Retrospective

I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting when I bought Pamela C. I’d spent a good 2 or 3 years looking for the right boat and had put offers in on several over the time, only to be outbid or gazumped and with COVID and lockdown it became harder and harder to find anything […]

Engine Failure, Lifeboats and Running Aground

Photograph taken by Wyke Coastguard RescueSo, this week was somewhat eventful! The Plan Having decided to move Pamela C back to Portland for the new sailing season, and with my upcoming surgery rescheduled to April 18th (and likely to move again with looming NHS Junior Doctor strikes) the weather forecast looked good, so I decided to make a weekend of […]

April Shakedown

The plan for April is simple, get some miles under the keel! Initially, the plan is to start slowly – there will undoubtedly be work to do on the boat to prepare and trips to the supermarket. I hope I can complete most of this in the week leading up to the departure date (31st […]

Getting back in the saddle

It has been a few months since I’ve sailed anywhere. Deacons Marina to Haslar Marina was my last trip, which took just over an hour and was fairly benign. Since arriving in Haslar in October, poor old Pamela C hasn’t moved. She’s been sat, wintering near Portsmouth while I get into the swing of things […]

Sailing Single Handed

I’m often asked who am I sailing with, who am I taking with me when I go, how can I sail the boat on my own, don’t I need a crew?? and similar questions. The short answer is yes, I can (and often do) sail Pamela C on my own. She’s a big boat, but […]

Lundy Island

Lundy lies off the coast of North Devon, where the Atlantic ocean meets the Bristol Channel with nothing between it and America, a granite outcrop, three miles long and half a mile wide. In the hubbub of the modern world, it is a place apart, peaceful and unspoiled. https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/lundyisland/ As a child, I recall hearing […]

Sailing Along the Jurassic Coast

Photo by John Lockwood on UnsplashSailing along the Jurassic Coast is, to be honest, something I have started to take a little bit for granted. It is a beautiful location, and I could never tire of the awesome views and breathtaking scenery. However, it is something I’ve started to just take it in my stride as I meander backwards and […]

Being forced to pause

(but not giving up!) A year ago I had lofty plans to set sail around the UK and then conquer the world! A mixture of ill health and ill fortune has created setback after setback. Then all my savings were depleted by a mixture of living costs and ongoing refurbishment and repair costs, so not […]

It Is Alive!

Following on from my previous posts about the autohelm (go read them if you have time!) We now have a working (but not yet calibrated) drive unit installed! This is very exciting! The next steps are I will be looking for volunteers to join me and help me not crash the boat while I’m messing […]