Guest Comment Tony Fleming

The Siren Song of Adventure

Travel broadens the mind. For those of us lucky enough to be able to travel in our own vessels, this is especially true. No matter whether we have a kayak, tinny or fancy yacht – power or sail – they all allow us to explore environments denied to landlubbers.

Our daily lives are, of necessity, bound by a straitjacket of rules – whether it be driving a car or standing in line for something-or-other. Certainly, there are right-of-way rules out on the water but these are based on common sense and once free of the harbour, we have the freedom to explore our environment. With few exceptions, it is geography and natural forces which control 

It was not until I retired from managing the building of other people’s boats that I had the time to go cruising myself. My area of choice was the Pacific Northwest, encompassing British Columbia and Southeast Alaska.  In common with most people unfamiliar with the area, I had heard all the stories about fearsome currents, killer logs and hidden rocks waiting to snag the unwary. I sought advice from experienced boaters who, in essence, all said the same thing: “just do it” – and so I did! We can always come up with a thousand reasons not to do something, almost all of them bogus excuses.

Of course you need a plan, but it is equally important not to allow yourself to become bogged down with detail. It’s best to choose a journey appropriate to your boat – although, it must be said, there are die-hards who make the most astonishing journeys in coracles and other highly inappropriate craft. But that is not for most of us. Just make sure that your craft is seaworthy and in reasonable condition. Weather is always the final arbiter. Always have a plan B and never allow yourself to put to sea under marginal conditions just because you have a timetable to keep. It is always better to be on land wishing you were on your boat rather than the other way around.

My own boat is a Fleming 65, hull #1, which we held back from sale to give us the opportunity to build the boat the way we wanted while having her remain on hand for extensive testing. She became my personal boat and has racked up 64,000NM over the past 13 years. She is named Venture which, according to the dictionary, 

means “a journey or enterprise involving a 

degree of risk”.

My preferred type of cruising involves visiting isolated places, hard to reach by any other means. Of course this does involve a degree of risk but it’s calculated, we watch the weather and don’t take needless chances. Venture is used as a test bed for new ideas and equipment and any lessons learned along the way are fed back to be incorporated into production boats. She also provides a platform for my other hobby of using video to document the trips so we can share 

them with others.

Sadly, all too many boats spend too much time tied up to the dock going nowhere. What a terrible waste of opportunity – not to mention  valuable investment. So, if you are fortunate to have a vessel of any size, untie those lines and cast off to seek what ye shall find. I guarantee you will come back enriched!