New Trophy for 2007 Nationals

Many married couples have started to sail together, but only a few persevere and manage to enjoy the experience! To celebrate those that get over the initial stress of learning to work as a team in a dinghy and now thinks it’s brilliant (or simply ‘manageable’ when you’re at the back of the fleet, there’s no wind etc) there will now be the ‘GRID Silver Spoon’ at this year’s Nationals. Ian and I have been ‘an item’ for 25 years (admitted, some unkind people might say obviously not sailing all that time) – hence the ‘Silver’; the ‘Spoon’refers to the old

Married couples fight it out at last years nationals

fashioned idea of ‘spooning’ or ‘stirring up trouble’depending on how you feel; and the ‘GRID’ is for Geraldine Richards and Ian Downs – which is how we were known before we legalized arrangements.The trophy is to be awarded annually to the highest place married couple that do not win any other trophy at the Nationals.

If you are ‘the other half’ to a Miracle sailor why not join in and sail this year – it certainly beats sitting patiently on the shore instead of having a great time on the water. It also gives you something else to argue about and when you have any success you can be smug together!

(Last minute tip – remember to leave your niggles on shore and concentrate on sailing)

Geraldine Downs – 4008 crew