Your Boating History!

LadyInBed

LadyInBed

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 Sep 2001
Messages
15,222
Location
Me - Zumerzet Boat - Wareham
montymariner.co.uk
Having been surprised by the number of boats Motor Boaters have owned See HERE
Am I unusual in only having 3 boats in over 40 years?
I owned a 16ft Dory style mobo which I dived from
A 23ft Swin Ranger for 17 years
and my current 33ft Colvic Countess for 20 years
How many sailing boats have you owned?
 
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Just over 35 years of sailing and I have owned 2 boats.
I started as a paying guest on a private charter boat, then crewed for deliveries, always on the same boat. Graduated from delivery crew to an agreement to hire that boat for holidays and finally bought the boat when circumstances forced the owner to sell. So I bought a Rival 34 I had sailed from new and kept her for 11 years. Then moved to my present Starlight 39.
Cruising area in those 35 years: between Bergen, Norway and Vigo, Galicia and the Outer Hebrides. Also crossed from the Azores to Halifax.
Hoping to keep the boat and do some more longer cruises when retired.
 
About 50 years of sailing, 5 boats (excluding numerous different tenders), 1. Mirror dinghy.., 2. Leisure 17.., 3, Foxterrier 22,.., 4. Invicta 26.., 5, current Sadler 25.
 
Started sailing late in life-mid fifties-and purchased a third share in a Hunter 27 OOD.
First Mate was made redundant and with her large payout we purchased a GibSea 96-lovely boat. Sold the Hunter share, seriously upgraded the GibSea-Coppercoat, radiator central heating, roller furling and electrics.
Before getting ANY benifit from these improvements we had a senior moment and fell in love with a beautiful Island Packet 350. Kept and sailed extensively for seven years before changing to our present boat, an Island Packet SP Cruiser.
We also purchased a cheap steel Hartley 32 in Wellington Harbour to use as accommodation when visiting the Grandchildren and family. Now bought up to a reasonable standard and sailed in the harbour frequently. Can be used as a crash pad for visitors if required.
So, five sailing boats in 17 years, still got the last two and enjoying them.
Just leaving to visit the Hartley, need to collect some stored stuff from her now we are back in Wellington.
 
Didn't get to actually own a boat until I was in my 30s (1980s), or one with a lid until my 40s.

Firefly dinghy;
Shipmate Dayboat (16'3" lift keeler with v. basic cuddy/cabin);
Hurley 22;
Express Pirate (17'3" bilge keeler);
Samphire 23 (shoal draft long-keeler);
LM27 (saily motor-sailer, long-keel).

All except the Firefly have been cruised extensively.

I won't mention the Leisure 17 I bought, but sold on before I'd launched it (but not before moving it abroad and between several different houses!), and the Samphire 26 sitting in the garden. :redface-new:
 
Firefly 1671 circa 1960-70
Cirrus 22' Westerly, 1971-73, children grew too big
Mystere 26 1973-1987
Sadler29 1987-1999
HR 34 2000- the future
 
Owned or 50% owned in 40 odd years:-
Enterprise dinghy
Balaton (24 i think it was). (from Hungary)
Rival 36.
Bowman 40.
Shetland 18.
Parker 20 trailer sailer.
Princess 420.
Princess V50.
Beneteau 473.
Beneteau 323 lift keel. currently.
Tempest 470 rib. currently.
Never bothered to list them before. I daren't add up the money I've lost in depreciation over the years in case the wife reads this. Doubt I'll be buying anymore now.
 
1969-71 a very nice 18ft carvel gunter ballasted c/b dayboat which I now know was a Mumbles YC OD - a Jack Jones design. Perfect starter boat.
1972 a very tired Dragon (a mistake)
1973-83 an 18 ft tabloid cruiser which turned out to be a Harrison Butler «*Paida*»
1984- 2013 a William Blake 37ft gaff cutter
2017 a Squib. Still got her. What a lovely little boat she is!
Now a Nicholson 55, which will be an MAB to many here, but is a rocket ship to me!
So a very late convert to GRP and Bermuda rig.
Dinghies - Firefly from 2007 and a vintage Fourteen last two years.
 
