I have sailed, mainly racing, over many years and having worked in boat-building, rig-building and sail-making I know my way around the technical side of yachting.
Most of what I know about racing boats I learned from Phil Morrison when I was fortunate enough to work for the greatest living British dinghy designer for three years over 1977-1979.
Siblyback Sailing Club, Cornwall 1969-1975
1970 Otter 196 (skipper)
1973 Scorpion 872 (skipper)
1973 Cruise around the Orkneys on the Gordonstoun School Yacht "Sea Spirit"
1975 Plymouth Sailing School (Sailing Instructor)
1975 Various channel yacht races as crew
Boat builder: South East Boat-builders, Beckley, Rye, Sussex Bexhill Sailing Club, Sussex 1976
1977 Scorpion 1675 [self-built] (skipper)
Sailmaker: Morrison Sails, Polegate, Sussex Pevensey Bay Sailing Club 1977-1979
1977 Merlin Rocket Inland Championship 1st (crew for Phil Morrison)
1978 Merlin Rocket Nationals 6th (crew for Bill Twine)
1978 Fireball Nationals Felixstow (crew for Phil Morrison)
1978 Scorpion Nationals Hythe 2nd (crew for Phil Morrison)
1978 Albacore Worlds Torbay (crew for Sam Bott)
Rig builder: Racing Sailboats, Battersea, London Ranelagh Sailing Club, Putney, London 1979-1982
Working for Colin Merrett with Harold Barnes, training Nigel Waller and then Mark Rushall as mast builders and developing the first colour edition of the Racing Sailboats Catalogue.
(That caption should say 1982)
1979 National 12 Burton Week Whitstable - Member of winning team - Marmite Soldier [self-built](skipper)
1979 Fireball Nationals Penzance (skipper)
1981 Fireball Nationals Thorpe Bay 6th (crew for Peter Robinson)
1982 Fireball Worlds Frankston 8th (crew for Peter Robinson)
1982 470 (crew for Peter Robinson) British Olympic Training Squad
1982 Qualified as one of the very first generation of RYA Racing Coaches - trained by Rod Carr.
1982 Thai National Sailing Team (National Coach)
1982 Naivasha Sailing Club Kenya (Racing Coach)
Trainee Solicitor, London Law Society Yacht Club 1983-1987
1983 Naivasha Sailing Club Kenya (Racing Coach)
1983 Fireball Europeans Le Val Andre (crew for Mark Saville)
1984 Fireball Worlds San Francisco (crew for Mark Saville)
Solicitor, London & Sussex Law Society Yacht Club 1987-1999
Law Society Yacht Club 1990-2000 (Treasurer then Commodore)
1990 Yacht Master Offshore Theory
1991 Scorpion Nationals Porthpean (skipper)
1993 J24 Worlds Abersoch (crew for Nick Whipp)
1988 - 2004 Air Canada, Turner & Newell Industry Sailing Challenge: skippering numerous entries from Hobson Audley Solicitors and The Law Society Yacht Club as well as various Law Society Yacht Club Events; training members and colleagues to yacht race.
Business consultant & administrator, Sussex 1999 - 2017
2001 Scorpion Nationals 1st Old Boats (skipper)
2002 First Class 8 - Round the Island Race: 23rd Overall, Winner Group 4, Winner ISC Class H (skipper)
2004 LSYC v Bar Yacht Club at Cowes in Sonars 1st (skipper)
2019 Renovating Scorpion 1759 after 18 years in a rat infested garage, competing in the Scorpion Diamond Jubilee National Championships in Penzance, August 2021.
2022 RYA Racing Coach L2 & PB L2
2022 Renovating Scorpion 1929 (the very first Gosling Scorpion) and competing in the Scorpion National Championships at Looe SC, Cornwall.
2023 Further development work on 1929, competing at the Scorpion Nationals at Eastbourne and starting to work with and support younger sailors.
2023 Sailing Geoff West's Lightning Reflex 38 - two handed with Geoff from Corpach to Cowes - 13 days of pleasant fast sailing with a couple of night passages from Kilmore Quay to Newlyn (in 21 hours) and Salcombe to Cowes. Geoff credited me as co-skipper.
2023 lending 1929 to Millie Irish & Jack Lewis for three winter events, then building a new mast for her with Mark Rushall (our first together for about 45 years).
2024 RYA RCL3 Coaching Certification.
2024 starting working with Joe Warwicker in 1929, undertaking 7 weeks of coaching, bringing in Andy Service as forward hand - culminating winning 3 races and placing 3rd overall at the 2024 Nationals at CCSC, Weymouth.
2024 sailing Geoff West's First Love from Cowes to Newlyn and returning via Weymouth (skipper)
2025 Developing the Female Scorpion Project with RYA Coaching Development Support to coach young female sailors and support them at the 2025 Nationals in Penzance. The high point was Arwen Fflur and Hatty Connolly leading a race in 1929 and finishing 2nd.
