Sailing Through Memories: Frances’ Lifelong Adventures

A chance conversation with a resident at one of North Wales Housing Extra Care Schemes has revealed a treasure of stories.

A lifetime of memories of sailing and travel adventures by resident Frances Martin have been documented in over 140 journals and now sit proudly displayed in her flat.

Frances explains she got into sailing when she met her husband Peter, a keen sailor.

“I loved sailing. I only ever sailed with my husband. Just being on the water and being away from land was wonderful. All the children came too. We did a lot of sailing, and we had a lot of fun with it.”

Frances proudly shows off a painting which captures the then young family on board their six-berth boat in the 1970s on the Menai Strait.

“We cooked on board and slept on board,” adds Frances, who laughs at the memory of not doing so well when they entered races as their yacht wasn’t a fast boat.

“I used to enjoy sailing. I am not one of these people who was dragged along. I very much enjoyed being part of the crew. Sailing is a fun thing to do if you like it. If not, you can be thoroughly miserable! I met a few miserable people who were sailing because their husbands liked it.”

The family also went on many European holidays and Frances would take the time to write journals and keep scrapbooks so nothing was forgotten.

Her son Mike said:

“My parents were members of Port Dinorwic Sailing Club and sailed various dinghies there, but all their cruising was done on a 26 ft boat, called the Sea Major.

“It was moored off the pier in Bangor. Lots of day sails were spent going to Beaumaris and back with the tides.  All our summer holidays were spent sailing going to Llanddwyn and Puffin Island a lot in the early years.

“Further afield the boat was sailed to Ireland, around all of the British coastline bar the north of Scotland, France, Belgium and Holland.

“As my father was a bit of a purist, this was all done under sail!”

“My parents even sailed around Galapagos Islands on a small boat as part one of my parents post-retirement holidays”

Frances  has framed photographs of her family sailing trips dotted around her lounge.

“They bring back happy memories” she tells us with a smile.