KazUmoya

I finally joined the ranks of boat-owners in 2006, when I purchased a Drascombe Cruiser Longboat. A test sail in a gentle F3 on a lovely sunny summer's day clinched it for me - I was hooked. It was only on a later sail that I realised she doesn't have the stability and forgiveness of a yacht - this is a dinghy with attitude!

The boat - stemhead number 411 - has had at least two previous owners and at least two names, so I thought I should keep in with this particular boat and change her name again.

KazUmoya is named after a friend, Karen Garside, who I met and taught whilst working in Swaziland. Karen had a real zest for life, an adventurous spirit and a mischievous nature, but tragically lost her fight against cancer in 2005. Her spirit lives on in a boat which mirrors her nature. Umoya is a Swazi word for spirit, in particular air and wind.

In 2008 I took the sad decision to sell Kazumoya, as we didn't have enought time to sail her. I would rather she be sailed, than just admired by those walking past her on the pontoon. The spirit live on though!