Courtesy Editor of the Day – Catherine Blake   They say that preparation is everything but, for Tom and Colette, the last few months (and years) of hard labour must have seemed worth it when the sea trials started on Saturday, 16^th July 2006, under the watchful eye of Jon Williams (sea/navigation guru), Prim Teaze of Leith left Hamble-le-Rice looking a class apart.    

As the sails unfurled in Southampton Water (ain’t hydraulic winches the biz!), she caught the wind.  Every delay and every minute of waiting for this moment was worth it. We cut effortlessly through the waves, twisting and turning, (not a helmsman error, but Tom trying her out to the limits) to the admiring glances of other vessels.   She handled like a dream (I know because I was at the helm for all of 60 minutes and didn’t crash…not even once).   State of the art is an understatement.  With every gadget known on board, Tom has his bedtime reading for the duration of the journey.  But when all is said and done, journeys are nothing without friends and good company and there is an abundance of that on board.

T&C – safe and happy journeys……..

Catherine   xx