A sellout crowd of 92 packed into the main club-room on Saturday 10th March for our annual Fitting Out Supper. Despite the recent unseasonably cold weather, this event serves as a reminder to members that the sailing season is upon us and their preparations for a great season of sailing should be well underway. After a delicious three course meal, guests were entertained with a very humorous talk by local boy and Practical Boat Owner columnist Dave Selby. Dave enthralled the audience with tales of his exciting voyages and his many transatlantic crossings. He wowed us with tales of his amazing navigational feats, the highlight of which was running aground on Northey Island during the highest spring tide for twelve years. He demonstrated that it is possible to sail with a limited budget and his Sailfish 18 "Marlin" is testament to that. He has recorded one of the slowest passages in maritime history from the Blackwater to the Southampton boat show, known in the annals of sailing as "Marlin's Mission". Dave has recently published the sailors "must have" book "The Impractical Boat Owner". Dave generously offered this to Blackwater Sailing Club members at a specially inflated price. He also gave us the opportunity to buy illustrated mugs and drawings in support of his charity to raise money for research into the rare neurological condition which means he has to be admitted to hospital every four weeks. As promised, those privileged to hear Dave's talk learnt absolutely nothing about sailing, but anyone who wasn't enthused to give it a try should take up golf.