The one person who inspired me the most when I was younger was Claire Francis. Who in 1975 bought a yacht for £7000 and sailed round the world. She was in the news at the time and I thought what a marvellous Idea a wind powered vessel that can circumnavigate the globe. For less than the price of a car you could sail away to an alternative lifestyle in the sun. In 1998 I purchased the yacht Prospero and started a project which is still evolving today.

  These days the television is awash with change of lifestyle programs. But in the seventies to talk of living on a yacht and sailing to the Mediterranean was revolutionary. There were no high tech navigational aids at that time so I embarked on the necessary RYA courses. I now use many navigational aids electronic charts, GPS etc. They have always proved to be invaluable for the shorthanded yachtsman.

   When I bought Prospero in April 1998 she was on a cradle in a neglected condition at The West Cheshire Sailing Club. It was a picturesque place to restore a boat with beautiful sunsets and panoramic views of the Snowdownian Range of mountains across the Irish Sea. Three years later I sailed Prospero this route on her maiden voyage.

     A yacht restoration project and sailing South for a change of lifestyle.