Island Swift For Sale

It is with great sadness that I announce that we will be selling Island Swift

£10,000 for a quick sale

Location - Brittany France - out of the water

This page will be updated regularly and is not complete.

Contact: JoJo Pickering +447773337786 jojo@bashstreet.co.uk

All sails set - main, topsail, staysail, jib and jib topsail

A recent survey of the hull shows that she needs too much work structural work for us.

All the damage is on the port side (from when we were in Penzance), worst bits are on the lower chine metal down to 2mm in the bad areas. Needs interior dismantling to replace parts of the lower chine. Structural work at location of leg bolts and where the nav leads ran out.

It is too much for us. 

Time to pass her on to someone else who is young enough and has the energy and knowledge to do the work. 

Very sad for us but an opportunity for someone else. 

We now want to find her a good home.

A full dossier of information will be made ready in due course complete with photos of interior/exterior and a video walk through.

Island Swift

'Island Swift' is a 35' Gaff Cutter (Wylo II), fixed keel, steel hull and deck, designed and built in 1996 by Nick Skeates fitted and out by John Richardson (first owner). She's one of the few examples of a modern Gaff Rigged cruiser, designed to sail around the world. She is easy to manage, safe as well as beautiful and was purchased by us in 2013. But now is the time to pass her on to another family who want to take her sailing.

She is a low tech boat and currently has no fridge or chart plotter.

Island Swift is currently out of the water in Brittany, France.

Boat description                    35ft Wylo II,  Steel, fixed keel, Gaff Cutter

Port of Registration              Penzance                    

Registration                           British / Class 1

Location                                 Brittany, France

Length                                   35ft / 10.74m

Depth                                     4ft 6” / 1.64m

Breadth                                 10ft / 3.07m

Gross Tonnage                     10.59 tons

Sail Area                                712 m2

Year Built                              1996

VAT Status                            UK and EU VAT paid status - see below

RCD                                      Not applicable, boat in use prior to 16 June 1998

Where Built                          Isle of Wight

Construction                        Steel hull and deck

Color of Hull                        Black

Engine                                   28hp 3-cylinder Volvo Penta 2001 diesel, overhauled in 2018

On her legs for annual antifoul

Construction

Hull                Awaiting info

Deck                3mm steel on 5x50 deck beams insulated with 50mm rockwool slabs and 12mm tongue & groove boarding

Rig

Rigging            Standing rigging original galvanised 7X7 plough wire condition is fair

Halyards           12mm terylene 2014               

Mast                 Telegraph pole, other spars are fabricated, all spars are varnished.

Blocks              Some are wood and some are tuffnel.

Sails                  Tan main, staysail and Jib, 2014 by Jimmy Lawrence, modern Duradon, good condition

                          Jib top, by Jimmy Lawrence 2014

                          2 topsails, one racing - some wear

                          Original main, jib and staysail in polyester - all sails sound

Legs                 Steel legs for drying out

Shearlegs       Used to lower and raise the mast

Machinery / Electronics

Engine                    28hp 3-cylinder Volvo Penta 2001 diesel, overhauled 2018, directly water cooled. 

Drive shaft             New cutlass bearing in 2019 and deepseal stern gland

Engine controls     Throttle and shifting on deck.

Bilge pump            Manual whale gusher single action plus portable big hand pump

Water tank            22 gallons in mid keel with inline filler

Fuel tank               22 gallons in aft keep with dipstick

Battery engine       1 x 80 AH Deep cycle New  2025, good condition

Leisure Batteries   2 x 120amp sealed units 2023

Solar Power           One 80 watt solar panel giving 5amp an hour

Navigation lights   LED, side lights, stern light, steaming light, masthead tricolour / anchor light

Interior lights        All LED

12v socket              One on chart table - no 240v shore power

VHF                       VHF with AIS receiving and integral GPS - 2016

Radio                     Car radio with speakers

SSB Radio             Receiving only, can plug-in iPad and receive weather charts

Echo sounder        Yes

Wind vane             Wind self steering gear, Nick Skeates design, using trip tab

Autopilot               12v Raymarine Tiller pilot ST2000

Chart Plotter        None, we use an iPad and sextant (iPad & sextant not part of the sale)

EPIRB                  GPS

Dingy                    Hard dingy with oars and sailing rig

Lots of other kit too much to list.

