Sport

Sport Seafarer Mark up to the challenge in bid

By Steve Keenan

sport@blackmorevale.net A Sherborne sailor is getting ready to tackle the third stage of a round Britain charitable challenge to meet every harbour master. Mark Ashley Miller, 58, set himself the five-year challenge after selling his Sherborne gift shop and online store business The Present Finder in 2018. The following spring he set sail from Dartmouth, Devon, to Ardfern on the west coast of Scotland, where he over wintered his boat. Then last summer, he sailed around the Scottish coast to Inverness. Over the course of the two summers, he has sailed 4,000 nautical miles, meeting 110 harbour masters. Last summer, his progress was hampered by lockdown until July, then his first port of call was Oban. The harbour had only a handful of yachts, said Mark. “Normally in July the population of the town swells from 8,000 to 30,000 people – hard to imagine.” His 34’ mono-hull motor sailing ketch Good Dog sleeps four, has three sails and a tender for getting ashore. Mark’s wife Fiona and son

Willian have crewed parts of the journey, with friends also climbing aboard. Volunteer crews are welcome, he says. It’s all in aid of Seafarers UK, a charity which supports seafarers and their families in need. As Mark points out: “During covid-19, this work is even more significant with 300,000 seafarers trapped on their ships worldwide.” Last summer, he was able to visit every single west coast harbour including the Outer Hebrides, Orkney, Fair Isle and Shetland. “In August the HMs of both Ullapool and Stornoway recommended I took Good

Dog out to St Kilda, and we were rewarded with the most stunning destination so far.” A former Army Captain himself, Mark is supporting the charity in memory of his father Peter, who was in the Royal Navy. “The charity also supports men’s mental health. Having suffered depression myself, I am keen to promote them.” So far, he has raised £7,000, including Gift Aid, of his £10,000 target. With the Seafarers’ permission, he is donating 10% to St Martin’s Church in Lillington, near Sherborne, where he is church warden. “It’s in return for being released from my warden’s duties for my five-year odyssey,” he says. Mark, who learned to sail growing up in the Norfolk Broads, contacts a harbour master a week in advance of

ISLAND FLING: At anchor off Handa Island, Sutherland, Scotland, and, inset, below, Mark Ashley Miller charting a course below decks on Good Dog

Sport to meet every harbour master in Britain

ROUND THE ISLAND: Mark at the helm rounding Muckle Flugga in Shetland Isles and, inset, the Seafarers UK flag on the mast of Good Dog

arrival. He’ll interview them in the morning, often in an office with views out over the harbour, with a couple of questions: nWhat is the most unique fact or feature about your harbour? nWhat is the most unusual thing you have done or experienced as a harbour master? He’ll then set sail, via a scenic anchorage for lunch. and write up his notes at the next harbour in the evening. The results, together with photos and videos, are planned for a book and are also recorded on his Instagram page: @harbour mastersailingchallenge. “Last September I met my 100th harbour master, Malcolm Bremner, at the dynamic and attractive Wick harbour from where we set off south towards Inverness,” he said. “North East Scotland is a delightful surprise, and a chance conversation led me to taking a whole set of fresh photos for a new North East Scotland pilot book. “This added some smaller but very beautiful harbours to my itinerary. “I had already planned to visit Helmsdale, Cromarty and Avoch but not many sailors visit Lybster, Littleferry or anchor amongst the sand spits of Dornoch Firth.” By early October he had reached Lossiemouth, but rumours of a second lockdown sent Mark through the Caledonian Canal and back to Ardfern, the marina where Good Dog had over wintered in 2019-20. His boat is now being prepared to set sail again on May 1, down the east coast to St Katherine’s Dock in east London, interviewing another 75 harbour masters en route. Sailing the south coast is due to follow in 2012 and Ireland in 2013. He estimates there are 300 harbour masters in total but admits: “It is a very approximate figure as some are self-appointed (in tiny harbours) and other huge ports like the Clyde, Gt Yarmouth, Medway officially are controlled from a single Super-HM in Liverpool. “And, of course, there are people who do the job of harbour master but who don’t have the title. By the end of the trip I hope to have a definitive list!” Harbours already visited have included Cornish fishing villages, tidal ports up the Bristol Channel, harbours guarded by castles in Wales, urban container ports, Scottish submarine bases, tiny National Trust islands and remote Scottish ferry terminals. “I’ve met harbour masters on fishing boats, in corporate city offices, at busy ferry terminals – and even one welcoming me with a bottle of malt whisky,” he said. He has attracted a lot of media and told Country Life of other highlights on his trip so far: The harbour master at Newlyn, who sheltered Mark from a long storm, taking part in an at-sea rescue mission in Clovelly and sailing sideways at 13 knots up the Severn. He told the magazine that he has learned an awful lot about British history and the fishing industry. “Did you know that most fish landed in the UK gets immediately exported to Europe or China?’ I am very wary of fishermen,” he said. “On entering Newlyn one shouted at me, ‘Where are you from?’ When I said Dorset, he replied, ‘we eat people from Dorset.’” n To donate, go to uk.virginmoneygiving. com/harbourmaster sailingchallenge. You can follow Mark’s progress using any Marine Traffic App: search for Good Dog and see his position live. You can get in touch at: markashleymiller@ gmail.com.

