Names of Owners (and crew):  Terry and Elaine McCarroll

Nationality: Australian

Boat Name: Virgo’s Child

Boat Type/Model and Size:  Cheoy Lee 41

Your Home Port:  Ballina, NSW

How did you start cruising?

I was racing dinghies and occasionally helping friends sail their yachts on short coastal passages when the cruising bug hit me. I began doing longer passages to the Whitsundays and back and finally a cruise to Fiji via Lord Howe Island really set the scene for a more suitable live aboard yacht. My wife was not a sailor at all at that stage and was a bit reluctant, to say the least, when I broached the subject of buying a yacht.

I think the words she used were “Are you nuts” – probably with an expletive added too. Finally and reluctantly she came around and our search began for a suitable yacht.  After many trips up and down the coast to look at various yachts we had almost given up.  We had seen some awful boats, when a friend in our home port decided to sell his yacht which I had sailed on a number of times and it was a done deal. We were the new owners of a Cheoy Lee 41. We spent 12 months refitting her and then moved aboard.

Describe what sort of cruisers you are:

We were liveaboard circumnavigators.  With a reluctant wife I began with short coastal passages to get Elaine used to the yacht. Elaine got terribly sea sick and I thought my dreams were shattered, but like the trouper she is she persevered and the rest – like they say – is history.

What type of cruising are you doing currently?

None – ill health has forced us into a position where we had to sell our beloved yacht because we could not keep her up to the standard we had set.

What were the key reasons you selected your boat?

We knew the work that the previous owner had done. I had sailed on her before and knew how she handled. She was pretty, solid and sound and the price was within our budget.

What other boats have you owned?

A 16 FT Trailor sailer in which I taught Elaine to sail, a 32 FT coastal cruiser and a couple of dinghies.

What changes did you make to your boat?

When we bought the Cheoy Lee, which we renamed Virgos Child, she had little in the way of equipment that I deemed necessary for safe passage making. Out went the Loran and in went the GPS. The old VHF got turfed out and in went a new one in a more accessible location.

I replaced all the standing and running rigging, changed her from sloop to cutter rig and had all the sails checked. She was given a new varnish job down below and all the bare teak on deck was coated with Sikkens Ctoll.

Most useful equipment fitted and reasons for this choice:

Half way through our circumnavigation, AIS became available so we fitted one in Grenada and although we had fitted a radar and HF radio along the way as funds became available, I consider it to be the best asset we have added at that time. It made the watch keeper’s job much easier, especially at night, and proved its usefulness many times over.

Equipment regrets, or things you would do differently:

No regrets at all, however some times Virgos Child would let me know when I was neglecting her. One thing that I learned very quickly was that some so called “experts” on boat repairs aren’t experts at all.

List the countries you have cruised:

Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Oman,Yemen, Eritrea, Sudan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Malta, Tunisia, Spain, Morocco, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, Caribbean, Columbia, Panama, Galapagos, Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Vanautu and on other yachts South Africa, St Helena, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil.

Future cruising plans:

None – unfortunately ill health has changed that.

List the oceans/seas you have crossed:

Pacific, North and South Atlantic, Indian.

Approximate sea miles:

Nearly 90,000.

Scariest day on the water:

When we were struck by lightning in Mahon, Majorca in the Mediterranean. We then sailed to Gibraltar and got repairs done (thanks Alliance insurance). The night we finished the repairs a massive storm came through, smashing the Queensway marina, sinking several yachts and putting a ship onto Europa Point.

Best cruising moment:

Too many to add up, but they far out way the bad moments. Three months cruising in the Red Sea is up there. San Blas Islands (Panama), all the South Pacific Islands, Galapagos…..

Favourite cruising area and why:

The Mediterranean because of its diverse cultures. Except for the crowds.

Favourite anchorage:

Tranquil Bay – Ionian – Greece.

Favourite cruising websites:

Noonsite,

Favourite cruising books:

All Miles Smeaton books.

What advice or message would you want to pass on to anyone new to cruising or thinking about casting off the dock lines?

Firstly, if you want your partner to go (and they don’t sail), teach them to sail and don’t scare the life out of them by being a idiot on the water. Get a good boat and learn how to fix it because there is no roadside assist on the water.  However, you will always find a fellow cruiser willing to help or offer advice. Remember, all the gadgets in the world won’t help you if you haven’t got the basic seamanship and navigation skills.

Go now, because tomorrow might be too late!

Don’t sit around thinking about the horror stories you hear around the yacht club bar for those stories are usually told with a little embellishment as they get retold. The good times, the magical sunsets and sunrises, the people you meet and the places you visit far, far outweigh the bad.

Why cruise? In a few sentences, what is it that inspires you to keep cruising?

If it wasn’t for some serious health issues we would be still cruising. We consider it the best years of our life. The wonderful memories, the amazing people we’ve met and the life long friends that we have made are very special memories for us.

Any other comments:

The sea is great leveler. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or how poor you are, if the sea gets rough it gets rough for everybody. A well-found boat and a bit of common sense added to some sailing skill is all you need to make your dreams come true.

Terry and Elaine McCarroll

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.

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