Over the years I have messed about with boats quite a bit. I have had a small fishing boat for years, have done a fair bit of dinghy sailing, and currently own and sail a Wayfarer. I have spent a week on a BT Challenge yacht as crew (to Fastnet in February), completed the Island Race and sailed my own small yacht to Brighton and back - a trip of 100 miles. I hold the RYA Day Skipper Theory and Practical qualifications. Having said all of that my sailing experience is massively under fulfilled and has been characterized by false starts and loss of momentum. I have dreamt for years about putting this right and now have the opportunity.
I have bought another boat! She is called Goldcrest - a Seal 22. Let me tell you a bit about her. Well she is a small yacht but will sleep 4 (even 6) but great for 2. She can be sailed single handed. Her main characteristic is she has a lifting (retractable) keel. This mean she does not draw a lot of water and is perfect for running up tidal rivers and creeks and can get to the quiet places and little harbours that bigger boats cannot reach. Seals have a proven track record for being quite quick, sturdy and a good sea boat. She is also uncomplicated. (on complexity - the old adage - the bigger the boat the bigger the problems is true. Goldcrest is small - she is simple. She is also relatively cheap. I do not want the liability of a big boat.)
I am already very emotionally attached to Goldcrest. Why? Because my dear late dad worked for the company of boat builders that built her. (John Baker Ltd of Kenton Forge Nr Starcross, Devon.) My dad would have played a part in building Goldcrest and that really adds something significant and yes makes owning her a touch emotional.
Goldcrest was virtually given to me by a lovely man who has owned her for 20 years and felt because of the pleasure she had given him she owed him nothing. He was pleased to find an enthusiastic home for her as she needs some tidying and upgrading after a few years of enforced inactivity. My take is all the basic components are good and it is with pleasure that I undertake to use some elbow grease to get her looking smart again and some cash to upgrade her where necessary.
My intention is to use her for sailing in the Solent - Chichester Harbour, Newtown, Beaulieu etc and then stretch out along the South Coast - to Poole, Weymouth and eventually Devon including of course her original base - the Exe and my personal favourite - Topsham. My dream is to sail her on the Helford in Cornwall where as kids we spent holidays. Daphne de Maurier - Frenchman's Creek and all that! That would be wonderful.
Goldcrest is a compromise like all boats. Living on her will be more akin to camping than anything else. That really suits me. Simple pleasures. Whispering along under sail, moored up fishing, simple cooking (eating what we catch), reading, writing, radio 3 and 4 (& 5 on Saturday afternoons), dozing in the sun, bird watching, whittling driftwood, swimming in the sea, quiet walks in lovely unspoilt places and real ale from harbour side Inns. I am also so looking forward to introducing my two darling little granddaughters to the joys of being on a sailing boat! This is my dream and hopefully my reality! (mega touchwood)
I will keep you posted but attach a couple of basic photos of Goldcrest as she is today and a bit more information about the Seal 22.
FOR INFORMATION PUPOSES I HAVE DOWNLOADED SOME DETAILS OF ANOTHER SEAL WHICH BETTER ILLUSTRATES HER POTENTIAL
xxxx is Seal 22. I have owned her for 16 years and have sailed her to the Scillies (twice), to Guernsey and around Britain single handed in 2011. She is a wonderful, quick and well balanced boat that inspires confidence and trust. She has a lifting stub bottomed keel and lifting rudder. She draws 4ft with the keel down and 2ft when it is up. Her full width wash boards are removable, providing an open space between the cabin and cockpit.
For more info see the Seal Association http://www.parkerseal.org.uk/default.aspx
I have bought another boat! She is called Goldcrest - a Seal 22. Let me tell you a bit about her. Well she is a small yacht but will sleep 4 (even 6) but great for 2. She can be sailed single handed. Her main characteristic is she has a lifting (retractable) keel. This mean she does not draw a lot of water and is perfect for running up tidal rivers and creeks and can get to the quiet places and little harbours that bigger boats cannot reach. Seals have a proven track record for being quite quick, sturdy and a good sea boat. She is also uncomplicated. (on complexity - the old adage - the bigger the boat the bigger the problems is true. Goldcrest is small - she is simple. She is also relatively cheap. I do not want the liability of a big boat.)
I am already very emotionally attached to Goldcrest. Why? Because my dear late dad worked for the company of boat builders that built her. (John Baker Ltd of Kenton Forge Nr Starcross, Devon.) My dad would have played a part in building Goldcrest and that really adds something significant and yes makes owning her a touch emotional.
Goldcrest was virtually given to me by a lovely man who has owned her for 20 years and felt because of the pleasure she had given him she owed him nothing. He was pleased to find an enthusiastic home for her as she needs some tidying and upgrading after a few years of enforced inactivity. My take is all the basic components are good and it is with pleasure that I undertake to use some elbow grease to get her looking smart again and some cash to upgrade her where necessary.
My intention is to use her for sailing in the Solent - Chichester Harbour, Newtown, Beaulieu etc and then stretch out along the South Coast - to Poole, Weymouth and eventually Devon including of course her original base - the Exe and my personal favourite - Topsham. My dream is to sail her on the Helford in Cornwall where as kids we spent holidays. Daphne de Maurier - Frenchman's Creek and all that! That would be wonderful.
Goldcrest is a compromise like all boats. Living on her will be more akin to camping than anything else. That really suits me. Simple pleasures. Whispering along under sail, moored up fishing, simple cooking (eating what we catch), reading, writing, radio 3 and 4 (& 5 on Saturday afternoons), dozing in the sun, bird watching, whittling driftwood, swimming in the sea, quiet walks in lovely unspoilt places and real ale from harbour side Inns. I am also so looking forward to introducing my two darling little granddaughters to the joys of being on a sailing boat! This is my dream and hopefully my reality! (mega touchwood)
I will keep you posted but attach a couple of basic photos of Goldcrest as she is today and a bit more information about the Seal 22.
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| Goldcrest yesterday |
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| She needs some tidying including the headlining in the fore cabin! |
FOR INFORMATION PUPOSES I HAVE DOWNLOADED SOME DETAILS OF ANOTHER SEAL WHICH BETTER ILLUSTRATES HER POTENTIAL
xxxx is Seal 22. I have owned her for 16 years and have sailed her to the Scillies (twice), to Guernsey and around Britain single handed in 2011. She is a wonderful, quick and well balanced boat that inspires confidence and trust. She has a lifting stub bottomed keel and lifting rudder. She draws 4ft with the keel down and 2ft when it is up. Her full width wash boards are removable, providing an open space between the cabin and cockpit.
For more info see the Seal Association http://www.parkerseal.org.uk/default.aspx
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| Nice and bright. Goldcrest more traditional wood. |
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| Unlike like this earlier boat Goldcrest is a MK111 with the engine in a well rather than transom mounted |
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| All mod cons! |
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