Lady Roslyn: Our voyage so far

Storms – but she married me anyway

Sailing has been an important part of our lives from the beginning of our relationship. Sue and I completed our skippers’ tickets in 1991 out of a Durban based sail school. Part of that qualification was a voyage up to Mozambique on a Montevideo 44 named Jay. The voyage became a defining moment in our lives since it became a battle for survival after being caught in a massive storm that we later learned had claimed the lives of two sailors and in which 3 racing yachts sank.

We often refer to the trip as the best of times and the worst of times. How do you describe the horror and fear of sailing in 60-100 knots of wind amidst massive 15 metre waves using only a tiny storm jib to maintain direction whilst doing what you ordinarily love!

We learned that sailing, like life, is not what you think it should but is rather an exciting and challenging gift to enjoy through being open to all that it offers. Perhaps an allegory of life in itself…

Dreamer and Intrigue; Weekend and inland sailing

After we were married in 1995, we bought our first boat, Dreamer, a holiday 23. She is a wonderful sailboat, and we learned a lot about sailing and taught our children to sail on her over the 30 years that we owned her. We also owned a Holiday 34 named Intrigue alongside Dreamer which we couldn’t bring ourselves to sell. Intrigue is a great boat and one that we loaded up with the electronics that we would need to learn to use when we sailed on the ocean. We have enjoyed many hours sailing and learning on the Vaal Dam in South Africa.