About Belle Colombe and her crew

An introduction to Belle Colombe and her crew

The Skipper

4/27/20263 min read

About the boat

Belle Colombe (Beautiful Dove) is a Garcia Salt 57’. Built in 2006, she was re-fitted by the previous owner prior to sailing, via Norway, to Greenland for a climbing expedition in the Scorsby Sound in 2023.

We have sailed her considerable distances; to SW Ireland in 2024 and NW Spain in 2025. We have got to know her and each other well in the process. Mark Outhwaite, in particular, has gained a thorough understanding of all things mechanical and electrical. We carry substantial tools and spare parts, so most things that can be fixed at sea we should be able to fix.

At 57’ she has the space for stores and has capacity for 1,400 litres of fuel and of water. She will easily average 7 knots under sail or power. She has a big engine which will drive her at 7 Knots doing only 1,400 RPM. She has a large generator and a watermaker capable of c. 100 litres p.h. She is also fitted with a wind generator and solar panels. Thers is an Ebersbacher heating system providing hot air throughout the boat.

Crucially, the front part of the cockpit is totally enclosed. This includes a navigation system and a dining table which seats 6 comfortably. This means that we can sail the boat, while keeping dry and out of the wind, with warm air rising from the saloon below.

We have some built in redundancy/spare systems in two radars, two autohelms and two AIS receivers/transmitters.

We carry a rigid hull dingy with a 15 h.p. engine

I feel confident that she is the right boat for the task. The only worry is that there is a stern platform at water level. We call it the Polar Bear Deck.

We leave from Caen, which is appropriate because it was the Capital of Normandy under William the Bastard, a direct descendent of Rollo the Viking. We will follow the Viking route across the north Atlantic and expect to visit Anse les Meadows; the only confirmed Norse settlement in North America.