Sport It’s safety first as golf club looks to resume tee times

Tee off times resume at Yeovil Golf Club on March 29, with new rules allowing groups of four able to play in the same group. But members and visiting golfers will discover the club has been busy applying another level of safety – it’s been awarded SafeGolf Club accreditation from England Golf. SafeGolf is a website where anyone with a concern about the welfare of a player, or the behaviour or practice of a coach, volunteer, organiser, parent, or a player, can contact the lead safeguarding officer at England Golf. Keith Funnell, the club’s captain, said: “Achieving SafeGolf accreditation provides additional assurance to parents that Yeovil Golf Club provides a safe and positive experience to children and young people whilst playing golf. “It is also a standard the PGA apply to our team of professional coaches.” General manager Chris Huggins said the award demonstrates their commitment to safeguarding children and young people, as well as adults in risk in the sport of golf.” It is hoped indoor catering facilities, which should include clubhouses, can open their doors from May 17, while committee meetings and AGMs will not be permitted in person before that date. n Wincanton Golf Club will re-open a day later than Yeovil and Sherborne as it has a closed race meeting on March 29.

Nick’s foodbank run is in the bag

By Steve Keenan

sport@blackmorevale.net If you were walking along the trailway on Saturday February 20, you may have been passed by a man in a Dorset Doddlers T-shirt. Nothing strange in that you may think, however you may have had a double take when you noticed the runner was wearing a tight pair of skimpy blue hot pants. You need not have worried; it was only Blandford runner Nick Summons out on his latest charity event. This year Nick’s event was the Park Runathon and saw more than 60 runners take on the 5K route of the Blandford Parkrun. With the current government guidelines and England Athletics advice, Nick arranged for the runners to run in pairs or family bubbles. Over the course of the day the runners clocked up over 500 kilometres. Nick ran the route five times. Nick, with help from fellow Dorset Doddler Lucy Brown, organised the Park Runathon with the aim of raising money and food donations for Blandford Foodbank. The event was a huge success and had many of the Dorset Doddlers signing up to run on the day along with members of local club Run Blandford and friends and family all keen to support the event. Ten full bags of food were donated, along with over £750. A member of the Dorset Doddlers committee said: “Nick is a popular member of our club, and this is yet another of his fantastic fundraising events. As a club, we are always looking to help local worthwhile causes, and in these difficult times the Blandford Park Runathon definitely fits the bill. We ourselves have donated £250 to take Nick’s total to more than £1,000 so far. The Doddlers would all like to congratulate Nick on his great achievement.”

IN THE RUNNING: Nick Summons and Ian Sherwood in their funky running gear and, above, Lucy’s daughter Maggie Brown with some of the food donated

Clubs pledge to complete season and play to end of June

The Blackmore Vale Football League has decided to resume matches and aim to complete its schedule, even if it means extending the season until June 27. A majority of the 10 teams agreed to complete the season. A spokesman for the grassroots community league said: “We are determined to complete the league schedule and with everyone’s support we believe we can achieve this together.” However, one of ten teams will not be taking part. Hazelbury Hornets FC have said they cannot fulfil their schedule – a disappointment for the team, whose last game before lockdown was a 14-1 defeat to Wincanton United Wasps. Wincanton are the runaway leaders having won all nine of their games played, narrowly edging Bradford Abbas 7-6 in the last round of fixtures played on December 20. The league will resume on April 4, when Wincanton play South Cheriton Comets before meeting their closest challengers, Donhead Barbarians, the following week. It will be the first game for Donhead since they managed a remarkable draw against Sturminster Rovers on December 13. With 25 minutes to go, Sturminster were 8-1 up but Donhead fought back to draw, 8-8, with four goals from George Coleman in 10 minutes.