{"id":8385,"date":"2016-12-08T10:47:33","date_gmt":"2016-12-08T08:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.victronenergy.com\/blog\/?p=8385"},"modified":"2018-12-24T13:51:43","modified_gmt":"2018-12-24T11:51:43","slug":"new-blogger-justin-tyers-burning-building-blogging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.victronenergy.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/08\/new-blogger-justin-tyers-burning-building-blogging\/","title":{"rendered":"New blogger Justin Tyers: Burning, building & blogging…"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s three years since I started writing and maintaining this blog, together with Matthijs. Now it’s time to spice things up a little with the addition of a new blogger. Justin Tyers is a published author and a fascinating off-beat character.<\/p>\n

I first came across Justin after having read his books; due also to a mutual passion for sailing and the fact that he and his wife Linda lived on the Scottish island of Islay that my Grandparents had adored and resided on. Any small island with five whisky distilleries<\/a> has to be interesting; back in my Grandparents days there were even more! I had planned to meet up there with Justin and Linda but life got in the way – and then I heard they were going off-grid and building a house made of straw…<\/p>\n

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Fascinated, I got back in touch and we discussed a series of blogs about this off-grid journey. But before Justin’s introductory blog, here’s a little historical background.<\/p>\n

Uninsured house fire<\/h3>\n

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Born in 1960 in Surrey, working in London selling telecoms and eating take-aways, Justin’s life was conventional until he set off on an ill-planned voyage by sailing boat, and returned a year later, broke and without the yacht.<\/p>\n

An uninsured house fire some years after that, in which he and his wife lost everything, seemed to put an end to any hope of further wanderlust – yet it turned out their adventures were only just beginning.<\/p>\n

Everybody’s greatest fear must be losing everything they’ve got – but Justin says: ‘Having nothing left to lose is strangely liberating – suddenly anything is possible.’<\/p>\n

Build your own boat<\/h3>\n

After the fire destroyed their house, Justin and his wife Linda irrationally decided to build a 15-ton classic yacht, as complete amateurs – starting with the trees. Working under the watchful eye of local sheep farmers who gave freely of their advice, how could they possibly fail? Once built, they set off for seven years aboard the prettiest boat you’ve ever seen to search out the hidden paradises and wildernesses in Scotland, France, Cornwall and Ireland, meeting the quirky, sometimes odd, but always entertaining characters who inhabit the shoreline.<\/p>\n

A five minute interview<\/h3>\n\n\n