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Where to go?

So, you go out and buy a boat. Then you need to sail the damned thing!

“Land was created to provide a place for boats to visit.”

Brooks Atkinson

I’ve been thinking about places to take Pamela C in the short, medium and longer-term. Short term is relatively easy, shakedown cruises of 1 hour, 5 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours are relatively easy to plan

Once we get into the 2-3 weeks and beyond, it can become a little harder to plan. At the end of the day its just water, and like any task you break it down into bite-sized chunks (how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!) but there are other things to take into consideration – primarily weather as long-range forecasts aren’t all that good

Time / DistanceDestination
1 hourLulworth Cove
5 hoursSeaton Beach or Torquay
10 hoursGuernsey / Jersey
24 hoursBrighton or Falmouth
48 hoursPadstow / Tintagel
72 hours (3 days)Isle of Man
6 daysLisbon, Portugal
8-10 daysGibraltar
10-12 daysLanzarote
3 – 5 weeksPuerto Rico or Bermude
3-4 monthsBora Bora
Distances from Portland Marina

but you also have to consider visa requirements, food supplies (when crossing the Atlantic you can’t just pull over and find a McDonalds or a KFC. You also have to consider freshwater supplies as the boat only carries 150 litres in her tanks, and you would be surprised how quickly you get through that amount of water with showering, washing dishes and drinking cups of tea – more so when there are 2 or 3 people on board!

“In life, it’s not where you go, it’s who you travel with.”

Charles M. Schulz

Brexit has made a number of things harder too. You can’t just go and sail around the Mediterranean for a year anymore. 90 days in 180 is your limit. You can leave the boat there for 18 months, but you personally can’t physically be in the Schengen area for more than 90 days in any 180 day period. This can be problematic. I can only hope that the EU comes up with a cruising permit, similar to the ones that exist for the Bahamas/etc.

I’m going to focus on the short term for now, go explore the Jurassic Coast, go and visit mum in the Isle of Man and spend some time getting to know the boat, before I start to plan any longer journeys. I also need to find a crew to keep me company and share the duties with!

Bora Bora – 3 months solid sail from the UK
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Finances

Summary of costs and expenses to date (Budget including boat acquisition was £32,000)

Replacement Anchor and 60m anchor Chain£1,500
Electrical Repairs and maintenance£500
Lifejackets (6 adult, 2 children)£2,000
Insurance£263
Rigging and mast repairs£7,500
Aft cabin mattress replacement (seriously water damaged)£228
Pre-launch preparations and boat lift costs£600
Hydrovane Repairs£150
Safety Harnesses£500
Temporary Mooring costs during mast repairs (ongoing at £1,000 per month)£2,000
Tender and outboard (yet to be purchased)£1,750
Boat Survey£370
Boat cost£23,000
Bedding, supplies, tools, repairs and other Amazon purchases (July 2021)£2,600
Amazon purchases (shower repairs, plumbing supplies and misc) (Aug 2021)£750
EVA Foam to repair/replace decking£360
Danbuoy, life preserver and other safety equipment£500
Current Total: £44,571 as at 5th August 2021

It is worth noting that even if I had bought a more modern boat, perhaps an old charter yacht or similar, I would still have many of the above expenses and I would have paid £100k for the boat, not £23k. I don’t have £100k so that wasn’t an option anyway.

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Why did I give up my day job and buy a boat?

Well, those that know me well know that this has pretty much been a lifelong dream to buy a boat and explore the world. As a child, I was captivated by tales of sailing and the sea, stories such as Swallows and Amazons, Robinson Crusoe, Hemingway’s tale of “The Old Man and the Sea” and so many other stories I’d read as a child.

In recent years my hankering was made worse by YouTube and watching the exploits of SV Delos, Sailing La Vagabond, The Sailing Frenchman (Hugo Picard), Sailing GBU and others.

not me at the helm

I first started sailing when I was 14 years old on the reservoir behind my school in Birmingham. I was bitten by the bug and enjoyed sailing a small mirror dinghy whenever I could, up until the time I started working full time and then moved to London to work for Demon Internet in 1995. Over the next 20 years I tried to go sailing as/when I could, but it never really seemed possible, there were always too many obstacles, problems finding a boat to crew and my heart wasn’t in balls-out racing – I preferred to cruise and enjoy the journey.

My career blossomed working for iii PLC and Redbus Interhouse PLC in fairly senior positions, which involved lots of travelling and no real personal time. Then in 2001 I bit the bullet and started my own business (Fido), which meant the end of any free time!

Over the years I had managed the odd day here and a week of sailing there, but it was more disappointing than fulfilling; so I pretty much gave up. When I tried to take my (now ex) wife sailing, she openly laughed “You don’t expect me to get involved in this do you?!” and promptly headed to the nearest 5-star hotel to recover.

