15 lessons in circumnavigation

With the development in design and technology you might think modern-day circumnavigation is an easy task but girdling the globe is far from a case of setting the autopilot and sitting back.

A panel of experienced owners – Sietse Koopmans (Zeepard), Tom Perkins (Andromeda La Dea, Atlantide, Maltese Falcon), Mike and Judy Ryan ( Tenaz) and the owners of Twizzle – have each completed a circumnavigation and here they share their 15 lessons in circumnavigation.

Choose the right superyacht

The first thing to consider when planning a circumnavigation is your choice of superyacht, says Koopmans – go for the wrong one and you’ll be paying for it all the way around.

“My experience is that yachts are designed in committee by people that have no cruising experience,” he says. “My boat, Zeepaard, is an explorer which is as close as you can get to the best boat. I don’t believe in sailboats – I like day sailing and racing – but cruising with a sailboat is cumbersome. For the same price you have a motorboat with three times the space.”

The owners of Twizzle have gone round the world twice: east to west and west to east. The best, they say, is westabout. “The most practical direction (taking into account weather and seasonal winds) is to go counter-clockwise. Head for the Panama Canal, then through to the Galápagos and across the Pacific, then on to the Far East, Indian Ocean and Suez. Going clockwise is much more complex to programme,” they counsel.

Beware the charts, Perkins warns. “The charts in Alaska aren’t terribly accurate. We ran aground with Andromeda and the nine metre tide left us totally out of the water on a bank of shale. We rigged kedge anchors far outboard leading to the mast top, to prevent tipping over (it worked) and all aboard went ashore for safety for eight hours before the tide started to return,” he recalls.

Taking their children out of school was a big decision for the Ryans, but one that paid off, with their three daughters learning a huge amount.

“We took tutors, opting for a married couple on the recommendation of an agency, as we got more bang for our buck. Plus they were able to be a unit unto themselves, which meant they didn’t need to always be with us or the crew,” they say.

But the girls’ best lessons were thanks to the decision to promote the first mate to captain: “She was our first female captain – and the first-ever female skipper of a superyacht – and a fabulous role model for our three girls.”

“Spotting humpback whales breaking next to the boat in Niue, to catching a mahi mahi twice during a crossing in the Pacific on a $12 fishing rod, and seeing rays jump out of the water when chased are just a few of the unforgettable experiences,” says Koopmans.