Tell us about your background and how your love affair with boats began?

My love affair with boats began 50 years ago, when I was just 12 years old. Our family had a big discussion about whether we should get a swimming pool or a boat. The vote went in favour of the boat, and that decision ended up shaping my whole life.

Our first boat was a small Shetland with a petrol inboard engine and an Enfield Z drive. To say we didn’t have a clue would be an understatement! Looking back now, I can only laugh (and cringe a little). On one of our first adventures to the entrance of the River Stour, armed only with a Seafarer Echo Sounder, we quickly learned about tides and water depths the hard way.

Not long after, we decided to fit out our own boat. We bought a Sterling Sabre 28 hull and superstructure, and for a year it sat on our front drive while my father and I worked on her. That project taught me so much about boats and engines. We fitted her with a Mercruiser 888, a 180hp petrol sterndrive, and she could really move, hitting around 28 knots.

Once she was launched and we’d got a mooring in Ramsgate Marina, it took only six weeks before we found ourselves upgrading again, this time to a Rampart 38 displacement TSMY, one extreme to the other. That’s when my love of boating technology really took off. She was kitted out with B & G Electronics, a Decca radar, Autopilot and a Sailor VHF, all pretty exciting stuff back then.

From there, the boats just kept coming: first a Broom 37 Continental, and finally a Fleur De Lys 52ft TSMY. My father passed away suddenly, and boating paused until I married, and it started again. We are now on boat 17!

In your view, what makes boat ownership and spending time on the water with your family, so rewarding?

Boating is part of our family’s DNA. Our kids have grown up on the water and boats, and been on great trips with them and their friends.

I believe you currently own more than one boat. Do tell us more about these and what influenced your current choices?

We own a Pearl 62 motorboat, which is wonderful for living aboard and cruising, but not ideal for a spontaneous trip to Cowes on a Saturday, especially if you haven’t booked a berth six weeks in advance. To fill that gap, we purchased a Nimbus T9 with twin 225hp Mercury outboards. We named her ‘Spontaneous’ in honour of our first boat, a Sealine 190 and the way we can be out in 5 minutes.

Tim from West Solent Sea School has trained both our children very well, so they can be safe and confident on the water. The Nimbus has been a huge success, a very complete and capable boat. When we bought her, she had just 20 hours on the engines; a year later, she has 140 hours.

In your experience, how has the application of onboard technology enhanced your family’s time on the water?

Over the last 50 years, I have seen huge advances in navigation that has been nothing short of remarkable. We’ve progressed from Radio Direction Finders, where you had to aim at a radio station and, when the signal faded, read a compass bearing, yielding only a rough ‘cocked hat’ estimate of your position, to early GPS units that updated your location just once an hour, and even then displayed where you had been 20 minutes earlier. Today, modern chart plotters can pinpoint your exact berth in a marina and will get even more accurate. The technology makes our trips so much safer and less stressful.

Can we focus on the Seakeeper RIDE stabiliser system in particular, as I understand it’s transformed your Nimbus T9. What led you to have the RIDE installed?

We have a Seakeeper Gyro Stabiliser installed on the Pearl, so I was already familiar with the company. The Nimbus had a Zipwake system installed, and in my view, it made little difference whether it was on or off. I didn’t rush into this decision about the Seakeeper Ride and spent time watching a lot of YouTube videos on real installations and owner experiences. I also spoke with James at Osmotech, who is a dealer for Seakeeper, and he was very positive about it. I trust his judgement since we have used his company for years.

The Nimbus is a great sea boat, but it can pitch a bit, and with a number of people on board, you need to balance them out.

But this represents a sizeable investment, was it genuinely worth the outlay?

Every penny. I honestly cannot believe how good it is. It’s like the Nimbus is a much bigger boat. We had a sea trial with Harry from Seakeeper Ride UK, and whereas previously we would have slowed down to avoid slamming, he said, ‘Keep the power on,’ and she just ploughed through. There were five of us on board, and we all quickly moved to one side. The Seakeeper Ride system immediately compensated for it without any moment of instability.

What particularly impresses you about the Seakeeper RIDE’s hydrodynamic ability and user functionality?

With the Seakeeper Ride, we simply leave it in Auto, much like ABS in a car. It activates once underway and helps get the boat out of the hole much faster, with less strain on the engines. The system is integrated with the Simrad plotter, allowing us to monitor the unit’s position and rate of movement, though that’s mostly out of interest.

Harry provided the sea trial data as follows:

Following seas: 52% roll reduction, 39% pitch reduction

Bow quartering seas: 35% roll reduction, 46% pitch reduction

Do your family and guests appreciate the benefits that this stabilising system brings to their time aboard too?

Yes, it’s made days that would have been uncomfortable so much better and let us get more use out of her.

In conclusion, having been associated with boats and boating all your life, what top three pieces of advice would you like to pass on to others contemplating taking up boat ownership?

I would say, without fail, that the following would constitute my top 3 recommendations based upon my own experiences involved in the pastime:

Training

Do not cut corners on this. I applied the same instruction to Tim at West Solent Sea School as I did with the kids’ driving instructor. Tell me when they are truly safe, not just barely good enough to pass a test. You will likely be out on the water not only with family but also with friends, so you need to be confident, knowledgeable, and fully capable, ensuring everyone has a great and safe day.