When Liz and I sailed to Kazikli we had dinner at one of the two local restaurants. This one allowed us to take dinner on a floating raft where we were able to pull ourselves along a cable out to 'sea'! When we needed table service, however, a little local lad had to jump in his oversize dinghy and row the second bottle of red over to us! Classic! [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

A memory to cherish - the 'official' naming ceremony. Proceedings hosted by Liz's mother, Dorothy, who opted to pronounce 'Esper' the posh, French way (we pronounce it 'esp-er'), and watch how she necks the rest of that raki! [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

A very good reason for going sailing. The footage says it all. [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

We had a very painful time listening to the commentary on the BBC World Service, but when we eventually heard that England had won the rugby world cup we dropped sail and celebrated with a swim somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic! Watch out for Rich slipping on the spinnaker pole and Dobby's superb drop dive. "Look how long his toes are, they're just like fingers!" And just look at the weather. Classic! [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

Just to prove that I'd done it, I recorded the moment I got the third sail up on my tod. As I say in the clip it may only have been 4 knots and the fenders were still out but it was quite an achievement for someone who has only been sailing for two years. I particularly like the shot of the bike chained to the mast! [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

This is just a very chilled scene, hanging out on Pigeon Beach, Antigua, as the sun set behind us. It's not a particularly exciting clip but it demonstrates what makes all that sailing across the Atlantic worthwhile. [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

This clip was recorded in 2003 and taken when we had reached exactly half-way across the Atlantic Ocean. The sunset was incredible and I was completely blown away by the idea of being as far away from land as I'd ever been in my life. This is apparent in my bumbling, nervous commentary. Recorded in 2003. [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

This still makes me laugh out loud when I watch this. I dunno what Johnny was doing but he was making good use of those municipal bikes we hired for the day in Cascais, Portugal. [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

Many dorado were caught on our Atlantic crossing and this is us bagging our first catch. It's a tiddler but it puts up a bloody fight. The fish is caught by Rich whilst Tim stains his shorts. Clip contains naughty swear words. [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

As every sailor knows, fresh water is worth its weight in gold, which is why someone had the bright idea of using an oncoming squall to take a quick shower. Pity poor old Dobby who was at the helm at the time. By the time he had covered himself in soap the rain had stopped! Keep an eye out for the skipper's skinny white ass. [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

We took quite a few clips of our trip from Cascais, Portugal to Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, though most are too big to optimise for the web. This one, however, best captures the crew relaxing whilst we bobbed up and down those Atlantic swells. Johnny on the trampoline, Tim showing off his balls and Dave reading. A rare sight. [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

When we returned to Antigua we stayed at Birdhouse, which overlooks the main harbour. Just check out the view and the size of those yachts! [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

You've seen this clip many times on nature programmes I guess but here is evidence that sailors are frequently accompanied by sea life. Shortly before this clip one of these pilot whales was jumping clean out of the water vertically. An impressive sight since pilot whales are considerably bigger than dolphins. [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

Goosewing

tim swim atlantic

As every sailor knows, fresh water is worth its weight in gold, which is why someone had the bright idea of using an oncoming squall to take a quick shower. Pity poor old Dobby who was at the helm at the time. By the time he had covered himself in soap the rain had stopped! Keep an eye out for the skipper's skinny white ass. [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

Many dorado were caught on our Atlantic crossing and this is us bagging our first catch. It's a tiddler but it puts up a bloody fight. The fish is caught by Rich whilst Tim stains his shorts. Clip containts naughty swear words. [] www.followtheboat.com [] * tales from the high seas *

DYNO S60 R

Flying my 7m2 Bullet powerkite for one of the first times, on a rare sunny day in the UK with winds 2-3 Bft. Plenty to lift me off my feet with this kite! Take 2

Flying my 7m2 Bullet powerkite for one of the first times, on a rare sunny day in the UK with winds 2-3 Bft. Plenty to lift me off my feet with this kite!