Bluewater Gear

In the spring of 2015, Robin Urquhart and Fiona McGlynn left their home port of Vancouver aboard MonArk, their 1979 Dufour 35.

After three months in a nearby boatyard, they shook the boat down circumnavigating Vancouver Island. Withstanding a hazardous sea condition off the coast of Oregon, Santa Ana winds and a close call with a tug and tow, they made their way to the Sea of Cortez.

Fiona is a writer, photographer, contributing editor and adventurer. Raised in North Vancouver, British Columbia, she began sailing dinghies at the age of 6 in Deep Cove. She continued to sail and race into her teens, going on month long cruises with her family in the Caribbean. After a three-year stint as a management consultant in Toronto, she returned to her West Coast roots, bought a boat and lived aboard for two years with her partner, Robin Urquhart, near Granville Island, Vancouver.

Robin was born and raised in the Canadian North. His first memory of travel on water was by dogsled across a frozen lake. An avid hiker, climber and naturalist, Robin is constantly drawn to the outdoors and a life of adventure. After studying environmental science and engineering, he moved to Vancouver aboard MonArk with Fiona, with the idea to fix up the boat and sail around the world.

Fiona and Robin will continue cruising in the Sea of Cortez and the west coast of Mexico before heading across the Pacific in April 2017. They also manage a blog promoting sailing and the cruising lifestyle to other young sailors at youngandsalty.com.

OV: What is your philosophy regarding voyaging gear? Do you like a systems rich approach or do you prefer to keep your gear simple?