How we met: ‘He seemed very nice and kind – and I really liked his hands’

In October 1991, the ship became stormbound in Birkenhead before a trip from Liverpool to Dublin. The crew all headed to a “dodgy” local pub for drinks while they waited for the weather to improve. That’s where Virginia spotted Matthew for the first time. “I lived in Henley-on-Thames and had recently started my own estate agency,” he says. “I had been sailing for 10 years and started volunteering on the Lord Nelson during my holidays. On that trip, I was a relief chef”