Ahoy there (seemed appropriate)

My name is Simon and i feature in the tales of SimonTheSailor. I’m now a forty something nomad destined to travel the world by all means possible, hopefully a lot of it by boat.

I’ve always enjoyed travel and have had some great trips with friends or by myself over the years.

Highlights include –

A very rough and ready 9 week overland trip in the back of a converted Bedford Army truck in my early twenties through Europe into Morocco and Algeria. It looked very much like this –

A 3 month roadtrip around Australia with a good friend of mine by the only way you should – in a Holden, in my mid twenties. It looked very much like this but ours had the original 5 slot mag wheels and roof spoiler !!

A few European roadtrips through France, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and  by mistake Holland – in my thirties.

The Scottish highlands in my Monaro (god i miss that car) –

 

The snow capped mountains of the Scottish Highlands taken on the road to Applecross –

The Welsh lakes and rivers in my Monaro (god i miss that car) –

The Italian/Swiss Alps in my TVR Chimerea (god i miss that car) –

A fortieth birthday treat for myself, hiring a Mercedes SL55 AMG for a cruise around the great driving roads of Wales –

 

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to Iceland, many states in the States, alot of other European countries, Russia and others too.

I miss my cars but now try and travel by boat.

On my more recent sailing trips it has enabled me to sail down the Swedish archipelago, visit some South Pacific islands and see a lot of South East Asia in a way you don’t normally see.

Why boat ? Well for some reason i went on a sailing course back in 2011 and if i’m honest i can’t actually remember what lead me to do it. I think i kept seeing the holiday brochures with yachts anchored in the clear blue waters of the Greek islands and it got me thinking.

I’d done a bit of backpacking, i’d travelled overland, i’d driven up and over mountains and across countryside, i’d sat by the beach, i’d had winter holidays with skiing and snowmobiling – but what about boating ?

I took an I.C.C. (International Certificate of Compentence course) in Sail in Gibraltar, far from the cold waters of the UK but with a cheap flight there and back and what with the cost of the course being the same it made sense. This course lets you charter yachts throughout Europe (maybe other places) as you have shown the competency to take a boat out, sail it, and bring it back in one piece. It doesn’t make you a good sailor overnight, you’ve just proved some ability.  Liking the course and the sailing so much i went back a month later to do the RYA Day Skipper course and six weeks later to complete the RYA Coastal Skipper course.

Sailing is now my new preferred method of travel, i just have to find some boats to get on as they are pretty expensive items to purchase and maintain.

Maybe i’ll try and reminisce about my past travel but for now its about going forward, on a beam reach at a steady 6knts.

SimonTheSailor.