No sooner had we sent the last issue of All at Sea to print than I realised the error of my ways in having so audaciously proclaimed spring to be almost upon us in last month’s editorial.

The snow clouds gathered - and they haven’t dispersed since, propelled by the bitter easterlies, making it the UK’s second coldest March on record.

I’ve been left fixated by the hope that nature will seek to restore its balance and will deliver unbroken sunshine and constant force three breezes once summer finally deigns to arrive.

In the meantime, this optimism has done much in the way of ensuring that we carry on regardless. A morning’s sail from Cowes at the end of March revealed a surprising handful of other hardy souls also braving the elements. And I found that, despite the sideways sleet and an appalling wind chill, it was decidedly refreshing to stretch my sea legs in anticipation of the season ahead. Wearing an extra layer or three (see our Kit feature on page 16 if you need inspiration!) it was in fact much more bearable than you would perhaps imagine.  It seems the unseasonable freeze is no match for the British spirit. The season’s opening regattas are in full swing, despite the snow, as the Easter weekend proved, as it brought many die-hard racers to the start line.

March has arrived, and since the last issue of All at Sea went to press, I’m pleased to report that I have spent at least two days afloat without the need to wear a hat; which I have taken as a hopeful sign that spring can’t be too far away! With only a matter of weeks until the sailing season gets underway in earnest, there’s plenty to look forward to.

Just a handful of special events for 2013 that we’re pleased to report on in All at Sea this month are: the addition of the Fastnet for 2013; a new regional boat show for Devon; plus news that a long-distance offshore powerboat race is back on track (see Shelley Jory Leigh’s report on page 28); not to mention the America’s Cup excitement due later in the year (more on page 13). Add this to all the usual annual fixtures and the pages of All at Sea are going to be bursting at the seams for the foreseeable.

The start of this month was ushered in by the usual hustle and bustle caused as the dinghy fraternity descended on Alexandra Palace for the annual RYA Dinghy Sailing Show - another sure sign that spring is on its way. One of the show’s main ‘attractions’ were the members of last year’s Olympic and Paralympic teams who came to inspire, give away top tips, sign plenty of autographs, and generally hang out and join in the fun.

THE new year has started on a high and, hopefully, as it means to go on – busily, welcomed first off by January’s annual boat show fixture at London’s ExCel centre.

The London Boat Show has been plagued in recent years by reports of doom and gloom, justified or not. Yet the changes made this year to the show by the organisers seem to have been well received by exhibitors and visitors alike; a more rational show for the times has been created by reducing the size and duration of the show to produce a what feels more like a condensed showcase of some of the highlights of our sports, rather than a stretched attempt to show off the industry on a grander scale.

The general consensus is that elements, at least, of the buzz that’s been dampened during the show in recent years has been reclaimed, and it made for a refreshingly upbeat start to the year.

On the water, the end of January saw an epic achievement on the part of Alex Thomson, who has set a new record for the fastest ever solo circumnavigation by a British sailor; a fantastic accolade and the icing on the cake surely after his admirable show of sportsmanship to fellow competitor, Jean-Pierre Dick , during the final days of the race. A podium finish in one of our sports toughest races imaginable is something to be proud of, and Thomson has emerged as new British sporting hero in every sense.

Happy new year to all our readers! Whether you spent the festive season afloat or ashore, we hope it was suitably merry.

As 2013 dawns and the UK marine industry and boaters from across the country head to ExCel for the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show, thoughts naturally turn to the season ahead. With the nights getting just that tiny bit lighter, the prospect of launching down doesn’t seem quite as out of reach as it did.

I think you will all admit, 2012 presented a pretty hard act to follow, but with a bit of luck the inspiration will carry through and this year will be another great one to be involved with British boating. And it looks like this won’t be too hard to do.

It seems that ‘Olympic legacy’ – a phrase much-bandied about pre-Games – is already forming itself into something tangible where sailing is concerned. Whereas many of Olympic venues have been finally been dismantled and are fading to memory, at Weymouth this summer the calendar is filling up fast. In particular, August Bank Holiday sees plans already in place for a mass handicap event aimed at giving ordinary dinghy sailors big fleet racing experience at this landmark location.