We hope you are all well. Here are some totally optional notes on our year.

Just before Christmas 2023 we went to a Dinner at R.C.Y.C in Falmouth. It was to celebrate the cruiser racing season, prize giving etc. During the Dinner David Pitman, co-owner of our racing yacht 'Evenflow' was taken ill. The next day he seemed better and we returned to Lymington. A few days later we heard that he was in hospital and had been diagnosed with 'Guillain-Barre Syndrome'* Soon he was completely paralysed, unable to move a single muscle. He released himself from hospital and was looked after at home by his wife Danielle and Sister-in-law Simone. They had to do everything for him. The predictions by the medical establishment were that he would be able to walk in 6 months and get back to normal in a year. Now David has a will of iron. Several sailing World Championships and big yacht successes testify to that. So he set about his rehabilitation. First he got the girls to make a pulley block hoist over the hot tub. Then, although he was completely paralysed, they hoisted him up and into the soothing hot water. That ameliorated the intense nerve pain which is caused by the GBS. After a few weeks he had bigger ideas. He got lifted into a wheel chair, taken to the Ford Ranger and hoisted into the driving seat. Then when the key was turned for him, his fingers being useless, he drove around the grounds.

In May we were booked to go with David and Danielle on a cruise to Istanbul. At first it looked as if we would have to cancel, but we didn't know David. He said he was good to go. So for 3 weeks we rode the lifts while David used only the stairs. On a ship with 13 decks and a cabin on 8th, that means 5 decks up for breakfast, and 6 decks down for dinner . Poor Danielle was exhausted but David proved the point he would not give up.

Anyway, the rest of our news.

April. A train trip with a real steam engine from Coventry to Oban and back.

On The Northern Belle

Battle of Britain Class 'Tangmere'

May. Cruise on Queen Victoria to Cadiz, Malaga, Palma, Rome, Rhodes, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Santorini, Athens, Katakolon ending in Rome. The cruise was good, the weather excellent, sea flat all the way and an excellent ship. We did, though, decide that 3 weeks was a bit too long. Also flying back was very restricting to just 23kg luggage. Istanbul was a revelation. Clean modern city, flowing traffic, no graffitti and friendly people.

Interestingly they wouldn't take Turkish Lire – with 100% p.a. inflation they had reason.

The Bosphorus is a wide, busy, high tidal flow waterway. Wider than the Solent but with 2 suspension bridges and one double deck tunnel – while we still rely on ferries! The EU cities we visited, by contrast, were all dirty, run down, massive traffic jams and graffitti everywhere.

Suspension Bridge over the Bosphorus

Cathy on Santorini. Queen Victoria behind her

June. I acquired a cement mixer. I didn't really mean to. I was looking to hire one, but a small one cost £70 for the weekend. Then I saw one on Ebay – I bid £60 and got it – much to the annoyance of the seller who said it was worth much more. Anyway, Daniel and I went to collect it. It was massive, ex-Army, powered by a single cylinder Lister D. I looked up the engine number and it was made in 1948. It was advertised as 'Spares or repair' but all it needed was a petrol pipe and tap and it started straight away. The reason for getting it was to patch the potholes in our road. If we continue to fill the potholes with concrete maybe eventually we will have a concrete road.

Is that big enough?

Also in June we had a visit from Tim and Caroline de Gavre, for which we set up a 'Tot'.

July. The reason for the de Gavre's visit to U.K. was to celebrate their Wedding Anniversary. It was a 'Renewal of Vows' at Highcliffe Castle, where they had been married 20 years before. They very kindly invited us to dinner the night before and to join them on 14th July for the ceremony.

Tim and Caroline

Tim and Cathy

September. Our internet and landline contract with Vodafone expired on 30th August. I arranged to transfer to BT. All went well until BT said “Vodafone will not release your number”.Well we had that number for 29 years and were not going to lose it without a fight. After a lot of email and letters Vodafone said we could have it. The BT landline is useless. 22p connection charge and 22p a minute for all UK calls so nobody who knows that would ever use it, so I transferred to Phonely, who said 'of course we can transfer your number'. They came back with the same story “Vodafone will not release your number” so I chose a number from their list. Hardly anyone uses a landline any more, but if you want to the new number is 01590 631 800.

Cathy did not exhibit at Exbury but had a successful year at other shows, including 'seconds' at the 'New Forest Show' and Lymington Art Group. At Milford Art Group 'Best watercolour, pen and wash'.

Goodwood Revival. The grief I had last year with my Jeep became clear. It was overheating because the thermostat was stuck open about one eighth of an inch. A new thermostat and all was cured. This year the Jeep went well. It rained a lot and so all became mud requiring a couple of days of pressure washing when I got home.

Visit to France. We were invited to visit Yves and Chantal in France. We went there through the Tunnel in the Tesla. The charging network has been greatly improved since we were there 2 years ago so we had no trouble charging. When we were in a hurry to get to Yves for lunch we were driving at 130km/h in torrential rain with headlights and wipers at full speed. First the car said 'If you keep up this speed you will not reach your destination' so we slowed down a bit. Then the car said 'I can't see' – to which I replied 'Neither can I' but we have to get there. We did. This trip was in celebration of the holiday I had with Yves in 1955 when his family took us to Arcachon. So we set off for Arcachon. Although the old town and bay are the same, where we had stayed was impossible to find. We had stayed in a wooden chalet type house on a dirt road that led to the beach. Now it was all high rise flats and concrete roads. The only place we recognised was the 'Dune de Pilat',which you can't miss being 9,000 feet long, 1,600 ft wide and 350 ft high.

Chantal and Yves. Good choice of Restaurant

The Dune de Pilat

October. A while ago I had been contacted by Oliver Krimpas because he was trying to sell 'Maid Marion' whom I had shared with his Father George. I don't think I had seen Oliver since about 1977 when he was a small lad. I had sailed with his family in the Greek Islands. He came to sail with us on Fernweh and brought his son called George. We had a sail in very little wind to Hurst, had lunch and a very slow sail back. It was good to meet up again after so long.

November. A cruise to the Canary Islands on Sky Princess. A very large (3,300 passengers) very new and impressive ship. Smooth waters there and back. Stopping only in large ports so nowhere interesting nearby. Tenerife 1 mile to walk ashore – I stayed on board. Gran Canaria, Las Palmas interesting city. Lanzarote like sitting on a large pumice stone. But the climate was very pleasant, 30c all day and sunny.

Sky Princess. A city that floats

Lisbon. Vasco da Gama Tower from Expo '98.

The worst part of this cruise was we both came back with RSV**. I took Cathy straight to Lymington Hospital who sent her on to Bournemouth Hospital where she remained for a week. Now 2 weeks later we are still coughing and feeling poorly.

So may we wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a fruitful New Year 2025 Mike, Cathy and Daniel.