December

December was a busy month.  The March 2007 students took their exams on Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th.  Wendy, with help from Naomi and others too numerous to mention, cooked Christmas lunch for forty on Wednesday 12th, then came the Academy Christmas party in the evening (where those not stuffed too full with turkey, beef or nut roast danced the night away and discussed the relative merits of glued or traditional clinker...)

Finally, on 14th December, the last day of the course, we launched five boats.  Richard and Brendan had stayed up all night to get Richard's boat finished, Mike Kerton-Johnson only managed to stay up until 3am. 

It was a cold, wet, miserable day and we all had a splendid time.  Everyone helped get the boats on trailers and down to the harbour, where Wendy our housekeeper, with help from friend Tracy, served mulled wine and mince pies to keep out the cold.

The television cameras from ITV Westcountry News were there, their report is at: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG9w52-uDjs

The dogs (Lily, Finn and Worthington) had a great time in the sea, but best of all were the moments when the boats, testament to the focus and hard work of the course in the last 38 weeks, were launched into the sea.

Jim Donaghey made a compilation of some of the best photographs taken that morning: