Adventures that start with a party are some of the best. After the formalities of saying 'I do' and celebrating with family and friends, Stuart and I were now married. Our honeymoon would be two - weeks of sailing up the west coast of Scotland in perfect weather aboard our new-to-us Nauticat 42, Evolene.
On one of our early dates, I had assured Stuart that I could sail. However, it would be a few months before the extent of that 'ability' would become clear. Growing up on the east coast of Scotland I used to spend summer evenings and weekend days on the family's 21-foot Pandora, Panache, which was a bit of a squeeze for a family of four plus a labrador. I loved helming and grew confident avoiding the bridges spanning the Tay and all the potential sandbank hazards on the Scottish east coast. Fast forward a few decades and our first holiday as a couple was a bareboat charter in the Stockholm Archipelago. The holiday quickly highlighted that my confidence did not extend to pilotage in confined water, or other 'essentials' for that matter, such as the rules of the road, radio etiquette and boat handling in marinas or the like.
Thankfully, my love of being outdoors and on the water remained, and on our return from Sweden we bought a Moody S31 and berthed her in the Clyde. Tomkat proved to be an ideal boat for developing my sailing skills, enjoying lots of miniadventures and leading us further into the shared aspiration of spending increased time on the water in years to come. With that in mind we started to form plans of selling Tomkat and looking for a boat suitable for cruising northern Europe and potentially living aboard for longer periods of time. We thought that we would do this sometime over the next four of five years, but then Evolene came along...
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Yachting Monthly UK.
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Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Yachting Monthly 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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I WAS THE ONLY SAILOR ON OUR FAMILY CHARTER AND IT HAD TO GO WELL
Crystal waters, cliff tombs and sunken outboards lain Willis wanted to ensure plain sailing for his family’s first charter around Turkey's Lycian Coast
HOW IT WORKS SEAWATER PUMP
The water and oil seals on a water pump shaft will eventually wear with time, leading to pump-shaft corrosion or loss of engine oil.
THOUSANDS OF MILES ACROSS THE INDIAN OCEAN
Floris and Ivar battled severe weather and cross swell to sail from Australia to South Africa, but there were beautiful islands on the way
The secret of yachts with enduring appeal
Fashions come and go, but J-Boats remain a safe choice for great sailing boats, whether you want to own it for ever or sell it
Tragic sinking of Bayesian; Italian prosecutors investigate
The sinking of the Bayesian superyacht in reportedly only 16 minutes and the tragic loss of seven lives has sent a shudder through the sailing community and beyond.
THE ADVENT OF MARINE AI TECHNOLOGY
Fonathon Savill reports on the revolutionary impact artificial intelligence is about to have on all areas of life at sea
IMPROVING SINGLE-LINE REEFING
Martin Watts explains how to reduce the friction on the reefing lines of newer yachts
The secrets of skippering a successful cruise
Setting off on a cruise is easy, but planning a route that keeps your options open and ensures the enjoyment of all on board is more of an art
CRUISING THE KINGDOM OF THE ISLES
Joanna Martin and her husband Mark sail across the Irish Sea to the legendary sea kingdom and to draw the wonderful wildlife there
MOODY DS48
Can a boat built for long-term, long-distance cruising and offering one-level living still deliver an enjoyable sailing experience? Theo Stocker sets sail across the English Channel to find out