In 2015, when I took on the task of sole ownership, Skipperhood and the need to learn to sail solo, I dared to dream that this vessel's steadying long keel, robust simplicity, warm timbers and curvaceous design, might provide me with sanctuary, adventure and community. This has come about and now 10 years on I find myself at the threshold of another leap.

In 2015, a break-up of 40 years of marriage upended life as I knew it and cast me adrift on a sea of grief and confusion. Under pressure to sell or buy out, I decided to take on Aziza as sole owner and soon realised that to have the freedom to sail at whim I would need to learn how to sail single-handed.

Dreams sometimes overpower reality. Lyle Hess understood that, and he didn’t want one of his wooden boats to be the cause of unhappiness. "I warn people, 'Don't build a boat if it's beyond your means, or if it's going to cause family trouble.