John Passmore By the crew, I don’t mean a row of matching T-shirts on the rail – or complaints from the foredeck that the sun goes behind the sail every time I go about. Singlehanders don’t have that kind of crew. What I mean is the autopilot and the windvane. The one was getting far more attention … Read more
You can tell the age of a tree by counting the rings. It’s the same with boats – except, with boats, you count cable ties. I am well aware that Samsara is an old boat because any time I investigate the wiring, I discover that generations of previous owners have been most fastidious when adding … Read more
When you think about it, aeroplanes don’t go flying about with 50-year-old wings, do they? The question came up while standing beside Tony Jones’s mobile rigging workshop with Samsara’s mast laid out horizontally. Tony was explaining how the sheave assembly at the bottom had dropped out in front of his eyes, the headsail furling gear … Read more
When Nelson took over the Victory, she was already well over 30 years old. He asked the Admiralty for a refit. The bill came to more than the ship cost to build. Well, Samsara is going to be 50 years old this summer, and I got her five years ago as cheaply as you can … Read more
“All I want for Christmas, “I said when Tamsin asked, “is Shrimpy.” It’s out of print and very much sought-after – the cheapest I’d seen a copy was £70. The story of the young ex-Royal Marine Shane Acton, who sailed around the world in an 18ft Caprice in the 70s, was something I read again … Read more
This is absolutely my favourite video. You might have seen it before – and you must admit, it’s pretty spectacular: The Hampshire Heater spewing out charcoal sparks as a sort of over-blown indoor firework – and one which definitely contravenes the Health and Safety regulations. Not only did it set fire to the … Read more
Tell me this isn’t weird. I am in Liverpool. Last night I was in Leeds. I had taken my daughter Lottie out to dinner. She’s in her final year at the University there. Lottie is named after the little catamaran I capsized and lost 80 miles north of the Shetland Islands five months before she … Read more
Rather like the Second Coming or the new series of The Crown, the Great Refit has been anticipated for a long time. Now it’s here, I feel somewhat overwhelmed. For one thing, The List has been growing steadily for five years. The boat hasn’t been out of the water for more than a couple of … Read more
After a week or two, food assumes an importance far greater than mere sustenance. Read any account of the great singlehanded voyages, and you will find references to curry (Knox-Johnston), plums and cheese (Slocum), Worcestershire Sauce (Thompson). It was halfway through Pete Goss’s Close to the Wind and finding him desperately looking forward to … Read more
