Pete was a good friend to me and I will miss him deeply. We had some great adventures and got up to some hilarious nonsense over the years.
We were dismasted in the Firth of Forth on board his little yacht Tequila. Our job was to ferry a runner from Cellardyke to North Berwick to let the runner climb Berwick Law. We set off well reefed into a strong westerly closely following another boat carrying a runner. As we neared Berwick we began to overhaul the other boat and valour got the better of discretion and the reefs were let out. Lured into believing that the shelter provided by Fidra Island was a lull in the wind we close hauled and went for victory. Alas as we left the shelter of the island the sails backed then snapped back. A loud crack and the mast came down. We had the mast and sails on board and were motoring when the inshore lifeboat came to offer assistance. We declined and limped into harbour.
Another seaborne memory is of sailing Reaper from Anstruther to the Glasgow Garden Festival via the Caledonian Canal. As we sailed down the west coast from Corpach we reached Oban in the late afternoon on top of the tide. A planned shopping trip ashore was cancelled in favour of a chippie tea and quick return to sea to catch the tide to round the Mull of Kintyre. Pete and I finished our watch as the sun was setting and we sat on camp chairs at the bow drinking whisky as we watched the sun set behind the Paps of Jura over a glassy sea. Magical!
When Pete went off to NZ I missed him but we kept in touch and caught up when he visited Scotland. It’s a real blow to think I will never see him again in life, but while memory lasts he is still in my heart.
Keep on keeping on, my friend.
Findlay McLaren ( 06 Oct 2024 )
