Giles Fraser lives on the west coast of Ireland and was a commercial fisherman for 25 years, working his way up to skippering trawlers.

When not at sea, Giles was often press ganged into crewing and organising sailing events with the local club Clifden Boat Club, particularly when he met his wife, Julia, who is an experienced yachtswoman. This makes for an excellent set of skills where Giles does most of the technical side and Julia is the navigator and tactician.

They bought Elisabeth, a 1977 43ft S&S Swan Ketch in Croatia in 2006 and have since cruised the Med and the Atlantic coast of Portugal and Spain. Elisabeth is currently in Turkey.