01
James & Claire
Skippering, working, passage planning and keeping family life moving—occasionally all at once.
A family afloat · UK & near-Europe
You don’t have to go far, go fast or go full-time.
You just have to go.
35k+subscribers
930k+channel views
42 ftof floating home
1very large retriever
01 Our way
Ordinary life, just with more tide tables.
The boat is part of family life—not an escape from it.
We’re James, Claire, Alexi and Stoffel. We sail Phoebe Jo around the UK and nearby European coast, fitting passages around work, home education, weather and the usual realities of family life.
There’s no grand declaration that we’ve escaped civilisation forever. We like capable boats, achievable adventures and leaving harbour before everything is perfect. Some days bring a beautiful sail. Others bring an enthusiastic dog, a questionable forecast and a throttle cable with ideas of its own.
More sailing than DIY is the plan. The boat does not always respect the plan.
02 The crew
Four ways of seeing the same horizon.
02
Alexi
Young skipper and home-educated crew. Maps, weather, wildlife, knots and boat systems have a habit of becoming lessons.
03
Stoffel
Golden Retriever, marina correspondent and enthusiastic judge of every dinghy journey.
Approximately 34 kg of morale
03 The boat
Beneteau Oceanis 423 Clipper · 2003
Meet Phoebe Jo.
She is a comfortable, capable three-cabin cruising yacht—not a floating showroom and never quite “finished”. We maintain and improve her, especially through the winter, but the purpose of the work is always the same: to go sailing.
- Home waters
- South West & Channel
- Style
- Family coastal cruising
- Philosophy
- Use the boat you have
04 The rhythm
Sail now. Mend when it’s raining sideways.
Spring / Summer
Go somewhere
Day sails, family passages, new harbours, dinghy expeditions and whatever the forecast allows.
Autumn / Winter
Make her better
Practical maintenance, sensible upgrades and honest accounts of the jobs that do—and do not—go to plan.
All year
Keep learning
Home education and boat life meet naturally: navigation, engineering, geography, weather and the living sea.
05 From the log
Recent films & Shorts
Small moments.
Big adventures.
Our Shorts are a big part of the channel, bringing plenty of viewers aboard for a quick taste of life on Phoebe Jo. A moment under sail, a glimpse of boat life, a little adventure between the longer films.
Watch our Shorts06 Work with us
Useful things, properly tested.
Partnerships that belong aboard.
We welcome relevant partnerships in marine equipment, off-grid power, communications, practical boat ownership, family travel and dog-friendly kit.
Products are used in the real world, aboard a real family boat. We value useful detail, honest conclusions and the trust of the people who watch us.
- Long-form films and natural integrations
- Short-form demonstrations and follow-ups
- Practical testing aboard Phoebe Jo
- Clear disclosure and independent opinion