Having left university with a degree in modern languages, I followed the example of many of my contemporaries. I went to work in the City. Those who stuck to the financial sector for the rest of their careers – whether in the UK or abroad – are now wealthy enough to pour large sums into our old college’s coffers.
But not me. After about 18 months, a university chum and I pooled our savings, left our jobs and bought a wooden 25ft yacht. Then we set sail for the West Indies. But after a memorable month in Barbados, I had to hitch a lift home on a steamer because of family problems back in the UK. End of adventure and back to a Lloyds broker: where I ended up as manager of the overseas department.
The lure of yachts was still strong, however. So despite City guru Jim Slater’s alleged opinion that ‘the thing makers are the fools’, I walked out of the city and became... a maker of things. Boat things.
Still, my modern languages were useful at the European boat shows I attended as an exhibitor, or visited to research new ideas and see what innovations were worth ‘borrowing’.
Hobby turned business
It was on one such expedition that I came across a then little known German firm that built solid, hand-crafted yachts; very much in the Scandinavian idiom. These elegant yachts came from the pen of German designer Axel Mohnhaupt between 1981 and 1993. The yachts were called Bavarias.
Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av Practical Boat Owner.
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Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av Practical Boat Owner.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Orca sink yacht in Strait of Gibraltar
Spain's maritime rescue service, Salvamento Maritimo, has reported that a 15m (49ft) yacht sank in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar following interaction with a pod of orca.
No kill cord or lifejackets were worn during fatal powerboat crash
A kill cord and lifejacket are useless unless worn-that's the warning from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), following its investigation into a powerboat crash that killed a 32-year-old woman and five-year-old girl on 2 October 2022.
Multihull sail work
Brush up on multihull sailing skills before heading off on charter with Gavin Le Sueur's guide to spinnaker handling, tacking and gybing
Five top causes of engine failure and how to prevent them
Jake Kavanagh talks to Sea Start marine engineer Nick Eales about how to avoid the five major causes of an engine breakdown at sea
Sail the Atlantic with strangers
Would you sail across the Atlantic with someone you've just met? Ali Wood meets the cruising crews who've done just that
IZIBoat: simple sailing
Rupert Holmes sails an innovative catamaran design intended to widen participation in sailing among those with little time to get on the water in more conventional craft
30 WAYS TO GET AFLOAT
From tall ships to small dinghies, you needn't own a boat to sail. Ali Wood looks at the options, and how skippers can also find crew
Boats for restoring under £20,000
Duncan Kent picks the best sub-35ft sail and power boats to look for when aiming to undertake a restoration on a budget
Seaworthy dinghies for less than £500
For low cost traditionally-styled GRP trailer-sailers, consider the Foreland and the Otter available at bargain basement prices
Playing with coloured sails
Maintaining an hourglass-shaped balloon and ratcheting up the log numbers
