Savills |

21 | WATERFRONT

Another story comes to mind of one of our first overnight trips in Just

So. We wanted to sail all the way to Plymouth and return to Warsash, at

the mouth of Southampton Water, within the week. This was some 30

years ago before a lot of the high tech navigation or weather reports that

are available today. We set off for Poole Harbour and everything was

going well. Crossing Lyme Bay however, a good forecast quickly became

bad and we found ourselves out in the Channel with no safe port for

miles and miles. One of our first night sails had become a baptism of fire,

or rather water. It was raining and waves were breaking over the deck.

We were now sailing more into the waves to give ourselves distance from

the shore and we were not enjoying ourselves any more. Plymouth, the

only safe port to enter in these conditions, was a long way off. Then, out

of the drizzle, wind and waves behind us came a small ship. A coaster

lying low in the water with lights blazing, catching us up fast. As she got

abreast of us she slowed to match our speed (no more than 4/5 miles

an hour) and positioned herself so she was between us and the waves.

She was acting as a break water and taking the full brunt of the wind

and sea. The sailing instantly became much more manageable. She

chugged along at our speed all the way to Plymouth where she peeled

off as we turned for shore. She flashed her lights and we did the same

and she disappeared into the night. Gone, but forever in our memories.

So as a keen sailor you obviously spend a lot of

time by the water and are clearly inspired by

coastal life. You lived in rural Staffordshire for

much of your life, but some years ago you

relocated to Norfolk. Has this change of setting

influenced your work and encouraged you to

paint coastal life (beach huts, seascapes,

boathouses etc.) which has become a hugely

successful part of what you do?

I used to go to Swanage as a boy with my family.

We would stay in a caravan and hire a beach hut and

I have fond memories of these holidays - whatever the

weather I always remember it as being sunny. When

we first moved here, we went for a walk along the

beach at Wells-next-the-Sea and seeing that famous

row of beach huts brought all those wonderful

memories flooding back, accompanied by that feeling

of being on holiday. Much of my work is about

memories – both my own and those of the person

viewing the painting.

Q3 .