A life of love and adventure

Margaret Dye looks back on her cruising exploits in a 16ft Wayfarer with husband Frank

- SAM JEFFERSON

“If I could just have one more day with Frank aboard Wanderer, I’d be so happy. He was a lovely man and Wanderer was so special – part of us.” Margaret Dye is in the comfortable surroundings of Heathcote care home in Norwich, where she has lived the last six years.

It’s hard to imagine in these prosaic surroundings that this 84-year-old and her husband, Frank, who passed away in 2010, were two of the most daring, courageous and, some might argue, crazy sailors the world has ever seen. Their exploits sailing offshore in their 16ft (4.9m) Wayfarer dinghy Wanderer are the stuff of legend. Trips from Scotland to Norway, up the eastern seaboard of America into Canada were nothing to Frank, the driving force behind these escapades. His thirst for adventure seemed entirely out of keeping with his shy, diffident personality. It’s clear that Margaret, who was his shipmate and wife for 44 years, misses him profoundly.

“Was I scared? Yes! In fact I woke up the other night with that terrified feeling I used to get when I was at sea sometimes in rough weather. You’d have to be crazy not to be scared. The thing was, I didn’t make a fuss, and I think Frank liked that. If I’d been noisy and scared I don’t think I would have been his crew for very long – but I was quiet and scared and just got on with things. Frank himself never showed any signs of fear. He was always very kind andvery gentle. He was a lovely man, so thoughtful to his crew, and I was very lucky to get the chance to sail with him.”