SELLING PIXIE

They say that the two happiest days of boat ownership are the day you buy her and the day you sell her. They lie. For me, selling my Sadler 32 was a tough day, a hotchpotch of emotions and memories from a quarter of my life. I remember the first sail with Kirsty, my girlfriend at the time, with whom I bought the boat. We sailed, from Hamble to Newtown Creek, a sunny but breezy afternoon, a little bit stronger breeze than one might have hoped for on the first day on the water. We soon discovered she was a great boat to sail; she had impeccable manners and held her canvas well. We also found out that nearly all of the windows leaked, including the seal on the forehatch – above our berth.

As we approached Newtown that afternoon there was a Sadler 32 leaving. ‘Pretty boat,’ called the skipper. ‘Yours too,’ I replied with a smile. It seemed only fitting,