Time passing part 2

Leopard! Roughly 50 years ago in my first Fastnet,  I was out off the Scillies in a memorable storm in this lovely boat. One of those nights that stay in the memory, etched there by fear and inexperience. Ant the noise - it was blowing about 50 knots and maybe a lot more and I had never felt noise in quite that way before. But then, I was only 19. Wonderful that she's got a new life.

Leopard had a wooden mast in those days. She was one of the Royal Naval College training yachts and there were at least two others in the race. She developed a rather severe leak in the stern gland during the storm and we retired - hence the unfinished business that we completed in Berrimilla in 2005.

Thanks to David Carne for the photo. I'm going down to Falmouth to see her after we finish this one - respects must be paid.