Lorna's sailing experience started in the 1960's when she met her husband Brian. They first sailed to Holland in a 26' boat, Karelia and had many cross channel trips after that, with a break whilst their children were young. She remembers one trip in thick fog when Brian pinned a £1 note to the mast for the first person to spot Calais (but he awarded it to himself); another when they encountered a deep depression soon after leaving Ostende, well before the advent of modern sailing aids when they reduced sail to a minimum and by the time the storm had blown itself out they found themselves in the Wash. So they turned round, sailed east then south and finally west to find the coast, when Sizewell power station came into view. They ended in Lowestoft after 52 hours at sea where Lorna, having been sea sick most of the way, tucked into an enormous lunch at the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club.

Lorna joined the Cruising Association as a spouse member in 1988, Brian having joined in 1987. Later that year there was an advert in the Bulletin for the position of Assistant General Secretary. Brian had recently sold his electronic manufacturing business and thought that it might suit him very well and phoned for details. It became very apparent that it was unsuitable for Brian but in Brian's view ideal for Lorna, except that she didn’t think so, being happily employed in a part-time secretarial role not far from where they lived, after running her own retail business for ten years.

However she went for an interview with Mark Brackenbury, and whilst waiting, balanced the books for the then Assistant General Secretary, whose job it was in those days. At the end of the interview, some of which was spent talking about acting, Mark being professional, and Lorna amateur, she was offered the job. She refused, Mark increased the money and she accepted and still to this day does not know why!

Within six months she had been promoted to General Secretary a position she held until May 2004. She worked closely with Tony Brett-Jones to find new premises for the CA and then with architect and premises working group on the details and eventual move. This was a time of great change for our Association and following her retirement Lorna was rewarded for her efforts by being made an Honorary Member a position she is very proud to hold.

Because of her duties at the CA, longer sailing trips were harder during this period, but she did manage to take part in the Millenium Rally 2000 to Russia, joining Brian from Gdansk to Riga in their beautiful gaff cutter Avola and subsequently from St Petersburg to Stockholm via Helsinki. Since her retirement in 2004 they have lived in a dockside apartment in Ipswich and are able to spend more time sailing.