Owner’s perspective from Rory Clarke

On moving inland from Scarborough (N. Yorks) I sold my share in a Hydro 28 that we regularly raced round the buoys. It was strange to be without a boat again.

I’ve been messing about in boats for almost 70 years and I soon realised I had to have another. This time it had to be one that I could (where necessary) sail single handed in waters that I had not yet explored but could also be used for family outings with grandchildren. I had taught my children to sail in a Mirror and later a Wayfarer but I don’t bend and move as easily as I did so I wanted something more stable and appropriate for a grandparent.

I had read, and been very impressed by, reviews of a succession of Swallow Boats but when the BR20 Expedition was featured I thought that all my ideals in a new boat seemed to have been met and so I resolved to make a visit to Matt Newland’s yard to see his latest development for myself. I loved the quality of what I saw and it was clear that the many lovely details in the design substantiate the Swallow slogan “Classic looks – Modern performance”.  Not only that, the boat is set up to be really easily handled in every respect from the carbon fibre spars that are easily raised and lowered single handed, the fully battened main with its lazy jacks and easy slab reefing to the outboard being all ready in situ but clear of the water when sailing.

I had not heard of “Raiding” until Matt explained it as part of the rationale for the design but the option to row the boat properly in windless conditions is another great facility. For keen raiders who use oars to row/sail in races it is vital!

Once Nick Peters became established as a dealer it became feasible to go down from Yorkshire for a trial sail without tackling the West Wales road network which is beautiful but slow! I was still very open minded as we set off from Northney Marina and we had arranged for a friend to bring his Wayfarer for comparison purposes and to see the two boats side by side. To my surprise, in a moderate headwind the Wayfarer couldn’t keep up with the Expedition as we tacked down towards East Head until we had pulled down a reef and filled the water ballast. Neither action was really demanded by the conditions with three of us comfortably sailing her and keeping totally dry in the shelter of the spray hood. Admittedly, the Wayfarer was rather short of crew weight but I could no longer feel open minded. I had loved cruising in my Wayfarer and the realisation that I could return to that kind of sailing but in much more comfort and stability certain in the knowledge that there was a dry cabin to retire into at the end of the day blew away the argument that a brand new and fully equipped Wayfarer would be significantly cheaper. They’re like chalk and cheese! The ease of launch and recovery direct to the road trailer was also very impressive.

I ordered my new boat the very next week.

She was christened on Ullswater in blustery conditions the following spring. What a delight it was to find how amenable her yawl rig is. You either jog along under mizzen and jib or just heave to while you set, reef or lower the main. It’s amazing how easy it is to get just a light touch of weather helm. The fully battened main goes up and down its track really easily and the lazy jacks keep control of the bunt of the sail.

At the end of the week we joined in a very enjoyable Swallow Boat Rally. Even though the weather forecast had put off some owners from travelling to the Lake District, those who did had some varied though sometimes wet sailing. (See the Swallow Boat Owners Forum via the link on the Swallow boats Site)

The next challenge was the Caledonian Raid from Fort William to Inverness (www.sailcaledonia.org). We didn’t win any of the races but we never expected to and anyway I was far too reluctant to get the oars out. Neither my son nor I could believe how easily and quickly we beat up the full length of Loch Ness against a freshening breeze and with no water ballast needed. What a fabulous boat she is proving to be.

Since then, and to prove the point to myself I took her back to Ullswater Yacht Club where I rigged, launched, sailed and recovered her onto the trailer totally unaided.  The only thing I didn’t attempt single handed was to set the asymmetric spinnaker but I will when the conditions are right.

This septuagenarian is as happy as a dog with two tails having a boat that cries out for “expedition and adventure” that comes from a really approachable and supportive company.

Owner’s perspective from Karl Hölscher

Dear Swallowboats-Team,

In case you are interested here follows my verdict after the first about 9 weeks of ownership:

This year´s summer in Germany was windy and rainy. Accordingly I have never sailed the boat in anything under a full 4, most of the timea 5 gusting 6, a few times gusts of 7.

I am keeping the boat in Harlesiel at the Eastern Frisian coast of Germany. That means sailing in the German part of the „waddenzee“. Elevation between low and high tide is about  3-3,5 meters. Together with lots of sand and bars this means steep, short and often chaotic waves. So conditions for coming to the below judgement were pretty heavy for a boat this size.

General

Workmanship of build seems really excellent in all details except one. The one exception is the lower metal bar which holds the mizzen mast. For my taste too small in dimension. The walls oft the hull that hold the metal bar actually show a degree of movement under pressure. Not alarmingly but too much for my taste and to feel safe under all conditions. During winter break I will fix a much wider wooden or metal bar over the existing one to achieve a better distribution of forces. All else is very well made and functional.

Seaworthyness and seakindlyness are excellent for the size of boat. I was expecting it to be good but it is even better than expected. The water ballast works very well. Gives the boat great stability and attenuates the boats movements in choppy waves very well. I feel  the water ballast attenuates movement actually better than a deep ballast keel.

