Hylas 63 – Altantic crossing via the Viking Route

After 2 years of planning and preparations, Hylas H63 S/V Shaima has now begun her Odyssey: a unique series of ocean passages that follows an untraditional route across the Atlantic. The plan is to “Island-hop” across the Atlantic much like cruising the Caribbean islands as opposed to the typical long haul crossing of almost 20 days without seeing land. With this goal in mind, the trip will be broken up into relatively short passages that will be sailed at the height of summer within favourable weather windows.

In between passages, the captain and crew will explore fantastic off the beaten path destinations such as Newfoundland, Southern Greenland, Iceland, Faroe and Scotland. New paradigms will be set in the sense that the ocean passages while reaching more challenging destinations, will strive to be as safe and comfortable as the traditional passage across the Atlantic. Moreover, Shaima’s Odyssey will be sailed on a seaworthy and modern bluewater sailboat, the Hylas H63, and not with a specialized expedition boat that requires a higher budget while compromising comfort. And finally, Shaima’s Odyssey will include very active and intensive inland tours that maximize the immersion in the history and the culture of the destination visited.

Shaima started the first leg of her passage of the West to East Viking Route Atlantic Crossing in June of with an anticipated finish in late October arriving at Valencia Spain. The crew and her captain will log some 7000 miles in the process while following the footsteps of the early Viking explorers, the first Europeans to set foot in America.

LEG 1: 2000 miles of coastal navigation up the NE corner of the American Continent to Newfoundland, arriving end of June.

LEG 2: starts early July and is the most challenging sailing of all! 2000 miles from St. John´s, Newfoundland to Reykjavik, Iceland, with a week stopover for cruising SW Greenland including the traverse of Prince Christian Sound.  Shaima and it’s expert crew will have to deal with icebergs, sea ice and polar bears!

LEG 3: 1000 miles of Iceland circumnavigation and Faroe Islands exploration. Shaima will be in the heart of Viking lands during the last week of July and most of August, exploring the coast and the amazing inland scenery of these countries.

LEG 4: Celtic lands cruise consisting of 900 miles of sailing during the end of August and 1^st week of September.  Shaima will explore the Scottish Islands via the Caledonian Canal, then the Scottish Isles, and finally Ireland via the Irish Sea.

LEG 5: 1700 miles across the challenging Bay of Biscay and around the Iberian peninsula during the months of September and October. Shaima will cruise the Galician Rias, the historic cities of Port, Lisbon, Villamoura, Cadiz and Malaga arriving in Valencia at the end of October, where it will spend the winter in preparation for its Med Odyssey 2020!

For further information, brochures and price lists for the Hylas 63, please contact us. Grabau International are exclusive European sales agents for Hylas Sailing and Power Yachts.