Photo's of Te Anua launching from Northern Shipyard.... read more

The Chinese know how to celebrate a birthday... and Roni had arranged a cracker. With friends and great food and birthday cake of course to celebrate my friend James's birthday. Great night had by all followed by a few drinks in the Cellar Bank. Nice... read more

Yeah... Dad's here for a visit... I went down to Kuala Lumpur to meet him and as he was feeling good we booked and caught the next flight up to Langkawi. On our way to the flight we literally bumped into Drew and Kat at the airport, who I hadn't seen for years. The last time Dad was here I was staying on Drew's boat in Phuket and the boys were happy to see each other. We're all on the same flight, staying in the Royal Hotel for the night and had a great start! Next day I took Dad up to have a look at Aria, he managed to get onboard ok and he decided he could manage to stay onboard which was great. Unfortunately I have new crew onboard, all German's, but that's life! ... read more

So... after being on yachts for the past 6 years, I decided I should get some basic qualifications. I was inspired by the Captain and Crew on MY Bravado when I crewed from Langkawi to Singapore, and I loved the experience. It makes me realise how much I have taken on looking after Aria on my own. I decided to book a Maritime and Coastguard Agency approved Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) course in Phuket Yacht Haven. One, for my own progress and to keep my options open for new opportunities and for my own safety on possible passages on Aria. We were thrown in initially with our Security awareness followed by an examination, it's starting to sink in what I'm letting myself in for! Security awareness is all about security plans, company and ... read more

Chilling at home with friends and family in and around Glasgow.... read more