When we first bought a yacht one of the major decisions facing us was where to berth her. We live nearly as far from the sea as is possible in…
Cruising life
Jonty Pearce: Babelfish
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy describes the wonderful Babelfish, a creature that functions as a universal translator. Once inserted into the ear it allows instant understanding of all languages,…
Jonty Pearce: Doing the Prop Walk
Our Southerly 105 ketch is a heavy old girl with high freeboard, a raised cabin, and lots of rigging to catch the wind. Her 1 ton triangular cast iron keel…
Jonty Pearce: Brexit
So, the die is cast and the country has voted to leave the EU. After months of media hype and disinformation I had naively hoped that after the event we…
Libby Purves August 2016 Podcast
It was a particularly vile, early-season shakedown passage to Ostend. We crossed a North Sea which threw up its trademark jerky, irregular grey-brown chop: we hammered hard on the wind…
Tom Cunliffe Summer 2016 Podcast
Life used to be so simple, didn’t it! It wasn’t all roses though. Back in the days before the general comforts of electronics, I had a few bad trips in…
Jonty Pearce: Boaty McBoatface
I doubt that the Natural Environment Research Council realised what a furore they would raise when they decided to hold a national vote to find a name their new £200m…
Jonty Pearce: It’s regatta time!
Flaming June has arrived on our doorsteps – and what wonderful weather it’s been! Before the weekend my surgery fans were running flat out and all we could do was…
Jonty Pearce: Tinkering about
A few years ago I updated my ageing Avon Redstart in favour of a Tinker Tramp inflatable dinghy. Whilst I loved the Avon, and still do (it now lives in…
Tom Cunliffe July 2016 podcast
I have a charcoal filter on the foot-powered drinking-water pump in my galley. It normally catches everything and I never suffer a bad cup of tea. At Easter, I was…