Vessel

70ft steel yacht designed to withstand tough arctic conditions, but with comfort and high standard along the way. The yacht sails very well, especially when it’s windy! There is a lot of space outside for sailing and staying on deck. Inside, the boat has ample space in the lounge and in the wheelhouse and a well-equipped galley. The boat has 6 cabins, most of them with private baths and showers.

Valiente is very well equipped for trips and expeditions including; RIB light boat, two folding kayaks, big tanks for both water and diesel, watermaker, generators, safety, and rescue equipment, communication equipment.

Travel – in general

Sometimes we have to fly, but not always. If you have the luxury of time, we always encourage you to travel as environmentally friendly as possible. Traveling slowly also gives another start to a holiday. Cycling, taking the train, or driving a car together are good alternatives! Feel free to add some extra time before and after, since up in the north weather can sometimes change your plans…

Safety and risk – in general

We take safety seriously and on our trips we train on handling different situations that can occur at sea. On board the boat and trips, everyone must know what to do in potentially dangerous situations. For us it is important that you as a guest and participant is trained quickly enough to be a participating crew, not a passenger. It contributes to learning, sense of achievement and increased safety for all. This is also why our trips are considered to be sailing courses, you are trained to be one of the crew members on board.
Mountain hikes and alpine/backcountry trips involves a certain risk, as does sailing. However, we as an operator, and our skippers and guides, do everything we can to minimize the risk in a professional manner. Everyone gains on this and we have no one to lose.

In terms of risk, we sail a safe and sturdy steel boat that is well equipped for this type of trip. However, all sailing in general, and sailing in arctic regions, involves a certain risk that you must be willing to take.

Feel free to contact us for a chat and guidance about risk.

Level of this trip

Sailing-wise, our trips are not difficult, and you are always welcome to join us! We have with us both people who have never sailed before and experienced sailors. However, you must be prepared for everything from no wind to sailing in harsh weather. If you are a beginner, we will try to make you a seaman/woman as soon as possible. If you are experienced you will be given responsibility and greater challenges.

Equipment/packing

In Northern Norway and the Arctics, we must be prepared for all seasons, often during a single day. It’s a part of the experience; it’s wild, beautiful and raw – in all aspects, also with regards to weather. Prepare for the contrasts! For us, the most important thing is to enjoy the ride and the sailing. Use what you have, borrow if you can, and invest in something new if you must. In good time before departure, we will send you a detailed recommended packing list for this trip.

Food and cooking

On our trips, everyone contributes to the operation of the boat, so as long as you have not booked one of our trips with a designated chef, all take their turns in the galley during the trip. Skippers and guides assist as much as they can along the way. In advance of the trip, we set up a menu and shop what is needed. We try to offer good menus with healthy and “boat friendly” food. If you have allergies or preferences let us know in the registration form, and we will take that into account. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

What we expect from you

We want you to take part in the routines on board the sailboat, whether it is sailing, docking, navigating, looking for whales and icebergs, washing up, cooking, clean the boat or contribute in other ways when required. Our trips require a little effort from all participants – and you should be open to contribute and open up a bit socially. We have many different people with us on our trips, and most people go very well together. Our experience is that doing things with others out in nature, and not least do things with new people with different personalities than one might be used to, is what creates the best, most interesting and memorable stories :)

Life onboard and accommodation

Life onboard a sailboat is social and pleasant, but for some, it can be perceived as quite intimate and crowded, which is important to be prepared for. On our trips everyone participates in the operation of the sailboat and everyone is considered crew. We would like to get to know you well and hope that you will get to know everyone else on the sailboat as soon as possible. It requires some patience, generosity and an open mind to thrive, but the new acquaintances and completely raw nature experiences are quickly what will take your focus as soon as you become comfortable with life at sea.
Accommodation on the boat is part of the fun. The accommodation is generally in shared cabins, some of which have a double bed and some have a bunk bed solution. The distribution is quite a puzzle, but we do believe we are quite good at it. Let us know if you have any special needs or reservations.Any accommodation before and after the trip must be arranged on its own. If you have any doubts about where to stay, we’re happy to give you some recommendations.
On the boat we have a lot of heat and a lot of good food, but not always an abundance of fresh water.

What kind of people join this trip – and how many are we onboard?

Many come alone, some travel as couples, some travel as a group of friends. The common denominator for everyone is that these are fun and committed people you become friends with almost no matter what. Sharing grand experiences creates strong ties! Many people wonder about the age composition of our trips, but that is not so important to us. It doesn’t matter if you are young or old as long as you want to go on a trip and intend to do your part so that you and the rest of the crew will have a good trip together. The number of participants varies from trip to trip. If we get many participants, we will expand with more boats and skippers. On most trips, we sail more boats in a fleet, with 7-9 people onboard each boat.

ECO, Environment and Sustainability

Both sailing and hiking/alpine/backcountry trips are environmentally friendly activities and we sail as much as we can and use the engine as little as possible. We encourage crew and participants to travel as environmentally-friendly as possible, and we use local ingredients and resources as far as possible. We also have our own trips where we collect litter and clean ocean trash from beaches.
Philosophically we often say that sailing is an exercise in sustainability; we move with the wind and we have limitations on things like water, diesel, electricity and food. In order to run sustainably – knowledge, patience, agility and hard work are required. The same applies to almost everything you try to do in a sustainable way.

Changes to the program

The program should be seen as a starting point that we adapt to weather and conditions. We also reserve the right to constantly improve our itineraries. Onboard with us we always have a dinghy for beach landings and small expeditions, we have fishing gear for the cod, and gear to hike or make bonfires on the beach – we are ready for adventure! Are you?

Please note: This trip is a working passage and you are expected to take turns with the cooking, crewing and cleaning of the boat throughout the trip.

The sailing starts in Mallaig. We will sail south, around the Isle of Mull, and if the weather and sailing conditions are good, we will try to sail around the Isle of Jura. We will stop at local anchor points and visit one of the greatest distilleries- and find out what makes the whiskey unique. The trip ends in Oban.

She sails very well, especially when it’s windy! There is a lot of space outside for sailing and staying on deck. Inside, the boat has ample space in the lounge and in the wheelhouse and a well-equipped galley. The boat has 6 cabins, most of them with private bathrooms and showers.

Oban is known as the “Gateway to the Isles” and for its range of outdoor pursuits and delicious food and drink. It has recently also become known as “The Seafood Capital of Scotland”.

Oban, meaning The Little Bay, has 8,500 inhabitants, but during the tourist season, the town can have a temporary population of up to over 24,000 people.

The modern town of Oban grew up around the distillery, which was founded there in 1794. The distillery is one of the oldest operating Scottish whisky distilleries since it was founded, and is also one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland.

The bustling and thriving port of Mallaig is situated on the north west coast along the famous Road to the Isles. The town is a fascinating place where we can soak up the atmosphere of a working fishing port but at the same time, its remote location makes it a great place to relax.

The program

The program may change according to weather and conditions, but it gives an indication of how we spend the days. We start every day with a good breakfast and make a packed lunch before we go ashore. Some of days we eat dinner right away after getting back to the boat, other days we just eat a snack at the beach and then sail on before we make a later dinner. Some days, we spend time fishing, and time to look around. If the weather should be in disfavor of a trip on land, then we spend the day sailing or doing something else fun.