intrepid sailing yacht

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Intrepid, US-22

Built in 1967  according to the International Third Rule- America’s Cup.

1967-1971: Intrepid was a breakthrough design in the history of yachting and the 12 Metre Class. Olin Stephens aim was to reduce the wetted surface by cutting away the keel at the aft end and redistributing the saved volume in the after line of the hull. Not only were her hull lines completely innovative, she also had the first fin and skeg configuration with a trim tab at the aft end of the keel combined with the rudder and the same steering mechanism. A new deck layout moved the crew below decks allowing for the boom to be lower to the deck which added greater stability. The rig was also innovative with a bending boom and top sections of the mast made of titanium. Intrepid outclassed Dame Pattie by a score of 4-0 easily winning the 1967 America’s Cup. For the 1970 Cup Defense she was was modified by Britton Chance. Her keel was redesigned and recast, she was given a longer waterline, a reduced wetted area and her weight increased. She became the second yacht (after Columbia 1899 and 1901) to successfully defend the America’s Cup twice, the first 12 metre to do so. Intrepid won the Caritas Cup (NYYC) in 1970 and the Chandler Hovey Gold Bowl (NYYC) in 1967 and 1970.

1971-1996: Intrepid had many home ports from Miami, FL to Seattle, WA to Monaco, FRA where she was briefly owned by the L’Association Francaise pour La Coupe de l’Amerique (Marcel Bich) in 1979. From there she was returned to the US to Luskegon MI, renamed Windancer and was hired for charters on Lake Champlain. In 1993, Intrepid Sailing Inc. brought her to Seekonk, MA, she was run aground on the Nantucket breakwater in 1994.

1996-present: Now owned by Intrepid Charters LLC (John P. Curtain, Jr.) she was completely rebuilt at Brewer’s Cove Haven Marina in Barrington, RI under the direction of Herb Marshall ( American Eagle< (US-21)/em>) and George Hill ( Weatherly (US-17) ) of America’s Cup Charters. She had a new deck and deck beams, floor timbers, ring frames, bottom planking and ballast keel. She is actively sailed and raced in the Newport fleet.

*Content courtesy: The Twelve Metre Class by Dyer Jones & Luigi Lang

Jump to Twelve Metre Yacht Club, Newport Station Fleet page for Intrepid (US-22)

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l2 US 22 Intrepid

1967 & 1970 winner of the america's cup.

Year Built: 1967 Yacht Designer: Sparkman & Stephens Yacht Builder: Minneford Yacht Yard, City Island, NY Syndicate: N/A

Twice Winner of the America’s Cup, the incomparable 12 Meter Intrepid is close to the hearts of many sailors. 12 US 22 is one of the most famous racing yachts of all time.

Built of double planked mahogany on white oak frames, Intrepid marked a major breakthrough in Twelve Meter design, separating the rudder from the keel, including a “bustle” or “kicker”, and adding a trim tab. This unique underbody type, designed by the legendary Olin Stephens, was imitated on every subsequent Cup boat until Australia II , came out with her winged keel in 1983.

Skippered by “Bus” Mosbacher, she completely crushed the competition, including the unfortunate Australian challenger Dame Pattie , to win the Cup in 1967.   After being revamped by Britton Chance in 1970, with Bill Ficker at the helm, Intrepid sailed to her second America’s Cup victory, defeating Gretel II .

Intrepid remained very competitive well into the era of the aluminum 12 Meter yachts. Redesigned yet again in 1974 by Olin Stephens and his team at Sparkman & Stephens, she competed for an unprecedented third time under the command of Californian Gerry Driscoll.   Intrepid came within one race of becoming the only three time America’s Cup Defender in history, losing the final race of the Defender trials to Ted Hood on the brand new Courageous .

ACC proudly offers the incomparable Intrepid for charter out of Newport, RI – strong, fast and graceful she provides a lifetime of cherished memories for all who sail her,

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A truly intrepid owner

Owner Story

Back in 2008, trevor hill hung a copy of the oyster yachts calendar up in his office. the photos of yachts racing, sailing across the ocean and anchored off a tropical island were his dream..

The global financial crisis was devastating businesses worldwide and his own water utility companies “had a couple of hundred million dollars of debt. It was very challenging,” he admits, “but those incredible images helped me survive the downturn.“

A decade later, Hill had taken one of his last companies public on the US Stock Exchange and was making those dreams a reality. He had bought Oyster 725/01 Intrepid, had her refitted in Southampton and spent a summer in the Mediterranean before crossing the Atlantic in 2019. Since then, he and his wife Judy, have lived most of the time on board and sailed back to Europe last summer to prepare for the Oyster World Rally 2022-23 .

SUMMARY 

Discover how Trevor and Judy Hill transformed their dream of ocean sailing into reality with an Oyster yacht, overcoming challenges, making upgrades, and embarking on a thrilling adventure.

HIGHLIGHTS 

• Trevor and Judy Hill turned their dream of sailing across oceans into a reality with an Oyster yacht.
• The allure of the Oyster World Rally sets the stage for their remarkable story.
• Intrepid, their chosen yacht, combines performance and luxury for two-person sailing.
• Their journey takes them from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, with challenges and rewarding experiences.
• Upgrades to Intrepid enhance self-sufficiency and comfort, including a unique carbon fiber bimini with solar panels.
• The couple embarks on a 30,000-mile tropical sailing adventure, making their third transatlantic crossing in as many years.

Voyaging in the blood

In a way, the sea was in Trevor Hill’s blood. He grew up in Vancouver and sailed throughout his childhood with his father and brothers. After college, he joined the Royal Canadian Navy as a marine systems engineer and spent many years deployed at sea, ending as deputy engineering officer on a warship during the first Gulf War.

He had been in charge of putting the first reverse osmosis plants on board ships, a nascent technology yet to be used in the sailing world. When Hill retired from the Navy in 1994, he became a serial entrepreneur specialising in water and wastewater treatment. “Then,” he says, “I went in search of more arid climates water reuse in the south-west USA, went to Phoenix in2000 and started a water utility company designed to use less water.

“During all his days in the Navy, Hill had harboured an ambition to go sailing across oceans. “I had done a lot of miles in ships and so I knew it was something I wanted to do,” he explains. In the latter years of running his business, and still with the ambition of owning an Oyster in mind, Hill began tracking all the boats for sale.

“I would read magazines and the more I learned about Oyster Yachts the more I could see that was the right kind of boat for my kind of dream. First of all, they are incredibly beautiful, the aesthetics amazing. But the more I dug in, the more I realised the engineering systems, the thoughtfulness of the design was really important to me. I had been in the engine room for many years and learned all sorts of rules in the Navy and I knew a bit about what it takes to be at sea for a long time, from a capacity and engineering perspective, and from a seaworthiness perspective. What I wanted is to go wherever I wanted and have comfort and safety and range – and do it in style”.

Hill signed up to the Oyster Yachts mailing list and when he read that the company would be running its first round the world rally, Hill says: “That’s when it clicked. It looked fabulous and I told Judy ‘You won’t believe it, but these guys are organising a world rally.’ I watched the rally from the beginning, and it was one of the things that was very attractive about buying an Oyster. It was a huge selling item for us. I thought it was a great idea to have similar boats all of the same brand, for a whole variety of reasons including how capable they are and the similarity of engineering. It made a ton of sense.”

“It was also intriguing that there would be like-minded people coming from different walks of life and countries of origin all with similar issues, experiencing the same adventure at the same time. But I wasn’t ready to go, and we missed the first two rallies and vowed not to miss the third.”

