Bare Necessities - luxury crewed yacht stars on ITV All At Sea

I was delighted to see one of Dream Marine's favourite Elite charter yachts playing a starring role on Thursday evening's edition of the ITV programme ‘All At Sea'. If you haven't seen it yet, the premise of the programme is that two teams of celebrities are sailing around the UK on board a series contrasting vessels. So while one team is earning their keep on a working ship for the day, the other travels in style aboard a more luxurious craft.

The celebs in question are: Team A - travel presenter Mark Durden-Smith (son of Judith Chalmers), talented and versatile TV chef Rosemary Shrager and Bradley Walsh, former game show host and Coronation Street's Danny Baldwin, and Team B - Dawn Porter (How to Look Good Naked) Richard Madeley (without Judy!) and Nick Hancock (They Think It's All Over).

This week the role of luxury vessel was taken by the gorgeous 82' luxury Oyster ‘Bare Necessities', a sleek £5 million yacht currently based on the South Coast of the UK and available for charter.

Heading out into the Solent from Portland Marina, near Weymouth, she sailed serenely along Dorset's Jurassic coastline past some of my old stomping grounds - shadowing the Dorset Coastal path past the imposing Old Harry Rocks, to pause in beautiful Studland Bay - which I must say was far less busy than last time I dropped anchor there. They didn't actually swim ashore for a pint in the garden of the Bankes Arms, as I might have been tempted to, but carried on to the scenic Beaulieu River, and the historic hamlet of Bucklers Hard, where many fine old wooden sailing vessels were built, including Nelson's ‘Agamemnon'.

There were a few hairy moments en route, as Rosemary took the helm and was warned by the Coastguard for sailing too close inshore within shooting distance of the Royal Armoured Corps firing range at Lulworth, then subsequently nearly totalled an international fleet of young windsurfers. Oh, the joys of sailing with gifted amateurs!

‘All At Sea' is a light-hearted take on a nautical theme, and if you missed it, the programme is available for a limited time to watch again on http://www.itv.com/itvplayer/video/?Filter=145900.

Posted by Chris Yates