Buying a boat
My husband and I were planning our Honeymoon and I told him that I wanted an adventure. I thought about pony trekking through the Scottish Highlands or a hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti. He had something different in mind. Sailing the Irish sea, in the middle of winter, in a 20ft Sailing Yacht.
I had never been sailing before and my husband had only a little experience. Consequently the first week of our holiday was spent sitting in the classroom. We learnt about all the different parts of the boat, navigation and emergency procedures. By the end of the weeks course we both had accomplished our Competent Crew Certificate from the Royal Yachting Association.
With much anticipation we set off on our first voyage. I should mention that we had a qualified skipper aboard as we were completely new to this. After a short passage from Conwy ( North Wales) to the Isle of Anglesey we anchored in a sheltered bay. Departure was planned for 3.00am the following morning.
As we arrived on deck the next morning, the wind felt gale force and was sending swells of water over the stern. I clipped myself onto the boat as I had a fear of going overboard. I presumed that the skipper would cancel the voyage as the weather was so bad. However it soon became clear that he intended us to set sail and so off we went.
The boat rocked back and forth and up and down for over four hours. I think it seemed worse as it was so very dark. No others boats passed us by. I was stationed at the helm for most of the passage and my husband worked hard setting the sails and checking the navigation. Finally, after a blustery nine hours we arrived in a sunny dublin for a well earned Guinness.
We have been sailing ever since and my Husband is now keen to buy a used boat. I suppose its a bit like buying a Automotive Marketing used car, you need to know its age, the mileage and how many owners. After our experience in the Irish Sea we have decided that this boat will be for Mediterranean voyages only.
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