Gaining confidence

Now very serious about buying a suitable boat, Hill honed in on Oysters. He looked at all the boats for sale and happened to see Intrepid during a business trip to Australia. He arranged to take a look at the boat and decided it would eventually be the ideal yacht for his plans. Hill chartered the boat for two family holidays in Croatia and later the BVIs and when Hill partially retired in 2018, he negotiated to buy her.

“I think a lot of people would say that a 72-footer is a lot of boat for two people,” Hill comments, “but what it boils down to is it’s 70% systems and engineering, and 30% sailing – that is what you end up doing.

“We wanted enough room to have crew if we wished but a boat that we could sail ourselves, and this was the largest boat we felt we could legitimately sail on our own. It is big enough to be luxurious for crew and guests, and it’s a showpiece in that sense, but also rugged enough for any kind of sailing we would want to do.”

The boat was also set up for performance sailing, with a slab reefed mainsail, a carbon rig and carbon sails, and Hill liked that too. “In some ways it makes sailing even more challenging, but I like the purity of that kind of sailing,” he says.

Almost immediately, Hill entered the 2022-23 Oyster World Rally. “I sent my cheque in as soon as I’d bought the boat,” he says. “Our kids were in university and old enough to be on their own and we had a break in the action. I was retired. It was the perfect time."

In late 2018 Intrepid returned to Southampton for a major refit and electronics upgrade to bring the boat back to mint condition.

In spring the following year, the Hills left for the Mediterranean and sailed to Palma and onwards to Greece for the summer. To help learn the boat and the systems, they took on two crew, a captain and mate/chef who had previously worked on Intrepid for five years and knew the boat inside out. Then in Greece, Trevor and Judy both topped up their sailing knowledge with practical courses.

“When our kids were young, we would charter as family, and we had gained experience through doing that. Last year Judy did her Day Skipper ticket, and we had hired the crew to train us and work with us for six months as I got my Yachtmaster and Ocean Yachtmaster tickets, including [learning] docking and mooring, and all the systems – every aspect so that we could take whatever skills we had and put it all together,” says Trevor.

This proved to be an extremely sensible approach to learning exactly what is required to live on board and run a complex yacht and gain confidence. “I have the background in engineering, but with all these boats you can’t think of them like a car, it is not a fire-and-forget solution. There is a level of detail anyone is going to have to chin themselves up to,” comments Hill.

“We knew that when you take on a boat like this it is a significant undertaking. I think of it like climbing Everest or any other extreme adventure: there is a ticket price to be on the ride, and that is becoming incredibly familiar with the systems and spaces and mastering that. So, when things break, that is part of the opportunity and I remind myself and put a smile on my face. When it is just the two of us, it is nearly a full-time job.”

Spreading their wings

In late 2019 the Hills departed the Mediterranean for the Canary Islands to join the ARC transatlantic rally to St Lucia. Again, they took on three professional crew for the crossing but once in the Caribbean the crew disembarked, and the Hills were on their own. They sailed south to Grenada then charted a course all the way through the Windward Islands to St Maarten.

They had left Intrepid there in March 2020 while they made a short trip home to the US, when COVID arrived and most of the world locked down. Intrepid stayed in the marina in St Maarten for 100 days until the Hills finally got a chance to return to her in late June. But the fall-out meant their plan to return across the Atlantic and sail to Norway had to be shelved and instead the Hills took on a new temporary crew and sailed the boat to Portland, Maine, where they arrived in July.

One of the crew, whom they had hired through the Oyster Crew service, “turned out to be a great sailor and a great guy, and we kept him on for six months and sailed all the way to the Canadian border,” says Hill. “Then we sailed all the way back south to Cape Cod and Newport, down to New York City in October and to Chesapeake, Annapolis and Charleston in November.” While in Savannah, the Hills did a mini refit on their boat before sailing onwards to West Palm Beach in Florida in time for Christmas.

As 2021 began, the Hills were on their own on board again, just the two of them. They set off southbound on the route known as the Thorny Path, the windward passage between Florida and St Maarten. Between January and April, they cruised to the Bahamas and Exumas, the Turks and Caicos, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and then through the Spanish, US and Spanish Virgin Islands. “There were a lot of shorter night passages. It was very, very challenging but rewarding and an unusual period. Some of those places are very fancy and others are still developing,” Hill recalls.

It was during this period that the Hills truly began to feel at one with their boat. “I think in a sense it took that long,” says Hill. “The day you close on a boat you don’t have that feeling right away. You kind of have to earn it and I didn’t really anticipate how long it would take. You have to make the boat your own and run the boat and sail it.  The first time I felt that was in the Caribbean after we had owned it for a year. It was just the two of us sailing among those incredible islands and coming up to anchor off some sandy tropical beach and plunging into the ocean. The more comfortable we became, the more we have spread our wings.”

From the Caribbean in 2021, the Hills made their way back to the Mediterranean via the Azores with a new level of confidence. Hill remembers making landfall in the Azores as one of the most satisfying and memorable moments of all their voyaging so far. “It was my first Atlantic crossing as a captain, and to arrive safely in the Azores, where all the planning and organisation came together, was an incredible feeling.

A significant undertaking

After returning to the Mediterranean, the Hills spent time cruising in the Balearics, France and Italy before heading for Palma, Mallorca, to have work done on Intrepid in preparation for their circumnavigation.

Among the jobs list were some enhancements including new instrumentation, a new anchor and ground tackle, a carbon bowsprit and asymmetric spinnaker on a top-down furler, and a total rebuild of the power systems to increase Intrepid’s range, self-sufficiency and comfort. An array of lithium ion batteries were fitted, plus new chargers and inverters.

The most visible change is a custom- designed carbon fibre hard-top bimini fitted with solar panels. This not only gives the crew shelter from the sun, the solar power generated has considerably increased periods of silent running and decreased reliance on diesel. “Intrepid looks and feels like a new boat and is in all respects ready for the next 50,000 miles of sailing she’ll see over the next two to three years,” Hill comments.  M eanwhile, the couple recruited two professional crew, a mate and chef, to join nine months before the rally and gain an intimate knowledge of the boat and learn how Trevor and Judy Hill prefer to run Intrepid and live on board.

“The Oyster World Rally is a significant undertaking with a lot of complexity,” Hill explains. “We didn’t want to be maintaining the boat in every harbour along the way. There is so much passage making and I like to get off the boat for a bit and have that freedom.

Choosing crew was one of their biggest decisions, as they are looking for harmonious partners to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime voyage rather than staff to provide a service. “We see our crew as partners with us and always expressed it in that way, we are not looking for service per se. You are living in relatively close quarters and we were looking for people who really wanted to share in the adventure.”

Flying South 

In early November, with winter beginning to bite, the Hills left Palma and flew out of the Strait of Gibraltar and into the Atlantic on the heels of a 50-knot Mistral. With their boat running smoothly, the watch systems falling into a rhythm and the boat “brimming” with good provisions “and 10 cases of Spain’s best wine carefully stowed”, the Hills headed south and west to Madeira and the Canary Islands.

Ahead of them lies some 30,000 miles of tropical sailing, their third crossing of the Atlantic in three years and, beyond that, long passages through the archipelagos of the South Pacific. Although focussed on the circumnavigation ahead, Hill nevertheless admits that a part of his mind is already dreaming of other, future voyages of exploration.

“It was when we arrived in the Azores after my first crossing as captain that we thought: we really can do this. We are organised enough to do anything. We started thinking: I wonder if we should do Patagonia? I wonder if we should sail to Antarctica, or the Northwest Passage? You start to think there is no limit,” he says.

