After nine years of circumnavigating the globe, the ‘old Seadog’ tells Laura Hodgetts he’s home to get patched up and a pension

Your cruising destinations, near and far

Dreaming of escape on Ireland’s far-flung islands, David Bradford finds the reality of remoteness not quite as simple as it seems

Moments enjoyed, lessons learned, handy advice, weird stuff that happened: welcome to the little bits and pieces that don’t make big stories, but do make all the difference.

Think of the Cote d’Azur and you think of refined opulence; F Scott Fitzgerald, Tender is the Night, Brigitte Bardot, Cannes Film Festival; glitz, glamour. The reality if you actually drive there is v

The next puddle is a big one. The competitor in front gives it a good go but decides to bail halfway through. His feet plunge into the muddy water as he hears me chaining up my gears behind him. He qu