GOLDEN AGE
The lockdown of spring 2020 prompted all kinds of unusual purchases. People bought puppies, bikes, hot-tubs… Not many opted to buy a 23-ton, 112-year-old wooden cutter, yet that is exactly what Southampton-based charter operator Charlie Tulloch did.
“Everyone’s got a lockdown story,” he says. “Mine was trying to keep the business running and home-schooling the kids. It was incredibly stressful. I realised that, although we have three boats of our own, we were reliant on other people’s boats to supplement the fleet. We needed another boat to take more control. When I heard that Golden Vanity was for sale, I thought about it – not for very long – and bought her.
“Lockdown madness? I don’t know. We’ll see!” There is some logic to it. Golden Vanity offers First Class Sailing’s existing customers a very different kind of experience, while her heavy construction provides a steady platform for beginners.
But the real reason Charlie bought the boat was emotional rather than rational. “I did some relief skippering on , and a few years ago, and I liked the ethos of getting young people involved. I loved the boats, the history, the wood, the
