Gone back to golf!

[milltech]

Having failed to buy a replacement boat in over two years of trying, and deciding I need a positive interest away from here, I have taken up golf again after an absence boating for the last 20+ years!

I tell people I originally gave up because my father reached 70 years of age and I still couldn't beat him, well never mind beating, I couldn't get close. It was a good story but actually the real reason was all the time spent boating.

I invested about £30,000 on a two or three year old Moonraker in about 1982, and after my "so-called" expert pal nearly took the underwater gear away coming into Ramsgate I did a Day Skipper course with the Churchill Motor Cruising School on an old Grand Banks 42. The course coincided with the return of Hermes from the Falklands so we got a great corporate day out for our money as well.

The Moonraker (Yellow Moon) was followed by a Spearfish (Uno Too), Grand Banks 36 (Stray Shot), Nelson 40 (Pegasina), Taiwan Trawler (Lahaina), Herd and Mackenzie 63 (Andrea Ferrara), (then the recession got in the way), a 26 foot Frederick Parker (Blue Seal), and a 50 foot MFV conversion sold in 2001 (Nordic Star). In all those years I didn't actually have enough time to enjoy them as fully as I would have liked as I was working too hard.

I don't feel pressed to buy again, but I'm keeping my boat money separate just in case and will go on buying "Boats and Yachts for Sale" each month, you never know...

<hr width=100% size=1>John
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.allgadgets.co.uk>http://www.allgadgets.co.uk</A>

 

[kimhollamby]

Yellow Moon

It wasn't that many years ago that Yellow Moon was on a cruise in company...the boat was easy to spot as she lived up to the first part of her name!

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[milltech]

Re: Yellow Moon

She was in Haslar when I was there 1999/2000. You're right, an easy boat to spot. When I bought her she had a bright yellow little "Spitfire" speedboat in the davits, a gimmick because she had been the London Boat Show boat for JCL, I left it on a pontoon somewhere I think.

She was damaged in St. Vaast during one of the two hurricanes around 1992, by then she belonged to a friend of mine. However nobody told us and we bought her back to the UK little knowing the underwater situation that was revealed when slipped. She was of course properly put right under insurance.

She's an "F", I think the "E" series actually had the best interior layout with a separate forward cabin and extra head aft. The "F" series was really more suited to a day boat, big galley all down one side and very open plan.



<hr width=100% size=1>John
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.allgadgets.co.uk>http://www.allgadgets.co.uk</A>

 

[burgundyben]

Uno Too is still about, I think I have seen her this year, or maybe a foto in Fairey News.

Quite a diverse range of boats John.



<hr width=100% size=1>Sod the Healey - I think I'll buy an E-Type.

 

[milltech]

I sold "Uno Too" to a photographer in Lymington whose name I'm ashamed to say I cannot remember, but he sent me the most wonderful picture of her which I still have framed on my wall. Had I a home on or near the coast, as you do, I think a Spearfish would be the very best boat to own. Fabulous big launch for day entertaining, visits to Cowes, overnighting, but a bit too cosy for cruising.


<hr width=100% size=1>John
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.allgadgets.co.uk>http://www.allgadgets.co.uk</A>

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I remember seeing Yellow Moon on the Thames around 1990. The reason I remember it was that we were quite new to boating and had a small Searay sports boat which we cruised up the Thames one Easter. This huge yellow thing seemed to be following us everywhere and it looked vast next to our boat. I marvelled at how anyone could control such a large boat (refusing any help from us with lines, as it happens); of course I realised later that it was a lot easier to control a twin engined shaftdrive boat than a single engined sterndrive one with no bowthruster and a bolshy crew! As Kim says, not a boat you'd miss!
I do know a couple of people like you who've done the boating thing and have gone onto something else but the fact that you still retain an interest suggests you've not altogether lost the bug

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[whisper]

I hope this doesn't mean you will be retiring from the forum as you are one of the few voices of sanity left on here.
Good luck with the golf - lovely, yet infuriating game.

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