JERSEY BUOYS

In my humble opinion as a television travel journalist of more than 30 years’ experience, the Channel Islands are without doubt one of the best places on this planet to live, work and play. Being a group of islands surrounded by the sea means boats of all shapes and sizes are almost a compulsory purchase here.

I bought my first speed boat at 16 and within months found myself racing between Jersey, France and Guernsey at breakneck speeds. In those pre-GPS days, my navigation was a simple point to point exercise with soggy charts, a compass, dividers and a lot of luck. I was and still am a petrolhead. Slightly embarrassing for me to admit as Commodore of the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club, whose members are predominantly of the ‘rag and stick’ variety.

I currently own a Fairline Targa 38 called Swift Turn. Built in 1994, she is almost a classic vintage but was fully refitted in 2018 and, like most Fairlines, has aged extremely well. Her distinctive hull still looks in keeping with the modern, sleek style of craft being produced today. Despite the Targa 38 model name, she is actually 39ft 6in long – unless of course I’m filling in a marina form, when she