“In a way it’s what these Oysters do to you. They open your eyes to the incredible world of possibilities. And you don’t have to talk about it very long before you find someone in the Oyster family that has already done those things and you have a wealth of information at your fingertips.”

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CENTER CONSOLE

50 EVOLUTION

475 PANACEA

438 EVOLUTION

427 NOMAD FE

407 NOMAD FE

375 NOMAD SE

375 NOMAD FE

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477 Evolution

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50 FEET OF SPORT YACHT PERFECTION.

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Equipped with a beautiful new hardtop and helm station with three sides of full-height glass, a sunroof and opening side windows, the all-new 50 Evolution also features a new transom-wide swim platform, exquisitely appointed cabin, and room for today’s larger engines. Best of all, your new 50 Evolution will be personalized in every way to create the Intrepid of your dreams.

BEAM 13′ 8″ | FUEL 750 GALLONS | WATER 100 GALLONS

BEAM 13′ 8″

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WATER 100 GALLONS

Enclosed Bridge with Opening Side Windows | New Hardtop with Opening Sunroof New Hullside Windows | Integrated Catwalk & Transom Door | Larger Hullside Platform Soft-Touch Upholstered Cabin Walls | Accommodates Quad Mercury 600 V12’s

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On Board the Intrepid 51 Panacea

• By Chris Caswell
• April 1, 2024

The Intrepid 51 Panacea is the new 60-plus-knot flagship for the builder’s line of deep-V center-consoles. While the automotive world has crossover vehicles that combine sporty sedans with SUV functions, so the 51 Panacea lets go-fast owners step up in size while adding family weekending comforts and even more offshore safety.

Like each new Intrepid model, this one is built on the base of earlier Intrepids, drawing on ideas and suggestions from Intrepid owners. The 51 Panacea bears the DNA of the Intrepid 475, but what a difference the extra 4 feet of length makes. That extra space (and 14 inches of added beam) takes a really good idea and makes it even better.

The pilothouse, with a trio of 22-inch Garmin displays and a full-height curved windshield, is the nerve center of the 51 Panacea. During our flat-out sprints across a lumpy Gulf Stream, nary a drop of spray hit the windshield, which also keeps the breeze off the two rows of seats abaft the helm. Four seats wide, with the afterseats raised to a mezzanine level to enjoy the action, this space is protected by the fiberglass hardtop and a slide-out awning aft.

The bow area looks like a bowrider on steroids. There are two seats with armrests, a wraparound lounge with seatbacks that tilt electrically, and a sun pad filler/table that rises from the sole.

The cockpit is also thoughtfully planned. On the 51 Panacea that I got aboard, it included a Kenyon grill, a sink, a pullout ice chest and drawers. Anglers can use this space for bait work or opt for a full bait-prep station. Aft, a bench seat hinges out of the way.

Intrepid invented the hinge-out boarding platform—for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, which uses Intrepids for marine patrols in Florida. The wide, portside opening includes a husky ladder for divers. Opposite is a boarding door, thoughtfully backed up by nonslip coaming steps for higher docks.

The cabin has 6-foot-1-inch headroom and weekender luxuries. There’s a wider-than-queen (86-inch) berth, a convertible table, a galley with a single-burner cooktop, twin fridge drawers and a sink. The enclosed head has a stall shower that is spacious, at 44 inches wide. A feature in the cabin I particularly liked was just inside the gull-wing door: an eye-height electrical panel.

And yes, this boat packs serious power. The Intrepid 51 Panacea has quad 600 hp Mercury outboards. In addition to the 60-plus-knot top speed, these V-12s provide an industry-first two-speed automatic transmission. Front-mounted oil fill and service points should make maintenance easy.

The outboards also eliminate all the undercockpit space usually taken by inboards, giving the 51 Panacea a cavernous area to mount the 11 kW Kohler genset and Seakeeper 6 gyrostabilizer. There is more room for stashing water toys and fenders, although dedicated fender (or dive-tank) stowage unfolds from the coamings.

With regard to performance, putting the hammer down doesn’t cause the bow-high waddling onto plane that plagues many boats. The 51 Panacea just rises flat—levitates, really—and suddenly, it’s running hard and fast. I didn’t touch the trim tabs or the outboard tilt as I pushed to full throttle.

All up, the Intrepid 51 Panacea has everything needed for a seakindly ride, speed, weekending, fishing and entertaining. Just add water.

The Hull Story

The Intrepid’s deep-V, 21-degree transom-deadrise hull form has proved itself for years. The 51 Panacea continues the evolution with three strakes, a wide chine to throw water out flat, and a transverse notch to aerate the planing section aft.

More is Better

MarineMax acquired Intrepid Powerboats in 2021. “It made my dream a reality,” says Ken Clinton, founder and president of Intrepid. “I’ve been wanting to expand into what we’re calling our yacht line, and with the financial support and solid encouragement from MarineMax, the 51 Panacea is the first of that series.” Intrepid’s new 56-acre boatbuilding campus near Swansboro, North Carolina, also helped make this model possible. The 51 that we got aboard was the first hull produced from the facility, which Clinton says “draws on a huge pool of very talented boatbuilders that includes three generations of boating craftsmen.” The second hull of the 51 is past the decking stage, and more orders are in line. And, Clinton says, a 64 is on the boards with quad 600s.

Take the next step: intrepidpowerboats.com

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Sparkman & Stephens INTREPID

Sail Number: US-22

Type: 12 Metre (Third Rule)

Intrepid Specifications:

LOA: 64’0″ / 19.50m – LWL: 48’0″ / 14.63m – Beam: 12’3″ / 3.73m – Draft: 9’0” / 2.74m – Design Number: 1834 – Designer: Olin J. Stephens – Original Owner: Intrepid Syndicate, U.S.A. – Current Owner: John P. Curtain, Jr. (Intrepid Charters LLC) – Former name(s) Windancer Year Built: 1967 – Built By: Minneford Yacht Yard, City Island, NY – Hull Material: Double-planked mahogany on white oak frames – Gross Displacement: 60,000 lbs / 27,215kg – Sail Area: 1,756 sq ft

Historical:

Designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built and launched by the Minneford Yacht Yard, City Island, NY in 1967. Design number 1834 was S&S’s 6th 12 Metre, incorporating a revolutionizing innovative hull shape, first fin and skeg configuration with a trim tab. Adding to greater stability the crew and winches were moved below deck to facilitate a lower innovative bending boom, with the top portion of the mast was made out of titanium. She easily won the 1967 America’s Cup Races 4-0 against Dame Pattie.

For the 1970 Cup defense INTREPID was modified by Britton Chance. Her keel was redesigned and recast, she was given a longer waterline, a reduced wetted area and her weight increased. She became the second yacht (after Columbia 1899 and 1901) to successfully defend the America’s Cup twice, the first 12 metre to do so. Intrepid won the Caritas Cup (NYYC) in 1970 and the Chandler Hovey Gold Bowl (NYYC) in 1967 and 1970.

Redesigned yet again by Olin Stephens and his team at S&S, she was back again for a third time in 1974 under the command of Californian Gerry Driscoll. Intrepid came within one race of becoming the only three time America’s Cup Defender in history, losing the final race of the Defender trials to Ted Hood on the brand new Courageous.

