A unique facility for all users of the River Medina in Cowes, Isle of Wight, was inaugurated by the RYA’s International Training Manager, James Stevens, on Friday 26th March. Welcoming guests to the ceremony at the new 11-metre Training Pontoon on the Folly Reach, Cowes Harbour Commissioner, Captain Peter Jackson, explained that every boat owner needed at some stage to acquire essential boat handling skills such as berthing.  He explained that during the peak summer months in Cowes this was akin to trying to learn to fly at Heathrow Airport!

7th March 2010 - Tunisia

My only excuse for the long gap in updating you on our travels is that we have been quite busy, but not going very far.  We stayed another 2 months in Tunisia, missing out the fishing ports I am afraid, staying one month in Monastir and another in Houmt Souk, Jerba.  So not much sailing to report on apart from the two overnight journeys chasing the sun further south, and now a two day sail to Malta.  Although we had researched the smaller harbours and been given coordinates for the narrow channel through the Kerkennah islands, I think these might be better explored during more predictable and calmer weather.  Neither of us really wanted to be trapped by the weather in a fishing port for a week or more and the weather patterns never really settled down sufficiently to allow anchoring overnight with any degree of safety.