ABOUT ME
My name is April Boyes, Beyond the Boyes is a play on words representing my love of offshore sailing going 'Beyond the Buoys' and out to sea ... or off the beaten track.
Why have I started a sailing blog....
I have actually only been sailing for the past 5 years which most people are surprised to hear but when I was first inspired on a trip to Malta I thought it was out of reach... that it was too late for me and I hadn't been in dinghies since I was 4 years old. I'm not from a yachting background but grew up close to the sea and have always loved being on the water my dad used to take us out to see the seals in a small rib from the beach on the Isle of Mull on our annual camping holidays and adventures so I always loved that feeling of just being out on the water for hours.
With what started out as me booking my level 1 and 2 sailing courses quickly turned into volunteering every weekend and becoming a dinghy instructor at Debdale outdoor centre in Manchester. I then met a friend who I did my day skipper with and subsequently have been offshore sailing across the bay of biscay, racing on the south coast ...buying my own sailing dinghy and more recently competing at Antigua Sailing Week Regatta as well as competing in the Rolex Middle Sea Race and now looking forward to a Fastnet programme this year.I don't think more than a few weeks have gone by in the last 4 years when I haven't been on a sailing boat of some description.
I never would have believed 4 years ago I would have had the opportunities that have come my way. So I am excited to see where it takes me, and that has been a driver to start this blog to document and share my adventures on land and mostly on the sea and hopefully to inspire others