Then, having finally “retired” in 2018 (selling the business I had spent almost 20 years developing), I decided to spend 3 months “unwinding”, sailing in the Med at the beginning of 2019 and signed on for a fast track Yachtmaster course, primarily to squash the nagging bug once and for all.

It didn’t work, I was just more determined to find a way to sail and in March 2019 I found a 32-foot Westerley yacht that was calling to me, I put an offer in, was in the process of arranging the survey when COVID struck and the UK went into lockdown. The deal fell through, and I spent the rest of lockdown cursing my luck and focusing on playing computer games, making videos and generally ignoring the call of the sea.

Lockdown finally came to an end and I arranged to go to Portland to view a 32 foot Moody. That took longer than anticipated because the broker’s office tested positive and they went into their own mini lockdown, but in the meantime, I found a 1977 Moody 39CC which was abandoned on the hard at the National Sailing Academy, it needed a little work but generally looked sound. I arranged a survey, which the boat passed with minimal findings (problems) so a deal was struck. That was June 30th 2021.

I had finally (suddenly?!) bought a boat! My dream was starting to come true! … Or, as I have often joked, welcome to my Mid Life Crisis!

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The Ten Commandments

I am the Lord thy captain.

  1. There shall be no higher authority aboard this ship.
  2. Though shall not disobey my order
  3. Though shall not tell me a lie
  4. Thy shall not lose thy cool
  5. Though shall not take any strong drink or strong drugs without my permission
  6. Though shall not sleep on watch
  7. Though shall not waste water
  8. Though shall not hassle thy shipmate
  9. Though shall not piss to windward
  10. Though Shall not bitch

Stolen from Finbar Gittelman – The Old Man and the Sea (Return to Cuba)

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Boarding Rules

We the undersigned confirm and understand that sailing vessels and water can be a dangerous place, and agree not to hold the Owner/Captain (Jon Morby) or his delegates liable in the event of loss or injury under civil law where reasonable endeavours to maintain your safety have been taken. 

In addition, we agree to follow all safety-related instructions issued by The Captain or their delegate and understand that failure to comply with such instructions may result in you being asked to leave SV Pamela C with immediate effect. 

We understand that most days will be documented by video and/or photography and we grant Jon Morby full and irrevocable rights to use and re-publish said images on a royalty-free basis in perpetuity. 

Rules of the boat

  • Always traverse the companionway backwards
  • One hand for you, one for the boat AT ALL TIMES
  • Safety harnesses to be worn at night and/or when instructed. 
  • You can choose to wear a life jacket at any time.
  • Life jackets MUST be worn at night and when you are instructed to do so 
  • No alcohol or drugs to be consumed without the captain’s prior permission. 
  • Follow the safety briefing instructions at all times. 
  • NOTHING goes down the heads (toilets) that hasn’t been through your body. If you block the heads YOU will have to unblock them. (No toilet paper, no baby wipes, no tampons, etc)
  • Freshwater supplies are limited onboard. Exercise conservation techniques at all times. 

These terms are deemed to have been accepted when you board SV Pamela C

The Ten Commandments (stolen from Finbar Gittelman)

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What to watch?

I’ve been asked a few times to put together a list of films to watch for people who want to see some of the classics, from a film maker’s perspective

So, here’s my list of suggestions

Narrative Feature Films

Documentary Films

Documentary Short Films

Narrative Short Films

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My Manifesto

I have often been asked “so if you don’t think they (Boris, et al) are doing a good job, what would you do in their place?” … so I decided it might be time to put it down “on paper” so I can answer the question more simply and openly.


COVID-19 Response

I would have closed the borders in March last year, with enforced quarantine and testing for arrivals (key workers and UK residents returning home) … basically do what the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Australia and New Zealand did (note they all have 0 infections in the general population and are on the whole carrying on as normal) … (the Isle of Man had 6 cases just before Xmas, so they put the whole Island into lockdown for 3 weeks and they’re now COVID free again as of today)

Currently, you can still arrive in the UK from pretty much everywhere … ok so in the last week you now need to show a negative test that’s 72 hours old (and fill in a card saying where you’re going to be staying for the 14 days) .. then you jump on a train / tube / bus and head home where you self isolate for 10-14 days … but if you have the infection you’ve spread it around your entire route home.

The EU / EEA

I wouldn’t have left the EEA … tbh I wouldn’t have left the EU either, I would have worked on the issues that the leave voters had and addressed their concerns on immigration / etc (note, we had the power to close borders, require EU visitors to have a job within 3 months of arriving/independent means or to return to their place of origin). I would have worked to educate regarding the supposed “EU dictatorship and red tape” … (note they’re elected officials who appoint some civil servants, just as we have elected officials who appoint/hire civil servants in the UK – who for example voted for Dominic Cummings????!)

