My affinity for boating started in my early teens when I started kayaking at school.

When I went to college next to lake Windermere, in the early 1980s, there were a number of dinghies (all leaking like sieves). I repaired the ‘Mirror’ dinghy and learned to sail it, then moved on to a GP14.

After leaving college, I did very little sailing until the mid 1990s when I bought Omega, a Shipmate Senior 17’ trailer sailor. Having sailed her for a couple of seasons, I traded up to Sandpiper, a bilge keel Hurley 22.

A few years later, I changed boat again. This time was ‘Blue for You’, a Westerly Conway (36’ fin keel ketch). What a boat!

In ‘Bluey’, my (then) wife and I sailed around the UK, along with many other locations.

Unfortunately, divorce cost me the boat and I became a member of the ‘someone else's yacht club’.

Since joining hoeoca I have probably done more sailing than I did when I had my own boat.

Joined HOEOCA in 2007. Day Skipper, Competent Crew. Love the club as you get to meet and sail with an amazing variety of people.

Learned to dinghy sail as a boy and owned Albacore 341 'Ginger Nut'. Started RYA navigation classes in early 1990s and was a founder member of HOEOCA and its third commodore. Sailing is still great - always something new to learn!

I stated my association with the sea in 1980 when I trained as a commercial diver at Fort Bovisand in Devon as an option to my degree course in Civil Engineering.

I started sailing in 2008 when I did the RYA Level 1 and 2 dinghy courses at Shustoke Sailing Club. After the course I purchased a Laser Dinghy which I now race regularly at Shustoke Sailing Club.

Whilst at Shustoke I did the RYA Day Skipper and yacht-master theory courses and have subsequently been on a number of sailing excursions including a trip across the channel to Guernsey and Alderney last summer.

In addition to be being the Hoeaca Treasurer I am also the Treasurer of the RYA Midland Regional Volunteer Team where I have been in post for three years. I was the Treasurer of Shustoke Sailing club for 7 years but retired from this post 18 months ago.

My working life has been spent as a design Engineer on major Civil and Structural Engineering projects but towards the end of my career I moved into Project Management for a large multidisiciplined organisation involved with the design and construction of pharmaceutical, food and chemical plants.

I retired in October last year to spend more time cycling, sailing, digging the allotment and amusing the grandchildren.

My first experience of sailing was in a dinghy in Christ Church harbour with my cousins when I was a kid and I hated it...
I picked it up again in 1995 having done theory up to Yachtmaster at night school before really stepping on a boat! I joined HOEOCA the same year.
Since then I have clocked up over 25,000 sea miles having sailed with more Sailing Schools than I can remember and cruised in many locations including Scotland (which I love), the French Coast (which I also love), the Med (another great love), Ireland (I want to go back), the Faroes (was a long crossing), Teneriffe, Holland, the Caribbean and The Scillies (been lucky enough to get there twice) in addition to the traditional sailing grounds in England.
I was the first person in HOEOCA to do the Fastnet in 1997 and since then have dabbled with a few Sunsail Races and RTI campaigns.

Hooeca member for many years, I gained almost all of my qualifications through the club training programs, and have looked after the website for over 10 years. By trade, I'm a computer programmer, and Sailing is my escape from work!

Member since 2009 and committee member since 2010. First time in a boat 2008, no previous experience. Being part of the club has provided opportunities to sail for training, for racing for holidays and rally cruises or just to enjoy the social life! Being crew means being part of a team so join in and offer whatever your capabilities are. Be safe, be friendly, I've found other club members have the same idea and it makes sharing the experience of sailing enjoyable.
Not everyone has a partner that's able/happy to join in. When I joined hoeoca it was something I wanted to do for myself. I made so many new friends. Now my husband joins in and even finds some of the sailing trips we can do together.