One lovely summer's evening last year (and lets be honest, we didn't have many of those) we were making our way down the Helford River.
After six days of living and cooking aboard our chartered 25-footer, my crew and I were planning to drop anchor and row ashore for a decent meal.
As we went, we noticed a small fleet of yachts gathering near the mouth of the river. They were clearly getting ready to start a race of some kind and, as we were away from home and missing our regular club racing, we idly wondered if any of them might have needed extra crew. It turned out that we might indeed have made ourselves useful. A few hours later, we were at the bar in the Helford River Sailing Club when I noticed someone standing next to me. It was Chris Olsen, who I had last seen a good 10 years earlier in Dartmouth when testing the Elan 210. Chris had owned and run Yachts of Dartmouth, and Elan had been one of his new-boat dealerships.
Since then Chris had moved to Cornwall and concentrated on the surveying side of his business. His current boat, which he had been racing that evening, was a Pionier 10.
A plan started to form in my mind. Here was a chap I knew, with a boat I had always admired. I needed no excuse to return to the Helford and was always on the look-out for Me And My Boat candidates. And so it was that, three months later, I did indeed return - with my crew, because there was no leaving her behind on a trip like this.
LINES OF A CLASSIC
I have always admired the Pionier 10 (she has been around since the late 1960s) because she's such a lovely boat to look at. And to some of us, that matters. There's something about a spoon bow, a counter stern, well-balanced lines and a graceful sheer that encapsulates the essence of what a 'proper yacht' should look like.
この記事は Yachting Monthly UK の March 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Yachting Monthly UK の March 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Orford Sailing Club celebrates 100 years
Situated in arguably one of Suffolk’s prettiest villages and under the watchful eye of its medieval castle and church, Orford SailingClub celebrates its centenary in 2024.
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF AIS IN THE NIGHT-TIME
When container vessels mysteriously started keeping clear of Peter Webb's yacht, it seemed odd, but the answer to their unusual behaviour didn't emerge until they were safely in harbour
A sea change in lifejacket design
Mustang Survival introduces ils new ISO approved Atlas 190
Are you brave enough to have a go?
The flexing of spring’s muscles calls for a dusting down of my jobs list.
Translated 9 retires from OGR with hull damage
Translated 9, one of the leading yachts in the Ocean Globe Race (OGR), has been forced to retire from the round-the-world race with hull damage and has diverted to Madeira.
Tributes paid to boatbuilder lain Oughtred
Tributes have flowed in for renowned boatbuilder and designer Iain Oughtred who died on the Isle of Skye in February, aged 84.
Russia suspected of 63-hour attack on GPS signals in the Baltic region
Russia is suspected of launching a 63-hour-long attack on GPS signals in the Baltic region, starting on 31 March, Easter Sunday, in a move that affected more than 1,600 passenger planes, as well as other GPS users.
TECHNICAL KETCH TO SCHOONER
Roger Hughes explains why he swapped his masts to create an impressive brigantine square-rigger
TECHNICAL CHOOSING THE RIGHT PROPELLER
A change of propeller can dramatically improve a yacht's performance while saving money on fuel. Sam Fortescue reports on the latest options
10 BEST HIDDEN SCOTTISH ANCHORAGES
The sheer beauty of the Western Isles draws many yachtsmen, but cruising on the west coast of Scotland has always been for the brave.