Intrepid had many home ports from Miami, FL to Seattle, WA to Monaco, FRA where she was briefly owned by the L’Association Francaise pour La Coupe de l’Amerique (Marcel Bich) in 1979. From there she was returned to the US to Luskegon MI, renamed Windancer and was hired for charters on Lake Champlain. In 1993, Intrepid Sailing Inc. brought her to Seekonk, MA, she was run aground on the Nantucket breakwater in 1994.

Now owned by Intrepid Charters LLC (John P. Curtain, Jr.) she was completely rebuilt at Brewer’s Cove Haven Marina in Barrington, RI under the direction of Herb Marshall (American Eagle) and George Hill (Weatherly) of America’s Cup Charters. She had a new deck and deck beams, floor timbers, ring frames, bottom planking and ballast keel. She is actively sailed and raced in the Newport fleet.

Chartering Information: America’s Cup Charters

Content Credit: The Twelve Metre Class by Dyer Jones & Luigi Lang | America’s Cup Charters

Provenance. (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):

Owner: (1967-1971) – Intrepid Syndicate, U.S.A. Captain: Bus” Mosbacher (1967 America’s Cup Winner) Captain: Bill Ficker (1970 America’s Cup Winner) Owner: (1971-1972) – International Oceanographic Foundation, Miami Owner: (1972-1976) – George F. Jewett Captain: Gerry Driscoll (1974 Defender Trials) Owner: (1976-1978) – Robert H. Fendler, Seattle, WA Owner: (1978-1980) – Pierre G. Goemans, Monaco Owner: (1979) – Marcel Bich (AFCA) Owner: (1993-1996) – Intrepid Sailing Inc Owner: (1996) – John P. Curtin, Jr. (Intrepid Charters LLC)

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2024 Intrepid 51 Panacea

• By Boating Tech Team
• December 13, 2023

Is the Intrepid 51 Panacea a high-­performance go-fast boat, a hardcore fishing boat or a sporty pleasure yacht? Yes to all three. No wonder it bears the name Panacea.

Belowdecks, the 51 Panacea boasts a double berth, a spacious salon with a galley, and a large head, shower and sink. Ready for an overnighter? This boat is.

Topside, the bridge is four-bucket-seats-wide and two rows deep, with glass-cockpit instrumentation and three flush-mounted touchscreen displays. Every important system in the boat ­actuates through those touchscreens. Added to that control is an array of tactile switches nested in the dash brow, a space usually reserved just for looks—but not here. The effect leaves room for the convenient ­location of an added engine display, an audio controller, inductive ­phone-charger holders and more.

Ergonomically, the bridge deck seats are ideally located for easy driving, whether standing or sitting. The center seats are electrically adjustable and, for shorter captains, the bridge sole rises 4 inches, giving a higher vantage point that is handy in close quarters.

The 51 Panacea is intimidating at the dock but a baby to handle, thanks to joystick maneuverability, plus a bow ­thruster. A kid could dock it. On the high seas, let those ponies go. They run out to 70 mph and corner like a barrel-racing horse. Tighter and tighter circles kept our props engaged and the single-step-bottom boat hooked up.

Picture yourself with a large fan club spread out on the three-passenger-wide bow lounge or sprawled on wraparound bow seating. Your best buds join you at the bridge in two rows of four bucket seats, or another four can perch on the foldout transom seat. 

When you get tired of cushy riding for show, tuck away the seats and cushions and deploy the trolling rods. Bait is in the transom well, which is pressurized to keep them swimming freely and ready to entice your quarry. 

High Points

• Cocktail table, bow seat lounge backs, and helm deck platform operate electrically.
• Single-step hull “levitates” on plane, with nearly no bow rise.
• Quad 600 hp Mercury motors are exhilarating to drive.

How We Tested

• Engine: Quad Mercury V-12 600 hp
• Drive/Prop: Outboard/16 3/4″ x 33″ (front); 151/4″ x 33″ (aft) stainless steel
• Gear Ratio: 2.50:1 Fuel Load: 840 gal. Water on Board: 0 gal. Crew Weight: 1,100 lb.

Intrepid Powerboats – Dania, Florida; intrepidpowerboats.com

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Intrepid Yacht Delivery Services

7 Day Sailing Topics

Next we set sail and use the skills we learned. Our goals are as follows:

● 600 NM passage including at least 200 NM more than 50 NM from land or charted objects capable of being used for navigation;

● Duration of at least 96 hours;

● You will take full part in the planning and preparation of the passage, including: navigational plan, checking the material condition of the yacht and her equipment; storing with spare gear, fuel, water and provisions.

● Throughout the passage, you will act in a responsible capacity, either in sole charge of a watch or as skipper.

● You will navigate at sea by astro navigation. As a minimum this will include the planning, reduction, and plotting of a noon sight and sight using the sun, moon, a star or planet.

Class # 1:Cost: Monday January 13, 2025 - Friday January 24,

Class # 2:2025 Monday February 10, 2025 - Friday February 21, 2025

$ 3000.00 per student

Join Circumnavigator and USCG Merchant Mariner “Master,” Tim Brill, for an intensive 12-day hands-on class on offshore passagemaking. Tim will review all the things he wished he knew before setting off on his first passage. Each class will be broken into 2 parts. The first 5 days will be classroom theory and practice. The next 7 days will be an offshore sail. Our plan is to conduct only 2 classes in 2025. Maximum class size is 2 students per class.

5 Day Classroom Topics (Our “classroom” is on sv Intrepid) :

● Weather: Learn about weather systems, winds and forecasting

● Storm Tactics: Learn how to prepare for storms.

● Large Keelboats: Understand the components, rigging, systems, maintenance and troubleshooting.

● Boat Management & Systems: Learn about boat management and systems (engine, electrical, etc) to ensure your vessel operates safely throughout your journey.

● Passage Planning : Plan your sail and sail your plan.

● Safety at Sea: How to prepare and deal with the unexpected and emergencies while at sea. Safety equipment, procedures, and protocols for different conditions, environments, and crew-overboard emergencies.

● Theory: The fundamental principles of sailing, including wind dynamics and sailboat physics. Understand how to harness the power of the wind and the physics of sailboat design to propel your vessel efficiently and effectively.

● Advanced Sail Trim: Learn sail trim techniques and theory, from basic to advanced sail trim. The Sail Trim online course covers the full range of sail trim knowledge, techniques, and strategies.

● Sailing Maneuvers & Techniques: Learn the various sailing maneuvers, from tacking and gybing to heaving to and more!

● Sailing Terminology & Communication: The language of unique terms used by sailors, which is essential for clear communication on a sailboat.

● Docking and Maneuvering Under Power: A review of docking and maneuvering your sailboat under power, ensuring you can navigate even the trickiest of marinas.

● Anchoring & Mooring: Learn anchoring and mooring techniques for different tides and weather.

● Coastal Navigation: Navigation is an essential for operating in inland and near coastal waters.

● Electronic Navigation: Learn to navigate by GPS, use chart plotters, AIS, and more!

● Celestial Navigation : Learn this essential skill. Plus it’s fun!

● International Navigation Rules and Buoys: Learn international navigational markers and USCG rules of the road when sailing or under power. When sailing internationally, understand IALA-A and IALA-B navigation rules and buoy systems.

