I was introduced to the boating world 40 years ago when I was 11-years-old. My parents bought a Fletcher Zingaro 28 which they kept at Brighton marina. Not long afterwards they moved up to a Princess 38, which they bought at the Boat Show and named Campbell’s Lady.
They soon got frustrated with the UK climate and cruised her down to the South of France. The local gardiennage company, which looked after our boat, was run by an Englishman who offered me a job in the school holidays. I took it, loved it and never looked back. I now run my own boat maintenance business. Perhaps it’s hardly surprising given that my surname is Hook and my first name begins with C.
It took a while before I could afford my own boat but as soon as I could I bought a Buckingham 20 and kept it on the River Medway near where I lived . Since then I have owned a number of boats: a Birchwood 22, a Fairline Weekend 21, a Fairline Carerra 24, a Jaguar 24 sailing boat, a SeaRay 22, and a Fairline Targa 33 Mk2. I kept the Targa for 14 years, crossing the Channel multiple times to Brittany, Normandy and the Channel Islands.
It was around this time that I met my partner Anna, who was born in the UK but had family and roots in Malta. I also shared a love of Malta having delivered a couple of big Princesses there for a client, taking the opportunity to thoroughly explore the island.
MOVING ON UP
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Lofoten or Bust- Part 4- Grandezza owner Per Harrtoft heads back to Sweden after an epic 3500nm adventure deep into the Arctic Circle to visit the mythical Lofoten islands
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