Simply Abu Dhabi XXXV

difficult place to cruise”, says Captain Scott. “It isn’t difficult in nature, it’s difficult in its vastness. It’s so big that it’s one of the few places I really wished we had a helicopter, as that would have enabled us to access so much, so quickly.” What they lacked in terms of toys, however, was made up for by their ability to tuck into small nooks and crannies, something which came in handy along the Patagonian coastline. When not wrestling with challenging sea conditions, considerable distances, and difficulty with provisioning in the area, Wayne, a keen fly fisherman, and his guests indulged in some of the best trout fishing the oceans have to offer. The Laufers typify the ambitious and visionary clients that Vripack’s creative, holistic and collaborative approach attracts, and so despite being in their 60s, the rough conditions only added to excitement. “Wayne is an old adventurer, and it wasn’t that cold”, says Captain Scott. “The coldest we saw was around -26, although with wind it was probably chillier. I think we saw colder in Patagonia!” Wildlife abounded, with humpback, fin and blue whales aplenty. Penguins were in their thousands, and every type of seal was sighted. The highlight for Captain Scott, however, were the two nights spent drifting with the ice in the Gerlache Straits. “We had amazing evenings there, it was truly beautiful. It felt like something out of Space Odyssey, semi-light out, just watching the ice, silently drifting together.” April 2019 took in Robinson Crusoe island, a tropical land with a 3000ft peak for hiking and an almost “Jurassic Park” feel to it. Gayle Force is one of only two yachts to have visited the far-flung location this year, a land of both beauty and unpredictability. “You have to be lucky with the weather. The exposure is pretty bad”, explains Captain Scott. “But there’s a lushness to it – steep green hillsides with a rocky, volcanic landscape. The sea is abundant, the fish are gigantic, the lobster are everywhere.” Stumbling upon fantastic food, the island will go down as being “more memorable than Antarctica” for the Laufers. For both the Laufers and Captain Scott, a key element of the enjoyment is “to tie the history of the boat back” and to see Gayle Force do what she was built for. “In 2003 Gayle Force was the most technologically advanced vessel in under 30m, so it’s interesting to see what she’s doing now”, he enthuses. Since 1961, Vripack has been involved in more than 7,400 projects, from the smallest of boats to the largest of vessels, delivering interior design and external styling that is underpinned by pioneering naval architecture. “Vripack were instrumental in bridging Patriot’s history to present day Gayle Force”, says Captain Scott. “The ability to access history of build and actually work with some of the Vripack team that were on the build, throughout our yard time and chosen modifications, was priceless.”