We are a small family who decided to build a boat and sail around the world. Nicole, Toby and Jackie. Originally from Vancouver BC, we now hail from the San Francisco Bay Area. Along with our Dutch crew Lotte and Joren, we are taking our boat across 3 oceans — 27,000 nautical miles — and visiting 6 continents over the course of 18 months. And we are not alone. We are part of the Oyster World Rally (2024-2025) which includes a fleet of 21 other Oyster sailing yachts.
Our boat Skana is an Oyster 675. She is a 69′ sloop and built to be a true bluewater cruiser. Oyster describes their fleet as “go anywhere adventure machines” capable of taking owners around the world in safety and comfort. This is not the kind of boat we grew up sailing!
| Length Overall | 21.07m / 69′ 2″ |
| Length of Hull | 19.89m / 65′ 3″ |
| Length Along Waterline | 18.31m / 60′ 1″ |
| Beam | 5.65m / 18′ 6″ |
| Draft | 2.95m / 9′ 8″ |
| Lightship Displacement | 40,787kg / 89,920lbs |
| Sail Area | 229m2 / 2,465ft2 |
| Air Draft | 31.33m / 102′ 9″ |
In a nod to our roots, we named our boat Skana after the Southern Resident orca who lived in captivity in the Vancouver Acquarium. We saw her many times as kids but had little idea of her global significance: when bored of the barrage of scientific tests inflicted upon her by marine biologists, Skana would playfully turn the tables on her testers and mess with them! She inspired Greenpeace to begin their anti-whaling crusade and shine a light on the utter cruelty of keeping these intelligent animals in captivity.
The name Skana is derived from the Haida word sgaana, meaning orca or “blackfish”. Orcas have been a symbol of the Pacific Northwest for thousands of years and to many in the First Nations, they represent family, travel, community and protection.
