The Transport!
After a lot of discussion, we decided to do the voyage in my boat – Gnutcracker IV - which is a Beneteau Oceanis Clipper 373 which I purchased from new and was launched in January 2005.
For the technical enthusiasts:-
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The electronics are predominantly Raymarine and comprise:
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Apart from the stereo and digital TV, the only other electronic toy is an ICS Nav 6 dual NAVTEX receiver.
The yacht is fitted with all the usual safety equipment including a Viking liferaft (might be useful one day!) plus what I was originally told was an “girly toy” (but now consider a necessity!) – a bow thruster which makes the parking extremely easy!
Both the genoa and the main are self furling and I also carry a cruising chute – which has rarely seen the light of day since June refuses to let it fly when she is aboard. She claims it is too stressful!
It is always difficult to obtain a decent picture of your own boat underway unless you have someone alongside or indeed following you – which was fortunately the case below. The picture was taken by Graham Snook at Yachting Monthly during a cross Channel cruise in 2007. Graham was getting anxious that we were a little close to the container ship crossing our bow! The more astute will note that we were motor sailing but without the black cone!