May 2016 – Phil Levermore

The Determined Sailor of Other People’s Boats

CNYC members are a varied lot. Some keep boats in home waters; others, despairing of finding that elusive British summer, prefer sailing in warmer climes. Many, though, prefer not to have a boat at all but get their sailing fix in other people’s boats. As a dedicated Sailor of Other People’s Boats (SOPB), Vice Commodore Phil Levermore recounted tall tales from his 25 years in borrowed boats. Having sunk a dinghy on the Serpentine aged 11, the only way was up. Racing in borrowed dinghies taught Phil how to bend yacht racing rules, whilst a week on the Sail Training Association’s tall ship, ‘Malcolm Miller’ give him an introduction to girls, beer, and navigation. Having explained how he convinced the RAF, to teach him how to sail yachts properly, Phil then described how a pub lock-in on Alderney lead to a rough Channel crossing and some important lessons being learned. Recounting the delights of chartering in the seas between Corsica and Sardinia, Phil concluded with his pean to UK yachting: ‘The UK Theme’.