Cruising adventures
I promised we would bring you lots of great cruising adventures and this month we’ve really gone overboard – in a good way! Rob Peake’s story of the three novice owners who set off across the Atlantic in their standard Elling E4s with nothing more than a few extra drums of fuel and enough meat and potatoes to feed the Russian Army is essential reading for dreamers and doers alike. We’re also hearing from the MBY reader whose brief holiday in the Caribbean inspired him to buy a boat in Florida and cruise it over to the Bahamas. But the most astonishing story in this month’s magazine is Tim Prankerd’s tragic tale about the enseless
death of his brother Simon, killed by a drunk, speeding owerboat owner.
When Tim first told me his story, I thought long and hard about whether to publish it. Drink driving on boats is a white-hot topic at the moment, now that the Government is intent on steam rolling through fresh legislation on the matter, and Simon’s tragic death is just the kind of anecdote they will pounce on to justify their actions. Personally, I don’t think the Government’s
proposals, setting limits for boats over 7m or with design speeds of more than seven knots, are either necessary or workable. Nor do I believe they would have prevented Simon’s death. However, his story is so powerful that it does deserve a
place in our magazine to remind all of us of our responsibilities. Five minutes spent reading it will have a far greater impact on the few boat owners foolish enough to think they can drink and helm their boats safely than any number of meaningless laws.
