money for them along the way. The idea
was set in motion: I would sail clockwise
around Wales, starting with the rivers and
canals, and finishing around the coast.
Now I just needed a boat. I wanted a
cuddy so I could sleep on board and not
have to stay in B&Bs. Initially I considered
a Drascombe Coaster; it has a lifting keel
(essential for the shallow rivers), and its
design is based on the traditional
long-keel boats that are said to have good
sea-keeping qualities.
But my search came to an end when I
realised the yacht I needed was right under
my nose! I got chatting to some guests at
a gathering at the National Waterways
Museum in Ellesmere Port. Previously I’d
thought the minimum canal depth wouldW
hen we first moved to
Deganwy I saw a
programme on Welsh
television with a couple of
guys from Aberaeron who had
circumnavigated Wales in a Drascombe
longboat. That looks fun, I thought! The
memory stayed with me, and when I
approached retirement from my role as
Rhyl harbourmaster, I wondered if I’d like
to do the same. Years ago, when the kids
were small, I’d sailed on the River Avon on
a wide-bodied canal boat, but since then
I’d stuck to the coast.
Around this time the local RNLI, who I’d
worked closely with for many years,
launched an appeal to raise funds for a
new Shannon-class lifeboat. I could raiseFormer Rhyl harbourmaster Arthur Davies celebrates his retirement with
a circumnavigation adventure along rivers, canals and across the sea
Sailing round Wales
in a 20ft Vivacity
CRUISING
Arthur Davies started
sailing dinghies at
the age of eight, and
joined the Merchant
Navy as an engineer.
When he left, he
sailed Conwy one-
designs and crewed
on offshore yachts. On gaining his
Yachtmaster he took up teaching at the
sailing school in Conwy and became a
Yachtmaster Instructor and Examiner,
before co-launching his own school,
Sail North Wales. Arthur later became
the harbourmaster at Rhyl until his
retirement in 2018.ABOUT THE AUTHOR