Before vicar Andy Norris moved on from working in Warsash, he swapped expertise with a sailing instructor.
As he prepared to leave St Mary’s Church in Church Road, Andy was taught how to sail as a thank you from one of the men in the congregation who was supported by Andy during his son’s terrifying heart condition.
Nigel Rennie and Andy Norris
Nigel Rennie helped his vicar through the sailing exams to thank Andy for leading a 10-week Alpha course that explained the basics of faith.
The 53-year-old sailing instructor and examiner for the Royal Yachting Association was part of Andy’s congregation at the Warsash church, before Andy, 51, moved to become rector of St Mary’s Church, Alverstoke, this summer.
The pair became friends when Nigel’s son Thomas became seriously ill when he was just six weeks old. Thomas, who had a heart condition, was taken into St Mary’s Hospital in Portsmouth, when his heart stopped twice.
Andy visited the family in hospital and so Nigel and his family began attending services at the Warsash church.
“I remember the first time Andy tried to visit, he didn’t actually get there because his car caught fire on the M27,” said Nigel. “But he did get there, and it is out of that kind of adversity that friendships are often formed.
“I’ve been part of the military – in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers – and had been spiritual, but not religious. I’d visited war zones and had skippered army yachts, and I’d always found the padres to be good people to speak to.
Nigel thought more about the preciousness of life when sailing in two different storms. Once in the shores by Crete in a Force 10 gale and another during a Force 12 storm when Nigel’s yacht rolled over and became lost in the Pacific. He and the other sailors were in the water for two hours and the people sent to rescue them lost their lives.
The final incident that ignited his faith was when Thomas was ill in 2005. The problem was eventually traced back to a nerve being trapped in his neck, but now he is in perfect health.
Nigel added: “Although I was coming to church, it became more of a priority after Thomas was ill. I wanted to be a full member and to be confirmed. The Alpha course was in Andy’s home and 12 of us sat around the dining table for a meal, and then in his front room to watch a DVD and talk. The whole ambience was good – it was adding to what we knew and it was fun.
“I was confirmed by the bishop in the cathedral in February 2012, and Alpha definitely made me feel happier in the church environment.
“I do think each of us should use our skills to help each other. You can’t always help the person who helps you, but I was more than happy to help Andy through his exam as he had been such a support to me and my family.”
In 2012, Nigel helped Andy to prepare to sail around Britain, and mentored him for his sea survival and diesel engine courses.
Andy was helped through his yachtsmaster offshore exam earlier this year.
“Nigel was determined to get me through the exam before I left the parish,” said Andy. “It was his parting gift to me, because if I’d done it commercially it would have been quite expensive.”