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Seacracker.com has been created by Sue and John (Culli) Culligan owners of Seacracker 33 Maet. They live in South West France where they run a Chambres d'hotes, just a 40 minute drive from the Atlantic Coast. Maet is berthed in the marina at Royan on the Gironde estuary which offers sheltered sailing similar to the Solent.
Culli has been into sailing since the age of 14 starting on a gunter rigged dinghy and progressing onto Fireballs and then on to keel boats in later life. Sue caught the sailing bug in her twenties and crewed for various yachts in the racing fleet at Brighton Marina where she met Culli. Both have travelled many miles under sail on yacht deliveries, RORC races and cruising trips in the UK and Europe.
They bought Maet in 2003 just before they moved from the UK to France. Maet was at the time berthed in Newhaven, Sussex and in need of a bit of tlc. Culli's cousin Chris (a shipwright) completed most of the refit and in August 2006 they finally reached the top of the waiting list at Royan marina and she was ready for the trip to France. It was an eventful journey! Thanks to being holed by a rescue boat (a long story!) just off the Channel Islands Maet had a quick emergency repair in Guernsey and then sailed to Treguier where she spent the winter. In Spring 2007 she finally made it to Royan.
Since then Maet has enjoyed cruising around the west coast of France. In June 2008 Sue, Culli and their sailing mate Mike took her down to the North coast of Spain. Biscay lived up to it's reputation, an un-forecasted gale meant no respite in Arcachon as the entrance was too dangerous and one knock-down causing Culli to somersault across the chart table. Maet ploughed her way through it without a murmur of complaint and after 18 hours of being battered by wind and rain they arrived in Bayonne, the crew in a more fragile state than the boat.
For the last two years she has made more sedate trips around the islands of Oleron, Ile de Re and to La Rochelle plus regular trips across the Gironde to the bars and cafes at Port Medoc.
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