On The Trail Of Vikings

CROSSING THE NORTH ATLANTIC ON A NO LIMIT 1550.

- Jurgen Braam

Last year, we set out across the North Atlantic route to help No Limit Ships introduce the 1550 model to North America at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The idea came to be about three years ago at Hiswa, the largest boat show in the Netherlands, where Edzard Braam, skipper and owner of Four Seasons (reviewed, “No Restrictions,” PassageMaker, November/December 2016) joined forces with the crew of No Limit Ships. The No Limit 1550 is a steel hull 50-footer with inflatable sides, modeled after the rugged North Sea patrol and rescue boats that endure the harshest sea conditions.

After months of research and consultation, during which many routes were discussed, Braam and crew decided in the spring of 2016 to cross the Atlantic by taking the northern route via Iceland, Greenland, and Labrador. Following the trail of the Vikings. After thorough preparations, the three brothers Braam—Peter, Edzard, and Jurgen—depart Amsterdam on August 7. After a farewell press event, their families, friends, and guests saw Four Seasons off on her journey to the north and west, into open water.

Whitby

The ocean awaits, but first the English Channel must be crossed and after that, the North Sea. A strong southwest wind is blowing at 6 to 7 Beaufort, with peaks of 8 to 9. These conditions are not a problem for Four Seasons, having two 575-horsepower Volvo Penta engines, a ¼-inch steel hull and aluminum superstructure. Her robust tubes all around soften the motion and give her all the stability she needs. Besides, during an earlier 2,500-mile trip from Amsterdam via the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean, we had already gotten to know Four Seasons quite well. At sea, we experience once more how busy the Channel is.