Like many great traditions, the Phat Buoys began almost by accident.
In 2000, a few friends set out for a simple sailing trip off the south coast of England. It wasn’t a club, and there was no name — just the joy of being at sea together. But over time, that modest beginning evolved into something special.
In 2004, during a daring voyage off Newfoundland, the crew faced a night of high tension when their boat, Shadow in Indigo, lost its propeller mid-sea.
They limped back to Trinity Bay under sail alone, with little power, no radar, and only their collective nerve and a mystical ghostly light on a distant hill to guide them through the dark.
That shared experience forged the identity and spirit that has defined every voyage since.
It was soon after this that the name “Phat Buoys” was born — a playful nod to the “fat buoy surfing” game where crew members clung to a towed fender in rolling seas.
Simon Tyler, drawing on his background in branding and design, commissioned a logo: two grinning piranhas — symbols of friendship, mischief, and fearless adventure.
From then on, every voyage would carry the Phat Buoy flag, and the legend began to grow.
The Birth of the Trinity Prop Trophy
The Newfoundland incident also gave rise to the Trinity Prop Trophy, created over winter by Phat Buoy, Warren Creates and his son Neville.
Using an antique bronze propeller, procured by his sister Happy M in an antique store in St Johns, Newfoundland, mounted on a mahogany base, it became the crew’s highest honour — awarded each year to the Phat Buoy who best embodies courage, contribution, and camaraderie.
Each blade bears the engraved names of its holders, and though it weighs more than 20kg, the year’s winner proudly carries it home — and around the world — until it is passed on again.
A Tradition of Seamanship & Friendship
Since those early days, 24 voyages have carried the Phat Buoys across more than 5,000 nautical miles — through calm seas and fierce storms, on boats old and new, elegant and jaded, endless laughter and a few hangovers.
Crew members have come and gone, friendships have deepened, and memories have multiplied — but the spirit remains unchanged.
Most often every autumn, somewhere in the world, the crew gathers once more to sail, explore, eat, drink, and celebrate what brought them together in the first place:
the sea, the stories, and each other.