Cruising in the Arctic Circle
For Geir Kaasa and his family, the need for protection, safety and comfort sent them the way of Axopar
Svalbard, an archipelago roughly the same size as the UK with a population of around 3,000 people, is about as remote a place as you could keep a boat. It is some 3,000km north of Oslo and closer to the North Pole than it is to mainland Norway. In a harbour full of Botnia Targas and Nord-stars, Geir Kaasa’s 2017 Axopar 37 Cabin and its twin 300hp Yamaha outboards cuts a dash.
“You don’t cruise in this region without knowing exactly what your destination is,” he explains,
“and I wanted a boat that could cruise at high speed but offer excellent comfort and protection for my family.
“In good conditions I can cruise at 25 or 35 knots and there isn’t a big difference in fuel consumption but the boat is also comfortable cruising at 22 knots in 1.5m seas,” he continues .“having twin outboards also gives me peace of mind in terms of reliability.”
With air temperatures, even in the summer, dropping as low as -1 degrees Celsius at times Geir is glad of the Webasto heating system which keeps both of the cabins warm and cosy. “We stay on board quite regularly,” he says, “the four of us have stayed for five nights in a single trip before.”
Geir’s boat Ferd ( “journey” in English) has opened the gateway to breathtaking cruising grounds and wildlife that most of us could only dream of seeing.“we have seen polar bears, walruses and different types of whale during our cruises,” he says. “When the weather is bad it is like being trapped in a black and white movie but when it’s good it is very beautiful.”
For Tina Mauer, it was the discovery of Axopar at the Palma Boat Show in 2016 that changed everything. After a meeting with the German dealer Boote Polch, the purchase of an Axopar 28TT for her charter and sea school business soon followed.
“The 28TT is the ideal boat for the two sides of our business,” says Tina.“for the charter part we needed an open boat with lots of sunbathing space, a toilet and storage for water toys that was fast and easy to handle. For the sea school the walkaround decks and ease of handling at slow speed come in very handy.”
The boat is worked hard and well cared for. The 28’s single 350hp Mercury outboard has racked up 1,300 hours and aside from regular servicing and oil changes has required no extra maintenance whatsoever.
In quieter moments, Tina and her partner Tom do occasionally find time to do some boating of their own and enjoy the stunning scenery that the Mallorcan coast has to offer.“any boating we do is after the high season,” Tina explains.“when we do take the boat out we mostly just go for a quick blast to a beautiful bay and hop into the crystal clear water.”
This is the essence of what makes the 28 so well suited to these waters, the comfort with which it cruises at over 30 knots, the feeling of safety on board and how easy it is to handle.
Tina adds,“i studied as a teacher and have always liked to see people learn and progress. We like to bring more people on to the water so that they can enjoy what we enjoy most.”