My First Boat: Flicka Caraway

First Stories

The first stories I heard about Pacific Seacraft and the Flicka came from a good friend of mine and experienced sailor Robin (Benjy) Benjamin. Benjy has made a life of small boat sailing. Over ten painstaking years he rescued and restored a lovely little wooden yacht he named "Blown Away". After getting Blown Away shipshape he moved to Falmouth in Cornwall and plied his joinery skills on the many yachts at birth in and around Falmouth marina. There he bumped into a small, unusual and rather appealing little boat called 'Caraway'.

Caraway had been built to order and shipped to England where her owner intended to explore the coast of Kent and Essex. She was immaculate, sturdy and had very appealing lines. Benjy was taken aback by the boat and on first impressions laughed out loud at the audacity of such a small ship boasting so much bronze!

Benjy met Caraway's owner Julian and they became friends. Julian later invited Benjy to deliver Caraway for exhibition at the Southampton boat show and further up the coast to her new home in Kent.

"Our first trip was from Falmouth to Plymouth, a pleasant sail in gentle winds. The following day the forecast for the trip to Torquay was West 3 to 4. sounded good to us so we went. In fact long before we got to Start Point, the wind was up to force 6 and the waves were pretty big. However, it was sunny and the boat felt fine, filling us with confidence."

"However the forecast was wrong. We soon found ourselves 7 miles off Portland bill in colosal waves in a full gale. We listened to the radio and had a confirmation of what we already knew, we were in a proper gale in a 20 foot boat miles from a safe harbour. With just a scrap of sail showing we had no choice but to carry on. Next thing we knew we were on our side and I was underwater and soaked to the skin. For minutes afterwards there was only the sound of the hissing water which was white as far as the eye could see."

From The Office Back to The Sea

As the years went by I began to get the longing to go back to the sea. I grew up on the coast. My father was a fisherman and I'd spent almost all of my spare time fishing, swimming, sailing and generally messing about in boats. Now I was stuck in London with a career at a desk tied to a computer and it was beginning to get me down.

Buying a Boat

I would buy a boat and take it to France. I could then return to London for 6 months of the year and contract in the city when I needed more money. I noticed a Flicka for sail in the UK. This was unusual since there was only one that I knew of and that was Caraway. Could she be up for sale? I called up the brokers, and yes it was Caraway.

First Impressions: Caraway

A dreadful day dawned with dark clouds, continuous cold rain and vicious winds. Caraway looked pitiful. She was covered in algae, industrial soot, was poorly tethered and looked entirely dejected. It was clear she hadn't been looked after properly for years and was in need of some love.

In contrast I was ecstatic. I could see what she was. Hardware was chunky, the portholes were rugged and beautiful. She was dry and cosy inside despite the gale howling outside. There was teak all over and it was properly fitted. There was little I could find to be negative about except the price and the plastic cutlery.

Yacht Brokers

Later that day I got a call from Julian. He'd thrown out the brokers since they'd done such a poor job and he wanted to negotiate. So. The sale and price were agreed.

Raising The Cash: Banks

"You only need £25,000 the lady said?". "Oh why didn't you say?". "You didn't ask?" "Well, if you only need that we can put you straight through our fast track system!" At last there was light at the end of the tunnel!

First Sail

Finally, one beautiful morning we set sail from Burnham on Crouch marina. It was a joy to at last be setting off in my boat. I immediately felt at home on board. The cockpit is probably the best small boat cockpit I've been in. There are comfy cushions, all the instruments are in the right place and you're protected from the elements by a rugged spray hood.

Bringing Her Home

For April we were treated to a completely unexpected heatwave. Thick fog descended for most of passage from Ramsgate to Eastbourne and we had to be particularly careful with our navigation to avoid the sandbanks, wrecks and shoals.

As we approached Dover a huge ferry came rushing out. Just as we were opposite the entrance there was an enormous foghorn right behind us. Our hearts jumped in our mouths. We turned again and headed astern of the first ferry at full speed.

British Marinas

Eastbourne marina treated us to smelly toilets and grubby showers for the bargain price of £15. Marinas are a rip-off in the UK which is why Benjy moved to France.

Arriving in Chichester

Chichester harbour is a really lovely place. A nature reserve with wetlands supporting all sorts of bird life. We had done the trip from Gillingham in only four days, about 250 miles, giving us 5 days to spare.

Bringing Caraway Back to Life

In a few days Caraway was looking like a new boat. We replaced exhaust elbow, repaired water pump, scrubbed and polished, replaced battery, fitted new ropes. Her engine was badly neglected and the water pump was leaking and had been for some time.

Pacific Seacraft understand what going to sea is all about. They have built a deserved reputation for quality and workmanship in their product. I will inspect every inch of my boat before a voyage.

All images © A.Beare.