Well yesterday's archery was great fun and knackering! The ECOA (Exeter Company of Archers) has around 80 members and run loads of tournaments. I've been 'fitted' for my bow a 68" 20lb left handed one - number 43! And did pretty well getting most in the centre of the target and I was surprised how knackered i was after two hours of constant shooting. Z did really well as well, and is hoping to compete in junior nationals next year! But i was told my technique probably rules me out for Olympics 2012 Although i didn't mention to them that i pulled a muscle in my neck at SLF!

Doctor's news was crap and I'm not going into how it made me feel now, but I have to see a specialist in Neurology when they can fit me in probably the other side of Christmas. Seems it's my tendons and not my joints that are hurting - so it's not arthritis (he apologised for suggesting it was) this combined with the blood results had the doctor not questioning my need to see the neurologist and basically telling me there was little he or his practice can do!

We also went to OrganicARTS an Arts and Education Centre based at West Town Farm in Ide nearby over the weekend and bobbed for apples, made natural art - from natural materials, carved pumpkins and bought some pumpkins to eat. Didn't realise they varied in flavour so much - we got two varieties Onion and Harlequin and they tasted totally different once I'd roasted them last night. The pumpkin Olympics were fun and we say a 24 hour old calf. A great day despite the weather.

and today I start a new Blog feature:

HISTORIC MOMENTS OF MY LIFE: When i was a teen i used to sale a Mirror Dinghy sail number 43012 called 'Bold Eagle' and would sale every weekend through out the year with the Yealm Yacht Club. Even dressing up to race in hoolies on Xmas Day and New Year's Day - see here

The picture above is taken opposite the yacht club which is the square building on the waterfront on the opposite bank in the centre of the picture.

Anyway there's an annual race from Plymouth Yacht Club around the coast to the Yealm Estuary called the RNLI Passage Race for dinghys, dayboats and yachts, I'd done it previously in yachts but this particular year i was taking the Mirror.

- like this

Two memorable things happened that race.

The first was i managed to sail into a tanker! Huuuuge great rusty thing stopped in Plymouth Sound and we got into the lee of it (where there's no wind) and the tide brought us in against much to the hilarity of all other competitors who managed to avoid, well it was the biggest thing you can imagine on water and easy to miss. Not!

Me being the helmsman that i was, blamed my crew for this collision and yelled at him as we pushed the dinghy along the flank of the tanker until we were clear and a long way behing the rest of the boats.

We made quick time though, once back in the wind, i didn't sand the bottom of the boat evey winter and meticulously coat it with smooth layers of handpainted varnish, sanding each layer, for nothing.

Then came the second thing, we were just about to catch the pack, in the blazing heat (it was mid-July) when we found ourselves becalmed. After another slanging match with my crew and in exasperation i leapt into the sea off the back of the boat - i was a bad tempered bully in my youth. Telling him he could sail her then. The boat and I hardly moved. So in my lifejacket and wetsuit I swam a little away from it, to make him think i meant business. When suddenly he started shouting and pointing behind me, i turned to see what he was gesturing at and just went faint as i saw a huge fin out of the water aiming straight at me. Now I'd seen Jaws and instantly remembered to stay still - i think i was petrified anyway as this huge monster swam at me.

At the last instant i looked down to see a giant black mass swim passed me - it's side touching me leg - it must have been 10 foot long and i was nearly blacking out in fear. as it continued to scrape by i remained motionless until it had passed and was unable to move after it passed me, My crew paddling the boat backward until it reached me -where i tumbled aboard. To discover the Basking Shark (for i had seen its gaping mouth) had skin so rough it had sanded the rubber from my wetsuit and shredded the inner lining from my thigh and leg.

I'd seen it's wide open mouth a metre away and thought that it was about to eat me, turns out it only eats plankton or krill or sumit tiny!

Ever since that moment and despite hitting rocks one winter and holing the boat i was helming (i hung to the inside of the upturned boat and was fortunately rescued by a passing fishing boat) I've never been able to go swimming in the sea. I just get far too nervy at the dark shapes of seaweed or rocks. I used to love swimming and windsurfing -

I was good enough to have one of these when i windsurfed, forget surfing there's nothing better than getting one of these up on the three skeds and aquaplaning through some swell or bouncing it through surf.

but I could never go back to doing that or normal surfing in the sea after that. Rivers, lakes and canals are boring but where I'd windsurf until i lacked the time to do it anymore.