Travel Blog / Foreword
Why does one set off to circumnavigate the globe? Why does the blue emptiness of an ocean draw one’s mind and soul to slip lines and embrace it?
FIREBIRD was conceived with the dream of sailing round the world and its 7 continents. Every system, detail of rigging and sail was developed and optimized to make sailing in remote destinations with limited outside assistance not only possible but also enjoyable. Finally, after three years fine-tuning the yacht in the fjords of Arctic Norway and 2020’s full season in Svalbard – in which we managed to get to a latitude of 82˚03’N – we felt that we were ready for something bigger. For a voyage that, just 30 years ago, would have been regarded as a fairy tale, and 20 years ago would have been brushed away as a delirious dream. And then, 10 years ago, it evolved into a life goal that kept all of us going and pushing harder and training to become better. This voyage is to circumnavigate the globe, but not exactly down the Coca Cola route. ;)
Oyster Yachts are built in Southampton on the South coast of England, so it was somewhat symbolic that our journey started from one of the villages by Southampton Water - Hamble, famous among yachtsmen, where FIREBIRD pulled in two months ago for scheduled maintenance at the end of its Arctic season.
Sometimes we are asked whether FIREBIRD is a production yacht? It’s actually a rather tricky question. On one hand, the 885 Series was incredibly successful for the Oyster. Lush (hull 01) and Karibu (hull 02) have both proven to be outstanding cruising yachts and performed excellently in regattas. In total, 10 hulls belonging to the series have been launched, ours is number 07.
On the other hand, FIREBIRD is the only yacht in the series built to the MCA Cat 0, which required most of the yacht’s bulkheads and systems to be substantially redesigned. It is the only one equipped with a rigid sprayhood with a toughened glass windscreen (rather than a plexiglass screen), the only one fitted with a Webasto diesel heating system etc. etc.
So, together with Oyster, we came to realise that, of course, FIREBIRD is based on the 885 series model, but – due to extensive customisation – it’s probably fair to say that it’s akin to an M5, which is directly related to and based on the BMW 5 Series, but is nonetheless not exactly a BMW 525d.
As we head west, we are planning to find time to reflect on some of our mods and enhancements to the yacht, but for now let’s leave it here. We’ll let a bit of intrigue stay in the air…