A typical day on Provident.
Every day is different. Sometimes we have long lazy days, slowly sliding through the sea in the sunshine. On other days we can be pretty active with lots of tacking of gybing, trying to find the best way to use the wind and currents to help us get to our destination.
8am: The day starts with breakfast. Lots of tea and coffee with toast and cereal with fruit, yogurt or freshly cooked eggs and porridge. Over breakfast we’ll check the mornings weather and hatch a plan for the day.
9am When we’re ready we’ll get on deck and hoist some sails. With two masts and our gaff rig there’s a lot of sails to choose from. On a calm day we can fly up to eight sails at once. On a breezy day we’ll probably just go with the gaff sails and a couple of head sails.
At first sight the rigging on Provident seems a bit complicated but the crew are always on hand to explain what all the lines are for and how to use them. Everyone is encouraged to get involved with sailing activities so we take turns at the helm and all get involved with the various tasks involved with getting the boat moving.
11am In the middle of the morning we’ll have tea and biscuits (we drink a lot of tea on Provi).
1pm Most days we have lunch on the go. This is usually a lovely bowl of pasta with a home cooked sauce or it may be soup with crusty home baked bread. On sunny days we eat on deck but we always have the shelter of the deck house or saloon if it’s wet or windy.
As well as steering or pulling strings there are other aspects of sailing that can be lots of fun. We have plenty of modern navigation stuff on board but we still carry a full set of paper charts and it can be really rewarding to learn how to figure out where we are and how to get to our next stop using traditional navigation. We love to share these old techniques.
3ish In the middle of the afternoon we’ll have more tea and most days one of the crew will pop down to the galley to rustle up a fresh cake to go with it.
6pm By around six o’clock we’ve often found an anchorage for the night. Most nights this will be a bay or loch where we’ll be protected from the wind and waves. One of the best things about sailing on the west of Scotland is the almost limitless selection of great anchorages. Most of our anchorages are remote and wild. Often we’ll be the only boat there. Once the anchor’s down or we’re tied along side we’ll congratulate ourselves on the day’s activities with a G&T or a beer
7.30pm We sit down around the saloon table for a freshly prepared meal together.
After dinner At some point on most trips we’ll stop at a harbour of village and have a wander to see what we can find in the way local culture. We often come across a lovely pub or some great live music.
On a Provident holiday the character of each day is defined by the wind and currents but even more by what we all feel like doing. Sometimes this can be lots of sailing action but it could just as easily be a day spent relaxing, chatting and watching the world drift by.
One of the best things about a typical day on Provident is that we just never really know what’s going to happen. This is particularly the case with encountering wildlife. The sea and sky are full of life of all sorts. At any moment we could see gannets diving, eagles soaring, dolphins playing at the bow or whales jumping.
We’re pretty obsessed with the weather and spend ages studying the forecast but until we get going we never really know for sure where we’ll end up or how long it will take so we often end up somewhere different than we expect and this is the best way to discover wonderful new places.
This is the essence of a typical day on Provident and on reflection this is our favourite thing. That traveling by sailing boat involves an element of the unexpected, a realisation that we aren’t necessarily in complete control. That if we slow down and open our eyes we’ll be amply rewarded.
