The Deben Bar is a place I have loved and embraced over the years. I learned to fear, respect and then relish the steep standing waves. Such was my initiation into the world of dinghy sailing. With time, and after a few watery mishaps it became clear that all you had to do was to keep the mast pointing at the sky and steer straight down the face of them. So long as you trusted she would float the boat would do the rest. Fireflies are not fast dinghies, but they have the advantage of providing all the thrills of speed, but going nowhere.

It was only a chance conversation and the availability of a boat that led me into Fireflies - all these years later, I'm still there. But other things have moved on. Not least for various reasons and none, the family moved up the river to Waldringfield Sailing Club with it's stunning stretch of water and then further onward to Deben Yacht Club.

Life has come full circle and I find myself back at the Ferry, but life has moved on too. With one foot in a dinghy the other in a yacht.

My first keel boat was a Hurley 22 berthed in the Tidemill. She was a lovely boat to sail and felt remarkably safe for her size. However, family and friends insisted she wasn't big enough which left me no option than to upsize. My current boat is a Feeling 920. For such a fun, spacious 30' yacht she was ahead of her time, but remarkably few are around - you're missing out! She lives on a swinging mooring belonging to Royal Harwich Yacht Club - my other club.

In joining the Boatshed Suffolk team I have the best of all worlds (if walking around boatyard and talking sailing can really be considered work).

Providing a full broking service we help people find the boat they want, and I'm willing to do what it takes to achieve it.

If you would like to talk about buying or selling your boat, or just about sailing please call me anytime; otherwise you will find me in a boatyard, or somewhere on a Suffolk river. I look forward to meeting you.

Richard

Tel +44 (0) 7886 357 668
email: richardthompson@boatshedsuffolk.com