Hi, I’m Ollie!
Small Boat – Big Adventure
When It Started
Since I was a small child, I have been obsessed with being on the water, willing to get afloat in anything I could get my hands on, even if it didn’t quite float. My parents rebuilt a Mirror dinghy when I was 10, and I was able to let rip on the river, cashing in on every gust to try for max speed. But it was the lure of what lay over the horizon that intrigued me the most. What if I just sailed straight out of the harbour and kept going? Where would I end up? Infected with this sense of adventure, a lifelong obsession ensued: I knew that one day I would buy a yacht and sail over the horizon.
Dinghy Racing
Throughout my teens and twenties, I raced a 505 and Javelin competitively with my Dad, and I still regularly compete in my Javelin today. We lived for heavy weather and thoroughly enjoyed high performance racing among some of the best dinghy racers in the world. In my thirties, I found myself working offshore at a pearl farm in North Western Australia, yet the pull of fulfilling my childhood dreams eventually drew me back to my hometown of Southwold. There, I started to grow my family and get more involved in our local sailing community.
Small Boat
The reality of purchase costs, maintenance, berthing, and yard packages for a thirty foot yacht became clear: I simply could not afford the Bavaria 36 that I had always wanted. Instead, I stretched my budget sideways and purchased Elise for £1400. She is a 1984 Copland Harrier 20 lifting keel trailer sailer. This lockdown project allowed me to access yacht ownership and fulfill my childhood dreams of big adventures sailing over the horizon. A combination of dry sailing, keeping her afloat on a mooring, and winter driveway storage provides flexibility and independence while keeping costs low and delivering plenty of adventure.
Big Adventure
Since the purchase of Elise, I have sailed her over 2000 nautical miles in the North Sea. This includes regular trips on the East Coast to Harwich, the River Deben, Walton Backwaters, and Orford. In 2022, my friend Matt and I sailed Elise 90 miles from Southwold to Belgium, navigating through windfarms and crossing busy North Sea shipping lanes and pilot stations before arriving in Oostende in the darkness. This was the moment I had imagined ever since I was a small boy. Matt and I managed a second trip in 2024 which saw strong winds up to 30 knots, and in 2025, Graeme and I completed another trip, although we were storm bound for a week before we could return.
Family & The East Coast
When I am not pushing the limits offshore, Elise is the perfect platform for family life. My daughters, Nellie and Martha, are growing up with the same mud between their toes that I had. We spend our holidays exploring the hidden creeks and stunning estuaries of the East Coast. Watching them learn to handle the boat and gain their own confidence on the water is just as rewarding as any solo crossing.
50,000+ Sailors and Counting
My passion for helping others start their sailing journey stems from my time as a dinghy instructor, Commodore, and President of my local club. Since documenting my adventures, this has grown into a community of over 50,000 sailors and aspiring sailors. We celebrate this global network of people who inspire and support one another every day. This message of budget sailing is resonating globally, inspiring many to begin their own journey while proving that small boats can deliver big adventure.
What Next?
As my adventures continue to expand, so does my focus on onboard safety, rigging upgrades, power management, and navigation systems. I will be showing all of this and exactly how my adventures are powered. The weather scuppered Belgium this year, so Elise took on an East Coast adventure instead – now showing as a four-part series. Next up: the bowsprit and big asymmetric for a full send, Elise’s first Round the Island Race in 2027, and more North Sea crossings – the Frisian Islands, France and, one day, Round Britain.
Subscribe on YouTube
