There’s something about pilot cutters. They earned their keep by being fast, seaworthy and powerful enough to beat against wind and tide in the days when pilotage was a competitive business – first out to the ship got the job. They are used now for more gentle pursuits – sail training, charter, and in recent continue reading »
After several weeks of attention from men in overalls the good ship Else is back in her mud berth. Quality of life afloat depends primarily on knowing that your ship will not sink under you and anything else is a bonus, but the greatest of these, after heating, is working plumbing. I emerged from my continue reading »
This month I have spent too much time stepping in puddles in the dark, fetching water from the boatyard tap in the rain, fretting over wet and rusty bilges, and carrying bags of coal down slippery gangplanks without dropping them (or me) in the mud. I have learnt that whilst having a sinking boat would continue reading »
The party’s over and I’m back ashore, writing lists. Even my lists have got lists…. admin, invoices, replying to emails, catching up in the studio/gallery, wondering where I’m going to live this winter . You know the kind of thing – all the life ‘stuff’ that you leave behind when you go gadding around and continue reading »
One of the best things about sailing in company with other boats – apart from the parties, of course – is the opportunity to photograph and sketch them close up. Sketching from a small sailing boat can be frustrating, not just because you are rolling around too much to draw, or getting in the helmsman’s continue reading »