And you’ll miss her...

■ It was interesting to read Peter Poland’s article ‘Simple tweaks for satisfying sailing’ (PBO August). Your readers may be interested in the lovely-looking yacht on that month’s front cover and featured in the article, a Link 30 built by Select Yachts in 2008. They were marketed as ‘a gentleman’s One Design’, but the recession halted production. The three original and identical Links – Slinky, Chain Gang and Blink – can still be seen in Portsmouth, Poole and the Solent, racing under ISCRS and IRC.

We are fortunate to own Blink and enjoy the simple, uncluttered, open-plan interior, adequate accommodation and satisfyingly fast sailing. She is a stiff boat and performs best in a good blow: the sail plan is easily handled by three and is competitive. Solent and coastal cruising is a pleasure, enhanced by an asymmetric spinnaker on a Seldén top-down furling system, while single-line reefing and a furling jib make for safe and simple sail reduction. The Yanmar 15hp drives her along at 6 knots when required. All controls are led aft, which makes singlehanding easy when using the autopilot. The enclosed heads, small cooker and well-lit interior are all that is needed for the occasional night aboard. Blink has a large cockpit with removable seats for racing: when cruising, the most popular crew seats are aft over the overhanging stern. ■ Ed note: The Link 30 lives on as the Mystery 30, sold by Cornish Crabbers.