Sumara of Weymouth

5th April 2026

Reading time: Five minutes

Nerdiness Quotient: 2/10

Suddenly there is no time left and an awful lot to do! A fact not helped by me suffering from the dreaded lurgy all last week and I’m only just back to firing on all cylinders.

I’m not actually setting sail just yet. The ice only begins to clear from the Greenland coast at the end of July, so it is pointless going too soon, but I am driving to Scotland, via Yorkshire, to prepare the boat.

I will be stopping in Yorkshire to give a talk in Knaresborough about my previous sail to Jan Mayen. It will also give me a chance to catch up with my sailing friend Ray who I will be staying with.

Varnished boats are quite a lot of work every year and this year there are a few extra tasks that need sorting out.

My insurers have asked for a powerful bilge pump to be fitted capable of 25 gallons a minute. Sailors say there is nothing faster than someone in a panic with a bucket but I suspect I will probably have to relent and fit an electric pump, and then run the engine to power it.

I calculated that a big pump like the Rule 2000 would drain my battery in a couple of hours and totally flatten it in six hours. Fitting big things in small boats is always a struggle, but it has to be done to comply with the insurance.

Of course there is always a remote chance I’ll actually have to use the thing as there is a lot of ice about in the Greenland region.

However, although Sumara is made from wood, I do believe she will withstand hitting a few growlers. The bow is shaped such that she will slide up the ice rather than stop dead in the water. The stem post is also about 6 inches thick of laminated iroko and all the planks fastened to it are continuous lengths with no scarfs making a very strong structure.

My provisional schedule is:

• 13th April Drive to Yorkshire for talk
• 15th April Arrive in Dunstaffnage, near Oban Scotland
• 20th April Boat in Shed
• 7th May Launch Boat
• 17th May Set Sail down Sound of Mull with Jannicke
• 22nd May Arrive at Ullapool Lugger Festival
• 28th May Return to London
• 19th June Alasdair and Torsten return to Sumara
• 26th June Arrive Faroe Islands
• 30th June Set Sail to Iceland with Jo and Grit
• 17th July Arrive Husavik, Iceland

• 23rd July Sail to Greenland (Ice and weather conditions permitting)
• 12th August Full Eclipse in Scoresby Sund
• 20th August Arrive North West Fjords Iceland
• 28th August Depart Rekjavik for Westmann Islands
• 6th September Arrive Stornoway Scotland
• 14th September. Return to Dunstaffnage

The total Mileage from my start in the East Coast of England to return to Scotland will be around 3,500nm. I will endeavour to post updates on the blog but that may be restricted to satellite phone messages with pictures to follow.

The camera on my “tough” phone has conked out so Instagram will be a bit sporadic until I get a new “even tougher” phone. Another item to add to my shopping list.

In the meantime I have a week of madness ahead with a job list which includes:

• Getting the satellite phone to work with the laptop
• Replacing the wheels on my trailer and bringing it home to load
• Replacing the tyres on my van
• A dental appointment and a shingles jab
• Preparing the Jan Mayen Talk
• Ordering a waterproof drone
• Ordering the pump and pipes for the emergency bilge pump

Plus another few dozen dastardly tasks but with a couple of pleasant social engagements to ease the pain.

I can’t wait to get out to sea!