Welcome Aboard the Phat Buoys
For nearly a quarter of a century, a small crew of friends has set sail each year — exploring new coasts, new challenges, and new stories.
From the wild headlands of Shetland to the quiet coves of Maine, from the vineyards of Ontario to the volcanic cliffs of the Azores, every voyage has been a chapter in a shared logbook of laughter, learning and loyalty.
We are the Phat Buoys — sailors, storytellers, and friends bound by wind, water, and wit.
Two and a half decades of wind, water and friendship — the Phat Buoys keep sailing on.
The Background Story
Since the year 2000, a crew of friends from both sides of the Atlantic has come together once a year to sail new waters, explore new lands, and deepen lifelong friendships.
From the fjords of Norway to the warmth of the Mediterranean, from the wild coasts of Newfoundland and Shetland to the Great Lakes of North America — each voyage is a new chapter in a shared story that has spanned more than twenty-five years.
The Phat Buoys are not a club or a syndicate — they’re a crew bound by adventure, laughter, respect, and an enduring curiosity, love and respect for the sea. Every winter, the call goes out, conversation, suggestions and research begins and by autumn once more they gather somewhere new, raise a glass, and set sail.
A Voyage of Friendship
Each journey is more than a passage from port to port. It’s a reunion of old shipmates and a reminder of what friendship feels like when it’s weathered, tested, and still full of joy.
Over two decades, 24 voyages and 5,097 nautical miles have been logged by the Phat Buoys. The routes have become as legendary as the stories — some heroic, some hilarious — all recorded in photos, films and the memories of those aboard.
Each trip brings a different rhythm: charting courses, trimming uniquely different sheets and sails, navigating tides and tempers alike. What began as a few friends sailing the English coast has evolved into a yearly tradition that now stretches across oceans — a flotilla of shared history under one name, one flag, and one spirit.
A Tradition Continues…
In 2026, the Buoys will hoist the Phat flag once more, on what will be the 25th trip! — this time, potentially, out of Brest, France, around the Crozon Peninsula, aboard Tino Cha, an Oceanis 48. Another new horizon, another story waiting to be unravelled and told. All subject to Warboy’s recovery!
Phat Buoys — sailing since 2000, still buoyant after all these years.
