Allan and Linda Fraser have been sailing their new 45 ft monohull Allures 45.9 “Stravaig” since the summer of 2019, navigating the North Atlantic – and the pandemic. We recently caught up with them to find out more about their unique sailing story of two experienced performance sailors exploring their lifelong passion for sailing and the different forms it can take.
Stravaig v. [Scottish] roam, wander about casually or aimlessly; traverse, travel up and down (a place)
Racers before cruisers:
For Allan, competitive dinghy sailing became a big part of his life while at senior school in Scotland, a bracing experience in the days before wetsuits and drysuits. Then, in London during the early years of their careers when they were looking for a sport they could enjoy together, he wisely took Linda to the warm waters of Menorca for her first taste of dinghy sailing, a holiday that led to them racing double handed in dinghies the rest of their working lives.
“Linda and I raced dinghies from the mid 80s until 2012. In south-west London, one of the clubs had a big fleet of Fireballs and we were very much drawn to the two-person, single trapeze, high-performance end of things. We sailed Fireballs until the asymmetric skiffs came on the scene in the early 90s. One of these, the ISO, was co-designed by a member of our club and we joined many others at the club in switching to this boat. Our final dinghy was the RS500 which was popular at club level, had a well-supported open circuit series and, in 2011, as a test of the venue, held its world championships at the 2012 Olympic venue in Weymouth.”
Allan et Linda competing at RS500 Worlds 2011 in Weymouth (England).
A new tactical option:
“We started chartering family cruising sailboats for holidays in the late 90s, mainly in the Med but occasionally the Caribbean. A couple of years before our retirement in 2013, we were in Greece on a flotilla holiday kicking around ideas for post-retirement and the flotilla captain kept talking about these ‘privateers’ living on the move. And that got us thinking. We’d never seriously contemplated owning a ‘big boat’ but when the boat becomes your home it solves the problem of having to decide on one place to live.” “Life had been laid out in a certain way up until then. We were very actively racing dinghies and occasionally cruising on holidays but around the constraint of our careers” Linda explained. Soon it was all change – as a retirement plan, they would take to the sea!
Stravaig in Barbuda
The approach to the starting line:
When they stopped working, in a quick, decisive move they swapped their 14ft RS500 for a 41ft production mid size cruising sailboat (named Touch of Grey) which they lived on for over five years and sailed 23,500NM ‘testing out the life’. Embracing a new life as cruisers, they progressed from coastal sailing in Europe to an Atlantic crossing and cruising the eastern seaboard of the USA as far north as Nova Scotia. “We confirmed our commitment to the new lifestyle but also learned the limitations of a 41ft production boat for extended liveaboard and blue water cruising.”
“We started looking for a new boat in 2017 and that year visited the Annapolis boat show where we saw the Allures 45.9 for the first time. We came away hugely impressed. All other boats were forgotten. There really was no competition!”
“Our first impressions were of a sturdy vessel but with elegant lines; the 45.9 is a very good-looking boat. Down below, the Allures was spacious with good natural lighting and visibility. It was also well laid out in ways we had learned were important during the previous five years of cruising. Little things like being able to get into bed the right way, without having to climb in and turn around, are actually very important. And we liked the way the saloon was split into three distinct areas: galley, planning and navigation, and relaxing and dining. With the enormous sail locker at the bow, we’d have significantly greater scope in our downwind sail wardrobe and no need to store these sails in the aft cabin. The stern arch with its dinghy hoist and support for solar panels looked part of the boat, not an afterthought that had been tacked on later. Many features that we’d had to add, or found we couldn’t add, to Touch of Grey were either standard on the Allures or available as factory installed options – a huge plus that also means there’s a place for everything. We were going from a weekend and summer holiday boat to a quality, liveaboard blue water cruiser!”
“We placed an order for our Allures 45.9 in April 2018 and Stravaig was launched in June 2019.”
Playing the shifts:
“After handover, we spent a couple of months cruising in the Channel Islands, getting to know the boat and going through the shakedown process. We then put Stravaig to her first real test, a 10-day, 1450NM passage from Guernsey to Lanzarote which she passed with flying colours.”