● Essential Knots: Specialized knots to reliably secure lines (ropes) to perform specific tasks in sailing and tame the hundreds of feet of line various lines on a sailboat. DYNEEMA: How-to splice it, and make a soft shackle

Offshore Passage Making Masters Class

What is Included:

● Accommodation on sv Intrepid

● Sailing instruction

● All Provisioning

● All boat running costs (fuel, water, mooring, etc)

● All local fees

What is NOT included:

● Transportation to/from the boats

● Personal travel insurance

● Meals, drinks and other onshore costs

Payment Schedule:

● Deposit of 25% due at registration ($ 750.00)

● Balance due 90 days prior to class start

○ Class # 1 ($2250.00) due October 15, 2024

○ Class # 1 ($2250.00) due November 14, 2024

● Note: If you register as a group of 2, deduct 5% each

● Note: Register by September 1, deduct 5%

● OK, register by September 1, 2024, and register as a group of 2, deduct 10% each!

Cancel 90 days, or less, prior to class start - there is NO refund

Contact Tim Brill for more detailed information. As of now, we will rendezvous in Puerto Vallarta Mexico.

5 Hidden Sailing Gems in Russia No One Talks About

Russia may not be the first destination you think of for sailing but there are plenty of hidden gems throughout Russia that are ideal spots for sailors in the know. These destinations offer adventurous sailors challenging and varied conditions, as well as plenty of cultural interests at every stop.

Though sailing in Russia is generally less popular than in the UK and other nations, there is a wide range of stunning sailing destinations to be found if you know where to look. From the Black Sea Coast to the icy and remote Lake Baikal, Russia offers an enormous wealth of affordable and secluded sailing spots that can be a brilliant choice for sailing enthusiasts looking to explore somewhere a little bit different. But before we dive into my five hidden gems (with loads of pictures) , let me first explain why Russia.

Why I Went to Russia

I’ve noticed a tendency for people to be put off traveling to Russia, largely thanks to negative portrayals of Russian people and Russian culture in the media. It was exactly this image that made me want to travel there , to understand the reality behind the myths built into popular culture. In my experience, the majority of people I met during my travels were hugely welcoming and seemed genuinely excited to meet someone who had taken the time to explore their country. I was invited to go into museums and galleries for free, I was given samples of local food to try in restaurants and offered plenty of vodka.

Inside Knowledge

My trip was made that much easier by the fact that I traveled with one of my closest friends who grew up in Kazan. As a result, I had the benefit of someone who could speak the language and had friends and relatives who could show us the best spots and help with bureaucracy. At the end of this article, I go into a bit more detail about navigating Russia, including hiring a Russian-speaking agent. If you don’t know anyone in the country and you are hoping to travel further afield, outside of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, I recommend exploring this option.

Read on for our favorite hidden sailing gems and see for yourself what Russia has to offer.

On this page:

Lake baikal, kamchatka and the kuril islands, sochi and the black sea coast, lake ladoga, caspian sea, extra travel details.

The deepest lake in the world measuring over 5,000 feet deep, Lake Baikal is an incredible destination for adventurous sailors. Thanks to its isolation in the heart of Siberia, the lake is a unique evolutionary island with almost 80 percent of its species not existing anywhere else on the planet. Particular highlights include the Baikal seal, the only freshwater seal species in the world, whose origins are still the subject of debate. The Baikal Ecology Museum near Irkutsk exhibits some of the highlights to be found on the lake to give you more details during your trip.

Baikal Lake is the largest lake in the world by volume, containing an estimated 20 percent of the world’s unfrozen fresh water. The mountains surrounding the lake and rising over 2000m high include extinct volcanoes. If you make the journey to Siberia, you will be greeted by stunning, unspoilt scenery. Strong winds and empty water makes it a perfect location for cruising.

Cultural highlights include the Tsagan Zaba marble cliffs where you’ll find rock drawings estimated to be over 2500 years old. Similarly, Olkhon Island, the only permanently inhabited island on the lake, is home to a range of sites of religious and historic importance.

As well as conventional cruising, Lake Baikal is a popular destination for ice sailors who travel there during the long winters to race along the smooth ice on the surface of the lake. Speeds can reach a mile per minute so it takes a special kind of adrenaline seeker to take part. Just one unexpected gust of wind or a hole in the ice made from a seal can send you skidding across the ice or into the frigid water. If you prefer your water thawed, be sure to plan your trip for the summer months.

Located in Russia’s Far East, Kamchatka offers an entirely different kind of sailing. The Kamchatka peninsula is flanked by the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk and has a coastline dotted with bays, inlets and fjords. Cruise along the east coast to the Kuril Islands, home to several active volcanoes including Ebeko, Fusa and Chikurachki. These sleeping giants have been known to occasionally spurt ash over visitors but it’s still possible to scale them on quieter days.

Some stopping places to reward you for your hard work on the water include natural hot springs dotted throughout the region. Here, drinking the water is said to bring good health. Russkaya Bay on the east coast is a natural channel, cut into the coast for 8km, which offers a secluded spot to moor and explore some of the coastline. This destination is perfect for keen hikers as there are vast, pristine habitats to explore. Depending on the season, you can also hire kayaks or even go skiing.

This region is fantastic for sailing undisturbed by other boats; you will be among only a few thousand visitors who journey to the region each year. The endless scenery including forest, mountains and coastline is enough to satisfy any nature lover. Wildlife to watch out for include Northern sea lions, brown bears, and if you’re very lucky, lynx. Kamchatka is also home to half the world’s population of Steller’s sea eagles. It is even possible to sail south from Kamchatka to Hokkaido and the northern islands of Japan if you’re in the mood for an even bigger adventure.

Known as the summer capital of Russia, Sochi is a hugely popular resort city on the Black Sea Coast. Home to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games, as well as being a host city for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the city has seen a lot of investment in recent years.

Estimates date the settlement of Sochi as far back as 400,000 years ago and Akshtyr Cave is thought to have been inhabited around 40,000 BC. You can visit the site and learn about the archaeology of the region. Outside the city, there are also a wide range of hiking opportunities where you can discover the region’s mountains, waterfalls and even a hidden 10th century Byzantine temple known as Loo Temple.

If you’re visiting the port of Sochi, Sochi Yacht Club is open to visiting boats and provides shelter and good facilities. Sochi port also has facilities but Sochi Yacht Club is generally a higher standard with multiple water taps along the quay and electricity plugs. Fuel can be arranged at the Sochi Port or the Sochi Yacht Club, along with repairs. Some regions along the coast of the Black Sea restrict sailing at night so it is best to minimize cruising to daytime only. Use the evenings to soak up the atmosphere and get to know the unique culture of every destination.

From Sochi you can travel along the Black Sea Coast, stopping at the ancient ports of Sinop and Trabzon in northeastern Turkey. Trabzon is home to a 13th century church, now mosque. Watch out for bottlenose dolphins during your voyage too! Alternatively, you could start from Istanbul. The Black Sea region is rich with history and culture and by sail you can step back in time and experience it in the best possible way.

Lying 40 miles upstream from the Baltic Sea, along the Neva River, Lake Ladoga is arguably the most accessible of all the hidden gems in this list. The Neva River is busy with traffic from commercial vessels and sees more international visitors than other waterways in Russia. Ladoga is the largest freshwater lake in Europe and has many hidden bays and wooded inlets that make it a great place for sailing.

Generally, the best time to visit is the summer, with good winds and largely sunny days. Thanks to its proximity to Europe and St Petersburg, Lake Ladoga is more popular with tourists and cruising yachts. This means the customs process tends to be easier than other destinations and there are more provisions and places to eat on the shore.

Despite the increased tourism, the lake is still rich with biodiversity and the waters are exceptionally clean. Thanks to the freeze-thaw cycle of around 30 rivers that feed into the lake, as well as the granite bedrock, the water is extremely soft and free from minerals. The lake is also home to 660 islands with the northern coast covered in dense forest.

