Had a read back through last June and niddler is right, I did say negotiate. Sailing report! We went on Tuesday and it was sunny and nice and I did ok, but was in the Topper which I just hate. Mum and dad came down, so H and A were spoilt with rides on the train with flags, and cake and ice creams while R tried to teach me something. Friday, R went out and did whatever he does. Sunday, all 3 of us girls had a go in perfect sunny conditions and I did some great tacks and a gybe which went ok. I steered the whole time we were out. Apart from the bit near the shore which Chris and sarah were watching, were R was trying out some new technique that didn't work. R took A down to the Hamble, and H made it out to the Solent! She was steering some of the time too - now, what kind of confidence does that give you - to be 8 and to be steering a 15ft boat through huge waves. She's not going to struggle with driving a car is she? (Won't be any cars by then). I love the confidence that sailing is giving us all. I am still a fearful wus and panic about the waves, the wash, other boats, the wind, but I am getting better.

We were a 4 boat family, briefly, over the weekend, but are now down to 2, as R sold our Ariel and another Mirror for a friend of his from work. The guy who bought Ariel said the graphics on the side sold it to his 4 year old daughter, who he is teaching to sail in it. So nice to pass it on to another girl who will love it, and we have hardly used it since getting the Cat. Just gutting that R spent hours in the cold in December epoxy resining in his friend's garage and the sale price was the same as we bought it, his hours of work just keeping it at the same level. So, just a Topper called ET and a unnamed cat. We are thinking about 'fat Cat' or 'Cat and Meringue' as names. One quite embarrasing thing was the other day I was looking at a list of race results and said OUT LOUD to R: oh look, their's another guy here who is a member called Rob Bowen, and he has a Sprint. R said - yeah that's me. Almost as bad as when I walked up to a mirror in Next thinking 'I recognise her' and waved at myself. So, a pun on Sprint might work for a name. R is dead keen to do some proper races, getting warmed up for 2012 in Weymouth. This might involve himdriving to other venues around the country and competing against the great and the good in the Sprint world.

Do you know what car I would really like? an Alfa Romeo. When I was little there was a garage down our road with a sticker on it that said Alfa Romeo, so I think it was one of the first words I read. Stuck with me that there sticker.