When the sun is out, gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh likes to turn his attention from laburnums to his love of boating. Between writing numerous gardening books and novels, presenting the Chelsea Flower Show programmes and hosting his own chat show, Alan is often out in the Solent on his beloved Seaward 25.
MBM spent a day cruising down the River Thames with Alan where he also talked about his love of rivers and a very special event coming up in his boating diary. Originally he was introduced into boating bysome sailing friends. “I really enjoyed being out on the water, and many of my friends had yachts, but they only seemed to go out when it was rough and windy; when it was fine and sunny, they weren’t interested.
“It seemed to me rather perverse that they missed out on so many calm and sunny days afloat, so a motorboat was the perfect solution for me.” Alan first bought a
Eurobanker 38 trawler yacht, a heavy weather vessel, which he took up and down the coast with his family during their holidays, but as his children grew up, the boat’s size came under scrutiny. “With just
my wife and I, a 12-tonne boat seemed a little excessive, and in high winds she wasn’t very easy for two folk to handle.” Alan decided to downsize to the Seaward, which he and his wife could easily use together. “There is nothing like going out first thing in the morning when the water is glassy and shimmering. It is something that is worth getting up early for. I keep my Seaward 25 at Bucklers Hard, so I can potter around the beautiful river – the bird life is amazing, especially in winter – but still have the option to explore the creeks of the Solent and the Isle of Wight.” Alan isn’t averse to the inland waterways either; with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee just weeks away, his Seaward is being trucked up to London and will be
launched on the Thames to partake in the Flotilla. “I am really looking forward to being part of the Jubilee Pageant, it will be great to see everyone out there on the water together.” Passing under the bridge at Putney, Alan mused, “I don’t understand why more people don’t use the rivers. They are a great resource, especially in London.
Credit : http://www.motorboatsmonthly.co.uk/