SADLER 26

I’ve always been a fan of small yachts. They’re exponentially cheaper to buy and maintain, the loads are lower, making them safer for new crew, and the shove ‘n’ go boat handling saves a lot of hassle in marinas. But even by pocket-cruiser standards, 26ft is tiny. And although extraordinary voyages are made on tiny boats, I’ve always thought you’d need an MBA (Masters in Bunk Arrangement) to cope in such confined quarters. Would the Sadler 26 change my mind? I joined John Dickson on his Sadler 26, Ella, to find out. John sails Ella on the south coast and English Channel with his wife, Nao, and children, Ollie, 13, and Georgina, 10. He seizes every chance to head out, sometimes just with cockerpoo, Maggie, for company.

The first thing I noticed when I stepped aboard in the river Hamble, was that she didn’t baulk at my weight, as I was expecting. She may only be 26ft long, but with over 9ft of beam there’s plenty of form stability. The real secret behind her feeling of buoyancy, however, is that her double-skinned hull is filled with foam. Scarred by the terrible loss of life of the 1979 Fastnet when several yachts sank, Martin