Accommodation

Photos of the interior will be available soon.

Double berth aft, chart table with seat, galley to port, 2 saloon berths with storage lockers behind and below. Pilot berth opposite heads, 2 berths in forepeak with drawers below and storage locker

Portholes             Opening aluminium alloy

Toilet                    Jabsco toilet - new pump in 2022 - no holding tank

Sinks                    Draining sinks in galley and heads

Cooker                 Gimballed - 2 burner and oven SS Atlantic gas cooker - new 2025

Gas                      Two gas bottles, one portable gas alarm, under the cooker. 

Stove                    Small wood/charcoal burning in saloon

Equipment

There is a lot of equipment that we will be selling with the boat.

A more complete list will be available in October 2022.

Chain                        80m galvanised chain 2014, plus anchor line and spare chain.

Anchors                    2 CQRs, 1 fisherman

Main cover               Basic - should be replaced

Barometer                Yes

Chronometer           One in saloon, one on chart table

Compass                  Handheld

Fog Horn                 Hand held - one gas one manual

Radar reflector        Removable

Life raft                    6-man, hard case - needs servicing 

Dingy                        GRP 8' dinghy, 3 sets of oars and rowlocks, centerplate and sails

Life buoy                One Danbuoy with light, one horseshoe with light, one throwing line with lifting         

                                harness

Lifejackets              4

Flags                        Many

Boathook                 2

Buckets                    2

Anchor ball             2

Desalinator              Katadyn Survivor 35 - high capacity

Good Access to the engine

UK VAT Status 

Island Swift was home built by John Richardson and Nick Skeates in the UK.

If the current owners return her to the UK before selling her, we believe that the boat will retain UK VAT paid status.

The current owners have copies of: ‘receipts of invoices for materials used in the construction of a ‘Home-Built’ vessel’.

• Island Swift is eligible for relief from VAT:
• The current owners purchased the vessel in the UK in 2013 – bill of sale.
• The vessel was last in the UK in 2018 – mooring receipt.
• The vessel had domestic status when it left the UK in 2018.
• The owners have not changed.
• The vessel has undergone no more than running repairs that did not increase its value outside the UK.

EU TVA Status Justification

If sold in the EU we believe that the boat will retain EU VAT paid status and loose UK paid status.

Island Swift was home built by John Richardson and Nick Skeates in the UK.

The current owners have copies of: ‘receipts of invoices for materials used in the construction of a ‘Home-Built’ vessel’.

The UK issued the boat with a T2L from HMRC in the UK, confirming status of Union goods on 15/10/2020.

 

Island Swift was located on a mooring in France from July 2019 until June 2022.

Island Swift was in France at 23:00 on the 31 December 2020.

Proof of location includes:

• Photos with gps stamp and date
• Mooring contract for Moulin Mer at Landevennec and receipt of payment for 2020/2021
• Attestation from the Mayor of Landevennec
• Logbook Entry
• Cruising Passport and payment for 2020   

Cruising the West Coast of Norway Spring 2025

 I tried on my brand-new oilskins and realised that they were not big enough for me to wear additional layers underneath. Oh no, this was my first time above the Artic Circle, it was the beginning of May, there was still snow on the ground and it was cold. I had flown to Svolvær, in the Lofoten Islands the day before, and I was about to skipper Isbjøn, a beautiful 48ft Swan, south towards Bergen via Flam at the end of the longest fjord in Norway. 

I went to the local fisherman’s shop and bought myself an all-in-one insulated waterproof suit to wear over my oilskins. The temperature was around 4 degrees during the day, colder at night and even colder with the wind chill factor. It did the job, it kept me warm.

 

Preparation is important

I had three days to prepare the boat, provision and be ready to welcome the crew. It is always a great moment when the crew arrive, excited about the trip and keen to get to know their fellow crew members. We were six in total and a 50:50 split women and men. One of the great things about skippering for 59 North Sailing is their commitment to women sailors. 

