| About: |
James Wilkinson and Melanie Lessels met at junior school, lived in the same village, waited for the school bus together, and, through Hill Head Sailing Club on the Solent, became friends. [...]They sailed together in Mirror Dinghy’s, partied and spent all their free time together with a close group of friends based in and around Hill Head. University and different lives meant that they drifted apart. In 1994 they met up at a party and were living together within 3 months. Ruby was already 1 year old, born in 1993, and Davey was born in 1995. A great crew, although not always completely willing!
Sailing had always been part of their growing up and when back together they bought their first yacht in 2002/3 a Mustang 30, Revival 2, mostly for day sailing. The next yacht was a step up to week end trips and longer holidays, a Sigma 38, Starship in 2004. Needing more comfort and an end to the smell of engine oil, they then purchased, Jammel, a Hanse 400 at the Southampton boat show in 2007. Jammel was beautifully designed inside and out and many happy trips were undertaken with friends and family over the years.
All three yachts were chartered out though a variety of companies in Cardiff bay, the Solent, Gosport and Lyminton, and lastly Dartmouth. M&J moved to Dartmouth in 2013, allowing Davey to complete a Yachtmasters with South West Marine Training as a trainee and in order to live nearer Jammel and achieve a better work-life balance.
Retiring and leaving the UK for an extended trip on their own yacht had always been the dream – one day. As Ruby and Davey grew up, eventually left home and were working abroad the trip began to feel more achievable. However, there was always something happening at work, not enough money, or some reason to feel that all that had to wait for another day. After a health shock which led to James having a new heart valve fitted in 2014, another day began to feel too far away; it was now or never.
At the 2013 Southampton Boat Show, after viewing pre owned yachts at the Oyster yard, M&J fell in love with Blue Elixir 2, an Oyster 49 Pilot House. She felt like a solid, safe yacht which had already been round the world once. The large pilot house windows gave the saloon a light airy feeling with a good view and internal steering position. After an unfortunate sinking, post refit and, while still in the yard in 2007 BX had been rewired, and refitted to the tune upwards of £220,000.
At the beginning of 2014, M&J took ownership and renamed her Blew Beyond. There was nothing to stop them now, no need to wait any longer. It was decided that after James had had the operation and time to recover, all being well they would set off on a round the world voyage at the end of June 2015. Both will finish work at the end of May, preparations are underway to ensure that Blew Beyond is modernised where needed, prepped and ready to go.
The initial plan is to take a very leisurely 4 months cruising south along the west coast of France, northern Spain and Portugal, to arrive in the Canaries at the end of October in order to join the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers at the end of November 2015. With an additional crew of 2 or 3, including Davey, they will arrive in the Caribbean, with a following wind, 3 weeks or so later.
Winter 2016 will be spent in the Caribbean, moving from island to island with a view to arriving in Key West in spring. They will cruise north during Spring/Summer 2016 aiming to get to New York and finally Newport Rhode Island by autumn. Winter and hurricane avoidance will be spent returning to the Caribbean ready to transit the Panama Canal in spring 2017.
The plan for the rest of the trip is necessarily flexible. But visiting as many islands across the pacific, then spending time in New Zealand and Australia is definitely the intention. The journey home will depend on the pirate situation and the safety of using Suez into the Eastern Med, which is the preferred option, otherwise a long journey back under Africa and over to South America.
The aim is to be able to respond to conditions, opportunities, places to stay, visitors and new friends as much as possible. No fixed abode or definite destinations will hopefully mean that for the first time in many years there will be no need to be anywhere, or do anything, in particular. The plan is to have no plan as far as possible.
Funding of the trip has been through savings, a health insurance pay out after James’s operation and renting out the house in Dartmouth, this should allow 3 years away as a minimum and maybe, with careful spending, longer.
It is hoped that friends and family will visit often, Blew Beyond is a comfortable yacht and can easily accommodate 6 people. Missing Ruby, Davey, and everyone at home will be the down side and so visits as frequently as possible will be much welcomed.
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