The Oreshek fortress at the mouth of the Neva is just one of many cultural sights dotted around the lake, first built in the 13th century by Swedish settlers. It has since changed from the original wooden structure to a reinforced stone fortress. Similarly, the island of Valaam in the northern archipelago is worth a visit, home to Valaam monastery that was built in the 14th century. Valaam is still a spiritual retreat for some Orthodox Christians.

A hugely evocative destination, the Caspian Sea is slowly becoming more popular as a sailing destination but the vast majority of traffic still comes from commercial shipping and ferries. A new project between Russia and Azerbaijan is looking to increase nautical tourism in the area but despite this, it is largely unknown to international visitors.

A sailing trip to the Caspian Sea can involve visits not only to Russian sites but also to historic ports in Georgia and Azerbaijan. This destination is only now becoming more open to intrepid explorers and you will have to plan your trip carefully, taking into account shifts in political and legal requirements. The south Caspian Sea is currently listed as a no go zone by the US government so travelers should be wary of venturing into contested waters.

However, along the Russian and Azerbaijani coast, there is a host of cultural wonders to offer inquisitive visitors. Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, and Aktau, capital of the Mangystau region in Kazakhstan are among the biggest and busiest destinations on offer.

Political and bureaucratic restrictions aside - which you would need to check before traveling - you can travel between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea using Russia’s extensive and enormous network of inland waterways. It is possible to sail along the Don River, through the Volga-Don Canal and into the Volga River, eventually reaching the Caspian Sea. This is a route that many commercial cruise companies take and it is navigable by yacht. Moscow can also be reached from the Caspian Sea via the Volga. Alternatively, it is possible to sail from the Black Sea up to the North Sea via the River Danube, taking you through some of the most impressive and (in my opinion) romantic cities in Europe.

There are a few things to bear in mind when undertaking any of these sailing adventures. The biggest barrier to international sailors traveling to Russia is the stringent visa restrictions. As many of the destinations mentioned here also include travel to other visa regulated areas, you will also need to make sure that you meet the strict visa requirements for every stop.

You will most likely need a multi-entry visa to travel between ports in Russia. In order to be granted a visa, you need to have an invitation from someone in the country. This is where Russian contacts are very useful. Thankfully, books like ‘The Black Sea’ by David Read Barker and Lisa Borre [1] have gone as far as to provide the contact details of individuals who can help you obtain an invitation, as well as aid in navigating the lengthy bureaucracy associated with visa approval. The visa process itself is straight forward enough, it just requires a large amount of patience and organization to ensure you tick all the right boxes. If you do not have a visa before visiting, you will not be allowed entry.

Similarly, if none of your crew speaks Russian, it could be a good idea to try and find someone who does! Outside of the big cities, many Russians don’t speak English and language problems can make even the simplest custom checks a major challenge. So much so that they could see you being sent home before you’ve even crossed the border. Having a Russian speaker will also make transactions onshore, from buying fuel to getting food, much easier.

It is possible to hire a Russian-speaking agent to help with clearance procedures and to ensure that your trip goes smoothly. This is highly advisable. Again, books like ‘The Black Sea’ contains useful contact information for a few reliable agents, otherwise, check in with other sailors who have made the trip.

Sailing in Russia is not for the faint-hearted; it takes determination, fortitude and creativity to sail in some of the least accessible regions of the world. One of the biggest barriers is official restrictions. However, it’s precisely this aspect that makes it such a hidden gem. Very few sailors venture to Russia and you can find that you are the only boat on the water in many areas. If this kind of adventure appeals to you then Russia may be your perfect destination. Where there’s a will, there’s always a way.

[1]: The Black Sea by David Read Barker and Lisa Borre

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Phuket Sailing Adventure

7 days | sail through the idyllic islands of thailand and kick back on the perfect tropical getaway.

It doesn't get much better than a 7-day sailing adventure through Thailand’s best islands. Spend your time enjoying sublime seascapes, snorkelling through turquoise waters, relaxing on white beaches and discovering craggy limestone peaks by boat. Welcome to the beautiful Andaman Sea! This is your chance to experience the region with the wind in your hair and the sun and salt on your skin. From the iconic landscape of Koh Phi Phi to bustling Phuket – this yacht adventure gives you plenty of time to swim, snorkel, paddleboard and kayak by day and chill out on the deck watching the sunset by night. With a like-minded group by your side and a private chef cooking up fresh Thai flavours – what better way to spend a week in Thailand?

Trip overview

• Leave behind the vibrant, modern pizzazz of Phuket and set sail on the beautifully calm waters of the Andaman Sea – by yacht no less!
• Slip into the beach-loving life with long walks on the finest white sands and salty swims in the inviting azure waters of Thailand’s best beaches.
• There are few things more relaxing than sleeping out beneath the stars, rocked by the gentle pitch of a yacht. Choose to spend a night on the deck and see for yourself.
• Feast on delicious food with no effort at all – you’ll have the added benefit of an onboard chef, whipping up Thai favourites daily.
• Relax with the knowledge that the biggest decision of the day is whether to paddleboard, snorkel, swim with the tropical fish or kayak across shimmering seas.
• As most of this trip takes place on a sailing boat, you’ll need to feel comfortable with moving about the vessel, including stairs. Your friendly crew will be able to help with the effects of sea sickness if needed.  
• Time on the water also means time in the sun. Remember to pack sun protection, such as sunscreen and a hat, and drink plenty of water to keep hydrated. See ‘Essential Trip Information’ below for a full packing list.  

Sa-wat dee! Welcome to Phuket, Thailand’s largest and most popular island. Phuket is an island full of sunshine exotica and modern pizazz. It has excellent beaches, a huge array of restaurants serving local flavours, comfortable hotels, bars and shopping options – so you might want to consider arriving a couple of days early. Today, be ready to board and meet your skipper and group at 1 pm. After an orientation of the yacht, you’ll begin your journey across the Andaman Sea. Your skipper will select an island to anchor for the night where you’ll have time to enjoy a dip in the clear water, followed by a relaxing dinner on board and a beautiful sunset.  

• Overnight boat (1 night)

The beauty of sailing is that each day is unique and, while you’ll have a destination to reach, if the weather changes or something takes the group’s fancy, the day's itinerary is flexible. The itinerary is subject to change and may vary depending on weather and berth availability. Your skipper will make the final call and always ensure your safety. 

This is an adventure on board a real yacht, which means living spaces, cabins, bathrooms and showers need to be shared with other passengers. Sleeping quarters can be quite compact, but you will be spending most of your time above board in the open air.  

After breakfast on board, you’ll head to Koh Phanak, where you have the option to visit the ice cream cave, full of stalagmites and stalactites. You’ll be transferred to the small beach via a dinghy, from where you’ll explore the ice cream-like structures in the cave. Next, head to Koh Hong, where you’ll be given an instructional briefing for a kayak or paddleboard trip to the island. Enjoy a delicious Thai lunch on board when you return and then head to Koh Phak Bia, where you’ll spend the evening. You can swim, kayak or paddleboard, or just kick back on the yacht and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The sunset here is not to be missed! Your chef will tantalise your taste buds with an amazing Thai dinner this evening. 

This morning after breakfast, you’ll sail to Chicken Island – with its distinctive bird-like shape and bright blue waters full of diverse marine life, this is the perfect spot to enjoy some snorkelling. After you snorkel and have some lunch, sail towards Railay Beach in the late afternoon. There will be plenty of time to relax at the beach, read a good book in the sun or walk the coastline. Railay Beach has some great restaurants, too, so tonight you can join the group for an optional dinner on the beachfront at one of the local favourites that features live music. Later, head back to the yacht which will be anchored in the bay, via a longtail boat – a real Thai experience! 

