RWC: How did Guy and the RWC staff influence your cruising plans?

JF: Actually, I had no cruising plans before I met Guy. I was thinking about buying a boat to live aboard; at the time, I thought that was pretty “out there.” Guy helped me find the right boat, which took a bit of work: I’m 6’2”, and finding a boat that I could fit in was a bit of a challenge. I was also working on a limited budget, which made it even more difficult.

RWC: What boat did you eventually find?

JF: A 1969 Islander 37. She was named “Beyond”, but I changed the name to “Je Suit Prest,” the Fraser family motto. That was a mistake.

RWC: Why was it a mistake?

JF: Most communications on a boat take place using a VHF radio. If your boat’s name is difficult to understand, it creates no end of problems. Guy warned me about that, but I didn’t pay attention.

RWC: What lead you to choose the Islander 37?

JF: Guy was really good at helping me define my needs. Like I said, my height was a major limiting factor: there just aren’t that many boats out there that are comfortable for a tall person. Beyond that, there are many different choices that have to be made: fast vs. comfortable, big vs. small, lots of storage vs. lots of living space. It’s very difficult to decide what’s important, but Guy lead me though the process, and we came up with a list of things that I wanted in a sailboat. “Beyond” filled most of those needs.

RWC: “Most” of the needs? Not all?

JF: Nope. All boats are compromises. I understand that now, but I had a hard time with it when I was starting out. The Ideal Boat would have lots of room, lots of storage, be fast, easy to handle, steady in a storm and nimble in a light breeze. That boat just doesn’t exist, so you have to choose which bits are more important.

RWC: Did you go cruising in that boat?

JF: No. As it turned out, I fell in love with someone who wanted to go cruising. In a bit of a turnabout, the woman convinced the man to go cruising.

RWC: Why didn’t you go in the boat you had?

JF: “Beyond” was my boat. For a couple to successfully cruise, it has to be “their” boat. We needed a boat that fit both our needs. Guy helped us with the second boat, too.

RWC: What was your second boat?

JF: “Kestrel”, a 1974 Islander 34

RWC: Another Islander? And a smaller one?

JF: Yup. I like Islanders, or at least some of them. Islander Yachts has a bit of a spotty history, so some of the boats are excellent, others not so good. That’s the value of having a good surveyor. We ended up with a smaller boat, because a smaller boat costs less, both in terms of purchase price and also in terms of upkeep. We had a certain amount of money we could spend on the cruise; we decided that it was more important to stay out longer than have a bigger boat.

RWC: How did that work out?

JF: Good! Sometimes, of course, we thought it’d be nice to have a bigger boat, but it was always a treat when we bought less diesel fuel than our cruising friends, or paid less for our moorage when we tied up in a marina. A bigger boat has more space and goes faster, but a littler boat can anchor in tighter anchorages. Like Guy taught us, every boat is a compromise.

RWC: Would you recommend the services of Guy and RWC to a friend?

JF: Absolutely. I’ve seen him work with dozens of cruisers and potential cruisers; Guy is patient, helpful, astoundingly knowledgeable, and he keeps his sense of humor no matter what. He’s an incredibly valuable resource.

RWC: Thank you.