RUBY ROSE SETS SAIL FOR THE MED

Clients Embrace The Cruising Life Onboard Their Southerly 38

Three years ago, Terysa and Nick set off to sail around the world and started their online video blog to share their adventures onboard Ruby Rose. Here is how it all started.

After much deliberation, they chose a Southerly 38 to be their home and North Sails products to power them around the globe. Seven years, 22,000 miles, and 40,000 YouTube followers later, we caught up with Nick to find out how they manage shorthanded sailing and the reality of live-aboard cruising.

What inspired you to start your cruising journey?

I was working as a dentist in London and I got to the point where I realized that making money and working wasn’t making me happy anymore. I bought a cheap little boat and found a different life. Everyone was very friendly and I loved the freedom it gave me. I met Terysa a couple years later, and as you do, you sit and plan your future. One day we decided we wanted to sail around the Mediterranean. Then she said “why don’t we sail around the world?” Now you can’t back down with a new girlfriend! From there it just snowballed really.

So we bought a bigger boat, and then a bigger boat. And realized we had the boat. We both have the same mindset; we know a lot of people who make these big plans and have these great ideas, but they always find some obstacle to stop them from doing it. We refused to stop.

What made you choose a Southerly, and why do you think it’s ideal for cruising?

We had a 32-foot Hanse, and there was just not enough space. So we went to the Southampton Boat Show to look at other options. We wanted a boat that was bigger and well-built.

The Southerly has a lot of internal volume for a 40-foot boat. So we could live on it, and it was going to keep us safe. Oh, and it’s pretty.

Why did you choose North Sails to outfit your boat?

“What we value in sails now is multifactorial. It had to have good, quality sails. Quality to well know they are going to last. We’ve done seven years and 20,000 miles with the same sails.”

Which systems does Ruby Rose have that make your cruising lifestyle easier?

We added a third reef to the mainsail and ran all the lines back to the cockpit. We use a furler for the genoa. We’ve also got the North Sails Code Zero on a continuous furler . Those are things that enable us to short handedly sail in more comfort.

Except for the Code Zero, we don’t ever have to leave the cockpit to do anything. North Sails systems work well in conjunction with Selden; if you want a reef, you don’t even have to change the course of the boat. You just let the main all the way.

What’s the most stressful part about cruising lifestyle?

I think what we used to find stressful, like worrying that something is going to break, doesn’t happen so much now. We bought the boat new, but were always worrying about what was going to break next for fear it would happen at the most inconvenient time. But I think you just kind of get used to that once you get more comfortable with the whole situation.

The second stresser we had was anchoring. As soon as you get to the Caribbean, you have to get use to being at anchor and not worrying about dragging. We perfected our anchoring technique after speaking to some superyacht captains, and thankfully we have never dragged since.

Learning the limitations and the strengths of your own vessel we’ve discovered is most challenging.

What is your favorite port you’ve been to so far?

Everywhere has been magnificent. The first highlight was Martinique in the Caribbean. It was beautiful and very sedate.

It’s partly French, so you get to this beautiful little Caribbean island and you can still buy your baguette for a Euro. You can buy French wine and cheeses. We were like ‘Oh my God. This is so amazing.’

The second highlight was Morocco. We spent a month touring and they were the kindest, most lovely people we’ve ever met. They all wanted to talk to us. It was just beautiful. Challenging from the point of view of bureaucracy, but as a memory I think that is my number one destination thus far.

Where does your journey bring you next?

We thought long and hard about everything and we decided that we wanted to see the Mediterranean. I think we will go all the way to Cadiz this time. We tend to like more natural things. Filling up hotels and casinos is not for us. We’re going to head to the Med for the next couple years at the very least, then we’ll just see how it goes from there.

Wondering what Ruby Rose is up to? Check in to see where they end up next.