NHS


I would not be sitting on NHS pay increases … those guys have had a net reduction in salaries over the last 10 years taking into account inflation.

Homeless

I would be doing more to help the homeless

Fake News and The Media

I would be doing more to counter fake news and the bias of the Murdoch press

Government Reform


I would work to reduce duplication and waste within Government, I would pressure MPs to reject the repeated pay increases they’ve received – or even better – tie MPs salaries to every other Civil Servant and Government worker so everyone gets the same level of pay increase at the same time.

Taxation

I would bring in additional taxation levels for those earning more than £100k, £250k, £1m and £5m / year … look at finding ways to tax the likes of Amazon and Starbucks more fairly … and I would look at bolstering the NHS with additional funding from these taxes.

Development and Regeneration

I would also be working to encourage more development of IT skills across the country, promoting numerous “Silicon Valley” style business hubs in every major city across the UK
And I would be working with our MEPs to work in Europe for the good of all, promoting UK values instead of letting the likes of Farage showboat but actually not do anything while in office (note he turned up to 1 of 42 fisheries council meetings as an MEP, yet he purports to speak for the UK fishing industry)

Crime and Punishment

Focus on reducing crime, especially knife crime but also cybercrime (see the IT hubs across the UK which would be developing security applications amongst others and broadening awareness of cyber fraud tactics originating from overseas)

The Arts

I would also ensure we supported the Arts within the UK, increasing funding for Theatre and Film productions

Tourism

Additional support for tourism throughout the UK, promoting the UK as a viable tourist destination for both domestic and international holidaymakers.


and that’s just a start ….

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Artlist now with Video and SFX too!

I’ve been using Artlist for nearly 3 years now and their catalogue of music, sfx and now video clips just keeps on getting better and better!

Whether you’re making a short film, a feature film, a YouTube video, a video game or a commercial, Artlist have you covered, and with the addition of sound effects and unlimited stock footage over at artgrid.io you really can’t go wrong with these guys!

What’s even better is you can now get 2 months free when you use my referral code (and you’re helping me out too!)

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Are you sitting comfortably?

It’s been a while since the most expensive chair I ever bought has arrived, and I have to admit it was worth the money!

I have had a bad back for years, made worse by a stupid accident at work which resulted in me being laid up for the best part of 3 months with torn ligaments.

The cat approves too!

Suffice it to say, proper posture and a comfortable seat is important to me – so much so in fact that at Raindance I’ve actually had to go as far as getting a proper chair to sit in. This was a “cheap” £75 chair from Amazon, and it was the same as one I’d had at home for a year or so. Comfortable, but it didn’t stand the test of time and the arms broke off it not once, but twice!

I finally decided it was time to take the plunge as I’d heard such good things about Secret Lab chairs …. Turns out, they weren’t lying!

The chair took forever to arrive, but once it did it was obvious why it costs so much money. The build quality was like nothing I have ever seen before! Putting it together wasn’t too difficult and within half an hour or so I was sat in my new throne.

Comfort, posture, adjustable everything – this has it all

So I can strongly recommend the Secret Lab chairs (I have the Titan). And they’ve just sent me an offer/referral link which will get you £20 off your order.

Couple that with the 5-year warranty that these chairs come with, and I really don’t think you can go wrong.

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Reminiscing

Scrolling through Facebook this morning, as you do, I was greeted by an image reminding me it was Zoran‘s birthday today. This made me think back over the various DoP’s I’ve known, worked with and/or studied under and I thought now would be a good time to locate and collate all those “crew” photos from ages past.

We have the birthday boy himself – Zoran with credits ranging from Raindance Film Festival trailers through to features such as “Love is Thicker than Water”, Deadly Virtues, Dangerous Parking and more

Cinematography with Raindance

Tony Pierce-Roberts who worked on films such as Disclosure, Underworld and Vampire Academy

Tony Pierce-Roberts masterclass in cinematography 2016

And then my own films and crew photos including

The Night We Opened for the New Ed Sheeran

The Night We Opened for the new Ed Sheeran (2019)

Geneticide – my first Sci Fi short

Geneticide (2019)

behind the scenes / unofficial crew shot from Dating Dilemmas
– a satirical look at love in the naughties

Dating Dilemmas (2018)

There are a number of other films I’ve worked on in the last 2 years however I’m struggling to find crew shots for them currently – which I think highlights the need to make sure that they happen, and that they’re kept archived somewhere useful like this post 🙂

They include

Under Duress

Damellette

Lenore

Momentum

The Power of Max

Britain’s Little Broadway