Explore the link between land and sea, by Pete Goss

British adventurer and sailor Pete Goss is well known from sailing community for his strong engagement on safety onboard, taking part on demanding competition projects and venturing in remote areas. But Pete is also a real good guy, who likes to socialise and have fun on and around his voyages of exploration, and who always displays a responsible approach and sustainable behaviour towards the sea and nature. In this fifth article in the chronicle he has kindly agreed to write exclusively for Garcia Yachts, he explores the strength of the connection between land and sea, which toys such as a paddle skiff or a pair of fins help feeling better.

I had always said that when I hang up my racing boots I would like to explore rather than rush past places in a quest for speed. For an inquisitive nature it had always been frustrating to watch lush and exotic looking islands like Cape Verde or the southern oceans rugged Gough Island fade into the distance. What, with time to explore, might they have had to offer became a lingering echo of regret.

Around Tasmania in a kayak – 2012.

As I ticked off the races that inspired me so those echo’s started to clamour for attention. Variety beckoned, I began to explore other means of adventure which offered variety and closer proximity to the shore. Trips to the North Pole, a rib expedition above the arctic circle, a historical recreation to Australia and an epic kayak around Tasmania.

It was the Tasmanian trip that really opened my eyes as to the extra dimension that cruising might have to offer. It was a huge undertaking with the challenges of survival absorbing all our attention during the build up. However, once we set off, a wonderfully random and completely unexpected parallel adventure began to unfold ashore.

As Forest Gumps Mother liked to say “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Every night we camped ashore this unpredictable side of the expedition would gift us wonderful memories. A Tasmanian devil trying to steal our shoes. A beach filled with bleached whale bones that had an ethereal glow in the setting sun. Shivering as we desperately lit a fire to warm up after being crashed ashore by huge breakers. Wombats joining us for sundowners in Wine Glass Bay with a square rigger gently rolling in the swell. Paddling ashore to be invited to a golden wedding anniversary full of the most amazing characters. It was an expedition made memorable by natures bounty between land and sea and the people that we met. 

Pete’s Garcia Exploration 45 “Pearl of Penzance”

I wanted more and with the children leaving home and hanging up my racing boots Tracey and I decided to dip our toes into cruising. We started with a 34ft Francis Pilot house which wetted our appetite. The original plan was for me to single hand the oceans but as Tracey gained confidence so she decided to jump in with both feet. We ordered ‘Pearl of Penzance’, a wonderful Garcia 45, and spent the next two and half years living on the water.

On researching the trip we kept coming across a surprising formula which had cruising as twenty percent sailing and the rest at anchor. This seemed very weighted against sailing so I took it with what turned out to be a misguided pinch of salt. In the round we found that we had three modes from being anchored to pottering about and focused delivery. It took us a while to unwind and settle into long term cruising as opposed to a default of going at like mad knowing that time away from work is limited.

Having found our stride it quickly became apparent that we needed a toolbox of toys and equipment to further explore, relax and enrich our experience. A tool box that took a while to accumulate and refine.

Mantas

There is a whole world of wonder under the keel so the first thing was to a pair of fins, snorkel and mask to provide endless pleasure. It also enabled checking the prop, rudders, anodes and that the anchor had taken hold properly. In addition to this we added a small electrical compressor which extended my dive time to clean the bottom and take on small tasks such as changing anodes, clearing the prop and clearing a fouled anchor. Given that Tracey is scared of the water we bought a Bathyscope which was an absolute boon for she loves nature. I used to tow her in the dinghy whilst snorkelling and so we were able to enjoy the experience together.

Snorkelling soon needed more and so we built up our ability to maximise what it had to offer. I bought a prescription mask, de misting wipes, a longer snorkel and long fins. A rash vest stopped my back getting sunburned and kept me warm in cooler water. I added a light wetsuit when we headed north and would always use this if I had to dive on the boat at sea to minimise bruising when knocked against the hull. I also started to swim for fitness which, after a close call with an outboard was done with the addition of a red float tethered to my waist. We bought a book on fish and began to research good snorkelling sites during passage planning. The addition of an underwater camera and GoPro gifted us some wonderful memories. 

Tracey and her Batyscope

As my knowledge grew it became apparent that we floated above a nutritious food bank. I cant tell you how much fun I had nabbing supper with my spear gun be it fish or lobster. It kept me occupied for hours and really helped me to understand this new world and its complex food chain. A chain at which man sits not at the top of and so a keen understanding of shark habits was required. The first rule of thumb is not to swim at dawn or dusk. Be wary if food waste has just thrown over the side and make that sure you avoid places where chum is used to draw shark in for tourist purposes as this encourages shark to associate humans with food.

