The Shetland boat that sailed to the Pacific

[Nick Grainger]

Here’s something different – the story of a 21ft Shetland boat that was sailed 12,000 miles from Scotland across the Atlantic and much of the Pacific.

With a standing lug rig, no engine, and being in the early 1970s, no modern navigation aids, it was challenging in every way, but for my wife Julie (19) and I (23), a most amazing adventure. I’ve finally written the story - The Voyage of The Aegre - From Scotland to the South Seas in a Shetland boat -

It's all about the origins of the idea, the preparation in Scourie, Sutherland, the gale-ridden passage from the north of Scotland to Madeira, the voyage across the Atlantic under square-sail, then to Panama, and then 4,000 miles straight out into the Pacific to the Marquesas, the Tuomotos and Tahiti. Then on - into the back end of a cyclone and eventually to being capsized and dismasted far to the north-east of the Cook Islands and then the subsequent self-rescue. A story for the brave! The book will be launched in Lerwick, Shetland in July 2023 at the Tall Ships Festival. For more see the website about the book https://nicholasgrainger.com.au