Following land-based adventures, including
cycling from Plymouth to Istanbul, Daniel Stroud
decided to buy a small ocean-going yacht to
circumnavigate.
Speaking to YM from Buenos Aires, he was
frank about how little he knew about boats when
he first set foot on his £11,000 Rustler 3 6 and
decided to buy her. ‘I didn’t know much and
at that point, couldn’t sail, so I asked the guy
in the boatyard, “Is this the kind of boat to take
me around the world safely?” The answer was
a definitive yes, from him and several others that
knew much more than me.’ A year and a half later,
with 5,000 singlehanded miles under Aisling’s
keel, Daniel is planning to cruise the South
American coastline before heading to South Africa
when the weather improves. Choosing the right
small boat has clearly been fundamental to whathe described as being ‘overall, a great experience
that finally proved to myself that all of this was
possible if I believed in myself and the boat.’
With several examples entered in this Golden
Globe revival race, the Rustler 3 6 is one of the
most well-regarded small
ocean-proven yachts. With
a pedigree similar to the
Contessa – a long keel,
solid GRP construction and
a conservative rig – the 36
has served as a capable and
forgiving platform for Daniel
to teach himself the finer
points of ocean sailing.
‘She is set up for making
long passages with ease.
The Monitor wind vanesystem that the previous owner had installed
many years ago is in fact so good that I often
wonder how I would manage if it ever does
go wrong. It’s just a brilliant bit of kit which,
supplemented by my electronic autopilot for
when I’m under engine, has my self-steering
requirements covered.
‘I had a marine surveyor look over Aisling
before I bought her. Despite being a relatively
old boat, there was very little that needed doing
to her aside from giving her new running rigging.
One thing I did do was reinforce the chain plates,
which were only secured by their original
plywood backing plates. Apart from that, all
the fundamentals were still sound. I do have
up-to-date electronics on board now and recently
replaced the iPad Navionics plotter system
as it struggled with the damp environment and
sometimes refused to charge. I’ve now gone for
a simple purpose-built plotter that’s waterproof.’
Aside from a natural ability to point to
windward, designs like the Rustler also heave-
to well should they encounter very bad weather.
Adrian Jones, director of Rustler Yachts, explains
that their latest R 37 model continues to sport
many of the traditional
features that encourage
owners to sail a relatively
small yacht in bluewater with
confidence. ‘We have one
R 37 currently being sailed
by her new owner to Australia,
having picked her up from
the factory here in Falmouth.
A lead-encapsulated keel,
skeg-hung rudder and build
quality all add to the appeal
for someone heading offshore.’The budget singlehander
The die-hard solo offshore cruiser
Roger Taylor might just be the doyen of
minimalist ocean sailing, though he freely admits
the way he goes about it isn’t for everyone. His
books Voyages of Simple Sailor and Mingming
& The Art of Minimal Ocean Sailing distil a
unique style of singlehanded bluewater cruising;
heading far offshore equipped for up to three
months non-stop sailing. Putting thousands of
miles under the keel of his highly customisedjunk-rigged yachts, Taylor’s
adventures show that less
can certainly be more if you
are prepared to sacrifice
some comfort. ‘It all comes
back to being shipwrecked
off New Zealand and nearly
losing my life when I started
sailing. That was on a big
sailing boat, under someone
else’s command. From
that point onwards, I was
determined to keep control
of everything;
that meant
keeping
things simple and making
what couldn’t be bought.’
Taylor’s current boat has an
aluminum lamppost mast and
a custom sail that he made at
home. The orginal Mingming was
a Corribee 21 bilge keeler, the
same design that Ellen MacArthur
sailed around Britain aged 18.Taylor turned the Corribee hull into a toughened
survival cell, lining it with foam to increase
buoyancy and installing a solid mahogany
companionway with a sealing hatch. The result
was a yacht that took him to the far reaches of
the Atlantic and into the Arctic Circle. ‘It doesn’t
necessarily mean that is what I advocate others
do, it just suits me and what I do. It comes back
to a childhood thing; I have no desire to get there
quickly, because I love being at sea and close to
the waterline. My first aim when I set off on a trip
is to get off the continental shelf, so 200 miles
offshore, then I find myself completely relaxed.
It’s not to say I won’t go
close in when the
conditions are right. In
Greenland I went very
close to the shore, but
because I don’t have an
engine I never put myself
in a position where I would
be reliant on it. This sort
of sailing is deeply fulfilling
and so I’ve never been
seduced by a bigger boat.’Daniel with his Rustler 36 AislingRoger and Mingming IIEXPERT ON BOARD