Permission to Come Aboard ?

[Martha]

Hello everyone.
I have just joined your forum and wanted to say hello.
I sail a shoal draft sloop on the Irish Sea and enjoy sailing across to Ireland and exploring the many creeks and rivers. As I now have more free time I have decided this year to be more adventurous in my passage planning and sail up to Scotland and the Orkney Islands. If all goes well I might carry on to the Shetland Islands before returning home down the west coast first to Northern Ireland and then to Wales.
I took a look at several posts on this forum before I joined and feel that whilst I am fitting out, if I hit a snag, or need to know something, I should be able to get some informed help from folk who have sailed many more miles than me.
I was four when my Dad went to the London International Boat Show and bought his first dinghy, a Wayfarer. Bundled up in my nylon smock and kapok life jacket, I loved sailing with him on the Thames and the Norfolk Broads. When it came time to move schools I pestered my parents to choose one with a sailing club! Eventually Dad got too old for sailing and bought a motor fishing boat, which gave all the family many more years of fun, before for health reasons he had to give up all together. Today, I mostly sail single-handed and when I am coiling a rope, trimming the sail or working up my DR, I think of my Dad and all those wonderful hours we spent boating together, all those years ago and sometimes when all hell is breaking loose, I can feel him standing next to me, helping me not to panic and make good decisions.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Martha.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here and hope you share some stories with us.
kind regards,

[boatman61]

Hey Martha... Greetings and welcome to the good ship CF... looking forward to you coming alongside once in a while... share some yarns and skills maybe...
Cya out in the 'Village' sometime...

[Mark1977]

Graet first post and welcome...

[witchcraft]

Welcome to the crew
Fair Winds

[Mark Johnson]

Welcome aboard Martha,
Lovely country you have there. My wife and I visited St Andrews, Scotland last summer and had a wonderful time. Went all over the coastline & visited a "muster" in Anstruther, and learned why things like bilge keels are popular there. They hold the boat up when the water goes away!

Welcome, Mark

[Martha]

My boat has legs instead of bilge keels, which gives better performance to windward.
Many thanks for all the replies and messages of welcome to your forum.