They had sailed into the Dart while I was walkng along the cliffs to Brixham. In fact, the lone yacht that I saw beating in a stiff westerly turned out to be them - intrepid voyageurs! Steve and Barbara were able to visit our 'house with a view' and then return the hospitality in the evening when Lynn and I were able to visit them on their Fisher 34 'Wight Mistress'. I was yacht taxiing, but had a quiet hour or so that enabled me to enjoy a coffee with them. They live on board their yacht but have had an exciting year in the Pacific Ocean where they have skippered and run a large catamaran for a yachting company. It was great to see them.

Richard and Sam Shafer visit

We were delighted to meet up with our friends Richard and Sam Shafer who we met in the Philippines last year. Richard, a Professor of Media Studies at the University of North Dakota had been lecturing in Sweden and he and Sam decided to do a mini Euro tour on their way home. So they decided that London and Dartmouth would give a good flavour (flavor - USA spelling!) of England. We visited Slapton Sands, where Richard's father may have trained during WW2. Here Sam braved the English channel to swim with Julia. We also took them to Dartmouth castle and walked a lot. Their trip culminated in a 'crabbing' session off the banks of the River Dart. Catching the ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff, they continued their trip to via Paris before flying home to Richard's wife Jill, and their older son Paul. It was lovely to meet up with them again.

Sailing in Jireh

Taking advantage of a bit or summery weather today, Lydia and I went out for a short sail on Jireh. Lynn and Julia were otherwise occupied but we decided to go and enjoy gentle breezes and a bit of sun. If anything it was too gentle a breeze but was very relaxing.

I manage to get out once or twice a week for a sail.

Hannah Watson BA(Hons)!

It was a real pleasure to attend Hannah's graduation ceremony in Portsmouth Guildhall. She looked very learned! It was also a real blessing to see Jonathan and Becky again and they once again allowed us to stay with them for the night. Well done Hannah!

The picture shows proud parents and fiance with the graduation girl.