Boat International US Edition – June 2019

boatinternational.com• 062019

BrianD’Isernia

Yacht:Columbia

Length:141ft

Year: 2014

Location:Antigua

Owner of Firebird
Length: 89ft
Year: 2016
Location: Norway

HowwastheracinginStBarths?Theracing

wasgood.Weespeciallylikedtheweatheron

thefinaldayandthedemandsitplacedonthe

boat.Columbiagotafewtastesoftheinclement

weathershewasoriginallydesignedto

workinasanexactreplicaofaGloucester,

Massachusettsfishingschooner.Everyone

onboardappreciatedthewarmerStBarths

climateovertheoriginallyintendedtemperatures

oftheGrandBanksoffNovaScotiathough!

WasityourfirstBucket?Yes.StBarths

takesonadifferentvibeduringtheBucket.It’s

wonderfultoseehowwelltheislandhasbounced

backafterHurricaneIrma.Wehopetherestofthe

Caribbeancanbeasluckyandfollowssuitsoon

Howdidyoufinditcomparedtoother

regattasyou’vetakenpartin?Weloved

thelaterstarttimesfortheregatta.Inaworld

wherethesailsarevanishingit’swonderful

toseesomanymodern,large,highfreeboard

sailingyachtsasyousailthecourse.Wewere

definitelyadifferentboatfromthemajorityof

thefleet,butColumbiaisoftenabitofamaverick

inmostregattas.Welovetorace,nomatter

whothecompetitionis.And,naturally,weloved

theyachthop

What’sthestatusofColumbiaII?Thehullis

theonlythingcompleted it’sinfourmodulesat

EasternShipbuildingGroupInc’sNelsonStreet

facility.ColumbiaIIhasnothadanydeckorinterior

configuration,andisreadytobecompletely

personalized.TheaimwithColumbiaIwasto

remainasfaithfultotheoriginalColumbiawhile

shewasreimaginedasasuperyacht.HullNo 2

ispoisedforsomeonetoputtheirowntakeon

herdecklayoutandinteriordesign.Thehull

beinginfourmodulesmeansColumbiaIIcould

becompletedinalittleoverayear

How’s your season shaping up? We’re currently

in the Lyngen Alps in Norway and have been lucky

to receive some heavy dumps of fresh powder

this year; lots of slopes are available to ski on. It is

amazing to see how the region’s infrastructure is

developing to accommodate the growing demand

from the yachting community. Yachts are starting

to explore the area, especially in Havnnes and

Lyngseidet. We’ve just brought on a new skipper,

Peter, who brings five years of experience

successfully running sailing yachts in the Arctic.

Our new immersion suits have become an

instant hit with our guests for Arctic kayaking!

Have you explored any new areas? Thanks

to our local partners, Boreal Yachting, and the

mountain guides who help us to run the program,

this year we are going even further into the Arctic

fjords, specifically to Finnmark and Jøkelfjord.

This fjord has been out of bounds for smaller and

slower yachts so Firebird often finds herself alone

in the vastness of this unique ski playground

How about your summer plans? In May we

are heading to Svalbard for the ultimate Arctic

ski touring experience. We’ve picked up some

strong charter interest and now only have two

weeks left available. We’ll stay there until the

ice comes in fall and it’s time to get out

You’re then heading to the Caribbean. Why the

change? Of course, one could spend one’s whole

life exploring the Norwegian fjords and Svalbard

without getting bored, but there are many more

places in the world to explore. For winter/spring

2020/21, Firebird heads to the Antarctic to run ski

and sail and wildlife charters there. For winter

2019/20 the Caribbean is the logical stop, and it

gives us an opportunity to air our racing sails that

have remained in storage for the last year. Then

we’ll head to Panama for the crossing with a stop

in Belize to try out the local diving

What races are you hoping to compete in?

Unfortunately, lots of islands and our favorite

spots were hit quite hard by hurricanes in recent

years, so we will need to see which regattas are

back up and running for next year. So far, the

Superyacht Challenge Antigua and Oyster Antigua

Regatta appear very appealing, and of course any

yacht would jump to accept the invitation to show

off her colors at the St Barths Bucket