A little confession

The Sailfish 18 fan has had his head turned by another classic boat... made from wood

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For the benefit of South Coast sailors, I should explain that one of the chief attractions of sailing on the East Coast is that there's hardly any water here. This makes sinking a lot more difficult and altogether more challenging for PBO readers hoping to feature in Learning From Experience.

Nevertheless, in that regard, lifting-keel trailer-sailers such as my Sailfish 18 are particularly well adapted to our local conditions as demonstrated by the owner who sank-trailer and all-in a pot-hole on the A12.

Among the lessons learned' were that the owner had seriously underestimated the length of tow rope needed to tie up to the RNLI inshore lifeboat, and that letting off distress flares on the A12 is frowned upon by the bomb squad.

Apart from Sailfishes, newcomers to these parts will also encounter other vessels of a type no South Coast sailor has ever seen. They're built of a material that quite literally grows on trees, and is used to make the dashboards of your Bentleys, Aston Martins and Sunseekers. I understand on the South Coast that wood is also used for burning, but round here most of us have got central heating for that, apart from the folk out in the marshes who still burn tyres.