Traditional Sailing. But with modern comfort

Provident is a 1924 Brixham Trawler.  In the hundred years since she was launched she has changed a lot below decks but hardly at all above. She has kept her traditional rig and there is not a mechanical or electric winch in sight.   The techniques for sailing a boat like this are subtly different to more modern boats and everything happens at a slightly slower pace.  And of course a modern yacht lacks the unforgettable whiff of Stockholm tar.  There are a a load of clever techniques to learn. One of the most important is called “sweating and tailing”. This involves using teamwork and gravity to haul up the sails. It sounds hard but once learned makes this a surprisingly easy task.

Provident can carry up to nine sails at a time. We select the amount of sails and which versions of them to use depending on the conditions. Seeing everything up is quite a sight.

At first the sheer quantity of string on board can be a bit intimidating but it soon starts to make sense and the crew are always eager to share all sorts of interesting knowledge with you.

A trawler-man from the 19th Century could step aboard Provi and know exactly what to do on deck. Below deck, things are a little different and some of the tec we carry would be a marvel to our forebears but we still carry a full set of paper charts and we love to use them for traditional paper and pencil navigation and will be happy to provide instruction in this to any guests wanting to give it a try.

An adventure to remember

For the traditional boat enthusiasts, this is your boat!   Mix that with spectacular scenery, great food and good company along with our new central heating system – we can promise you that Provident in Scotland will be unforgettable!  Head to our voyages page and start planning your trip back to a slower pace of life.  

Click here to learn more about our dates and destinations.