Yachting Monthly – March 2018

more years, more sunsets, more passages?
For five decades, every spare penny has
been spent on going to sea. A friend helped us
buy the Contessa. The Nic 3 1, which took us
safely to Gibraltar and on, was funded by
changing homes. After that, every time we had
a pay rise, were promoted or changed house,

the spare money bought a new larger craft: a

Contest, a Lightwave, a Baltic, then the Grand

Soleil 50. What was it that Norwegian captain

said: ‘A boat’s length should match your age.’

They almost did. But, once I became 20 years

older than the foot length of Leone, it no longer

remained true. She had to go.

‘Downsizing.’ The word is

crude and cruel but, forced as

it is upon us ageing sailors, it

is actually less cruel. And so, I

have found my solution in the

shape of another boat.

Musketeer is 14 years

old. When we found her,

her paintwork was tired,

her main pulling in the

wrong directions, but now

her 11m of newly painted

blue hull shines, while the

new sprayhood, stack pack,

main and jib, halyards and

sheets make this Swedish

beauty look born again.

I have spent way too much renewing her; she is

wildly over-capitalised, but with Leone off our

hands there were pennies left for other work. So

this year, Musketeer, my Admiral and

I will experience new adventures.

I have sailed several of our boats to the

Mediterranean over the years, sailed them

across the Atlantic three times and experienced

bays and winds as far afield as New Zealand.

Leone was bought in the Med and sold there

several months ago. Being nearly 9ft deep, there

were places she couldn’t go – places that we

can now go with a 3 6ft boat that only draws 6ft.

We wanted to cruise the Mediterranean again,

but as we discussed getting Musketeer to the

Med, the Admiral had that quizzical look again.

So instead of long night passages, we let a

yacht-carrying cargo vessel do the work. At

an average of 14 knots, it took her less than

a week to deliver Musketeer to Mallorca.

Nothing could have been easier: sail alongside

in Southampton, step off, take a flight and meet

her on arrival. Mast up, she was in a berth and

ready to go within hours. Of course, we have

overstocked her, but Musketeer looks happy

in the Spanish sunshine, and I feel equally

bright in the knowledge that I can more easily

hand sail, anchor and mooring lines.

I also know that when Musketeer is, in turn,

one day too big, there could be a 20-footer and

after that, a daysailer or a keeled dinghy. It is not

what I had dreaded: it is not the end. My admiral,

too, looks more content, knowing that I have

finally faced the inevitable. I now know that as

long as I can move a wheel or tiller, pull a rope

or a string, see a navigation mark and feel the

wind on my cheek, I will sail. Downsizing is a

new adventure. It may even be more fulfilling

than all those years of upsizing.

CRUISING LOG

Having decided on

shipping Musketeer,

loading her couldn’t

have been easier

Musketeer safely

delivered to the Med

The ‘Admiral’ Paddie and our

son Chris, pleased with the

new, smaller boat

A samller boat is a

neat solution to the

ageing problem