With no prior sailing background but a track record for epic adventures, Lana Bilodeau and Stuart Erskine are preparing to spend the next five to six years exploring the world aboard their customised Oyster 745 Endurance. As they prepare to take delivery of the yacht in September, the couple tell BOAT why they chose the yacht, how they equipped it for remote cruising and what they hope to discover at sea...
What made you want to sail around the world?
LB: Stuart and I are very adventurous; we’ve done a lot of exciting things. As we retire, we thought, what’s our next adventure? Why not sail around the world?
What’s been your biggest shared adventure?
LB: Crossing South Georgia. We hauled sleds, camped on ice glaciers, climbed mountains, fell in crevasses…
Do you have much sailing experience?
SE: We don’t have any sailing background. I did a skipper’s course through the American Sailing Association a few years ago in St Thomas.
LB: My first time on a sailing boat was in Antigua in a regatta. We were on the yacht of the owner of Oyster and got hit with a wave that washed me three-quarters down the boat. I said to Stuart, “That was a heck of an introduction; are you sure you want to do this?”
We plan to do all the ocean crossings. And we plan on getting our Yachtmaster captain’s licences. We’re going to be able to sail on our own after this adventure.
How long will you take?
SE: Five or six years, spending half the time on the boat. The idea is to move from region to region, then do a deeper exploration. We designed our programme based on feedback from friends. Everyone said they wished they’d spent more time in certain places.
Why an Oyster 745?
SE: Our friend had an Oyster 65. We looked at other companies but felt Oyster was superior. We chose the 745 because it’s in the middle between the 65 and an 885 – you can feel like you’re part of the experience. We heard you’re more of a guest on your boat when you have four crew (as on the 885), and on the 65, you don’t have as much separation from crew.
How was the build experience?
LB: It took about the same time to build this yacht as our more than 10,000-square-foot [929m2] home with over three times the number of decisions for the yacht.
SE: It’s a complex vessel for 75 feet, particularly as we customised it for remote expeditions. We added a lot of features: a digitised compass system; SEA AI cameras; a heating system; additional fuel tank; cockpit enclosures; a centreboard for shallow draught; upgraded North Sails package… Our master work list was 45 pages!
Follow them at exploretheworld.com
Oyster 745 specifications
Length: 21.93m / 71'11"
Beam: 5.91m / 19'5"
Engine: Cummins Turbo-charged QSB6.7-250 184kW (247hp)
Displacement – standard keel: 53,957kg / 118,955lbs
First published in the September 2025 issue of BOAT International's Life Under Sail. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.