The International Mirror Class executive made a quick decision to appoint Ian Walker  as the Class Patron.  Ian was Mirror World Champion in 1997 and won the UK Nationals with his daughter 2011.  Ian “Cut his teeth” in competitive sailing in Mirrors – he is a greater believer in the Mirror class.  Ian went on to win two gold medals in the Olympics, one as helm and one as crew – What better person could we have as a Patron.

It began with an email from a friend of a friend. “Look at this blog www.digbyaytonphoto.tumblr.com” (if you look it up start at the bottom of page 5) – someone is rowing/sailing a Mirror through Canal du Nivernais.

Now I have been a fan for more than a decade of A.J. Mackinnon’s book “The unlikely voyage of Jack de Crow” the story of a journey in a Mirror Dinghy that began in the Welsh borderlands and finished a year later in the Black Sea. Digby, who hails from Hobart in Australia, had read the same book and resolved to spend part of his gap year sailing or rowing a Mirror dinghy through what the internet describes as “the undoubted jewel of the French waterway network”. His blog is illuminated by his photographs, not just of the canal trip but also stunning photos of surf and surfers – his everyday specialty.

HMS Raleigh has a new man at the helm.  The Royal Navy training school will now be headed up by Captain Robert Bellfield, who is relieving Captain Bob Fancy as the Commanding Officer of the Torpoint base.  Capt Bellfield joined the Royal Navy in 1983 and has spent the majority of his 31-year career at sea.  He is a surface Warfare Officer specialising in anti-submarine operations.

Trust me. I was skeptical too. When my then boyfriend, now husband tried to explain the beauty of a South African Braai, I’ll be honest, I didn't really get it. It sounded like a basic barbecue. A gathering of friends and family eating food from the grill. "Our barbecues are great," I argued. "My dad makes a mean burger." But whenever we cooked out on the grill, my husband's face said it all – he longed for his beloved braai.

The International Mirror Class has awarded the 2015 World Championships to Theewater Sports Club, Cape Town, South Africa. This ISAF event will take place from 28th December, 2014 to 9th January, 2015.  In total there will be about 100 boats, with competitors shipping their own dinghies in. In total we expect to have in the region of five hundred people at the event. We at TSC are all very excited and have started with the organising of this prestigious event.