Sailing reveals the generosity of others
The generosity of the Irish made the first group cruise by Chris Ross and three friends even more special.
The owner of the Broadblue Rapier R400, Ruby Dawn recalls cruising for the first time with his friends, Paul Sherwood, David Beard and Peter Sherwood, on a four-day sail from Holyhead, taking in Howth, Carlingford and Ardglass.
‘The most amazing thing was the generosity of the people we met,’ explained Chris, who lives in Warrington. Howth’s harbour master gave one crewmember a lift to the GP, and a young couple conveyed them all into town at Carlingford. The friends gatecrashed a ladies fashion show at Ardglass Golf Club, where one crewmember escorted a catwalk model to much applause.
Crew David Beard recalls: ‘Day one: terrifyingly sick. Day two: felt much better ‘Day three: Heart completely captivated. ‘Day four: Realised that had I discovered sailing many years earlier, my entire life would have been utterly consumed by this beautiful madness.’
He added: ‘After this voyage I had a dishevelled, distracted air that put friends in mind of Toad from Wind in the Willows, as he sat in the road staring ‘fixedly in the direction of the disappearing motor-car...’ I could be heard faintly murmuring “boat, boat…”’