Vin Rose’s story
Welcome to Avon Marina’s meet the boat. A chance for us to get to know the Avon Marina community. It’s a chance for us to appreciate and know more about the boats that live here and their story.
So here we are at Alan Cook’s boat, Vin Rose. It’s a warm summers day and we are sat by the boat on a picnic bench watching the swans and ducks glide through the water. The only noise is the trees and wildlife. It’s a pretty idyllic place to be. I asked Alan about his boat and this is what I found out.
Alan- The boat was launched in 1989, but I have owned it for 3 years.
We renamed the boat when we bought it and because of superstitions I will not tell you its previous name. Its new name is after my Wife’s favourite tipple.
I asked about memories and favourite trips on Vin Rose.
Alan- We love going to Arne Bay. One of the best days out was there. Lovely wine, lovely cruise, lunch with friends, sunny summer day. It was just a really nice day out.
We also loved a trip out to the Bournemouth Air show about 2 years ago. It was the first time we had anchored out at sea. We were just east of Boscombe Pier and in the flight path. It was amazing.
It can be the simple trips too, last Friday going to Lymington Yacht Club, although the wind was particularly unkind that day when I was mooring the boat.
The furthest we have been is to Yarmouth, Isle of Wight and Arne Bay. We go where we like and feel happy. To us it is about enjoyment.
The next part of the interview was extremely interesting and I’m highlighting it because if you would like to know more or would like a copy Alan has kindly provided me with one. My question was about the best bit of advice you would give to a new boat owner.
Alan- I would say do everything slowly. I hadn’t owned a boat before and I would just say don’t panic. Take your time.
I have little rituals, such as a checklist. I go through a kind of safety checklist whenever I go out on the boat. I also go through it with anyone who comes out on the boat with me. It enables everyone on the boat to know their role and how to be safe in the event of an emergency. I go through how to work the radio, where the flares are etc. It gives my passengers/guests that feeling of control back. They know what their role would be should anything go wrong. I have had guests on the boat who visibly calm down after I go through it with them. I think it makes them feel safe knowing that their and my safety is important.
I was so glad to hear this from Alan. I bet the RNLI wished everyone on the water were this sensible. This simple task before going anywhere on the water, encourages water safety, gives everyone a role when out on the water in the face of an emergency. The RNLI are not a recovery service. This foresight and planning that Alan goes through on every journey was inspiring. As said previously if you would like a copy of Alan’s checklist as a guide, he has given us a copy.
We then moved on to favourite places to go on Vin Rose.
Alan- We love going to Yarmouth IOW- It’s a nice trip, you can get there and back quite quickly and we love going to lunch at the Royal Yacht club.
Vin Rose is a beautiful boat and I wanted to understand why Alan chose her and what he loves most about her. I also asked about what features he was proud of.
Alan- The hull, it’s just beautiful. If I were ever to replace her, I would be looking for a similar style as hers. Don Shead designed her; she has a racing hull. It is just the nicest handling boat. She is 32 years old, I love the classic lines.
A while back a friend came aboard and leant on the back of one of the seats and I heard it crack. I knew it needed repairing but rather then send it away. I removed the seat, recovered it, repaired and re-stitched it. When I look at it, I know that’s my seat. I repaired it and I’m proud of that.
As Vin Rose is a motor boat I wanted to know if Alan would ever sail?
Alan- No, I don’t find it as much fun and I prefer the control of motor boating.
I also asked about Alan’s history with boats and what would be his dream boat.
Alan- I haven’t always had boats, we couldn’t get a beach hut when we moved to the area, so we bought a boat, but now we have both. We love the water and this is just great fun.
My dream boat is a Windy Ghilbi- It’s from around 2015 and from an Italian design house.
My final question to Alan and of course Vin Rose was about Avon Marina itself. I wanted to know what he loved about it
Alan- It’s idyllic, even though its tide dependent; we can sit here in this beautiful setting and wait for the tide to come in and go out. It’s just a nice place to be. Avon Marina is just a friendly place to be too.
I had a great time with Alan and Vin Rose, Thank you.
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