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Seeing red (at last)
I grew up by the Essex coast, and was 10 years old when I was introduced to sailing through the Sea Cadets. Several weekends a year were spent on board an old Thames sailing barge, from which we sailed an array of dinghies around the Walton Backwaters.
I then moved inland and was fortunate my school had a sailing club.
Having got the bug, I had my heart set on becoming a Navigation Officer in the Navy. I then found out the devastating news that I was colour-blind. Red/green colour blind, which totally thwarted any prospect of my dream career.
It is believed that 8% of males and 0.5% of girls suffer some form of colour blindness. Sufferers are prevented or restricted from entering certain careers like flying, many seafaring positions, firefighting, the military, and the police force. Anyway, after an eclectic career (I served as a police officer for 11 years and a photographer for 10, despite my ‘handicap’) I am now a freelance Journalist living and working in Spain.
So to keep me occupied, I
