Spending time on the river is a way of refreshing the soul for the Revd Mark Gould who makes waves at church and on the water.
Mark, who is vicar of Ruscombe and Twyford, was a sailing fan in his teens and returned to it around 12 years ago, when his own children were teenagers.
He said: “It was a place to escape the busyness of my work as a teacher, and do something really different with a new group of people.
“I enjoy it because it is always a different challenge. Even though I sail on the same piece of water, the wind changes every day, the weather changes and that means there’s always a new challenge.”
Mark sails a Thames A Rater, a boat designed especially for river sailing. This craft is sailed only at Surbiton and Bourne End on the Thames, with three people aboard. Those on board work as a team to manoeuvre the boat, competing against the elements and other boats.
Mark added: “I think there is something about trusting, leaning back against a wind which you cannot see but you can feel. It is a place where I spend time with people from all backgrounds, not just the people who would be in my pews on a Sunday morning and this is a place where our lives overlap.”
Mark is also a RYA senior instructor, teaching young people and adults the skills to get out on the water.
He explained: “What I like is the journey you can take people on, from not being at all confident to being able to enjoy the sport themselves and go out and taker control of the boat.”