Dinner was served at 8:30'ish and consisted of Antipasti, a pasta based main course, desert and cheese and half a bottle of each person’s preferred wine to accompany the meal. The club house and tables were decorated to reflect the Italian influence on the evening and added quite an ambience to the proceedings.
    After dinner Nigel invited Frank and Manuel to give a short presentation on Project Homerus and how the sponsorship money is used. They stressed that orders for the wine could be for any quantity and combination of type and all the profits from both the meal and wine sales went to Project Homerus. Wine can also be ordered after the event via Frank Rainsborough. His contact number can be found on the AQSC website.
    After thanking them both for their input Nigel presented Frank with a club donation to Project Homerus. This was supplemented by sales of and orders for Cantine della Valtenesi della Lugana wines on the night.
    Pat Halling and Mike Leigh then provided some musical entertainment on keyboard and Pat's very special violin. This seemed to be especially enjoyed by our Italian guest.
    I think the evening was a great success. Both Frank and Manuel were very complimentary about it’s organisation and the attendance at the dinner. Hopefully our contribution will help enable Project Homerus to continue training blind sailors and providing them with the boats, equipment and the logistics they need to enjoy a sport that perhaps we take for granted.
    Thanks to everybody who contributed in preparing for the evening. Rodger, Nigel, Richard and Mike for getting the club house ready. Gus Colletta for preparing the meat sauce. Nigel and Anne for preparing the antipasti and cooking the pasta. Rodger for procuring all the cheese on a recent trip abroad. Mike and Pat for the musical entertainment. All the guys who acted as waiters on the night. Last but not least Frank Rainsborough who supplied all the wine and a whole raft of Italian decorations and table accessories. A good evening for a worthy cause.
    On Sunday Frank and Manuel visited Aquarius again and had a very enjoyable sail to Hampton with Laurie Bridges in his cruiser.
Update: Since the dinner things have moved on. Both Frank and I have written to the RYA about Homerus and the dinner at AQSC. We understand that there may be a slot in a forthcoming Sailability Conference to promote evenings at other clubs such as the one we held at AQSC.
Mike (Over Easy) Baker

Note from Manuel  Bonomo

Dear Anne and Nigel

Not a long time ago Frank told me something about a lovely little club on the river Thames. Well now I can say I know that place and thet Frank was right about everything. But, more important I can say that I now know the people who make that place so special; lovely women and men, fond of the wind and of the river.
Thank you for all that you’ve done. May I offer you to spend some of your time at a lovely place on Lake Garda? My father and I will wait for you.
Un abbraccio,