The reluctant sailor

If you can't beat them, join them!

That's what I said when I met this bloke back in Uni, who was very keen on sailing. So keen, in fact, that he would devote pretty much every weekend to it. I joined him: we bought an Enterprise and began to sail the circuit. It was often cold, frequently scary and occasionally wonderful - but at least I got to see more of him.

Fifteen years, two kids and a lot of grovelling later he has now talked me into buying a yacht with his parents. It is a Dehler 38, which he uses for racing and business trips, my in-laws use for racing and getting away from it all, and I… avoid as much as possible.

But with family, friends and business colleagues all keen to try our new acquisition, my husband has been spending more time on the boat than I originally expected and I've been getting a strange feeling of déjà vu.

So, reluctantly, I'm off sailing again. Here's the story so far.

June 07 Gone fish’n chipping…

There is a new rule aboard Sea Dreamer. This is the brainchild of the Sail...Read More

May 07 Blowing a fuse

Oh, the joys of a bank holiday weekend! A whole extra day in which to relax...Read More

April 07 The 'Go Faster Gleam'

It’s that time of year again – daffodils, Easter eggs, holidays and… puttin...Read More

March 07 'The time has come,' the Sailor said...

(With apologies to Lewis Carroll)

The sun was shining on the s...Read More

February 07 Many a true word…

I don’t know what it is about sailors, but you may have noticed that they h...Read More

January 07 To do or... decorate

The Sailing Fanatic has been looking a bit fed up over the last few weeks, ...Read More

December 06 ‘Tis the season to be rescued…

I don’t know why, but for the past month the newspapers seem to have been f...Read More

November 06 The joy of snailing

Of all the creatures in the world, I have never really seen the point of sn...Read More

October 06 Registering a protest

It is inevitable, when sailing in close proximity to other boats, that at ...Read More

September 06 Sleeping like a baby…

There is something decidedly different about sleeping on a boat.

...Read More

August 06 Of Cowes, horses and goldfish…

'Oh, Daaaarling,' trilled the woman outside the novelty shop in the middle ...Read More

July 06 Sailing and the art of time management

Well, it had to happen sometime; I knew I wouldn’t be able to put it off fo...Read More

June 06 Heavy Weather

There’s nothing like a good blast to clear away the cobwebs, shake down the...Read More

May 06 The rise (and fall) of the machines

For a hobby that prides itself on pitting man against the elements, experie...Read More

April 06 Fair's fair!

I am, it has to be said, the sort of person who likes to stick to the rules...Read More

March 06 All hands on deck!

Spring is in the air, despite the snow showers of the past week. The daffod...Read More

February 06 Powder Snow and Chocolat Chaud

There’s only so much time that a sane person can spend maintaining a boat ...Read More

January 06 The best laid plans…

If you thought that the build-up to Christmas seemed to last for months, th...Read More

December 05 All he wants for Christmas is ...

…a couple of kiddies lifejackets, a Virtual Skipper 2 Computer Game, a Hark...Read More

November 05 Rock-a-bye-baby

The boat is now out of the water.

We took it out on Saturda...Read More

October 05 Of Masts and Men

'There’s the boat!' exclaimed the Sailing Fanatic, as we whizzed past the m...Read More

September 05 The Whizzy Whatchamacallit

'Is that from the boat, Grampa? What is it?' my daughter asked the other da...Read More

August 05 Like a chicken to water

Some people step onto a boat and are straight at home. For them the challen...Read More

July 05 In support of the reluctant sailor

Stroll around any marina and you will soon spot the classic sailing charact...Read More