After breakfast on board, head towards the most talked about place in Thailand – Koh Phi Phi. For many, this is the iconic image of Thailand – two islands connected by a great arc of pure white sand, striking limestone cliffs and unbelievably inviting waters. Travellers are drawn to the island thanks to its colourful marine life, as well as the array of shops, bars, restaurants and fire spectacles on the beach. You will arrive at approximately 12 pm and will have free time to wander around and explore. This is the perfect spot if you’re looking to buy any souvenirs – maybe it’s time for a new sarong or a hat? In the late afternoon, meet back with your skipper and other group members, and sail to Koh Phi Phi Leh for the night.

If we are unable to stop at Koh Phi Phi Leh, you will spend the evening at Monkey Beach instead.

As this is a combination trip, the composition of your group may change at this location. Some travellers may be finishing their trip in Koh Phi Phi, others may just be starting and there may be travellers doing the same trip as you.

Rise and shine for a picture-perfect morning! You’ll enjoy a leisurely breakfast prepared by your chef and then sail towards Viking Cave, where you’ll learn about the fascinating history of the limestone cliff and cave underneath. Next, sail to Koh Khai, a small collection of islands out in the middle of the Andaman Sea. Here, you can enjoy some excellent snorkelling and swim among brightly coloured corals and huge schools of tropical fish. After lunch on board, continue sailing towards Koh Mai Thon and arrive in the late afternoon. Celebrate the crystal-clear waters of the area with a spot of kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, swimming or snorkelling – or just take this chance to relax on board with a good book. Join your group for dinner on the boat and kick back with a drink, watching the sunset. 

This morning after breakfast, sail to Koh Hae, also known also as Coral Island, for a morning snorkel or kayak followed by a delicious lunch on board. After lunch, sail toward the Koh Man Islands and stop for a snorkel between Koh Man and Nui Beach. If you prefer to be above water, you can instead enjoy some kayaking and paddleboarding here. Tonight, head to Nui Beach via dingy and enjoy an optional dinner at one of the many restaurants on the beachfront. Nui Beach is known for being one of the most beautiful beaches in Thailand, as it resembles a private beach and is only accessible by boat (or by trekking across the jungle). Return to the yacht, where you might want to consider spending your final evening sleeping under the stars out on the deck. 

Take a last-minute swim this morning before a smooth sail brings you back to Phuket, at approximately 12 pm. This is where your Andaman seafaring odyssey comes to an end. You’re free to explore all that Phuket has to offer, or to continue your onward journey home. 

6 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners

Boat, dinghy

Overnight boat (6 nights)

Dates and availability

Important notes.

1. The tour commences from Phuket on Day 1 at 1 pm and finishes on arrival into Phuket on Day 7 at approximately 12 pm depending on weather conditions. 2. All travellers must pay National Park fees locally. Please allow US$20 for these fees.

PASSPORT DETAILS: Please provide full passport details at time of booking including exact name as per passport, date of birth, nationality, issue and expiry dates as these are essential for booking services on this trip.

AACCOMMODATION ON BOARD THE YACHT This trip is accommodated on board a 58 foot, twin-hulled sailing catamaran. Our boat is equipped with 1 x twin-share, 2 x double-share and 2 x quad-share cabins each with en-suite bathrooms and fans. The skipper will allocate the rooms on arrival to the boat and single travellers will be paired up with another passenger of the same sex, this may mean sharing a double mattress. The skipper will also be sharing the catamaran's facilities and sleeping quarters. While some may find the living quarters quite close, those who are looking to revel in the adventure and exhilaration of an authentic sailing trip usually find any discomfort is more than made up for by the spirit of this sailing experience.

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.

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Cruising the Moskva River: A short guide to boat trips in Russia’s capital

There’s hardly a better way to absorb Moscow’s atmosphere than on a ship sailing up and down the Moskva River. While complicated ticketing, loud music and chilling winds might dampen the anticipated fun, this checklist will help you to enjoy the scenic views and not fall into common tourist traps.

How to find the right boat?

There are plenty of boats and selecting the right one might be challenging. The size of the boat should be your main criteria.

Plenty of small boats cruise the Moskva River, and the most vivid one is this yellow Lay’s-branded boat. Everyone who has ever visited Moscow probably has seen it.

This option might leave a passenger disembarking partially deaf as the merciless Russian pop music blasts onboard. A free spirit, however, will find partying on such a vessel to be an unforgettable and authentic experience that’s almost a metaphor for life in modern Russia: too loud, and sometimes too welcoming. Tickets start at $13 (800 rubles) per person.

Bigger boats offer smoother sailing and tend to attract foreign visitors because of their distinct Soviet aura. Indeed, many of the older vessels must have seen better days. They are still afloat, however, and getting aboard is a unique ‘cultural’ experience. Sometimes the crew might offer lunch or dinner to passengers, but this option must be purchased with the ticket. Here is one such  option  offering dinner for $24 (1,490 rubles).

If you want to travel in style, consider Flotilla Radisson. These large, modern vessels are quite posh, with a cozy restaurant and an attentive crew at your service. Even though the selection of wines and food is modest, these vessels are still much better than other boats.

Surprisingly, the luxurious boats are priced rather modestly, and a single ticket goes for $17-$32 (1,100-2,000 rubles); also expect a reasonable restaurant bill on top.

How to buy tickets?

Women holding photos of ships promise huge discounts to “the young and beautiful,” and give personal invitations for river tours. They sound and look nice, but there’s a small catch: their ticket prices are usually more than those purchased online.

“We bought tickets from street hawkers for 900 rubles each, only to later discover that the other passengers bought their tickets twice as cheap!”  wrote  (in Russian) a disappointed Rostislav on a travel company website.

Nevertheless, buying from street hawkers has one considerable advantage: they personally escort you to the vessel so that you don’t waste time looking for the boat on your own.

Prices start at $13 (800 rubles) for one ride, and for an additional $6.5 (400 rubles) you can purchase an unlimited number of tours on the same boat on any given day.

Flotilla Radisson has official ticket offices at Gorky Park and Hotel Ukraine, but they’re often sold out.

Buying online is an option that might save some cash. Websites such as  this   offer considerable discounts for tickets sold online. On a busy Friday night an online purchase might be the only chance to get a ticket on a Flotilla Radisson boat.

This  website  (in Russian) offers multiple options for short river cruises in and around the city center, including offbeat options such as ‘disco cruises’ and ‘children cruises.’ This other  website  sells tickets online, but doesn’t have an English version. The interface is intuitive, however.

Buying tickets online has its bad points, however. The most common is confusing which pier you should go to and missing your river tour.

“I once bought tickets online to save with the discount that the website offered,” said Igor Shvarkin from Moscow. “The pier was initially marked as ‘Park Kultury,’ but when I arrived it wasn’t easy to find my boat because there were too many there. My guests had to walk a considerable distance before I finally found the vessel that accepted my tickets purchased online,” said the man.

There are two main boarding piers in the city center:  Hotel Ukraine  and  Park Kultury . Always take note of your particular berth when buying tickets online.

Where to sit onboard?

Even on a warm day, the headwind might be chilly for passengers on deck. Make sure you have warm clothes, or that the crew has blankets ready upon request.

The glass-encased hold makes the tour much more comfortable, but not at the expense of having an enjoyable experience.

