April may have been the cruellest month according to TS Eliot but for me, it's March the month when boredom gets the better of me, my mind wanders and mad projects take shape in my mind.
Last year, the mad project was to buy a classic motoryacht. Such ideas never come out of thin air and this one probably dates back to 1977, when I crewed a Bristol Channel pilot cutter from Iceland to Lymington. The skipper was Bill Tillman, a legendary explorer. The desire for the sea and adventure never disappeared and every season, I'd sail on friends' boats and even took part in RORC races and the Fastnet. Roll on 40 years, and I was in retirement, had a bit of cash to spare, an undimmed love of the sea and my usual March madness.
MARCH MADNESS
That's how, in March 2023, I found myself searching the internet for something to scratch that itch, though this time I thought I would go for a motor boat. I reckoned if I got a sailing boat, I would end up doing all the sail changes and helming, whereas on a motor boat, my wife could get involved too. My criteria were twin engines, comfortable to live aboard for a few months at a time and seaworthy - as in not a river cruiser. My long-suffering wife, Shona, was supportive of the mad project, if not exactly over the moon, and the dogs seemed unconcerned. Little did they know.
I found what looked like a promising project in Norfolk.
Enola was a 48ft Thornycroft with beautiful lines, but... she had been out of the water for more than 15 years and although the asking price was a tempting £15,000, the estimate for the hull and deck work was £30,000. So I was looking at a £45k investment. I changed my search criteria to £45,000 to see what else that could buy me, and found Silver Bird. She was lying in Fort William and was well within my revised budget.
LIFE-CHANGING
Denne historien er fra October 2024-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting UK.
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Denne historien er fra October 2024-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YACHT TRANSPORT
As the name suggests it's a means of having your boat moved professionally from one location to another. It might be as simple as hiring someone to tow your RIB a few miles down the road or as complex as shipping a superyacht halfway around the world.
HANDLE A SINGLE SHAFTDRIVE BOAT PART 1
Single shaftdrive boats are relatively rare these days but the reduced costs of buying, servicing and fuelling such a simple but reliable drivetrain does mean they are making a bit of a comeback.
COCKWELLS MOTOR LAUNCH
There can be very few boats that have appeared three times at the Southampton Boat Show and been sold off the stand each time.
INSTALLING AN AUTOPILOT
Rick Channon makes solo boating simple with a Raymarine Evolution Autopilot
GOOD AS NEW
Why fit a brand new engine when Volvo Penta's remanufacturing service can rebuild you an old one to the same standard for a fraction of the price?
BENETEAU SWIFT TRAWLER 54
Alex Smith heads to France's Beneteau HQ for a UK exclusive on what might just be the best Swift Trawler yet
ΧΟ EXPLR 44
Can XO's all-new aluminium flagship really make it big in the Med?
BUYING OUR FIRST CLASSIC
Instead of whiling away their retirement playing bowls, Rob and Shona Adams decided to invest their time and money in a classic Silver gentleman's yacht. Would the gamble pay off?
PRINCESS S65
Torn between the V and F Class flagships? The new S65 might be the boat you've been waiting for...
FERRETTI INFYNITO 90
Ferretti Yachts is diversifying into the long-range fast-displacement market. But can its debut model justify the hype?
