Terri and I had much fun with the Avon, at first with the old 4HP ‘long leg’ outboard engine (unsuitable for shallow water or beach landings); then with the new 9.8HP one.

Sometimes we would take Carpathia, the 17’ Dromodile speedboat from Fort Picklecombe harbour to Cawsand Bay where we would moor her offshore then take the Avon (towed behind us) ashore for the coffee morning at the Institute. On other occasions, we would take the Avon all the way.

The damping on the steering of the old engine was tight so I could let go of it as we went along. Unfortunately, I hadn’t tightened the steering on the new engine so, right outside Picklecombe - at speed, when I let go to put my coat on, the boat turned sharp left in circles, throwing both Terri and me into the bottom of the boat. I had the ‘kill switch’ lead on my wrist but it didn’t pull off the engine so we kept going round in circles – fast – until I struggled to catch the tiller then set us straight. I didn’t do that again!

One day we went to Mountbatten, then Sutton harbour with Ronnie. On the way back we noticed the ferry backing out of Millbay but decided we would be long gone before it came near us: so we were alarmed when it ‘crept’ up behind us so we had to put on speed to escape. Then I made a loud Psssssssss! noise under my coat; Ronnie said “What’s that!” so I said “We’re sinking!” The girls had a moment of panic before they ‘caught’ on so we all had a laugh together. I think the panic is on a video.

When we returned to the harbour, Terri stepped alongside the dogleg slip to steady the boat, but the water was deeper than expected, so she went in and I ran over her with the bow of the boat!

Terri and I were coming back down the Hamoaze with Terri in front when I said, “Let’s go to look at King Billy” at the entrance to the old dock, so turned towards it. Experience had told me that the waves normally rolled away from us so that the bow would rise over them. Unfortunately, I was wrong on this occasion as the bow went under a wave, soaking Terri completely but leaving me dry. Terri was not amused so, when we beached at Cremyll to bail out she hit me, accidentally, on the head with an oar.

Terri and I went to Empacombe for a picnic on the beach; the Lopwell Dam for a picnic where we tied the boat to a bush; to St Germans; and up the Tamar many times..