The owners had a very specific goal in mind. When they were planning the exterior and interior of their "Laurel", they had a long-distance traveller in mind, a yacht that would be just as comfortable in large marinas as in remote bays. Delta Marine built them a design by Don Starkey in Seattle, with which they travelled further than they had ever imagined. They travelled over 115,000 miles with "Laurel", stopping off in well-known and popular harbours and in remote areas off the beaten track.
Such adventures cannot be realised without careful planning. Immediately after delivery, the owners asked their captain David Clarke, who had been with them from the earliest stages of the "Laurel" project, if he could draw up an itinerary for a three-year voyage. "Laurel" was to call at the most interesting destinations at the most suitable time of year. "I had never planned a longer trip than this before," says Clarke. "But I had already seen about seventy per cent of the destinations beforehand.
This made it easier for him to prepare for the weather conditions, bureaucracy and driving licences, transfers of guests on land and in the air. Nevertheless, it sometimes took months to make all the pieces of the puzzle fit. It was worth it. Everyone involved knew a year in advance where "Laurel" would drop anchor. Secondly, and just as importantly, the planning allowed Clarke, the crew and the owner's family to be clear about which familiar destinations they wanted to visit and which new favourites they wanted to get to know. Clarke and the crew were involved in the voyage planning from the start. "The owners always took the crew on shore excursions," Clarke recalls, "and everyone learnt a lot." [...]
From the glacier to the vineyard
