hobbies 2

Sailing

I started sailing with a 24' marine ply/glass Vandestadt which I had for 9 years. This was an excellent low cost good seaboat but age caught up with the deck. I then had for several years a lovely old Len Randall designed 30' yacht built by Stephen Ward from huon pine, jarrah with a teak cockpit. However, the maintenance was continuous, it had broken ribs, (the result of some previous misguided modifications by a former owner) and it leaked constantly. I reluctantly sold it and replaced it with a 25' fibreglass tophat. A good sea boat and lower maintenance but not as racey or as fun to sail as the Randall. In 2015 I sold the tophat, joined South of Perth Yacht Club and purchased a 20ft RedWitch yacht. A good performer but a bit small, so switched to a Spacesailor 22 in July 2019.

Vandestadt

Randall 30ft

Sister Sue and Chris on Whimsy. Space Sailor

Whimsy on the hard

Whimsy before purchase

Sailing off Sorrento

Snitch in Pen SOPYC

Snitch on the river

Captain Babs on Snitch

Cycling

My Bike

An old Dawes with Reynolds 531 tubing and a Brooks saddle given to me by my grandfather when I was 12 years old. Fully refurbished with Shimano gear. The bike is 60-70 years old.

Honda 750 cc Shadow with grand daughter on board.

Sports cars

In February 2017 I purchased an MG F. This mid-engined sports car is the last model produced by Rover before they went bankrupt and sold the manufacturing process to the Chinese. Its a great car to drive but has a tendency to overheat. So in 2019 I switched to a red 1998 Mercedes SLK., pictured on the right. Not as nimble as the MG but reliable.

Nissan Skyline R33 GTST

I sold this car about ten years back. Turbo charged and a great drive. A bit too fast for casual driving if you wish to avoid speeding tickets. Great sports car.

Walking

When I get the opportunity I like to go walking, particularly on return visits to Europe. The English Lakes are a favourite haunt.

Power boat - purchased an old Baron Regent 18ft half cabin a few years back. Mainly used by one of my son-in-laws as its too heavy for my old van.

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