Stood on the side of the lock at Preston marina admiring a lovely 21ft Van de Stadt I’d seen a week earlier at Hesketh Bank, I was quietly handed a home made bomb, passed with a sinister wink and instructions to wait for the right moment.

Tony has spent the last few years building a beautiful steel trawler, which, give or take a ruler or two, is about 50ft in length. Like everybody you’ll find in a boatyard, Tony had great plans for his creation, but due to the surplus of great plans that perpetuate in boat yards, it never seemed like anything other than a plan; a nice idea to ponder in the bar during a shared moment of fantasy as you hijack their dream and offer an opinion, just to play along.

I didn’t know Tony particularly well, indeed, the Yorkshire bastard never even invited me on to his boat other than to help lift the mast, but as I stood there, volatile device in hand, I decided I’d miss him a bit. Despite being from the wrong side of the Pennines, he was a joy to be around. It was almost impossible to sustain a bad mood in his company, and that great sense of humour was about to be returned.

The swing bridge opened, and Maranka made segue in to the lock with Tony’s fearful face at the helm and his undeserving wife filming the departure on deck. They took a line. That was our signal. The fist sized armaments were launched from the hands of twenty or so people stood along the lock, and as the water bombs exploded over the deck, we all cheered our goodbyes. His was not just a plan after all.

As I write this, the crew of Maranka will be in the Irish sea, bound for the Isle of man. Tomorrow they will make progress further North, and in a few weeks will be entering the Baltic Sea, before heading South through the rivers of Europe, and on to the Mediterranean. As the stern ventured past the outer lock and onwards to the horizon, I felt intensely jealous. Today, of all days to depart, marks exactly a year since I ventured forth from St Katherine Docks on my little boat.

I know what a life changing experience Tony and his wife are about to stumble upon. I know the hard moments they’re going to be faced with, and I know that despite everything else, they’ll be having the time of their lives, even if at times it doesn’t seem like it. No, I was wrong, it was admiration rather than jealously. I’m still building my next adventure, but Tony is now ready to live his.

I dedicate this post to anybody building a dream, pursuing a plan, or simply trying to get somewhere else. Trust me, you can do it, I was reminded of that today.

So, Tony, you white rose, wallet shy, wood butcher (Iroko, mainly). I doubt you’ll ever read this, but thank you for the inspiration, and I hope you enjoy every moment of it as I did… although have faith, since it will take hindsight to appreciate some of those moments

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