Photo taken by Kristian Ebdrup, while crewing on ‘Loa’ during the 2012 Limfjord Rundt.

Aldarion was designed by South African Brian Lello who died in 2005. Brian was  a Capetonian , very active in the yachting scene during the 1960s, 70s, &  80’s, including racing in the Cape to Rio races and coastal races in ZA. He was best known for his  boat design talents, designing some very capable ocean cruising boats known as the LELLO range.

She was constructed in Cape Town between about 1986 and 1990. Her construction is resorcinol glued strip plank Afromosia with two overlays of 3/16″ mahogany and an exterior skin of Makore, all rot-proofed timbers, fastened with bronze screws to laminate Oak frames on a laminated Aformosia backbone with an epoxy/ glass exterior skin. Aformosia floors. Teak over ply deck with cream painted cover boards between low varnished Iroko bulwarks, varnished outside and painted inside, with a varnished capping rail, stainless steel stanchions and gueard wires over. Varnished Irolo coach roof with an epoxy sheathed ply deck raised into a slight doghouse aft and fitted with bronze ports, grab rails, fore hatch and four Dorado vents. teak laid self drain cockpit well with teak laid seats each side below low varnished Iroko coamings sheltered by a good spray hood and bimini. Cockpit tent can be erected. Tiller steering to laminated mahogany rudder on bronze hangings. Aft deck hatch.

Bermudan staysail schooner rig with keel-stepped foam filled alloy masts, double spreader to main, single to mizzen. S/s rigging with twin fore stays and pro-furl jib stay. S/s rod bob-stay. Stern stay with insulation also acting as HF/SSB radio aerial.

Fully battened, loose footed, 3-reef mainsail. Fore and main staysails, battened with one reef. Working jib and light yankee, storm jib. Anderson winches – ST main halyard and reef, ST fore halyard, 4 prs sheet winches + main staysail sheet winch. Custom made s/s deck and mast fittings.

Volvo Penta MD2040 40HP engine fitted 2005.

Aldarion is 38’x 32’wl x12’3″x 5’6″ + bowsprit. Her first owner was Barry Dickensen, who specified a very strong blue water cruising yacht. She was finished in 1990. Barry sailed her from South Africa to Brazil and North America, and then to Europe. He crossed the Atlantic several times, and also sailed in the UK and Mediterranean, covering some 12,000nm. She was purchased by John Bryden in 2003, and sailed from England to Scotland via ireland, extensively in Scotland including the Orkney Islands and the Outer Hebrides before crossing to Norway, where she sailed to the Lofoten Islands and back to Denmark. She has sailed in Sweden and Denmark, in all covering some 5,000nm so far. In September 2012, she competed in the series of races that were part of the 25th anniversary ‘Limfjord Rundt’ in Jutland.

In 2014, we plan to sail from Skive in Denmark to St Petersburg via the Baltic, and then through the lakes and Belamork canal to the White Sea, the Solovetsky Islands, and Arkangelsk, before returning to Denmark via Kirkenes, the North Cape of Norway and the Norwegian west coast. This is approximately 3,800 nm and we plan to leave Skive  around 23 May and arrive back in Skive in early September.

This blog is mainly for friends, family, crew, and other people interested in undertaking this or a similar voyage. In it we will try to go through the process of planning as well as including photos and other materials as we go along.

Aldarion is registered in Inverness, Scotland. She is currently owned by John Bryden (Scotland-Denmark-Norway) on behalf of the Bryden (Scotland) and Refsgaard (Denmark-Norway) families and of course all who sail in her.