Monday 15 February 2010

Something new for me!

I have always been interested in the Three Rivers Race which takes place on the Norfolk Broads in June every year, this year being the 50th anniversary. You may have noticed my previous post on this subject, which was a bit of a rant!

Anyway, a couple of years’ ago I wrote a letter to the Anglia Afloat magazine complaining at a lack of information on the race being available on-line. One of the contributors to the magazine (Greg Chapman) caught on to my letter and made it the Editor’s letter for that particular issue. He and I have corresponded occasionally since then and I have sent him photos of his boat under sail etc.

Following my letter, he decided to buy a website – threeriversrace.org and contacted the organisers of the race (Horning Sailing Club plus a sub-committee) to see if they would like him to set a website up. The rather stuffy response was that the sponsors, Navigators & General, would be putting together a website for the 50th anniversary. Well, November, December and then January came with no sign of anything so Greg and I asked the person who designed a website all about Horning Village (although he lives in the Midlands!), Craig Slawson, to help and to cut a long story slightly shorter, we have been working on this for over a month now and it is up and running.

www.threeriversrace.org.uk

I have been doing the research for the stories from competitors, spectators and the like, finding appropriate photos, researching local accommodation and I am now starting on the boat recognition section. It is just the kind of thing I enjoy doing.

I am quite amused, however, at the friendly bickering which is going on between the two chaps (Greg and Craig) who are doing the technical bit of setting up the layout etc. As all the interaction is taking place by email I end up with about 20 emails a day, copied to me by these two with decisions like the size and colour of the headings, whether menus should be left or right, should there be captions on the photos etc. I hadn’t realised how much minutiae there is in setting up a website and I’m so glad that there are people who have the patience (and knowledge!) to do all this work. Me, I like to write words and take photos!