It has been some time since my last ‘missive’ and so much has happened. Having decided to hire a car to explore beyond what would have been possible by yacht, I thought I would try to ‘look up’ the family of friends of my parents who had moved to Ireland some time ago and I... Continue Reading →

The last mail was optimistic about catching up lost time and getting back on track... Although we have experienced some of that emotion, it has been balanced by disappointment as the days have slipped by and our targets have drawn in. Bob and Stephen arrived in Milford Haven proudly bearing the replacement Windlass which we... Continue Reading →

Since my last mail, we ‘sat out’ the ‘blow’ in Padstow which tied our hands somewhat, so, with a paucity of havens suited to the weather, we stayed put which took us to our next crew change. As this was not in Bristol as planned, this presented something of a problem for John Morris who... Continue Reading →

Well, the weather has indeed interrupted again. We are currently sheltering from gales in Padstow – and, on the bright side, there are worse places to be storm bound ! The whole plan was structured to avoid deadlines and the travelling to wherever we are by car for the in/out on the mainland was intended... Continue Reading →

At last some signal and a partially working lap top so a quick resume on the cruise so far. We slipped from Northney Marina on Hayling Island on Friday 17th May 2013 with a crew of Ollie and his friends Ashley and Raph. We sailed west, spending nights in Newtown River on the IOW, Studland... Continue Reading →

I bought my Southerly 135 in Holland in 2012 and sailed her back to Itchenor in Chichester Harbour, where she was constructed. The builders, Northshore, embarked on a substantial amount of work, at my request, to bring her up to the specification that I wanted. The exercise was somewhat fraught and the details are covered... Continue Reading →

In June 1995, it was my intention to sail across the Bay of Biscay to Northern Spain. I had  harboured a compelling fascination with long passage making for some time and it was my aspiration to sail non-stop to A Coruna in Northern Spain. This was quite a ‘bullish’ undertaking in my diminutive  31 foot... Continue Reading →

In May 1994, we cruised the Normandy coast just before the 50th D-Day Anniversary celebrations commenced in earnest. Having crossed the channel from Portsmouth, our first destination was the rarely visited town of Isigny-sur-Mer, tucked in at the Western end of the Normandy Coast. Despite my brother, Hedley and the other crew, Jem Vercoe, insisting... Continue Reading →