What's going on with the boat?

After ten years living on Tarquilla we have moved to land. I'm often asked if we love the house or miss the boat and the real answer is - both. We still have Tarquilla and we are open to all options at the moment as far as her future is concerned. We will carry on working on her, it would be great to be able to sail her again. The Scilly Isles, Portishead marina, Bristol harbour and Falmouth are all places we have talked about as well as many others further afield. But, on the other hand, if a family was looking for a boat, ready to do the preparation she needs and wanted to take her on then we would sell her. She is not ready to sail off into the sunset but has a lot of life left in her. If you or someone you know would be interested then please contact us. She is 3 ply cold moulded, 42 foot long, one off design built in the 1960's. She has 2 double cabins and 2 single berths, a good size saloon, a decent size galley, head and a covered cockpit. She has two engines and a full suit of sails. We have lots more photos and can provide more details or answer questions. In the meantime, this blog has come to a natural pause for now as we take on new adventures.

World book day 2020


It's world book day today. A day to celebrate and promote reading.


It's not just about celebrating stories and supporting those who struggle to read but also helping those who struggle to access books. I love that children are given book tokens and specially priced books as part of the work done by the charity behind the day.


Image: Wonky stack of books topped by Kindle


Not all books need to be ordered from multi-national companies and delivered through the post. Although there are times when this is the best option, there are greener and cheaper ways to find books. Libraries in Britain are free to use and you can even register as a temporary resident (we did this in both Topsham, Devon and Gosport, Hampshire). Book swaps are starting to appear all over the place including in old telephone boxes and have been a big part of cruising for many years.


Image: Overfull wooden book shelf with rows of books


One of our favourite local shops is a small one run by the local hospice selling pre-loved books at very reasonable prices. It is packed with everything from old classics through local history and children's books to celebrity memoirs. Definitely our favorite type of recycling.

Another way of reading books with lower financial and environmental costs is ebook readers. There are lots of books available cheaply and resources such as Project Gutenburg have a large number of books downloadable for free.



Image: Black & white bookshelf with neat books


Books can also help us connect to our environment and learn more about the world around us. We recently got Rock pool. Extraordinary encounters between the tides by Heather Buttivant. We also have a couple of the Wild Guides and still love our now very battered Animals & plants of Britain and Europe.


I hope this has given you some ideas. Happy reading.




Last year I wrote about book ideas for teenagers. There are lots of other blogs under the label 'books'. This is one of the oldest ones when the deckhands were very little

I've recycled these pictures from old blogs - the top one is just a pile of random books, the bottom ones are marina book swap shelves. 



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