Practical Boat Owner David Selby’s 300-mile sailing voyage

Practical Boat Owner columnist Dave Selby is gearing up for the adventure of a lifetime in his 18ft Sailfish.

The east coast sailor will be setting off from Maldon in June or July on his boat ‘Marlin’s Mission’ to sail to the Southampton Boat Show in September, where Marlin will be on display to promote sailing to a new audience.

Selby will be stopping off at marinas along the way and sharing tales of his adventures and all the behind-the-scene preparations on his blog at pbo.co.uk, along with regular updates in the monthly print magazine and at here at ybw.com.

Once at the Southampton Boat Show Marlin will provide a stage to put across the message that small-boat sailing can provide ‘holidays of a lifetime, for a life-time, for £2,000.’ For existing boaters, Dave will be hosting practical demonstrations of boat maintenance, repair and restoration.

The columnist and sailor, who suffers from a rare viral condition called Guillain-Barré Syndrome will also be raising money for his charity (www.gaincharity.org.uk). He added: “This is not a commercial enterprise, I simply want to share all that sailing has to give with others.

“There’s a myth that boating is expensive. In fact, there’s an ever-growing supply of cheap, small, affordable second-hand boats for less than half the price of one family holiday. Second-hand boats have never been more affordable, and they can open up a life-time of adventure. That’s Marlin’s Mission.”

From his base in Maldon, on the river Blackwater in Essex, Dave, 56, will start preparations in April and aims to set off in July, in short hops around the coast as weather, health and time allow. Dave is appealing for the marine trades to get behind the project and would appreciate hearing from marinas and equipment suppliers who’d like to help the adventure on its way.

On his travels he hopes local sailors around the coast will sail in company with him and join him aboard Marlin. For more information and to get involved, contact Dave at dave@rollingassets.com or on 01621-854978.