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My father was a Trinity House pilot, who subsequently worked for two years on an English Channel buoyage system in the early 1950s. We lived in Seaview on the Isle of Wight, where I naturally sailed and did some rowing and fishing, before running a pub and a watersports business with several speedboats I had. In the late 1980s we affiliated to the RYA, with all staff gaining RYA qualifications. I eventually left and returned to being a pleasure boater.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
As well as your comments about RYA Magazine and the topics covered, we’d like to hear about your time on the water. If you’ve had a good, bad or funny experience, want to thank someone, or maybe have a tale of a good deed, we’d like to hear from you.
In 2022 I bought an old, famous
powerboat – an ex-Lady Arrans race boat – did her up and raced on the south coast. We changed her name to Mango Crazy (pictured). Then we did the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race, regrettably not getting to Torquay in time limit as a result of brutal weather conditions, but we did have a great four-page write-up in Powerboat and RIB
Magazine, subsequently winning a cup from Classic
Powerboat Club for the oldest boat and bravest attempt. Me at 70 years old, the oldest entrant and in the lowest powered boat at 600 hp, and the smallest at 28ft. Then we were
Your comments on social media Facebook
Feedback on our statement about the proposed Portland incinerator (see p14):
Portland and Weymouth is the home of British sailing and the home of RYA. it must never be allowed to go from Weymouth. Best sailing area in the world. Rob Ingram
Thank you for standing up and looking out for the health of your athletes and staff. Laura Andrews
Facebook
For Vanessa, sailing became more than a sport – it was a lifeline. After struggling with severe depression, she was offered a place on a free dinghy instructor course that
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rya.org.uk SUMMER 2025
awarded the Sonny Levi trophy for outstanding achievement, as we carried on and completed the course in six hours!
Peter Hall
Peter wins an HX210E from Standard Horizon – a great piece of kit when you’re out on the water. Not only is it a handheld VHF radio, it also includes an FM radio, which means you can listen to your favourite stations too. It’s waterproof, floats, and has a strobe light that immediately activates if dropped overboard.
www.standardhorizon.co.uk
changed everything. Read her story on p57.
My family have all benefited from Vanessa Weedon-Jones’s words and wisdom. Support, growth and inclusivity have been visible all the time we’ve known you. Thank you. Cate Whiteside
Our autistic son is now teaching dinghy sailing. He has struggled so much but sailing and the wonderful encouragement he has had helped him find a path. Big shout out for Jayne Morris and the team at Rockley. He is happy for the first time as a DI! Alston Barn
Facebook
‘I came home and said to my kids, “I want to learn to sail,” and they
laughed and said, “You can’t brush your hair in the morning, how are you going to learn to sail?”’ Phil Monk has always been active, running up and down mountains for fun. But when his collagen became faulty, it made movement painful, so he stopped. That’s when he found sailing at Whitefriars Sailability. ‘The boat just gave the freedom, and for me, it takes away the pain. Sailing saved my life.’
It’s been amazing to help teach and coach Phil Monk over the last 18 months. Good luck with the Hansa TTs this year, Phil! Toby Owen
Inspirational... hoping our Sailibility programme can continue to offer opportunities like this. Bridget Rippey
Photo: Peter Hall
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