Lobsters at their best

As we spent more time exploring so we became aware of how crucial a dinghy is. I would recommend a rib and we loved our F-rib for it gave the option of folding up and stowing below during ocean passages. We quickly got rid of our four stroke outboard and bought a two stroke Yamaha used by all the professional fishermen. Perhaps not as environmental as the four stroke but ten times more reliable. When cruising full time the outboard is both a work horse and safety item. We made four rescues with our dinghy, one of which would not have succeeded without the extra power of a two stroke.

A rib can be useful

When going on long trips in the rib we took hats an umbrella, water, snack, sun cream and insect repellant. A small grab bag with a waterproof VHF, hand held GPS, mobile phone and wallet never went amiss. We also had a good anchor with a couple of metres of chain. If I went out of sight on my own I always marked my plans on the chart, did a radio check and kept Tracey updated. On many occasions I would buddy up with another cruiser so we had total redundancy with two boats in play.

As time went on I was keen for more exercise and bought a paddle board/windsurfer hybrid. Paddle-boarding, which had looked boring from a kayak became a passion. It is excellent exercise and it soon became apparent while paddling with a friend on a kayak that as I was standing up I could see so much more than him. I recall exclaiming to him that we were nearly on top of a large eagle ray. Being low down all he could see was the suns reflection. The other gain over his kayak was that I could throw the board in the water and stow it with ease whereas the kayak needed two people and a halyard to launch. It was this same extra hassle factor which meant that I never really used the windsurfer.

Stand up paddle

One of the key things with my paddle board was designing and building a dedicated stowage on the cockpit arch, just under the solar panels. Ease of accessibility meant that I could throw it in the water on a whim and have fun. Being rigid it gave better performance and of course made a better board for many hours of fun in the surf. The other way to go is an inflatable paddle board which makes stowage easy but I found that the poor comparative performance and hassle factor of inflation limited daily use. Where an inflatable came into its own was when we had guests who were new to a paddle-boarding making it adequate for their ability. The fact that we could deflate and hide it away for extended periods when sailing on our own was excellent. I took great pleasure in introduced newcomers to the joys of paddle boarding. 

Pete paddling near USS Wisconsin

My paddle board was called ‘Mindy’ after our charming little dog for she was a lightening rod when it came to meeting people during walks. I used to end up chatting to other cruisers as I wended my way through an anchorage. In Norfolk Virginia I paddled under the amazing concave bow of the USS Wisconsin and cheekily called out to a passing Naval Officer to take take a picture. He visited ‘Pearl’ for a drink that night. The next day he took us on the most amazing VIP tour of the Nimitz Class Carrier USS Eisenhower! In Maine I bumped into descendants of the Cabot family who arrived in America before the Mayflower. I paddled round a rocky outcrop to come face to face with a Bald Eagle which stood four feet tall. He studied me for a while and then carried on feeding off a large fish in his talons – just amazing.

Like any water sport safety and common sense has to be front and centre of you mind. Don’t drink and drive, make sure that if things go wrong you won’t be blown out to sea. Be aware of tides and changing currents for they can build very quickly and to you to sweep you away. Continually scan the horizon when snorkelling to watch for approaching boats or in the case of one of my dives a large and dangerous water spout in the Bahamas. When choosing your boat be minded of these extra curricula activities. ‘Pearl’ was perfect for she had a large boarding platform and ladder. This offered a safe stable platform for transition between dinghy, paddle-board or the water. In truth it was akin to a marina pontoon and even had an overhead light.

Pearl seen from the rib

Fishing seems a great past time and looking back I wish I had explored this further. It’s a huge subject and one into which we dipped our toe by casually dropping a spinner over the side to surprising result. I think if changing family circumstances hadn’t necessitated the sale of ‘Pearl’ this would have been the next area to explore. The thought of preparing a meal before dropping a line over the side in Newfoundland or Norway to land fresh Cod is rather magical. As would be landing a big Tuna during an ocean passage.

Fisher’s proudness

Looking back, whilst we loved our two handed Atlantic crossing most of our enduring memories come from experiences in close proximity to the shore. With time and experience we built up our tool box of toys to make the most of this rich and wonderfully diverse intersect between land and sea. Don’t just sail the oceans, become a part of them by breaking through the surface to reveal a world that never ceased to enrich our time on the water.