Sun, Sails and Sand

The Gooleys were out on the water this morning on our Contessa 32, Golden Eye. It was one of those spring days that exceeded expectations. It felt like a summer holiday as we moored back up at Chichester Marina and walked to the Spinnaker Cafe for lunch. The beach feeling was completed when my younger son picked up a fistful of sand from the cafe sandpit and, before I could intervene, sprinkled it all over a plate of scampi.

The photo is of a fellow Contessa 32 anchored off the beach at East Head, enjoying the rays.

Big Boats and Little Boats

Last night I was fortunate enough to be invited aboard HMS Warrior to give the after dinner speech to the Contessa 32 Association End of Season Rally. It was a fun evening that had at its heart some the best British maritime traditions. HMS Warrior was an extraordinary feat of engineering and, ironically, peacemaking. At the other end of the scale the Contessa 32 is steadily going about securing its own small place in our nautical heritage also.