I managed a modest number of sailing trips this year, although sadly Kalessin is now up for sale, and I really hope that someone else takes her on before the next sailing season starts. In the meantime, I celebrated my last season with her on a fantastic and well-organised Westerly Owners Association East Coast Group trip to the Netherlands, with crew Janet, and you can read about it elsewhere on this blog. I followed that up by taking my good friends Alex and David up to St Kat's in London on the hottest day of the year, which was an interesting adventure. And in August I managed to get both Guy and Ben on board and scatter some of Sam’s ashes in the lovely River Deben. We still hope to scatter the rest of his ashes in the Little Russell off Guernsey, some time in 2026.
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| A fleet of Westerlies in the Netherlands |
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| The fabulous view from St Kat's |
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| River Deben at dawn |
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| Ben (on helm) and Guy, my favourite crew |
In April, I took my mother Patricia to see her twin sister Sonia, in her care home in Cornwall. We didn't know at the time that it was the last time that they would see each other. Sadly, Sonia's memory had deteriorated considerably, and she didn't entirely recognise my Mama, but we felt it was well worth making the effort. Sonia, who was a marine artist and never married, died at the age of 98 in July, and we had a family gathering for her funeral in August. We dressed in blue for the funeral and had six female pall-bearers, which felt absolutely right. I managed to combine it with a trip to a friend's wedding celebration party, also in Cornwall, which worked out well, although it involved quite a lot of trains and two rather expensive hotels. We are now working on Sonia's legacy, and hoping to set up some kind of art bursary in her name, which will be a lovely way to remember her. Meanwhile, my mother is entirely compos mentis, still living at home in Essex without any carers and looking after herself, although she is gradually getting more frail and has been suffering from breathlessness, which has very recently been diagnosed as related to anemia.
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| Sonia (left) and Patricia in April |
Ben was able to get to the funeral with his fiancée Anne, but Guy couldn't make it because he and Kai were expecting their second baby. In the end Kit didn't arrive until mid-September, pretty much when he was expected, but because Ivy was very early they had to be cautious. After a few feeding challenges they are all doing very well and I 'm seeing them imminently (21 December) when we all have lunch together and I take Ivy to the see The Snowman with live orchestra and choir at Snape. Ben is still working on HS2 but not enjoying it very much. I plan to visit him and Anne in Kimberley on my way back from Scotland on 30 December.
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| Guy with a newborn Kit, Kai and Ivy with Kit, Ivy at an apple festival in September and Kit learning to smile |
It has been a good year for walking. Throughout 2025 I joined my Nordic walking group to walk the coast of Suffolk, from Lowestoft to Landguard Point, in easy stages. In March I fulfilled a long-held ambition and walked the levadas in Madeira with Ramble Worldwide. We had most kinds of weather and some interesting challenges, but it was a great trip. In September, again with Ramble Worldwide, I ticked another ambition off the bucket list and walked Hadrian's Wall from just west of Newcastle to the Solway Firth. In some ways, it was even better than Madeira, not least because Northumberland is so stunningly beautiful and there are as many Roman remains as you could ever hope to see. Hard work, but highly recommended. And in various short breaks with HF Holidays through the year, I have walked in the South Downs, around Whitby (with yoga), near Minehead in Somerset, and I'm about to set off to spend Christmas in the HF house in Glencoe. I've never spent Christmas away from everyone I know before, but hopefully the other participants will be friendly, the weather will be manageable, and it will be a great way to spend a few festive days.
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| Fabulous walking on Madeira (top), Hadrian's Wall and the South Downs |
I'm still trying to run, although I get slower and slower, and in October completed the Royal Park Half Marathon in London. My time was rubbish, but the crowd was awesome and kept me going.
I'm still editing Cruising magazine for the CA, which is a paid role. In April we finally managed to move the monthly newsletter to a simplified format, which has eased the burden, and I'm hopeful that 2026 will be the last year we publish the Yearbook. Most of my spare time in between working and walking has been taken up with being a member of the CA Council (a voluntary role) and doing a lot of strategy work. Somehow I ended up managing three projects, one fairly major, but I'm hopeful that in the New Year I will be able to move responsibility to two newly formed/re-formed committees who can shoulder the overall responsibility. It certainly all keeps my brain active.
Next year I'll be 70 and plan to celebrate accordingly. I'm definitely feeling more aches and pains but will continue doing as much as I can for as long as I can. It's my friends and family who make it all possible, and even if I haven't seen you for a while, you (yes, you) are part of what keeps me going. Take care of yourselves, merry Christmas, and I hope to meet up in 2026.
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