GOING IT ALONE
After years of cruising with a skipper, Phyllis and Peter Rock cruise solo on their Fleming 65
n a calm early morning in late May, Josip, our Croatian skipper for the past four years, stood on the pontoon waving us goodbye. Slipping the lines, my husband Peter and I were setting off on our own without a skipper for the first time in the eight years that we have owned Venture II, our Fleming 65.
The intention was always for us to operate Venture II on our own. When we purchased the boat the Fleming staff assured us that it could be managed by a couple given the stern and bow thrusters and numerous helm stations. However, for various reasons, predominantly due to my own lack of confidence in moving up in size from a 37ft boat to a 65-footer, I persuaded Peter to employ a skipper to assist with overnight passages, etc. More critical was the fact that Peter had returned to work after a brief retirement, which increased the need to have someone look after the boat full time in Croatia during our long absences and provide reassurance that Venture II would be maintained properly and be ready during our holiday times.
LONE TRAVELLERS
Peter’s final retirement this December prompted us to reconsider our plans going forward with the boat. Now that we had more time to spend, we decided to fulfil our dream of cruising on our own. Enjoying having the boat all to ourselves, we are now able to stay as long as we like when we find an appealing location and there is also more room and cabin space to entertain friends and family.
We were confident about our navigational skills having both taken the RYA courses and built up 12 years of boating experience.
Our only reservation was mooring stern-to in tight spaces. I was also apprehensive about managing the lazy lines myself as they can be very heavy and encrusted with barnacles. When we first set off on our own, I was initially like a deer in headlights. I would lie awake worrying the night before a cruise and then literally freeze as we approached marinas. On one occasion I threw the line to the marina staff without having tied it to the cleat, another time I brought the line back to the boat over the handrail rather than through the hawsehole, and once, I somehow pulled the wrong end of the lazy line up to the front of the boat, causing the portside of Venture II to nearly collide with the boat next door. Of course, I blamed Peter for getting too close until I realised what I had done!
We set off from Croatia at the end of May in low season and we were fortunate enough to get berths alongside in a number of marinas rather than having to go stern to and deal with the lazy lines. We took our time to meander, enjoying many beautiful stops along the way, cruising 210 nautical miles to Montenegro and then travelling another 200nm to Corfu in a single overnight passage.
The marina staff were outstanding along the way and our confidence has grown. Although it was less busy when we set off, it was the worst weather on record that Croatia has ever experienced in May and June, with cold temperatures, constant heavy rain and strong wind making manoeuvring the boat extra challenging for us. If folklore is to be believed, we had countless dolphin sightings along the way, bringing us great luck in dealing with the difficult conditions. At one point we even had a dolphin swimming alongside our tender within touching distance.
Safely tucked away for the winter in our new base at Preveza Marina in Greece, we are very much looking forward to entertaining family and friends next season. No doubt it will require a lot more work on our part to keep the boat shipshape, but we are excited by our new found freedom.