Sails are good in quality and the the sail area adjustment with 3 sails is great.  I have tried sailing under jib and mizzen only. That is very comfortable sailing in bad conditions on most courses except high to windward. Tacking was difficult with that arrangement and a few times impossible in adverse waves. If you know you will have to tack a lot in heavy weather and adverse waves I found double-reefed main and mizzen the better arrangement. Weather helm on the rudder remains acceptable in such configuration.

Cockpit is great, storage in the cokpit lockers  okay. Cabin is enough for 2 to sit and stretch. I have taken the centre cushions (around the mast support) out permanently. That gives more room  and is not really needed to stretch out. With a minimum of practice and excercise getting in and out of the cabin works well for someone my size (1,83 meters of hight). Individuals up to about 1,90 m will be okay, above that things will get a bit less comfortable. During the winter I will get a tailormade cockpit cover to fit over the boom. With that extra sheltered space the boat will be okay for living on board for a few days at least (if you are able to live without too much expectation for comfort of course).

Engine well works very well, prop stays in the water in all conditions. I have tried  a 2,5 hp engine just for one day!   If you only sail in calm waters that sort of mini-power may be okay. But not for where we are. After the 1 day experience with a 2,5 hp I went to the boat shop right away and  got a 5 hp Mercury (built by Tohatsu) with a 12,5 litre auxiliary tank.  That will push you thru strong headwind and waves and without worrying about gasoline supply in the engine tank. In additon these newer models come with the gear lever in front of the engine (instead of on the side), that is a nice feature indeed. Lastly, the boat has a rudder angle of only 30 degress left and right. At slow speeds in a congested marina manouverabiltiy is a bit limited. A 5hp engine helps alot to push you in the direction which you want. In summary, forget the 2,5 hp, 4 is okay, 5 is really good.

What I do not like and will change (just 2 points!).

I have the mk2 foresail arrangement. Very good indeed and the ability to adjust tension in the entire rig all the way to pulling everything real tight is priceless, particularly in strong conditions.   But the handling of jibsheet in its present setup is impractical with the position of the cleats on top of the cabin roof.  The cleats have a lot of bite and under pressure you have to really move directly in front of the cleats to pull the sheets vertically upwards for release or adjustment. Difficult singlehanded and even a second one on board  needs power to handle the sheets. I have simulated leading the foresail sheets to a block on the sidedeck just fore or aft of the rowlock fixtures and further leading the sheets then to a cleat which would be fixed on the centreboard cover. In that arrangement the sheets run (almost) freely over the cabin deck, only interfere minimally with cockpit space and are then in easy reach from any position in the cockpit.  I will work on this during the winter and am quite sure it will work.  Will let you know the outcome. Hope you understand what I mean, a bit difficult for me to express this in English.

Lazyjack/boom halyard. The lazyjacks interfere badly with the mainsail battens on the main´s way both up or down. To avoid this you have to really point dead straight into the wind but that is unrealistic under in the conditions that I have mentioned.  I just dont like that sort of think, to me a mainsail has to go up or down easily in all conditions. Again, I have simulated  another arrangement (with the help of a good sailing friend) and I will try that out during the winter.

That´s all.  I hope you don´t mind this lenghty report.

Many thanks for building me such good boat. With the few changes/adjustments mentioned I think it will be a very safe and reliable almost-go-just-about-anywhere-boat  for even extended coastal cruises.

Owner’s Perspective from Jonathan Stuart

Why did you choose Swallow Boats?
Swallow Boats has a great reputation for quality, both in their designs and construction. They were also very helpful and easy to deal with, so all these things attracted me to Swallow Boats. But it is the boat design that is most important and no-one in the UK is innovating like Swallow Boats to produce highly usable boats with minimal compromises. They are taking tried and tested principles and improving them, whereas so many boat builders are failing to do this.

Why did you choose a Bay Raider Expedition as opposed to other boats on the market?
The BayRaider Expedition is unmatched in the marketplace, providing a ease of use, performance and good looks without compromises. Its combination of large cockpit and very usable cabin, all in a 20’ boat, also makes it ideal to a very wide range of uses. All other boats we looked at were either less flexible in their potential uses, sailed less well, were harder to trailer-sail or just didn’t look as good. All of those factors are key to me and only Swallow Boats could meet them all without compromise.

How do you use your boat (trailering/mooring/marina etc)?
We trailer-sail the boat because this gives us flexible access to different sailing locations and also minimises costs. We mostly sail the Dorset coast but have a choice of slipways depending on our mood and the conditions. The boat has also been sailed in Cornwall and Scotland and was easily towed to those locations.

Please could you describe the most memorable experience you had in your Swallow Boat?
The great thing about the BayRaider Expedition is that it lends itself to such a wide variety of sailing. Memorable experiences include sailing from Falmouth to the Helford river and seeing sunfish swimming beside us, while on days when we couldn’t get out to sea we are able to potter up wooded creaks. Most recently the boat took part in Sail Caledonia and it was fantastic to sail and row through the Scottish Highlands and be able to compete against boats that you would never take to sea with a young family on board.

How did you find the after sales care at Swallow Boats?
Very good. When we have had any problems or needed to discuss something it has been invaluable to be able to speak direct to the designer.

Would you recommend Swallow Boats?
I would definitely recommend Swallow Boats to other sailors and I am confident that if, in future, we decide to change our boat then we will look at the Swallow Boats’ range first.