Time to Swallow my OYT Anchor

Friday 31^st October 2025

1200 hrs

Back in April I had sailed on Prolific for two trips, P25-03 and P25-04, with crew. During those trips it became apparent that my hearing was causing me problems. I was struggling to hear what was happening on deck and more distressingly when the entire group got together in the evenings. A group of teenagers are always loud, but the noise was getting to painful levels. Usually, I worked round the problem, by making sure I was facing people when they spoke on deck or heading off after supper to the aft galley with a brillo pad in hand to scrub pots and pans as it was quieter.

One particular night I lay in my bunk quietly grappling with the problem and coming to the conclusion it was time to 'swallow this particular anchor'; this would be my last season as Sea Staff. Originally, I planned to finish in 2026 when I was 64. At the end of every OYT voyage members of Sea Staff have a chat with the Skipper reviewing the trip and working out any additional training needs. During this chat I talked over both the decision and reasoning over. After arriving home I mulled over both the decision and the conversation for a few days before dropping an email to Mark, the CEO, and Caz, the COO, advising them of my decision, but committing to the three back to back voyages already booked at the end of the season.

Thus driving up to Southampton was a bitter, sweet experience as I knew it was going to be my last time that I would be joining Prolific.

Back to back trips are exhausting, both physically and mentally, and I had only done two trips 'back to back' in the past. I knew that was going to be more of a challenge, but had both the experience and resilience to cope, and the backing of some super skippers and Sea Staff.

On all three trips I was used as a mentor watch leader, there to guide and assist a trainee or newly qualified 3^rd mate. The systems onboard Prolific are a big step up from many people's experience on a yacht. More lines, bigger lines, sails that look as big as a tennis court, and a bowsprit really do change the game. It takes time to be comfortable at this scale while also considering the skills and experience of the crew. Many have never sailed before and some, especially from the large cities, have never seen the sea. Being onboard for some is a challenge in itself.

I loved my time on Prolific, but knew it was time to swallow this particular anchor.

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Prolific Log

	Distance NM	Underway	Avg SOG knots	Max SOG knots	Night Hours
46:	84.30	11h 25m	5.53	10.30	0h 00m
47:	89.90	18h 35m	6.00	7.00	2h 20m
48:	63.00	15h 15m	4.13	8.00	0h 00m
Total:	237.20	45h 15m	5.24	10.30	2h 20m

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Updated: 29/11/2025