With the boat about to drop back in, my mind has been drawn to considering what the big challenges are for this year....
A few have clear priority...
i'm determined that this year, as the kids have grown a bit, and in particular, as C has got a bit stronger, that they'll be muvh more involvedf in running the boat.... i'm planning to encourage much longer stints at the helm, much greater involvement in sail handling, and starting to take close quarter maneouvering more seriously... i'd like C for example to have put the boat into the lock by the end of the season at least... and if she doesn't struggle with that, then to put her into her berth.... i'll encourage M to work on less challenging (but no doubt just as exciting!) things like picking up and departing from a mooring...
I'd like C to spend more time doing basic chart work... nothing serious... just plotting fixes from the GPS and making sure she develops the spacial awareness and understanding of where we are relative to the ground... M will do some basics like taking a 3 point fix with the hand bearing compass... C is quite capable of calculating things like CTS and EPs.... but I suspect that she'd be better taught by a 3rd party as part of a formal course rather than from dad!!!!
It seems that SWMBO is left out... so she'll get the same treatment!... actually, its just a case of building upon what we've already done..... so longer stints on the helm... more navigation... all part of ensuring that i'm not the only one that can do something, from both safety and equally importantly enjoyment purposes all round.
Outside of boat handling... I bought a sextant last year, and have just bought a 'how to' book...so this year will see me 'bringing down' the sun.... seeking Jupiter and calculating sun-run-sun EPs....
Destinations wise, we'd like to reach Normandy this year, and then the Solent.... as much as we love Holland, we just can't do it three years in a row!... on a slightly less adventurous basis, for weekend jaunts, we are keen to do some of the east coast rivers and ports that we have thus far avoided.... a long weekend to the Medway is on the cards (including a visit to the museum), we must go up the Blackwater.... SWMBO is keen to go up the Ore/Alde to Orford or even Aldeburgh and we hope to finally cross of Lowestoft at some point too....
Other than that... the main target is enjoyment! | 
