The Chernobyl mums and their children relax aboard the Richmond Venturer

Ties that bind man and boat

One of the things I’ve always loved about boating is the fascinating array of skills that it has engendered. That includes everything from basic seamanship to weather prediction, from understanding how a diesel engine works to finding the correct technique for sculling.

Dr Tim’s book proves to be quite a tonic

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

Testing times in floods of 1947

As I sit to write this column, it’s pouring with rain – but don’t let that detract from the fact that we’ve just come through one of the driest winters on record – and hosepipe bans are now in force across most of the southern United Kingdom.