Sixty-two days out from Tocopilla, Chile, the Pitlochry, a four-masted barque, 319ft long, was off Terschelling, having breasted a Force 8 gale up the English Channel dashing along at 16…
Cruising life
Jonty Pearce: Dale Regatta
The sun beat down while a gentle zephyr of breeze ruffled our hair, and we enjoyed an onboard salad lunch lubricated with Pimms. Beside us the dinghy racers drifted and…
Bob Roberts: Coasting Bargemaster
More and bigger ships were using the river, and once or twice I spent my spare hours walking the banks of the lower reaches, watching the interminable stream of traffic…
A wild ride around the toe of Africa
The coast of Southern Africa can be a cold, windy, inhospitable place, so we decided to tour South Africa and then Namibia by land. But first, we needed a safe,…
Jonty Pearce: A Slushy Field
For several decades I have acted as Medical Officer for our local steam fair. I have no doubt that my lifelong love of steam was inherited from my father, who…
George Carter: Looming Lights
I reported for duty and found myself aboard a Trinity steamer, which was to put me aboard a ‘fog-ship’, the North Sand Head light vessel, stationed on the Goodwin Sands.…
Jonty Pearce – Finding the one
I was amused to read an advert by Berthon for a Southerly 110 which suggested that the yacht came ‘from the wizards of variable draft, with a Tardis like interior,…
Jonty Pearce: Weighing up anchors
My mate, Simon, called me for advice on anchor chains. Perhaps stung by my accusation that he was anchor-shy, he and Sue have decided to update Navassa’s ground tackle. They…
Jonty Pearce: Convalescence
As a yachtsman there is nothing more frustrating than not being well enough to sail, especially if you are a doctor. Having had a small battle with a hernia that…
HMS Ebay
I first met Dick Durham when he came aboard for a ‘Me and My Boat’ session, during which I jokingly referred to Aurial as ‘HMS Ebay’. It tickled his fancy…