Round-the-world cruising legend Jimmy
Cornell has launched an innovative new 45ft ocean cruising yacht — built to his
own specification by Garcia Yachts in Cherbourg, France.

He plans to sail the
aluminium-hulled Aventura across the North
Atlantic to Greenland next month before transiting the North West Passage.

Sea trials have been promising, he reports.

‘The weather was typical for the English Channel – overcast, wet and cold – but we had good wind with strong gusts during brief rainy squalls,’ he says.

‘We sailed for a while with full mainsail
and Solent jib. Sailing close-hauled in 14 knots of apparent wind, Aventura swiftly accelerated to over eight knots, and I instinctively felt that
I could relax.

We tried various sail combinations, tested
the staysail, reefed the mainsail, and could find no major fault.

‘There are
still many things to hone and put right but with a month left until our departure from London we are confident we’ll be able to keep to our schedule.’