Finding a boat to live on - "Escapade"

No two skippers will totally agree on what is the best boat for live aboard cruising. Some want lots of living space others look for excellent sailing ability. As always a boat is a series of compromises.

Back in 2003 I purchased a Prout catamaran for living aboard and long term cruising. It had lots of advantages, shallow draft, easy to handle rig, good living space, and excellent visibility from the cabin. I singlehanded the boat the length of Britain on two occasions, keeping watch from the cabin much of the time. In 2008, having retired, I set out for Norway but never got there. Lots of easterly winds that summer and the cat's windward performance, while never more than adequate, diminished rapidly in open water and winds above force 5. I was part of the problem having overloaded the boat with heavy ground tackle, wind generator, radar, Monitor wind vane, lots of spares, food, etc. etc.

Back in Kirkwall Marina I found myself searching the internet for boats for sale. Load carrying ability and an adequate windward performance were needed for my type of cruising. I also wanted a main cabin that I could keep watch from. So thoughts came around to deepish draft, moderate to heavy displacement monohulls with a deck salon or pilot house. It must also be manageable by one or two people without relying on electric winches and power systems. (I have come across too many boats held up while trying to repair essential mechanical systems). There were not many around within my budget, and eventually ideas narrowed down to the Trident Marine Voyager 35. A traditional narrow beam, long keel, moderate displacement hull that with the Warrior and Challenger deck mouldings has a proven ocean capability. The Voyager was the motor sailor version with a biggish wheel/pilot house salon and aft cockpit. Voyagers have a good track record and have been successfully used as long term live aboard cruising boats.

Standard Voyager 35 - Caledonian Canal 2010

Web searches for Voyager 35s brought up one that did not even look like a Voyager at first - "Escapade". Brian had purchased the mouldings in 1990 and spent 5 years completing the boat for ocean sailing, with heavy hard wood interior, extra tanks, a cutter rig complete with platform bowsprit and Aries vane gear. The interior layout was for two people to live aboard and even included a work bench. This resulted in a deeper draught and lower freeboard than Angus Primrose had designed, but still an excellent sea boat. Their plans changed and she was used as a summer villa in the Med, spending every winter ashore. Taken back to Plymouth she was for sale, with all her equipment and spares. One look at the broker's photo told me this was the boat I was looking for.

Broker's picture of Escapade

I purchased her at the beginning of 2009 then spent May epoxy coating the hull plus Copper Coat antifoul, and replacing all the standing rigging and roller reefing with mast up. A lot of my gear was transferred from the catamaran, including radar and wind generator. The Monitor self steering replaced the Aries, which now steers another boat. Escapade was launched in June and sailed back to Orkney.

In 2010 Inci and I sailed "Escapade" on the West Coast of Scotland, and came back with a list of modifications and improvements to make her a comfortable cruising home away from marinas and shore power. These were done in Stromness late 2010 and early 2011.

Sailing performance does not match modern yachts in light airs with their dinghy shaped hulls and tall rigs, but we sailed Escapade to windward following a fuel blockage, short tacking up Stornoway harbour and back on to the pontoons in the narrow creek.