I was rather surprised when the BBC screened a programme on Arthur Ransome. I'd always assumed that he was a Naval Officer sort rather like the "Swallow's" father, whereas he was a rather weedy-looking, bespectacled journalist. Also his political leanings - he spent time in Russia after the revolution and married Trotsky's secretary - weren't what I expected.

I loved his books when I was young and still do. He was definitely one of the people who influenced me to buy a boat. When friends tell me that they're visiting the Norfolk Broads for the first time, I always offer to lend them a copy of "Coot Club" - it's a pretty good guide, even today!

Finally, Ransome's drawings are often criticized as amateurish. I find them charming, and especially like his technical ones (boat layout, chandlery, and Dick's gadgets) - I even have a "Rond Anchor" on the boat.