Two local sailors are to be presented with one of the Royal Yachting Association’s most prestigious awards – the outstanding contribution award to sailing - by HRH the Princess Royal, President of the RYA.

The Environment Agency has come in for a lot of stick in recent years.

Most of us who own and use pleasure craft on the Thames have complained over the years about the steep increases in the cost of launch licences levied by the Environment Agency and its forebears.

My old mate Doug ‘the ancient angler’ Millsom called me up this week to chide me for ignoring his fellow fishermen.

For those living close to the river, the past few weeks must have been an absolute nightmare.

The terrible flooding, which has followed days of heavy rain, has caused tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage to home and businesses in our area and there has much coverage elsewhere in this newspaper about the impact on the lives of local residents.

It's always a pleasure writing about the sports clubs that dot the banks of the Thames throughout our area

One of the things I love most about writing this column is that every now and again I’m contacted by someone with a lovely story to tell connected to our stretch of the Thames.

It's always nice when old friends come back to visit and that was certainly the case for the members of Weybridge Ladies Amateur Rowing Club (WLARC) a couple of weeks ago.

But brothers Billy and Jeremy and their brave young aunt were undaunted by German pilot's attack