Hydro8

Had a great time in Liverpool at Hydro8. The hydrographic community is quite tight-knit so it doesn't take more than a few years before you start to see the same faces appearing. So, for me, 17 years in this business (I know, I don't look a day over 25) it's all friends and family to me.

As I was on the RICS stand I didn't spend much time in sessions. Enjoyed the keynote speech by the National Hydrographer of UKHO but found it hard to concentrate during the next keynote given by a local historian on the history of Liverpool docks (a slide or two would have helped).

The RICS stand had a steady tick-over of visitors. No, we weren't overwhelmed but it was paced.

On Wednesday two RICS Education staff appeared and, by then, James Kavanagh and I had lined up a group of people for them to see. It was great for RICS Education to meet and great hydrographers and to understand their professional accreditation scheme which is basically via the IHO (Cat A and Cat B courses).

We visited the Maritime Museum one evening which I enjoyed - it bought out the geek in me!