A Blustery Sail Across The Waddenzee

Gerben Bergsma gets to grips with his new boat on a rally from Harlingen to Terschelling.

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Like many sailors, when the sailing season comes to an end and I can’t get out on the water, I turn to trawling yacht brokerage websites. I wistfully browse through adverts, looking for something that is both beautiful and afforadable. It’s a pleasant pastime. In 2013, a photo popped up and caught my eye.

Love at first sight

I saw a boat with stunning, slender contours and a hull of yellow ochre; a low coach roof adorns the elegant hull. An extremely sharp bow, a slight tumble home and a slipper stern, all in perfect proportion. She was clearly a very fast yacht, and I was falling in love.

I travelled to Korsor in Denmark for a closer look and had soon put in a bid. Before long, the boat was mine. Called Svala, she is a Safir 10-Metre. On the water she easily met my expectations, sailing extremely fast in almost all conditions and on all points of sail.