Touring the world with ‘Blue’ is the realization of a dream

Right now, Catharina and Peter Svedhem from Sweden are sailing around the Fiji Islands – and the couple are right in the middle of their dream voyage. 

A voyage, which is the realization of their common dream and target of circumnavigating the world. The Swedish couple set out on the big journey in the summer of 2023 - all with a loose plan to experience the world and visit places where the boat is a must to go.  

Their journey has now taken them to the Fiji Islands, and next up is the crossing to Australia, which must happen before the cyclone season sets in. 

- This was actually on the cards twice before we had the chance to start. We bought the boat back in 2019 and began planning for it. We sold our house, too, Peter says. 

And then, all the plans were halted: 

- And then Covid happened... We had sold the house, so we moved into the boat and lived in it. It was not really our plan – and just like everybody else, we had no idea how the covid would pan out and how long it would take. So, we evaluated our choices and ended up buying a house again to fix it up, Peter says. 

- Then, by 2023, everything was open and good again, so we made the call to head out on our big journey – and lock the doors on our house, which we had just finished fixing, Peter says about the rather abrupt start to their journey. 

Eventually the dream could be realized. For Peter - having been sailing since childhood – sailing the world was a lifelong ambition. Catharina discovered sailing later, and now the two are sailing full time.  

Their Elvstrøm Sails-powered Hallberg-Rassy 46 has now taken them halfway around the Globe, and to Fiji, where we had the chance to call them for this interview.

And being underway for around two years has – of course - left many impressions already:

- I’d say it’s very nice to go somewhere to be very positively surprised. Colombia was a massive surprise in the most positive sense of the word. Neither of us had expectations for it, but it’s high up on our list of experiences so far. It was magic, Catharina says and adds:

- Really nice nature, great people and great experiences all the way! I also think – in general – that we’ve seen and experienced a lot of cool places you would probably never visit had it not been for the fact we sailed there. And that’s one of many big advantages you get by experiencing the world by boat.

Everywhere, it opens for new adventures, and despite not sailing the most direct route, it always caters for new experiences:

- It goes for the whole trip, really – all the way down the Biscay, crossing the Atlantic and now being out here. It’s amazing to sail in all of these places.

Being on a Hallberg-Rassy, it would be wrong not to touch base on the furling systems, which are an ever-important part of the boats from the Swedish yard. Peter and Catharina bought their 46 without a jib furler, but they added a manual Furlex from Seldén and a jib from Elvstrøm Sails. The rest is more or less handled by hydraulics: 

- We are super happy to have so much of the boat running on hydraulics. It’s super easy to cover long distances with a furling mast and a furling genoa because it makes it such a quick job to get the sails up and ready. Our jib and Furlex has been great for us. It’s super easy to adjust it according to the conditions, and even in harder conditions it’s just a matter of furling the jib in a bit, and it acts as a happy medium – or a staysail so to speak, Peter says. 

But – there would be no sailing without a wishlist, and Peter Svedhem has one wish for the future sail wardrobe of ‘Blue’: 

- We don’t regret many things at all, but if there’s one thing I do regret, it’s that we didn’t buy a Blue Water Runner. You meet so many people who speak very positively about the BWR for light conditions, and we could have had good use of one, Peter recalls. 

Speaking to other sailors is also a big part of the adventure. Heading out for the big adventure is also popular among Swedish sailors – but no matter which flag a boat is sailing under, they are there with the same aim, Catharina ends: 

- It’s really cool to be a part of this massive sailing community out here. You meet so many different people who are all here for the same – and being in this sort of community adds something great to the whole experience I’d say. We do often meet Scandinavians, both at our own age and all the cool youth boats with the YouTubers and so on. We’re all here to have a great time – and I must say, we have! 

You can follow the journey of ‘Blue’ on Instagram: @sailinghr46blue.