Every summer, Simon Currin and his wife, Sally, spend six or seven weeks cruising. In 2015, they left Scotland in their Swedish-built CR 480DS and in the summers since they have sailed to the Faeroes, north-east Greenland, Labrador, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
When they hauled their boat out in Canada at the end of last year, they thought they’d be back for a leisurely cruise along the eastern seaboard of the US this summer. It never happened, and they’re not sure when they will next be able to get on board their yacht, let alone make longer sailing plans.
“Until the provincial travel restrictions in Nova Scotia are lifted we can’t set foot on our boat,” Currin says.
“We are hoping to get back next June, but with a new six-month semi-official lockdown in the UK I’m becoming more sceptical. Even if we did launch, foreign boats are treated as in transit so we can only sail if we are coming back to the UK.”
Robert Walston’s boat lies closer to home in the UK, but his plan – some two years in the making – to take the winter off and cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean has also had to be shelved.
“I could have gone anyway, but I think our scope to sail round the islands will be too restricted, and it’s all too uncertain. Anyway, my business needs my attention. I’ll think again next year,” he ponders.
Currin and Walston are among many boat owners across the world whose plans are in limbo. Spending holidays on board, or longer, is the whole point of having a yacht. Without that option, what now? Can you really make plans for next year, and what could they be?
‘Can you really make plans for next year?’
Denne historien er fra December 2020-utgaven av Yachting World.
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Denne historien er fra December 2020-utgaven av Yachting World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
NIKKI HENDERSON
WHERE DO YOU FIND HANDY BILLY WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
MATTHEW SHEAHAN
IS OLYMPIC SAILING ACTUALLY HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AS A SHOWCASE OF THE SPORT FOR BOTH COMPETITORS AND SPECTATORS?
Building fleet for Baltic Sea Race
The second edition of the Roschier Baltic Sea Race, a 635-mile race out of Helsinki, Norway, saw varied conditions and a new benchmark course time set.
New cruising charter 'Odyssey'
Charter company Dream Yacht has launched a new round the world supported cruising programme for yacht owners which draws on the company's extensive network of charter bases.
Mixed fortunes at Marseille
The Paris 2024 sailing regatta saw mixed fortunes for many favourites - some confirming their dominance, others crashing out as variable winds played havoc.
The yacht Bayesian
Bayesian is one of Italian yard Perini Navi's 56m series, originally named Salute.
Seven dead in superyacht sinking
Seven people are dead following the sinking of the superyacht Bayesian, a 56m/184ft British-flagged Perini Navi, off the coast of Sicily.
5 EXPERT TIPS HELENA DARVELID ON MULTIHULL CONTROL
Performance multihull racing is growing hugely in popularity. Helena Darvelid shares some key learnings with Andy Rice
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FUN ON AND OFF THE WATER IS AN UNBEATABLE COMBINATION AT THE SUPERYACHT CUP PALMA, WRITES PHIL RILEY
SWAN 88 DREAMCATCHER
GLOBAL LEADERS AT THE SEMI-CUSTOM END OF THE PRODUCTION SCENE, NAUTOR SWAN INVITED US FOR THE FIRST SEA TRIALS OF ITS BIG NEW 88