I am a calm person with a restlesss mind. Living in the south-east of Sweden, close to the sea, boating has been a core part of my life for over 60 years. As well as having a shared interest in boating, my family also shares a workplace. We run a real estate firm in Karlskrona and named the business Utklippan after an island just outside Karlskrona archipelago.
My wife Eva and I started our boating life with a Flipper 620 when our youngest child, Andrea, was just five years old and our oldest, Martin, was ten. The Flipper gave us a lot of pleasure but as our children grew so did our need for space, so after five years we upgraded to an Aquador 26.
The Aquador lasted another seven seasons before we sold that and tried life without a boat for a while. We couldn't remain boatless for long and soon bought another small craft, an open aluminium sportsboat called a Buster Magnum. We used it regularly all year round and my son Martin and I even competed in the Blue Ribbon gentleman's race from Ystad to Haparanda, an 810-mile marathon across the Baltic Sea in less than 24 hours.
Now my restless mind has settled on a new goal, the Lofoten islands in the far north-west of Norway - some, 1,400nm away. Thankfully we now have a larger, more comfortable boat for tackling this challenge, a Grandezza 40 Fly named Deamare, which we took delivery of in 2017. Deamare alludes to the family and means "sea goddess" in Latin.
She has proved to be the ideal boat for us, both in terms of her layout and seaworthiness. The heavily glazed saloon keeps us wonderfully warm during the season but is filled with natural light and still allows us to admire the view out. A few steps down from the saloon are two good-sized cabins and a large galley open to the windscreen above, which means the chef never feels cut off from the action.
Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting UK.
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Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting UK.
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
Lofoten or Bust- Part 4- Grandezza owner Per Harrtoft heads back to Sweden after an epic 3500nm adventure deep into the Arctic Circle to visit the mythical Lofoten islands
After ten memorable days in the Lofoten Islands in the far north of Norway, we are on our way back south towards Sweden. We have already made it as far as Trondheim, a charming place even if it was raining so hard we had to cycle round the city centre clutching umbrellas. But now we are back on board Deamare, our Grandezza 40 Fly, eating up the miles at a steady 31 knots.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YACHT TRANSPORT
As the name suggests it's a means of having your boat moved professionally from one location to another. It might be as simple as hiring someone to tow your RIB a few miles down the road or as complex as shipping a superyacht halfway around the world.
HANDLE A SINGLE SHAFTDRIVE BOAT PART 1
Single shaftdrive boats are relatively rare these days but the reduced costs of buying, servicing and fuelling such a simple but reliable drivetrain does mean they are making a bit of a comeback.
COCKWELLS MOTOR LAUNCH
There can be very few boats that have appeared three times at the Southampton Boat Show and been sold off the stand each time.
INSTALLING AN AUTOPILOT
Rick Channon makes solo boating simple with a Raymarine Evolution Autopilot
GOOD AS NEW
Why fit a brand new engine when Volvo Penta's remanufacturing service can rebuild you an old one to the same standard for a fraction of the price?
BENETEAU SWIFT TRAWLER 54
Alex Smith heads to France's Beneteau HQ for a UK exclusive on what might just be the best Swift Trawler yet
ΧΟ EXPLR 44
Can XO's all-new aluminium flagship really make it big in the Med?
BUYING OUR FIRST CLASSIC
Instead of whiling away their retirement playing bowls, Rob and Shona Adams decided to invest their time and money in a classic Silver gentleman's yacht. Would the gamble pay off?
PRINCESS S65
Torn between the V and F Class flagships? The new S65 might be the boat you've been waiting for...