James
James has simple requirements: a computer, a pair of running shoes, and an adventurous travelling companion - though not in that order of course! These things all seem likely to fit perfectly well on Scout.
Professionally, James moves fast and tries not to break things. This also seems like a good strategy for spending time on a boat… so this should be a blast.
Recent posts by James
Fiji's Lau Group
After a week or two in the wonderful Nawi Island marina in Savusavu, Scout was back out on the water.
To Minerva Reef and Fiji
After six months in New Zealand, we said farewell to Opua and the Bay of Islands, and pointed Scout north into the autumn South Pacific. Ahead of us was an 833 mile passage to Minerva Reef, and then on to Fiji.
Landfall in New Zealand
From Minerva Reef we set off south on the last passage of the season, to New Zealand. In the last days of a long passage, it’s just us and the endless seas.
Samoa
After a seven-night sail from Penrhyn, and a feisty finish, we tucked into Apia, Samoa. A new country, a new flag, and at least a week to explore it!
The Tuamotus Again, and Bora Bora
Back on board after three weeks away, and with Jex joining us as crew for this leg, we pointed Scout north from Tahiti. We were going back into the Tuamotus, but this time to some of the atolls we’d missed on the way through. First stop: Makatea.
The Marquesas: Ua Pou and Nuku Hiva
After three weeks exploring the southern Marquesas, we pointed Scout north to Ua Pou and Nuku Hiva.
24 Days Across the Pacific
From the Galápagos to the Marquesas is 3,321 nautical miles, and it took us 24 days. Here’s how it went, more or less.
Into the Pacific: Panama to the Galápagos
It’s 850 miles from Panama to the Galápagos, straight through the doldrums. In February, this was always going to be a light wind affair.
Hauled Out and Through the Panama Canal
One week we were anchored off uninhabited islands in Bocas del Toro, and the next, Scout was sitting in Bahía Limón, surrounded by container ships all queuing for the Panama Canal. We weren’t transiting for another month, but the Pacific was suddenly very close.
Recommissioning and the San Blas
Four months is a long time to leave a boat sitting in the tropics. Scout had waited out hurricane season in Cartagena, and before we could point her towards the Pacific, there was some recommissioning to be done.
Sailing East to Cartagena
In early May we said our farewells to San Pedro, Belize, and pointed Scout’s bow into light headwinds, with no firm idea of where we’d end up. We’d let the wind sort out the details.
The Cayman Islands
In 1503, on his fourth voyage, Christopher Columbus came across a pair of low islands swarming with turtles, and named them Las Tortugas. We arrived in Grand Cayman some 521 years later - though with GPS, PredictWind, and a father in Devon watching our every move, we had rather less excuse for getting lost than he did.
The Windward Islands - And the End of a Chapter
After enjoying our final few days in Îles des Saintes, Guadeloupe, we pushed south. It was a brisk sail - at least until we reached the swirly and confused winds at the northern end of Dominica.
The Leeward Islands
Our overnight sail from the Virgin Islands led us down towards Saba, a remote volcanic island of famously precipitous towns and livelihoods. As dawn rose, we could see it to the west off to our starboard side.
The Virgin Islands
After our enjoyable month in Puerto Rico, it was time to start the final three parts of our journey: the Virgin, then Leeward, then Windward Islands.
The Dominican Republic
After our pleasant overnight sail from the South Caicos, the lush smell of tropical mountainsides reached us just before sun rose. And when it did, we were treated to a dramatic welcome to our next stop, the Dominican Republic.
The Bahamas, Part 1
Thanksgiving over and done with, it was time to wait for that elusive weather window that would let us leave the USA and comfortably cross the Gulf Stream to The Bahamas.
Charleston to Florida
Once tropical storm Nicole had passed through Charleston, it was time to get going again. We were on a mission to get to the Bahamas by December, and that meant West Palm Beach in Florida for Thanksgiving.
New York to Annapolis
Timing the currents carefully, our next chapter started by navigating our way through the one and only New York City. From Port Washington, we headed through Hell Gate, and down the East River, before popping out by the Statue Of Liberty.
Back "Up" from Maine
Bar Harbor proved to be our most easterly destination. While we had teased ourselves with the idea of heading a little further on towards Canada, it was mid-August, and the weather seemed to be changing. We decided to start heading south towards New York, where we needed to be by September.
