They won’t come into a marina very often, but when they do, Pete and Tracey Goss will be doing a lot of talking. They were in Mayflower Marina in Plymouth when I met them, taking on fuel and water, and a steady stream of people stopped as they walked by. All asking, ‘What is this boat? What is she for?’
The name says it all. Oddity. Spelt out in a groovy 1970s font. Turquoise with a bright yellow tender, a big squared off coachroof, a gaff rig and dagger boards. This curious boat absolutely screams ‘Story!’
Pete has time for every passer-by. He answers all their questions and invites one man on board to look around. He listens to descriptions of their own boats and sailing history, but he doesn’t counter with his own. Pete Goss is one of the humblest people you could ever meet, and you might never realise the full story: this boat is the creation of one of Britain’s most heroic ocean racing sailors.
Oddity tells you so much about Pete and Tracey Goss. It is a very personal boat, a downsizer that they plan to take on a nomadic journey to all the nooks and crannies of Europe.
A few years ago, this wasn’t even on the horizon. In 2017 they launched Pearl, a Garcia 45 Exploration named to commemorate their 30th wedding anniversary, and set off across the Atlantic with the intention of sailing slowly round the world through the Tropics.
They were on the east coast of the US in March 2020 when the pandemic struck and the world closed down. They managed to get a flight home with little more than what they stood up in and returned to their UK home, a Mongolian yurt in a Cornish wood (more about that later…). By the time restrictions lifted, family life and commitments had changed. The window had closed.
Denne historien er fra January 2023-utgaven av Yachting World.
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Denne historien er fra January 2023-utgaven av Yachting World.
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THE NEXT CHAPTER
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THE OCEAN GLOBE RACE WAS ALL ABOUT BRINGING BACK THE SPIRIT OF THE EARLY WHITBREADS. ELAINE BUNTING FINDS OUT HOW THE CREWS FARED
THE BIG OCEAN CLEAN
AN AMBITIOUS PLAN IS SETTING OUT TO REMOVE PLASTIC FROM THE WORLD'S GREATEST OCEAN
RING OF FIRE
A MEMORABLE PASSAGE FROM FIJI TO AUSTRALIA FOR KATE ASHE-LEONARD
HALF WAY HEAVEN
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THE PACIFIC IS THE WORLD'S BIGGEST OCEAN, BUT WITH SO MANY OPTIONS HOW DO YOU PLAN A ROUTE ACROSS? CRUISERS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES
NIKKI HENDERSON
ALL YACHTS SHOULD HAVE THE MEANS TO GO ALOFT AT SEA AND A CREW MEMBER WILLING AND ABLE TO DO SO
MATTHEW SHEAHAN
IT’S ALL SMILES FOR THE AMERICA’S CUP TEAMS AS THE BRAND NEW AC75 BOATS HIT THE WATER. BUT THE SERIOUS BUSINESS STARTS SOON...