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Kukri said:
a very tired Dragon
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I narrowly missed out on getting one of those in my twenties! The plan was to buy it with a friend (who knew the owner). I was going to sell my guitar and half the rest of my worldly goods; he was going to borrow his half of the money from his parents. The parents had a sudden unexpected major expense (or at least that was their excuse), putting paid to the plan. Gutted at the time, but with the benefit of hindsight a narrow squeak!
 
LittleSister said:
I narrowly missed out on getting one of those in my twenties! The plan was to buy it with a friend (who knew the owner). I was going to sell my guitar and half the rest of my worldly goods; he was going to borrow his half of the money from his parents. The parents had a sudden unexpected major expense (or at least that was their excuse), putting paid to the plan. Gutted at the time, but with the benefit of hindsight a narrow squeak!
Click to expand...

She was K6, Arabis 1936 McGruers. I recall sailing her into Woodbridge Tide Mill and parking next to a lovely Wanderer named Airedale whose owner, David Scott-Cowper, went on to become quite famous. I called on Maurice Griffiths who lived in Woodbridge then and who knew about leaky old boats. He recommended Plastiscene. Good advice.
 
Graduate dhingy, bought in 2014, kept on derwent water, with plans to dinghy cruise once I learned to sail it. Used it twice, was bored going round the lake in circles, Storm Desmond trashed her in 2015.
So bought a bradwell 18 later that year. Learned to sail ( kind of) in her.
Bought a westerly longbow ketch in 2017.

Still have the bradwell and the ketch, both being worked on, piecemeal, and very slowly.
 
Since 1980:
Mirror
Firefly
3 x Lasers
Laser II (ughh!)
Dart
Laser 4000
2 x Avon Seariders
Beneteau First 305
Hunter 272
Jeanneau Sun 2000
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 36i
and looking to change in the next 12 months.
 
19ft Sailfish "Sans Souci" - translates as Carefree but I prefer that it meant the previous owner was careless. Way too light for Bristol Channel and would come to dead stand if any chop against us.
Anderson 22 . Nice 1/4 tonner but my wife to be thought it unsuited for extended cruising and bit lively for her nerves. Sank on moorings in v bad storm so collected insurance and sold it on to a guy who hoped to sail it to Med. Its still in yard and hasn't moved in 10 years. Pity, it was a nice boat if unsuited to our needs.
Macwester 26 - very steady but would not go to windward. Navigator said OK, we do need a faster boat. Sold it to couple who used it as weekend cottage. Its still on pontoon and hasn't been seen out of the bay
Westerly Pentland (31ft) - Now we are cruising - but why do we keep getting rained on? Its a long way from Bristol to Ireland or Brittany standing in the rain or fog as no shelter at the wheel. Need to sell really. (Offers???)
LM27 - has wheel house so Navigator happy to keep warm while steering and likes chart table near controls, not in depth of cabin. Mind you this boat rolls a bit and a bit under-canvased, but a planned 155% genoa with foam luff should sort some of that.
 
Heron
Supergrad.
National 12 (x 2)
Manta 16
Coromandel
Trident 24
Halcyon 27
Solo
Moody 33 mk 1
Pahi 31 (James Wharram designed catamaran)
Comanche 32 (Reg White designed catamaran)
Tamarisk 29 gaff cutter
Maurice Griffiths Tidewater (a beautiful, proper, wooden, gaff cutter)
Carter 33
Hunter 490
Westerly Discus
Seahopper Kondor
Westerly Falcon 35

Which was the best?

Hmmmm.... a difficult choice: so many great boats!

The Moody (Balki), perhaps gave us the most memories, as, in 1990/91, we lived aboard, and she took us on the most wonderful adventure through the French canals, to Southern Italy (and back).

In some ways, I'd have to count 'Mary Reeve' (Trident) as 'overall best': she was dead cheap, in good condition, comfortable for two, easily handled, sailed beautifully and she was very simple to look after (at sea, and ashore).

But....... the one we loved the most, and, even now often still yearn for, is 'The Cause' (Tidewater gaff cutter). Beautifully built, an absolute treat on the eye, and she somehow always made us feel very special to be aboard. We still miss her.
 
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