Calais Rally

Every year the Little Ships Club sails hunderds of yachts over to Calais in remeberance of all the Little Ships that sailed across the channel to bring back our troops from Dunkerque in 1940. My ship, HMS Puncher, is a member of the Little Ships Club and as so we went to represent the Royal Navy for the Calais Rally.

Passing HMS Mersey off the coast of Brighton

We sailed from Portsmouth to Dover before refuelling to make the hop across to Calais. The weekend was superb with many G&T's being consumed on many different peoples yachts. A night out in Calais (God's blind spot) resulted in much merryment and dancing on tables....

A few of the hundreds of yachts arriving in Calais Marina

The sail back to Portsmouth was not the most pleasant as we trying to outrun a storm. 10 hours later and much technicolour yawning brought us safely back to pompey after a fanatastic weekend. As I am away all summer on expedition I will miss the usual summer deployments and so it was a good to get some time on board the might P291.

Fun and Frolics in Italy

(all photos thanks to Nick Horwoood)

I have just got back from a great long weekend in Val Sesia and the Aosta Valley in Italy. It was a great if not somewhat eventful few days on some of the best steep creeking Europe has to offer. Some of the highlights for me were the Sorba slides and a quite eventful day on the Soana where I took my first swim for 6 years!

Myself on the Sorba slides

Off the river there was much merryment and jollity with some very good company. I look forward to going back next year.

Nick Horwood on the Gronde

Watch out, more photos to come!