Tom Cunliffe

Last week during a Q&A Zoom session organised by MDL Marinas I was asked about what sort of boat to buy. The question was quite specific and I’ll return to it shortly, but it triggered off some general thoughts about how the rest of us choose suitable yachts to ward off the hard knocks of life.

My wife and I were once marooned up a muddy creek in America’s deep south. I was recovering from a damaged rib cage left over from a nasty night off Cuba. Funds were tight and the local yard proved a bountiful haven. Spanish Moss festooned the live oaks overhanging the water and to say that the denizens of the river bank were a sparky bunch would be an understatement, but among their number were notable examples of how, and how not, to pick the right boat.

As the