BOATS
CAPABLE CRUISERS
Duncan Kent chooses the best sail and motor boats under 40ft for circumnavigating the islands of Britain and Ireland
Right around the UK in a small boat is a long sail, close to 2,000 miles in fact if you include Ireland. Along the way you’ll likely encounter almost every kind of weather and sea state, so having the right boat is paramount.
Over the past 100 years cruising boat design has changed beyond imagination, with the emphasis for modern yachts placed predominantly on brisk performance and spacious, bright and luxurious interiors.
The primary element nowadays, for both sail and motor yachts, is commonly speed and comfort, whereas 50 years ago it was more about its ability to handle adverse conditions. A yacht had to look after its crew regardless of the weather and a keen performance was simply a bonus.
Of course, there were plenty of racing yachts back then that were chiefly designed for agility and performance, but few would have been taken by a family for a week’s holiday or sailed across open oceans for pleasure.
Sat firmly in the northern hemisphere, the UK experiences a wide range of weather patterns, which in turn affect the sea state. There’s also a noticeable difference between its southern and northern coastal waters and sea areas.
I don’t want to lay down rules about which boats can safely make it around the UK and which can’t, as a very large proportion of this will be down to the experience of the skipper and crew. But the following suggestions might help you choose a suitable boat for the task or at least let you know what modifications you might want to make to your existing boat to make the cruise safer and more enjoyable.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Duncan Kent A well-known and widely respected yachting journalist, Duncan Kent has sailed hundreds of new and used yachts over four decades, and has amassed a wealth of practical and technical knowledge on boats of all types and sizes.
Boat design
To circumnavigate the UK in a reasonable time frame requires a boat that is tough enough and comfortable enough to beat into wind and waves when necessary, without making life totally unbearable on board. On a sailing yacht, this usually means a relatively full-bodied hull, longish keel, high bows, and manageable rig. That’s not to say a well-found bilge-keeled yacht couldn’t do the job perfectly well, it just means it might take slightly longer due to the little extra leeway experienced during heavy weather beats.
Folk have made it around in windsurfers, dinghies and even a kayak! However, I personally wouldn’t want to attempt a circumnavigation in an outboard-powered boat, either motor or sail.
M
