Day 14 – Meet the Crew

“Who Exactly Am I Sailing With?”

Every good sailing story starts with the boat…
But the real story? That’s always about the people on board.

And in just 14 days, I’ll be stepping onto a yacht in Croatia with a crew that can only be described as… eclectically brilliant.

Rosamund – Photographer-in-Chief (and Occasional Sailor)

First up — my wife, Rosamund.

A Town Planner by profession… and a sailing enthusiast in a very particular way.

She loves sailing boats.
Absolutely loves them.

Just preferably from the bank… with a camera… while they sail past.

To be fair, she has done:

Powerboating
RYA Level 1 sailing

But there are a few minor navigational challenges:

The tiller has a habit of going the “wrong way”
Left and right are… flexible concepts
Port and starboard? Let’s call them aspirational

Still — she’s coming, she’s keen, and she takes excellent photos.
Every crew needs one of those.

👨‍👧 John & Emi – The Unknown Quantities

Then we have John and his daughter Emi.

What do I know about them?

👉 Almost nothing.

Except:

They’re redoing the Day Skipper course
Which probably means they know far more than I do

So that’s reassuring… or slightly intimidating… I haven’t decided yet.

🎥 Judy & Steve – Sailing Fair Isle

Now this is where things get very interesting.

Judy Aslett and Steve — the team behind Sailing Fair Isle.

Former UK broadcast journalists
Now full-time liveaboard sailors
Sailing the world on a beautiful Hans Christian 48T cutter-rigged yacht

They’ve:

Crossed challenging waters like the Bay of Biscay
Documented real life at sea (not the glossy version!)
Switched from diesel to solar-powered living onboard

And now…

👉hey’ll be filming this trip.

So no pressure there then.

Not only that — they’re also:

Learning to transition from monohull to catamaran sailing
Sailing alongside us on a second boat

Which means we might get:

Two boats
Two perspectives
And hopefully… not two incidents

The Instructor – The Calm in the Storm

Somewhere in all this…

There will also be a professional instructor onboard.

Which is probably just as well.

Because between:

My enthusiasm
Rosamund’s navigation system (left-ish / right-ish)
John and Emi quietly knowing what they’re doing
And Judy & Steve filming everything

Someone needs to be in charge.

Why This Crew Actually Works

Here’s the surprising thing…

This isn’t a mismatch — it’s exactly what you want.

Complete beginners
Slightly confused intermediates
Returning sailors
Experienced cruisers

Everyone at a different level

Which makes it:

A perfect learning environment
A real-world crew dynamic
And probably… highly entertaining

Because sailing isn’t about perfection.

It’s about:

Learning together
Getting things wrong (safely!)
And improving with every tack, gybe… and mild panic

Final Thought

What could possibly go wrong?

Actually… don’t answer that.

pmr sailing

Friday, 3 April 2026