Zophiel: Most of the links on these pages are about recent travels aboard my Vancouver 27 ‘Zophiel’, a 27ft long keeled cutter rigged yacht. In the last 6 years I’ve done some 14000 miles aboard Zoph, the majority solo and all at the breakneck speed of 4 or 5 knots.

We’ve twice been over to Scandinavia, once heading north to the Lofoten Islands in the Norwegian arctic and once doing a southerly North Sea circuit. In 2011 we circumnavigated Ireland - the wrong way.

I’ve written huge long rants about these journeys - with some nice photos too - which are available here as pdf files. (Click on the buttons at the top of the page or go via the ‘Sailing Home’ link). They all started out as log competition entries for Port Edgar Yacht Club, but got somewhat out of hand

The image on the left appears quite a lot. It is Zophiel’s battery charging wind turbine and her wind vane, which is part of the wind powered self-steering system, taken by Anna in Norway.

Check out the Vancouver Owners Association, a review of the Vancouver 27, a specification sheet and an article. The Vancouver 28, a very slightly amended design, is still made by Northshore somewhere in the deep south.

In June 2009 Zoph was featured in an article in Classic Boat magazine. Much to the annoyance, I’m sure, of many wooden boat enthusiats who would feel that plastic had no place between its hallowed pages. (Below)

Here’s some more pictures of Zoph, taken by Anna from the Forth Road Bridge in about a force 6...