Belfast, Maine
Jayne had to leave Scout to head back to California, leaving James on a mooring ball in Belfast for a week - enough time to address the boat’s growing to-do list!
Portland to Hurricane Island
After several weeks of anchoring, we needed to come into a marina in Portland to pick up some items and fix a few things before swinging east towards Penobscot Bay, and into ever more beautiful terrain.
Port(smouth) to Port(land)
After a few days in lovely New Castle and Portsmouth, it was time to head north into Maine. We were doing this route the slow way, looking for fun little places along the way - and hoping for fun day-sail blasts down the coast.
Newport to Boston
With Scout’s sails installed after her trip across the Atlantic, it was time to take her up from Newport towards Boston. After a few sea trials and motor-sailing across the English Channel, this was really the first major sail of her life!
Introducing... Scoot!
Having settled onto a mooring ball in Newport, the next job was to get the sails up on Scout, and test out her new dinghy, Scoot.
Coming to America
Scout took just ten days to make it across the Atlantic and arrived very safely (and still quite clean!) in Newport, Rhode Island.
Next Stop: Newport
Many weeks later than expected, Scout finally hitches a lift in Southampton - and starts her 10-day trip across the Atlantic to Newport, Rhode Island.
Handover
After having been gently lowered into La Manche, it’s time for Scout to get to know her new owners - us! In northern France’s last few days of summer, we finally climb onboard, and start the lengthy handover process from the Garcia yard.
Days Away
Scout is not quite finished, but we are now down to the last few steps of the build. She is due for her first swim in the English Channel in just over a week, and the race is on to complete the final fit and and finish.
Top and Tail
Scout is about a month away from splashing into the English Channel. The yard is racing on the interior and the remaining systems. Most notably, Scout now has a roof!
Woodworking
The wooden flooring and walls are starting to go in, and as a result it’s getting easier to visualize the inner layout of Scout. The electronics network has been started, and there have even been a few important developments up top.
Lots of Progress
We just had a huge drop of new photos from the yard and the progress on Scout has been incredible! There are too many photos to include in this post, but here are a few of the highlights. Every system seems to be coming along quickly and we have fun every week trying to work out what is what.
The Fuel System
Boats have a number of critical systems, whether electrical, navigational, or water and sanitation. But when the wind isn’t blowing, or you need to maneuver in tight spaces, the engine system is the one you care about most. And, in turn, an engine is nothing without the fuel system!
Painting Done; Interior Begun
Scout has moved from the paint yard to her final construction spot. That doesn’t mean she’s anywhere near finished yet! But the paint is done, and we expect that the interior work will now begin in earnest.
More Coats
It turns out that there are more coats of paint required than we realized. So not much other progress to report on apart from a few successive shades of grey!
Staying Warm - And Cool
Whilst preparing the exterior paint, the yard is multitasking. On the inside of Scout’s hull, the insulation is going in. The top of this rectangular frame will be the raised dining table floor so you can also get a sense of how much storage there will be under the cabin - for water, fuel, food, and maybe wine!
Getting Dressed
It’s been over a month since the last update from France but Scout has been on the move! After the welding finished in Condé-sur-Noireau a few weeks ago, she has been moved 100 miles or so to Cherbourg, and is currently in the paint yard, awaiting her first outfit.
Scout Has Holes
Another week, another update from the welding yard in Condé-sur-Noireau. It looks like this was a week of cutting holes! We have a few new photos showing the details.
Front of the Line
As the construction progresses, the hulls seem to move forward in the factory, and Scout now sees daylight! It seems like this first part of her conception is starting to come to an end.
The Right Way Up
After a short interlude, we just got a new series of photos from the welding factory. There’s a whole lot of new progress to share - and no more having to turn our phones upside-down to imagine what’s going on!
Skin on the Bones
Scout is coming along quickly, and now has a hull to speak of. Time for a cheeky return trip to the factory see whether things have progressed. And so they have…
The Electronics
Scout is barely more than an aluminium skeleton, but we’ve already been thinking ahead to what is going to be installed on and inside her. As the build progresses, we’ll share some of the decisions we’ve made about the layout, the rigging, and various other systems - such as those for the electrics, water, and propulsion.
Back to the Welding Factory
It’s time to share the next set of photos from the welding factory. And work is continuing apace.
An Update
Well, it’s been over a year since we set up this website and shared the news that we were buying a new boat called Scout. But 2020 wasn’t exactly a normal year, and so you might be wondering what’s happened to this project!
