If you peep into the forecabin, you may see what could be a manifesto for this boat, and indeed for life. It’s a quote from Dr Seuss, printed on a cushion on the double bed. ‘Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.’ Pete Goss’ unique sailing history not be liable for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage arising under these terms and It is something he doesn’t dwell on. “The Race was irresistible. You have a choice of taking an idea and doing it bigger or coming up with your own idea and doing something different. It was the coalface of technology and innovation. Yes, it’s a tough old one. You could say it was a great white elephant, but that does it a disservice. The tech is out there now.” Pete Goss planned Oddity to be the perfect yacht for the kind of cruising he aims to do. Photo: Lloyd Images these terms and conditions in full. If you disagree with any part of these terms and conditions, do

A crucial event in the 1980s was signing the contract with Carolina Herrera to create and market all her fragrances. The success with her perfumes spread into the area of fashion industry and the company started producing Herrera’s fashion. In late 1990 one of the first celebrities who created their personal fragrances, Antonio Banderas, formed an agreement for production with Puig. The company’s business grew more and more and they turned on acquiring even more brands and expanding the portfolio of their products. They moved on with Nina Ricci in 1998. Oddity is large enough to live on, but handy for two to sail and small enough to go through the French canals. Pete had never owned a gaff rigged yacht before, but this sail plan allows all the spars to be lowered by hand and fit within its overall length. Pete Goss has time for every passer-by. He answers all their questions and invites one man on board to look around. He listens to descriptions of their own boats and sailing history, but he doesn’t counter with his own. Pete Goss is one of the humblest people you could ever meet, and you might never realise the full story: this boat is the creation of one of Britain’s most heroic ocean racing sailors. As for whether I'd recommend AQ or Silver? For powerhouse fans, I would definitely go for Silver, by far. Silver is very woody and spicy, and if it weren't so dry and transparent, I'd call it a powerhouse. It's got some balls. Pete stayed in the Marines for nine years. “I never thought of it as a career,” he says. “I ended up as an instructor in the sailing centre just when it became a profession. But when I left the Marines with no qualifications it was a job. I had to make a living.”The name says it all. Oddity. Spelt out in a groovy 1970s font. Turquoise with a bright yellow tender, a big squared off coachroof, a gaff rig and daggerboards. This curious boat absolutely screams ‘Story!’

the photography may be of a different size of the same product. Please read the product description The little boat rows beautifully, according to Pete, and has a lug rig for sailing. It was built from a local mould. “One of the old fishermen said it came from the best of the boats that went out from Cawsand and Kingsand to the old [trading] luggers,” he says. When you want to stay in places, then the whole game changes,” he observes. “You go when the weather tells you and you have the time to really embed yourself in places like the upper reaches of rivers. Although sad about this, they were also free to imagine what might come next. An idea had been brewing in Pete’s mind. I remember him telling me some years ago that he wanted to build a small plywood epoxy cat-rigged boat. Oddity is not exactly that, but it definitely grew from those seeds, the vision of an uncomplicated, robust boat that could gently explore the coasts and canals peacefully overlooked in the scramble for ever bigger craft. I’ve done all the races I wanted to do. When I think of the Vendée Globe, [a campaign] is four to five years in the grind of the sponsorship and the business. The sailing didn’t quite offset that price for me, partly because I have such a diverse life. You are gifted such a small amount of life, just 11 hours per day to invest in something. I have already scratched that itch.”

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In 1988, Pete raced a 26ft catamaran, Cornish Meadow, in the Carlsberg Single-Handed Transatlantic Race. In 1990 he was taken on by Chay Blyth as a training skipper for the British Steel Challenge, a hugely ambitious westabout round the world race for amateurs. Pete raced as skipper of Hofbräu Lager, finishing 3rd. A few years ago, this wasn’t even on the horizon. In 2017 they launched Pearl, a Garcia 45 Exploration named to commemorate their 30th wedding anniversary, and set off across the Atlantic with the intention of sailing slowly round the world through the Tropics. Alright, I've just worn Aqua Quorum for about ten hours, and my opinion is that it's an okay scent - nothing great, nothing awful, nothing unique about it. However, I do think this is one that's going to grow on me the more I wear it. I don't regret buying it. I like Cool Water a lot better because I think CW smells less "sporty" than AQ, and I think CW is better balanced. What I like most about AQ is the drydown, which is very aromatic, woody and spicy, and just smells good. Longevity is also excellent - I can still smell it on me now. Puig is a brand builder specializing in translating fashion brands images into the world of perfume! From the beginning, the boat was known as Oddity – a humblebrag of course, and a nod to its licence to be the most practical, utilitarian little boat possible. It is, says Pete Goss proudly, “a farmer’s boat, a loveable scruff.” A tough little boat

The hull’s rounded bow gives it plenty of volume below and, along with its slight reverse sheer, a contemporary vibe. “She’s a mixture of modern and traditional,” Pete notes. Oddity was built over seven months in plywood epoxy glassfibre, a simple building method – the marine ply was cut with a jigsaw – and because, he explains, “we wanted a tough little bugger.” It could hardly be less like the pressured, high-cost, high-tech, high-profile world of yacht racing where Pete Goss made his name. But he insists he doesn’t miss any of that. They won’t come into a marina very often, but when they do, Pete Goss and his wife, Tracey will be doing a lot of talking. They were in Mayflower Marina in Plymouth when I met them, taking on fuel and water, and a steady stream of people stopped as they walked by. All asking, ‘What is this boat? What is she for?’ ender Qwerky is suspended from a galvanised steel gantry. Note transom board that’s also a bathing platform… and a ladder. Photo: Lloyd Images The boat suffered a severe structural failure during a training sail in the Atlantic and the crew had to be rescued. The various subsidiary companies bearing the Goss name were wound up.

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Pete and Tracey Goss were always jointly committed to these exploits. They first met as youngsters at Torpoint Mosquito Sailing Club near Plymouth, when Pete needed a crew for his Mirror dinghy. After school, Pete worked on a salvage tug, then joined the Royal Marines. On a bus one night he bumped into Tracey again. She was about to turn 21, and when Pete discovered she had no special plans to celebrate, he invited her out. The couple have been married for over 35 years, and have two adult sons, a daughter, and now a toddler granddaughter. Bennett flew out to Brazil in March to inspect the damage. “It’s pretty sad, really. The boat’s completely flooded. There’s only about an inch of freeboard. I had to step down into it from the dinghy. The mast was broken at the second set of spreaders.” The boat had been holed in several places, below the waterline at the bow and along the topsides. “There was heavy damage all along the side. Something had cut into the unidirectional fibres in the hull and in parts had punctured it. Some of the keel bulkheads have also given way now. The upshot is the boat is trashed.” A board closes off the transom between the two lifting rudders and hinges down to become a boarding platform, or can be dropped into the water to act as a ladder. Like so many details on Oddity it is simple, inexpensive, clever and totally foolproof. At the stern a galvanised steel arch provides a structure to support a Superwind 350 generator and 150W of solar panels (the boat has 260Ah of batteries), a saddle to support the mast when lowered and also houses, lifts and launches Oddity’s bright yellow tender, the aptly named Qwerky. We sat down with a glass of wine and drew the boat,” says Pete. There was no CAD software or computer modelling involved; they simply pooled their joint knowledge and “hundreds of years of experience in different boats.”