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The crew




Grahame Solway - skipper (pictured above)

Born in Nottingham in 1947 (about as far from the sea as you can get in this country), Grahame attended West Bridgford Grammar School and then read Architecture at Cambridge.  He joined his present practice in 1977 and retired as Senior Partner in September 2011.  

He was first introduced to sailing aged 29 and 'didn’t know what he was doing, but was totally hooked'.  Now, over 30 years later, he says he, ’still doesn’t know what he’s doing, but is still totally hooked’.  Early sailing around the Solent soon led to long weekends to France; ‘a week or two pottering around the ports of Normandy’ has been an annual event for many years now. In addition, Grahame has sailed in the Greek Islands and helped to deliver a 35’ yacht to Portugal.

After sailing with others he bought his first boat, a 26’ twin-keeled Westerly Griffon in 1987, sold her in 1988 and bought her back in 1990!  His next boat was a 29’ fin-keeled Seamaster Sailor, ‘Seduction’, in which, with his retired friend Andrew, he first sailed around Britain in 1999 (‘Seduction All Round’!).  The third boat was a lighter, faster, 32’ Feeling 326 which he sold in 2005 to buy his present boat, the 49’ centre cockpit cutter, Sentosa.  Built in Taiwan in 1983 for an American couple living in Hong Kong, Sentosa is the veteran of two South China Seas Races and two Fastnets.  Grahame still sails mainly in the Solent but is looking forward to his second circumnavigation of the British Isles with ‘the other Graham’ (see below).  He was moved to ‘offer’ the trip to the Cure Parkinson’s Trust after reading Tom Isaacs’ book, ‘Shake Well before Use’.   Tom and Lyndsay are to join him for some of the voyage around Scotland.

Click here for the Skipper's Blog




Graham Ferris - crew (pictured above)

Born in Morden Surrey in 1946 (note: he was called Graham first!).  Attended Canterbury Road Boys School, first learning to sail at the Thames Young Mariners Base, Twickenham, at 13 years of age. His first craft, a canoe built with his fathers help, was followed by a variety of dinghies and odd things that floated.   Always keen to go to sea, he managed to scrape into the Norword Technical College (at the second attempt) to study, eventually qualifying as a Merchant Navy Radio Officer.

Joined the Royal Fleet Auxiliary as a sea going radio officer in 1966 and in that capacity served in the Far East (Singapore), Middle East (Malta) and West African coast.  Then a short period with the British Post office before moving into radar engineering with Air Traffic Control, a department of what was at that time the Civil Aviation Authority.  With ATC after a brief (and noisy) period in a small dug out on the left of the main runway at Heathrow, in 1976 he was transferred to the original WW2, but now newly refurbished, radar station at Ventnor on the Isle of Wight, eventually becoming the station’s ‘Officer in Charge’ before his retirement in 2006.

Once at Ventnor and living on the island, Graham was in the fortunate position to be able to indulge in his great and life long interest in the sea and sea faring, racing as crew on many different yachts.  His present yacht, the Contessa 32 Barbie, can be seen moored in Cowes outer harbour. Graham has skippered charter yachts in Greece, Turkey, Malaysia, Thailand and the Seychelles.Graham, a veteran of numerous Round the Island races, is pleased to have been given an opportunity (at last!) to go right round ‘the north island’ (as it’s called by the islanders).
Related Topics Graham Ferris, Grahame Solway, The Crew
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