Getting off the boat requires preparation as well. Ideally, you should be able to disembark on any pier along the way. In reality, passengers never know where the boat’s captain will make the next stop. Street hawkers often tell passengers in advance where they’ll be able to disembark. If you buy tickets online then you’ll have to research it yourself.

There’s a chance that the captain won’t make any stops at all and will take you back to where the tour began, which is the case with Flotilla Radisson. The safest option is to automatically expect that you’ll return to the pier where you started.

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Watches Sailing Heritage

TAG Heuer enthusiasts know that the nautical world holds a special place in the TAG Heuer universe. Now available in solid 18-carat 5N rose gold, the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Skipper celebrates the Swiss Maison’s historical sailing heritage, as explained by Nicholas Biebuyck the brand’s heritage director in the videos below. 

Where does its distinctive allure come from? It harks back to the original model, born from Jack Heuer’s involvement in the America’s Cup, the world’s oldest race, where TAG Heuer was the official timekeeper for the Intrepid crew in the 1960s. “In 1967, when Buzz Mosbacher, the celebrated captain of the boat, was looking for timing equipment, it just so happened that we were able to provide them not only with stopwatches but with these essential wrist-worn regatta timers that we specially developed with our partner, Aquastar,” explains Nicholas Biebuyck. More than half a century later, the contemporary model features the same codes that popularized the 1968 model: the double turquoise sub-dials at 3 and 9 o’clock recall the deck of the Intrepid, the America’s Cup yacht.

A Solid Legacy

The nautical heritage is vast, and the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Skipper in rose gold draws from it far beyond its original model. “The amazing thing about the watches, the dial, it has this amazing mixture of colors that has never been seen before in watchmaking”, he continues. “This deep blue symbolizes the ocean, an amazing teal color that took direct codes from the boat that was entered into the America’s Cup with this teal colored deck. The bright orange for the regatta flags and complemented by another version of the green. Taking inspiration from the color of lagoon.” 

Reference: CBS2241.FN8023

Reference: 73463 & 7752 - Heritage Skipper

Reference: 7752 - Heritage Skipper

Reference: 7752- Heritage Skipper & CBS2213.FN6002

The watch is inspired by iconic pieces from eras such as the Solunar or the Mareographe. The Solunar (a blend of “Solar” and “Lunar”) was designed to indicate high and low tides at a specific location for each day over a two-week period. Launched in 1975, it was intended for fishermen, but its tide indication was helpful to anyone who needed to track the tides. Its great success led to a chronograph version of the tide watch called the Heuer “Mareographe.” 

Like all TAG Heuer sports watches, the Skipper edition incorporates the Calibre TH20-06 movement with bi-directional winding and an 80-hour power reserve, ready to sail the seas with sheer confidence. Finally, the watch adopts the original “glassbox” design recently seen on the TAG Heuer Carrera, featuring an ultra-clear curved glass flange from edge to edge for visibility, even in the midst of marine winds—the perfect union of style and functionality.

CBS2241.FN8023 TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Skipper

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The Lost Art of Mummy Smuggling

In “Women in the Valley of the Kings,” Kathleen Sheppard introduces us to a group of 19th-century archaeologists who changed the field forever.

By W. M. Akers

W.M. Akers is the author of the “Westside” novels and the creator of the tabletop game “Deadball: Baseball With Dice.”

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WOMEN IN THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age , by Kathleen Sheppard

Let’s say it’s 1873. You’re an intrepid Englishwoman sailing the Nile in search of adventure and history and souvenirs. You’ve sneaked a painted sarcophagus onto your boat. You open the lid, unwrap the occupant and admire what you declare to be a “festive object and not at all a funereal old frump.”

The next day, cabin stinking of dried death and customs officials ready to impound your find, you have two choices: dump the mummy overboard or rewrap it and hope nobody asks about the smell.

This was the situation faced by Marianne Brocklehurst, an adventurer whose story is told in Kathleen Sheppard’s “Women in the Valley of the Kings,” a new history of Egyptology that prioritizes the women whose contributions, for good and otherwise, shaped the field. While men opened tombs and won headlines, it was women like Brocklehurst, Emma Andrews, Margaret Alice Murray and Caroline Ransom Williams who frequently funded the men’s expeditions, organized their digs, tracked and cataloged their finds. Sheppard calls these women “the pillars on which the male heroes of Western Egyptology stood.”

Without glossing over the “vandalizing and pillaging” that accompanied their work, she celebrates her subjects as trailblazers. Other histories might claim that “men got dirty, had adventures and excavated artifacts” while women did the dull work. Sheppard argues otherwise.

Her first hero is Amelia B. Edwards — a onetime companion of Brocklehurst’s — who turned her 1873 trip into a best-selling travelogue, “A Thousand Miles Up the Nile,” and founded the nonprofit now known as the Egypt Exploration Society. She funded expeditions run by Flinders Petrie, whom she appreciated for his gentle excavating and thrift.

On American lecture tours, she commanded fees second only to those of Charles Dickens, and she inspired a generation of would-be Egyptologists in a time when, writes Sheppard, if “one had the time to travel and the money to support excavations or purchasing artifacts, or both, that was enough to make you an archaeologist at this point in the history of archaeology in Egypt.”

Edwards was also queer. In England, she lived with and cared for Ellen Braysher, an older woman whom she loved deeply. On her one trip to Egypt, she traveled with Lucy Renshaw, whose breasts she described in a poem as “twin blossoms” that “I would barter my soul away but to kiss.” Many of the women in this book are lesbians, and Sheppard makes clear that this is no coincidence. Foreign adventure is always tempting to those restricted at home, and in an era when every traveling woman needed a companion, queer women were uncommonly at ease.

“These long-term same-sex relationships were often necessary for women to participate in the field,” writes Sheppard. “Two wealthy, educated women could work without needing a man in a period when it was almost impossible for a woman to do so on her own.”

Sheppard resists the temptation to present this history as an uncomplicated feminist triumph. The work these women enabled was often destructive, even criminal, and supported by a colonialist structure that bound millions to a rigid hierarchy of class, sex and race. But reading Edwards’s story, particularly in conjunction with “A Thousand Miles Up the Nile,” reveals a seductive side to colonialism that remains frighteningly appealing even now.

It is hard to read Edwards’s account of her first close look at the ancient city of Giza without feeling the joy of a queer woman claiming her place in the world: “When at last the edge of the desert is reached, and the long sand-slope climbed, and the rocky platform gained, and the great pyramid in all its unexpected bulk and majesty towers close above one’s head, the effect is as sudden as it is overwhelming. It shuts out the sky and the horizon. It shuts out all the other pyramids. It shuts out everything but the sense of awe and wonder.”

But that awe and wonder must always be tempered by ugly reality. Edwards later tells of a trip across a field of plundered graves, and the way all European visitors shift rapidly from disgust to eagerness.

“Shocked at first, they denounce with horror the whole system of sepulchral excavation, legal as well as predatory; acquiring, however, a taste for scarabs and funerary statuettes, they soon begin to buy with eagerness the spoils of the dead; finally, they forget all their former scruples and ask no better fortune than to discover and confiscate a tomb for themselves.”

As for Brocklehurst and her mummy, Edwards writes that, “unable to endure the perfume of their ancient Egyptian,” Brocklehurst “drowned the dear departed in the Nile.”

But Sheppard tells another story. The mummy, later identified as a girl named Sheb-nut, was smuggled out of Egypt and back to England. If you want, you can visit her there — in a museum.

WOMEN IN THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS : The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age | By Kathleen Sheppard | St. Martin’s | 307 pp. | $30