Welcome to Yacht Hannah’s web page.

Click on the links left for details of our travels but first a little bit about us:

 The Boat.

Closely based on a Colin Archer design, Hannah was launched in Sept ’92. She was built and fitted out by Martin & Roma over the previous 3 years who then took her to the Med for 4 years. We bought her in 2000 and have lived aboard ever since.

 Built in ferro, Hannah weighs around 16ton with stores, water, paraffin etc. A 36’ gaff ketch, she is easily handled by her two crew although guests have expressed dismay at the amount of work involved. Miles of rope, running backstays, vangs, belay pins, a tiny cockpit, no spray hood and only two winches, Hannah is the antithesis of modern designs but her philosophy suits us both.

 The crew

 Mick, Bee and Able Seaman Toots and the spirit of Eric and Toby.

Although we moved aboard as a foursome we eventually agreed that Eric and Toby after 12 years of land living were not happy about living on board. We luckily found a wonderful couple who took them both, real fire from Oct to Apr burning night and day, huge garden to roam, cigars and smoking jackets laid out for evening wear. From our point of view it was incredibly traumatic and our lives didn’t seem the same and it led us to Toots soon after we returned from the Baltic.

The start:

 On a trip to the Baltic in June 2000, crewing for someone else, I rang Bee from Svenborg on the island of Fyn and left a message on the answer phone suggesting living on a boat would suit us as a way of life. By October that year we had sold our house, 90% of our belongings and moved aboard. No turning back. From the start we were more influenced by Anne Hill than Laurel Cooper and firmly believe that if the choice is to do it on very little money, about £3k a year in our case, or not at all we will enjoy life away from “the rat race”.

 Since we gave up work last year we have spent 4 months in Denmark learning more about Hannah and our capabilities, returned to Quayside to make some changes and delayed our departure time and again.