Out-of-season sailing attracts us. Winter here in Scotland, and early spring, when days are lengthening and the colours returning, are the best times to be outside. In those glorious few weeks when the glens are warming but there’s snow on the summits, we want to sail to remote mountain areas and go ashore.
We also dream of going further afield: Orkney, Shetland or ‘properly north’ to Iceland and Greenland. The Arctic Circle is less than 550 nautical miles from here.
To do this, we need the perfect boat. We agreed that if we were going to take on such a project we’d do it only once. We wanted a boat that could take us across oceans too, if we ever decide to do that. That’s why we bought Aurora, our 30ft Morgan Giles sloop. She was far from perfect, and needed to be completely stripped down and rebuilt (see PBO Summer 2020). Now we need to refit her to suit our dream of exploring colder climes.
Remote sailing
More than anything, sailing in remote places demands as much water and fuel as you can carry. For the cold you need insulation, and a decent hull in case of ice. For places with unreliable charts your underwater profile becomes important, because of what might bump into your rudder.
If you are going to explore mountainous and rocky coasts you also need good upwind sailing ability to get off a lee shore. That might make all the difference to the success of a trip and to the safety of the boat and crew.
Bu hikaye Practical Boat Owner dergisinin February 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Practical Boat Owner dergisinin February 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
A sailor's guide to UK sharks and fish
Genevieve Leaper looks at some of the shark species around the British and Irish coasts and how to spot these fish from your boat
Multihull anchoring
Brush up on your multihull sailing skills before heading off on a holiday charter with Gavin Le Sueur's guide to anchoring
A revolution in fabrics
Marine fabrics are using natural fibres, less harmful chemicals and longer-lasting colours. Jake Kavanagh looks at the cut of the cloth
Shoestring voyage of adventure
Richard King and Serafin Colmenares Jr. look back at the remarkable Pacific voyage of Florentino Das in his 24ft home-built boat
A fine day out with a visitor
Six hours afloat and a guided tour to vindicate a fictional sailing heroine's navigational skills
Boats for Baltic cruising
Duncan Kent picks the best sub-40ft sail and power boats for crossing the North Sea and exploring a Baltic summer
Boatyard life
The tide of the year Is rising. Time for work
Weather or not to go sailing
Ignore the apps: it's much safer to swear by the weather wisdom of a local oracle
The angelic East Coast pocket cruiser
It is 100 years since the first Deben Cherub was launched. Julia Jones looks back at the history of this 21ft river racing class
Best anchor types for varied cruising
Rupert Holmes on choosing the best anchor for your boat, your style of cruising, how you’ll use it and your budget