Not many years ago I was privileged to become involved with the vernacular sloops of the Windward Islands while on the Caribbean island of Carriacou in the Grenadines. These cargo-carrying craft are built on the beach by families who have been doing it for generations. There are no plans, just the eye of the master shipwright to produce sailing boats of surprising performance, well able to withstand the boisterous conditions for which they are built.
The opening pages of Jon van Tamelen's book Ancestor, from the excellent Seaworthy Publications in Florida, describe his purchase of the Carriacou sloop of the same name. The pages hark back to a better, simpler world as he buys her from her local owners with no broker, no advertisement, no paperwork. He saw her and had to have her, so he did.
Van Tamelen goes on to sail her to Hawaii without engine or electronics. He navigates by the stars and his boat delivers what she was born to do - to sail the seas in safety and with good speed. He doesn't make a big deal about his simple arrangements. He just gets on with his voyage which, almost by default, makes the book challenging for the rest of us.
Challenging it may be, but the sheer charm of the writing carries us along as we join him and his shipmate Hilt in the classic horror show of the engineless vessel: no wind, a heavy swell, a strong current, and a rocky shore approaching. There's no calling for help on a non-existent radio set for them. Instead, these guys demonstrate the very essence of great seamanship conversation. From the surface, I watched my new friends leaping out of the water. They made one pass close by, almost touching me, before they turned southward. I was a changed person when I climbed on deck.
Ancestor seemed committed to her drifting course, heading for the next island to the west. Clearly, she was on a mission.
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Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av Yachting World.
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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5 EXPERT TIPS BOB BEGGS ON SAILING IN COLD WEATHER
As temperatures drop, Andy Rice gets tips on how to handle the cold from self-confessed Arctic weather fan and winning Clipper Round the World Race skipper Bob Beggs
SPECIAL REPORT EXTENDED CRUISING IN THE BALTIC
Sweden offers cruisers a warm welcome for winter - Janneke Kuysters has advice on how to boost your sailing time in the region
NIKKI HENDERSON
SEARCHING FOR MORE SPEED? BEFORE TINKERING WITH TINY ADJUSTMENTS, MAKE SURE YOU'VE GOT THE BASICS RIGHT THE POWER DRIVING THE BOAT
MATTHEW SHEAHAN
WHAT WILL THE BOATS OF THE 38TH AMERICA'S CUP LOOK LIKE? THAT'S THE $20 MILLION QUESTION IF BRITAIN OR NEW ZEALAND DECIDE TO DEPART FROM THE AC75
60-knot squalls hit Middle Sea Race
The 45th running of the Mediterranean offshore, the Rolex Middle Sea Race, saw a spectacularly random mix of conditions - even for a race which is famed for its variable weather patterns.
Italy win first Women's Cup
The first ever Women's America's Cup was won by Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli after a single, twoboat shoot-out final on 12 October.
'Three-peat' for ETNZ
As Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand came into this year's 37th America's Cup as clear favourites. But the Kiwi camp has far more than just the structural advantage of being the ones that wrote the Protocol for the competition, and the originators of the AC75 concept.
ROOM WITH A VIEW
SWEDISH DESIGNER GABRIEL HEYMAN POURED A LIFETIME OF IDEAS INTO THIS PILOT SALOON CRUISER, WHICH INCLUDES ARGUABLY THE LARGEST COCKPIT AVAILABLE AT THIS SIZE
LIVING HISTORY
THE ICONIC SEASON-CLOSING REGATTA LES VOILES DE SAINT TROPEZ WAS AN IMMERSIVE HISTORY LESSON FOR CROSBIE LORIMER
CHANGE OF PLAN
LEAVING AUSTRALIA, MARIANNE URTH NEVER PLANNED TO MAKE LANDFALL IN THE ISLANDS OF VANUATU, BUT THE EXPERIENCE WAS MAGICAL