I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
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| Us, with Bron and Gaz, on our wedding day, August 2007. |
...Adrian
- born in 1956, in King's Lynn, Norfolk. I grew up in a poor, but loving, family, with three older brothers. Music was my forte, playing piano from the age of nine. Studied in Sheffield and went into teaching in 1979, working in Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Hull.
I first became really interested in sailing after going on activity camps to Salcombe when I was a teenager, where I learnt to sail in Enterprise dinghies. In 1981, my first wife Anne, and I, were offered the chance to crew on my friend's father-in-law's Rival 38 on it's first 'proper' voyage to the Ijsselmeer, Netherlands. It was a tortuous crossing, with Force 9 winds and huge following waves, but we loved it and immediately planned to buy a sailing yacht as soon as we were able. (Incidentally, the yacht we had crewed on was Lynn Rival, the yacht that the Chandlers were kidnapped from by Somali pirates, a few years ago).
In 1985, living and working in Norfolk, we bought a Leisure 23SL, which was wonderful for weekends and the odd week long cruises. When we were blessed with children, the boat was sold and after moving to Hull, I would get my sailing 'fix' by being a volunteer crew member on a restored sailing barge (Audrey) and helping occasionally on an Ocean Youth Club sailing yacht (Elizabeth Cook).
Losing my first wife in 2005 and getting married to Sam in 2007, I realised that you have to follow dreams and 'seize the day' (I know, there are so many clichéd phrases that say these things, but probably the reason there are so many is that they're true, but so few people take the advice!).
I retired from teaching full time at 55 years old and, having found 'Phira', I set to work on the restoration. The 'children' are grown up and we have been living on the boat since April 2012 and love it, so now we can look forward to sailing to all the places we dream about. I've started writing and made a substantial start on two novels, which will keep me occupied when we set sail and I'm at a loose end!
- born in 1982, in Beverley, East Yorkshire. I grew up with my mum and older sister, spending my time roller skating and dancing (I've got the trophies to prove it!). Some of my best memories of childhood are holidays in the south of France, where I can remember being very impressed with the vast array of yachts in the marinas around Monte Carlo, Cannes and Monaco, as well as the warm summers!
I've always had a creative side to me and I studied textiles at college, as well as enjoying painting - one highlight being a painting being exhibited in the Hull Open Exhibition at Ferens gallery. I also trained as a counsellor, which led to me working at a local homeless shelter, running art therapy sessions for clients, as well as drugs counselling. Since then, my work has mainly been as an interior designer, working for Laura Ashley and a local bathroom company.
When we first talked about the idea of living (and travelling) on a sailing boat, I had never been on one, so before we handed over any large chunks of money I knew that I would need to get at least a little experience to see if I liked it. We joined Hull Sailing Club, where I had the opportunity to crew for various members. I loved it. Not just 'fair weather' sailing, but wrapped up early on a November morning on a choppy River Humber in Force 6-7 winds - I loved it!
I love the idea of travelling to warmer climes on our sailing home, exploring lots of different places. I plan to design and make a range of nautical themed jewellery, cushions and all sorts of crafty artefacts to sell as we travel around, as well as getting a really good year-round tan!
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