Traditionally we spend the first day on domestic briefs, deck walk and crew familiarisation followed by a supper ashore. Then the second day is filled with in-depth safety briefs. We talked through different scenarios to minimise the likelihood of potential accidents at sea and what our responses could be. We aim to be prepared not scared. Finally, we were ready, but the weather was not!

 

Passage planning and the weather

That evening a gale was howling as we did our passage planning, and cold sleet was battering the crew as they ventured out to the toilets. The wind was forecast to ease overnight but we knew it would be creating big swells with short wave lengths, so we planned to sail to Bodø, protected by the Lofoten Wall, the amazing line of mountains jutting out from Norway.

 

The first passage Svolvær towards Bodø

We departed Svolvær the next morning under grey skies with a gentle North Westerly, which increased as we came outside the wind shadow of the mountains. I was loving being back at sea. As we sailed briskly on a reach across the bay, the cloud cover lifted and, for the first time, we could see the Lofoten mountains and the mountains of the mainland. Wow, they were amazing! After the general excitement of departure, everyone took the opportunity to go below into the warmth. The first watch had got quite cold. We all learned from that. This coast is so beautiful, the temptation is to stay outside longer to enjoy the amazing views, but the NW wind was cold. As we rounded Landegode island (800 metres high) and headed south towards Bodø the sun went behind the mountains. Suddenly the temperature plummeted, the wind backed to the south and now we had head winds. This had been forecast but we had hoped to reach Bodø first. Checking our chart, we saw there was an anchorage at the NE end of the island. So we made our way into Kjelbotn, a beautiful, deserted anchorage, and anchored in 7m with a mud bottom.

Anchoring in Norway

It is not always easy to anchor in Norway, as the water is often too deep and the holding is not aways good. But there are some magical places and it is always so peaceful.

We had a quite night with some gusty conditions as the wind rolled down the mountain, then we woke up to a stunning view of our anchorage - a few fisherman’s huts, a few sheep, but mostly beautiful Norwegian hills. 

After a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, we prepared to haul up the anchor, and what a haul it was. It required some careful back and forth with the engine to break the anchor free.  Lots of seaweed came up, too, but we got it cleared and headed out. 

 

The inside or offshore route

The great thing about sailing in Norway, is that you have the choice to sail offshore along the coast, outside all the tiny islands and skerries, or through the inland route, winding your way through the islands and fjords. As there was little wind, we motor-sailed for the first few hours taking the inside route through the spectacular landscape. Then the wind filled in and we had an exhilarating fast sail on a broad reach in the flat protected waters of the inner route winding our way south. 

 

Artic Circle sailing in summer

At that time of the year above the Artic Circle, it does not get dark, so you don’t have to think about arriving in port in daylight. We decided to keep sailing south into the evening and stop at about midnight. What a beautiful sail we had, with the sun slowly setting behind us. As we headed into dusk, the wind eased and we motor-sailed the last few miles, crossing the Artic Circle and making port at Tonnes shortly afterwards.

 

The importance of engine checks

The next morning, on my daily engine check, I found that the alternator tensioning bar was broken. I don’t know when this had happened but it was a significant issue. We have a large bank of lithium batteries on Isbjøn, so I was not concerned about power, but the belt of the alternator runs the water pump which cools the engine. So, if the belt stops turning the water pump, the engine will overheat. I informed our shore support of the situation and briefed the crew. At first it seemed that a fix would be unlikely in this out of the way place. Amazingly, a local retired mechanic, named Knut, was kind enough to weld the broken bracket – a temporary repair. This was great news and highlights a wonderful aspect of comradeship and support of fellow sailors in Norway. 

The delay meant that the crew had a lovely hike and showers, and the mist and rain lifted before we departed.

 

Warping to manoeuvre a boat in small places 

There was no room to turn under power and Isbjøn was pointing 180 degrees in the wrong direction, so we decided to warp her around. We prepared the mooring lines and Isbjøn slowly and majestically turned, helped by the wind and careful management of ropes.

