The chance decision that changed my life; or, How to get a free boat
My unlikely journey into sailing, and how you could do it too.
My journey into sailing came out of nowhere. No one in my family expected it, least of all me. And in many ways I took quite an unusual path, but it’s also one that anyone can follow.
Life at sea is wondrous, and I wish everyone could get to experience it, the way I love and know it. The feeling as the sails fill with wind and the boat surges forward with an energy that feels alive is otherworldly. The freedom to explore places only accessible by water, the complete solitude at anchor among seals and birds can’t be replicated any other way. But sailing is also about being exposed to the elements, sometimes balancing fear and wonder as wind and seas build to enormous proportions, and somehow the boat harnesses those forces at sea, moulds itself to their power, and surfs the invisible air currents. The thrill and magic of it, along with the solitude and freedom makes you return to sea again and again to experience it.
The call of the sea
Everyone has their own journey into sailing. Many start early, through family sailing trips or dinghy racing. Others find it independently out of curiosity as a way to achieve a sense of freedom, and exploration at sea. I fall into the latter. I didn’t really sail until quite late, starting in my late 20s. I wanted to sail, to experience life at sea immersed in the elements. In chapter one of my memoir I share the story of the first day I considered it:
One day, after watching a show about the age of sail, an idea came into my mind like a gust of wind, and it fanned into life a roaring fire from embers I didn’t know were aglow. From a simple thought – I wonder what sailing is like? – my life shifted onto a completely different track.
I went to sea for a weekend of cruising through my university sailing club and I fell in love. It was mid-March, charcoal skies and howling winds, throwing rain and sea spray in our faces as we were tossed by choppy waves in the Solent. We were somewhere between Southampton and the Isle of Wight on our way to the Needles. Despite myself – despite the cold, damp wintery grey – I fell in love with the feeling of flying over the sea with the wind, feeling the boat heave and move, punching through waves on this cold spring weekend.
It was a fluke really, a chance decision that got me into sailing. And then I took every chance I could get to do more of it, initially through the university club and then almost immediately I went on to learn through the RYA courses: day-skipper and yachtmaster.
Learning the ropes (the cheap way)
But what really taught me — and the only way to really learn — was simply time on the water. It was hard at first finding opportunities to crew, to get chances to sail more. It turns out not many people have access to sailing yachts. Or at least it’s hard when you don’t know where to go. Then it suddenly isn’t: you realise there are little boats and people who sail them everywhere, and most of them are happy to take you sailing.
For roughly the cost of a netflix subscription, anyone can join their local sailing or yacht club, where there are always opportunities to learn and get time on the water, by crewing for others as they sail.
So that’s what I did. A few years after that first day of sailing in the Solent, I joined my local club and started crewing. My very first sail with another club member was five days non-stop from Edinburgh to Gothenburg, crossing the North Sea. A tale for another post. I’m not suggesting everyone should do what I did — it’s worth starting small and building up to trans-sea-passages — but it’s worked out brilliantly for me.
I also started sailing with the organisation Sail Britain. Cruising the coasts of Scotland aboard Oliver’s ship Merlin has been one of the most amazing ways to experience sailing alongside like-minded people (who are also learning for the first time) and a way to make friends who sail.
Between the people I’ve met through Sail Britain and my local club, I have had the chance to do multiple crossings of the North Sea, cruise the west coast of Scotland, sail from Northern Ireland to Mallaig, and do a mid-winter passage of the Bay of Biscay, all as crew, completely free. I could never have expected all of this five years ago.
And then eventually I was given a boat for free.
How I found my boat Kismet
Then brave Kismet, northward bound we sailed!
Across great seas, through Scotland’s heart out west.
You carried us through lochs as deep as time,
To feel Atlantic spray upon the wind,
(lines from my recent ode to Kismet: A Wounded Bird)
Not long after I joined my local yacht club a boat was up for sale. But as it needed a lot of work and didn’t sell, I met with the owner and expressed my interest in restoring her. I didn’t have any experience as a boat owner, just a bit of sailing and a day skipper, but despite all of that he decided to give me his boat for free. I’ll be eternally grateful to him for changing the course of my life. And grateful to Kismet for carrying me all around Scotland.
I wrote about the experience of getting Kismet here:
Free boats are not a rare occurrence. Old, seaworthy boats needing work are often surprisingly hard to sell. So you’ll have to do the work. They’re free for a reason. But I can say from experience that it is worth it. After restoring Kismet and sailing around Scotland I’m now here, and it’s changed my life.
What you should do if you want to sail
So if you, like me, find yourself curious about sailing, yearning for freedom and nature, join a local sailing club. Sign up to crew, get out on the water, and maybe you too will find the joy and hardship of a free boat some day.
Organisations like Sail Britain offer an incredible alternative — allowing you to experience a week of coastal cruising alongside like-minded people. It is a space where a joint crew of experienced and novice sailors learn by doing and exploring remote Scottish isles and sea lochs together.
Additionally, there are dedicated crewing websites for bigger passages, where people crossing oceans look for helping hands. It’s a great way to build miles and get serious sailing experience.
If you are curious and would like to know more drop a comment down below, or message me.
I write weekly stories about my voyage: exploring life adrift, mental health, and recovering from burnout along the windswept shores of Scotland. To join the crew and support my writing please subscribe below.