Now I know spring has truly arrived. Why? Because I’ve got my tickets for Beaulieu boat jumble, the annual junkfest held in the grounds of Lord Montagu’s little pad in the New Forest which attracts boaters and yachties from all over the country – and even further afield – eager to replenish their supplies of unnecessary bits of boating memorabilia.
Whenever Staines regatta comes around, it’s always a bit of a poignant time and this Saturday the event is being staged as a tribute to the memory of the crew of the Ashes eight, three of whom – David Firman, Alan Wickens and Alan Choules – died in a tragic accident at Penton Hook in April 1971.
