Hospital boat on the Ouse

Strolling around the Godmanchester backwater today I saw a substantial boat heading my way, featuring a St John's Ambulance badge.

I know there are emergency retrieval boats, the AA of the water world, but I'd never seen an ambulance boat. I wondered, are there boating paramedics too?
Of course a moment's searching threw up this link to Ladybird used to give trips to disabled children and the terminally ill. It turns out that Fox boats at March, Cambridgeshire, built Ladybird, its third boat for St John's. There's more about that here. And the passengers were having a good time on a substantial, light and quiet vessel, ten feet wide I believe.
Good for St Johns!

Sail has finally given way to power

With other projects taking his time, including of course narrowboating, John has decided to sell his much loved but, in recent years, rather under-used Mirror sailing dinghy. It was bought 15 years ago, but in the last year or two had spent most of its time in the garage rather than on the water. It was advertised on the excellent web site http://www.apolloduck.com/ which specialises in sales of boats of all types. After putting a free advert up on Friday afternoon, he had 5 enquiries and had sold it within 24 hours!
This has released more space in the garage - we now just need to sell the two very comfortable reclining swivel chairs with matching footstools and we might even get a car in there one day! Any takers? [NOW SOLD!]