While cruising the Canary Islands, Covid struck. “We were on the boat in Gran Canaria when Spain went into lockdown in March (2020). We had planned to go to Norway via the Channel Islands for the summer but we made it only as far as Guernsey. Norway had closed its sea borders while we were en route. After completing a 15-day quarantine on the isolation pontoon in Guernsey harbour, we were very fortunate to be granted local boat status which allowed us to spend the summer months enjoying the islands of the Bailiwick of Guernsey in a unique and exclusive way as the only non-local boat to be allowed to stay that year!”
With many destinations closed and much uncertainty about the others, a range of options for the next twelve months had to be considered. Allan and Linda eventually settled on returning to the Canary Islands in October and then crossing to the Caribbean in January.
The Stravaig blog begins here with the 10-days trip from Guernsey to Lanzarote.
Double-handed offshore sailing:
On their first Atlantic crossing, Allan and Linda chose to have an additional crew member and went as part of Jimmy Cornell’s 2016 Atlantic Odyssey. This time round, having completed two lengthy offshore passages in their new Allures, they felt confident in both the boat’s and their own abilities to go not only just two up but also without the support of a rally. While this gave more flexibility in terms of timing, it did mean that all the planning, weather routing and landfall logistics was entirely down to them. Here they share some of their favourite moments from their blog on topics such as boat handling and the conditions they encountered. “As for the conditions, we didn’t encounter anything extreme, not prolonged extreme anyway. The boat handled all conditions well and we never felt out of control.”
“Our sail plan is pretty flexible with options to suit all conditions. We love the thrill of sailing downwind with the Blue Water Runner up. At 150 square metres it is three times the size of our mainsail!” “Also a huge thrill, on day 11 we crossed paths within a mile of Charlie Dalin, then the lead boat in the Vendée Globe and radioed with him. It was debatable whether he inspired our sense of competition or gave us some good weather advice but we subsequently recorded two consecutive record-setting days!”
Stravaig – Blue Water Runner
“It was only 7pm, but dark already, and the wind was fairly steady in direction, but gusty. The Blue Water Runner was out to starboard in asymmetric format. As I prepared to take charge, I realised it’s been a while since I’ve steered in the dark. (In fact, Allan later reminded me that although we’ve done weeks of night sailing on Stravaig, we haven’t actually done any night steering, so the last time I did any was a year and a half ago.).”
“Couldn’t see the sail, the skies were pitch black and the instrument displays had been dimmed for the night and were difficult to read. I spent ten minutes slewing about: over-correcting the wheel, the sail constantly collapsing, and the boat see-sawing 40 degrees or more from side… Then, just before I got really fed up with myself, I got the hang of it. As we’ve discovered in our day-time helming, this enormous sail needs surprisingly delicate handling. I started holding the wheel dead centre, and just gently nudging the boat back on to the wind a few degrees at a time. All became calm and she (and I) just settled into the rhythm of the night. All is well. Linda
The rest of the Transatlantic log details the balancing act of offshore sailing. In all that is work there is also accomplishment and deep enjoyment. Through weather and sail changes, the balance of hand steering vs autopilot and the interplay of boat systems, fuelled by an impressively high-quality food program, honouring the importance of rest and pausing to take in the sailing sensations, the scenery and the unique chance encounters with nature.
Route of Apivia IMOCA
Strategy: The Journey and the Destination, on Repeat!
The Frasers spent Spring of 2021 island-hopping and diving and snorkeling the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. With the seasonal migration they headed North to the US Eastern seaboard as they formulate plans for next season’s gorgeous sailing grounds – The Bahamas!
Culinary adventures
A professional food writer and editor, Linda takes cooking on the Allures 45.9 to new levels! “On Stravaig, I like to cook and have learned to work around the challenges of preparing meals offshore, so even out there we are eating quite well. One of the interesting things about sailing to other countries is not only discovering new ingredients but also working with a limited choice, getting creative and coming up with delicious healthy food.”
“On passage we tend to eat less (apart from the night watch snacking) and we have found that we prefer simpler dishes. However, last night, it being our wedding anniversary, Linda went out of her way to dish up something very special: brill fillets pan fried in Guernsey butter and a fennel, courgette and red onion salad with lime and orange dressing. Only one word for it. Brill.” Allan Fraser, Stravaig boat log.
Linda’s blog entries are another premium feature of the informative sailing blog – sure to improve your galley game and provide inspiration!
Bon appétit !
