SCILLY SEASON

Max Campbell won our ‘Classic Boater’ award in 2018 when, aged 20, he sailed across the Atlantic in the tiny Flying Cloud. This time, the Scillies are far enough

- MAX CAMPBELL

“It’s like a whole new world I never knew existed”, Lydia said as we pulled out of Penzance Harbour and set the sails. Mounts Bay is sheltered from the north-westerly, and we spend the morning ghosting through the wind shadow. It’s a calm, sunny morning – with little pearly clouds that hang motionless in the sky. The water is a deep-empty blue, broken up by the occasional compass jellyfish. A light breeze fills in, and we pass the remainder of West Penwith before poking out into the Western Approaches.

FLYING CLOUD

There are three of us on board Flying Cloud, a 22ft (6.7m) carvel sloop. My first proper boat – she was my home for years, and we sailed to the Caribbean and back together. A weekend cruiser set up for blue-water sailing with a little sprayhood and a homemade wind vane. The ultimate yacht for a shoestring budget.

Last year I sold her to a guy called Andy, who lived in Topsham, Devon. It was where she was built, and he planned to sail her back there. I thought this was a nice way to end the 10,000-mile round trip that she’d completed over the last few years. I was sad to see her go, but found comfort in the thought she’d still be sailing with someone else. Unfortunately for Andy, due to Covid he was stuck in New Zealand. After an exchange of sporadic WhatsApp messages, he offered to let me use her for the season.

Ecstatic at having the chance to go sailing, I arranged to have