Artemis is a “Rustler 36”. Only 125 of these boats were ever built; each one according to the wishes of the new owner – they were built when ordered and not “for the showroom”. One of the boats was wrecked and another was recently abandoned in the South Pacific during the Golden Globe Race so there are 123 out and about spread across the world.
We have a list of all 125 boats, who owns them and what differentiates them. Therefore whenever we see another Rustler 36, Neill scurries to the list to look it up. The West Coast of Scotland is a Rustler nest and we got quite used to meeting others. In Lochmaddy one berthed next to us and the owner came over for a chat. In the Outer Hebrides there were only two boats anchored in Vatersay Bay and the other one was also a Rustler 36.
Falmouth (where they were built) gave us another great Rustler spotting opportunity but since we left the UK we have been Rustler-less. Many people recognized our boat especially after a sister vessel won the Golden Globe and another came second. In Spain a Frenchman greeted us as “Monsieur et Madame Rustler” and in the Caribbean, the skipper of a huge luxury catamaran congratulated us on owning a “real” yacht.
Last week we sailed in to a lonely bay at the back of a small island in the Grenadines and, amongst the blocky white catamarans saw a Rustler 36. We sailed slowly past and invited the skipper and crew for coffee. Neill checked “the list” and was stunned to find that here, in the middle of nowhere, we had met the only other Rustler owned by a Hogarth – Dan Hogarth. Coffee on board was followed by drinks on the beach and Dan proposed us for membership of the Ocean Cruising Club.
And then today just north of Grenada we passed Rustler 36 number 15 heading north. Much waving took place on both vessels but they didn’t answer our radio call. A shame as the boat is from Chichester which we visited last summer.