When I was a child my family spent all our weekends and vacations on the water. My best memories are of the five of us on the boat, swimming, diving competitions from the bow, warm sandwiches which my mother hauled around in a cool box.

It wasn’t all plain sailing (excuse the pun). My mother would panic the whole time we were in the marina, worried about watching us with armfuls of kit for the day ahead. My father would be giving us a constant count down to low tide. My sisters would cry or refuse to get on of the water was even the smallest bit choppy. But then once we were moving…Every weekend felt like a new adventure.

We got older, my sisters and I started our own families and my parents became less mobile on their feet so they sold the boat. For a decade or so none of us had a boat, even though I live only metres from the ocean. 

Then my wife showed me the Iguana on Instagram. As soon as I saw it I knew it was the boat for us. Finally I thought,  something I could get my parents on board without worrying.

The day she was delivered the entire family came over. The children were all over it in seconds, and to my surprise I watched as my father took the handrail and climbed the ladder without hesitation with my mother hot on his heels. 

We headed straight for the ocean and we were sailing within minutes…And just like that I was 10 years old again. The only thing missing was some warm sandwiches! 

My dad still checks the tide times, even though I tell him we don’t need to do that. The Iguana comfortably gets us out any time, even though the land at my house is soft mud in low tide, the Iguana comfortably climbs through it. 

That was more than a year ago, since then we’ve used her just about every weekend, be it with the children, or just me and my parents. It never ceases to amaze me how easy they find it to board her.  The Iguana didn’t just bring back my old family memories it gave me new ones. It gave me time with my parents that I never thought I’d have.