My OH was on TV last night!!

Oh dear my eyes are tired already. I read "I often mate on the barge"
Sounds lovely gow1 I went for a sail on such a vessel once, called the Olive May I think. Lovely thing.

Ha ha Jess, there's never any time for that sort of thing!!

I saw it - I was very impressed. Congratulations to all of you - this is a really good way to include people who are sometimes left on the margins of society.

Fantastic gow1 I told my DH he is very envious of your husband, what a great job and very wothwhile.

I don't know! I seem to remember being moored in Bray harbour in alderney on a warm summers night, under a full moon and the milky way. The duvet dragged up from the cabin,-----ah, those were the days.

Thanks GN and GG. we are very lucky most of the time, i.e. when it's nice weather however when it's cold and raining we often find ourselves the only people on deck!! We have a new charter group this year, Dementia Adventure, which I'm really looking forward to, unknown territory for us but I can't wait. we often find that those with special needs are a little too "looked after" if you know what I mean? Taking them on the barge and encouraging them to get involved with the real stuff has opened the eyes of quite a few carers. I always feel I have achieved something when I set the sails or take a turn at steering or navigating so i assume it's the same sense of achievment for everyone else no matter what their "label" might say. A great deal of our work is with those young people who are often thought of as disruptive or in trouble with the law. I enjoy this side of it too as underneath most of those "labels" is usually someone who has something postive to offer. Two of the so called "bad boys" recently sent me a birthday card with a voucher for my local coffee shop ( when I'm not sailing it's my saturday treat!) I was so touched. The barge Cambria has a website for anyone who's interested.

On deck jeni not good for the joints surely.

Ha Jeni sadly if we did that we'd have an audience and I don,t mean the seagulls!

My husband is a volunteer on a narrowboat which takes similar "disadvantaged" groups out on the canals. The National Community Boats Association will train you to crew or skipper a narrowboat in the hope that you'll become a volunteer. If you don't fancy actually handling the boat, they always need people to make tea etc.

gow1 Brilliant. I am sending admiration.

We also take on people to train NN and yes people who make tea make the world go round! FF thanks for that but our "sailors" desreve the admiration, thet never cease to amaze me.

Yes I saw the programme ...think you and the crew are fortunate in doing something that gives both you and others so much pleasure!

Did JS give you a copy of the picture??

Yes he did Jacey and also a copy of the book. Sadly I had to employ someone else to do my job that day as I was already booked up otherwise I too would have had my 15 seconds of fame!!