Nick Barham

This trophy, a gift from the family of the previous editor of our club journal, goes to Nick Barham for his article The Loss of Tahiti Belle which appeared in Flying Fish 2008/2.

Nick was on his way back from the Azores in July 2008, singlehanded aboard Tahiti Belle, his 31ft Val trimaran, when both floats were seriously damaged during heavy weather. His detailed account of rescue by the chemical tanker MV Omega Princess, illustrated with photographs taken by the ship’s crew, made gripping reading and also provided Flying Fish with its most dramatic cover to date. Covering his immediate actions, the rescue itself, the role of HM Coastguard Maritime Rescue and Co-ordination Centre and, perhaps most importantly, ‘Lessons learned’ – in the opinion of the Editorial Sub-Committee The Loss of Tahiti Belle was indeed ‘the most valuable contribution to Flying Fish’ during 2008.