My early sailing days found me based in Salcombe, S.Devon as a yacht skipper for the Island Cruising Club. During my time with them, as an instructor, I sailed on several “Old” boats, now acknowledged as “Classics.” I sailed primarily coastal passages throughout the Western Approaches, Brittany and Ireland. On longer passages, we went as far as Northern Spain and the Oslo Fjord.
Later, over a period of two years, (1980-1982), I sailed around the Bahamas Banks and the northern Caribbean; from the Virgin Islands down south to Guadaloupe.
In 1983 I returned to Salcombe, and the I.C.C. Instructing club members to the R.Y.A. syllabus on everything from competent crew to Yacht Master Ocean practical courses. Unlike the training courses offered these days, they mostly involved cruising around with a crew at different levels whilst everybody onboard learnt to their level in an enjoyable and realistic way
Towards the end of 1985 I was asked to join the “Golden Hinde” as Pilot (Navigator) for a voyage from St Ives in Cornwall down to the Canaries and across to the USVI. Yes Pirates do still exist, We sailed the replica built in Appledore (1974) for months on end, at an average speed of 4,5Kts and rarely in the direction one wished for, with all modern conveniences, of course.
One bucket of fresh water per week for personal use. As it was carried in plastic drums bought second hand from the cider industry, everything from coffee to potatoes tasted of apple….
The normal sequence was to wash in sea water, do your hair in fresh and recover the soapy juice to wash essential clothing. And finally rinse off with whatever was left….
We lived in pipe cots, hammocks or even in the “Pig Pen” along the gun deck which had all of 5’ headroom, gun ports always leaked and life in 4” of water became normal. All your worldly possessions lived in your hammock or hung from the deck head beams.
This was never going to be a life of luxury but it was great fun… For the six months it took us to reach Panama…