As we motored south, with little wind, the alternator belt was squeaking. We discussed what we would we do if the engine failed. We had the full main up, we made sure the anchor was ready for quick deployment, we kept to the windward (safe) side of channel, and regularly monitored the engine temperature and alternator belt.

 

Weather and the Statt Headland

The Statt Peninsula (sometimes called the fist) sticks out into the Norwegian Sea and is famous for being a dangerous and difficult headland to round. It also marks the delineation between the North and South Norwegian Cruising grounds. The weather forecast was for very little wind followed by a strong Northly, building to a gale. We talked it through and decided to keep pushing south, keeping to the inside route first then heading offshore as the wind veered in our favour. 

 

Pod of Minke Whales

The near endless daylight made night watches eery and memorable. It was so striking to see sunrise so quickly follow sunset with the light never leaving the sky. As we headed south there was suddenly a big change in landscape. We left the high mountains behind and this was replaced by a flatter greener landscape and trees! It was great to see the trees.

We settled into our watches with cooking, pilotage and good company. One evening in misty twilight, with the water glassy, we watched in awe as a pod of Minke Whales swam past us. We all felt lucky and privileged to be out there, feeling insignificant and joyful.

The sun rose bringing with it the wind and we had a beautiful magic sail as we made our way offshore. The wind veered as forecast, we reefed the main, the swells built and we thundered south on a broad reach doing 8.5 kts. An exhilarating sail. The crew had to adjust to moving safely around the boat, clipping-on when on deck, and the challenges of putting on ‘foulies’. As we headed South the night became darker under overcast skies as a weak front came over.

 

Rounding the Statt Penisula

As we got close to the Statt the wind decreased to nothing and fog descended. We started the iron topsail, put the radar on, made sure the foghorn was ready and carefully nosed our way closer to the headland. As I had hoped, as we got closer to the Statt, the mist lifted and there, laid out before us, was this majestic headland. We could understand why this area could be nasty. The depths were not stable, and you could see the currents swirling. As we made our way back into the inside route the wind increased and we had another glorious sail towards Maløy. We were exhausted but happy. The following day we departed Maløy with just the genoa and started weaving our way through the fjords. What a great day of pilotage and sailing at 8 kts under genoa alone in strong winds. We arrived in beautiful Florø at dusk and decided to spend the day in port to allow the next gale to come through.

Fjord sailing

When sailing in the fjords and around high islands the winds can be unpredictable, with acceleration zones and wind shadows. When we departed Florø and headed towards Laberget at the mouth of the Sognefjorden, we were expecting strong Northerly winds. With two reefs in the main and alternating between full and reefed genoa, we kept a sharp look out on the water ahead for squalls. We had some exciting and gusty sailing. What an amazing place Norway is to cruise. We couldn’t stop taking photos. 

We were headed first towards Laberget, which is at the entrance to the Sognefjorden Norway’s longest Fjord with depths of over 1600m. Then up the Sognefjorden towards Flåm. We inevitably had gusty head winds to start which then died to nothing, so we motored most of the remaining distance. It was a beautiful warm sunny day, perfect for enjoying the many hillside villages and farms dotted between forests and shear drops into the deep fjord. We rounded one corner and suddenly it got much colder. We could see the glacier high up in the distance. As we continued
on our journey the fjord got narrower and it felt there was no way through, until we got closer, rounded a corner and Flåm, our destination, came into sight.

 

A year ago, when I agreed to skipper this trip, I thought I would get to know Norway. But it would take a lifetime to explore the many islands, skerries, fjords and countless beautiful anchorages. I have learned loads, particularly that Norway is a beautiful country, well worth the effort to sail north. 

Article published by Practical Boat Owner October 2025

Change of focus for this blog

 So much has happened since we sailed across the Atlantic with our family back in 2014. The children have left home. Brexit has killed Bash Street Theatre. I am now a professional skipper, RYA Yachtmaster instructor and Navigation Instructor. I think it is now time to start writing the blog more regularly about my voyages, teaching and thoughts on sailing.

So this is a 2026 reboot. I hope you enjoy. Skipper JoJo

Sailing in the Fiords of Norway 2025