GREY WOLF II, FPB 78-2 – from the Pacific to Antarctica, building and testing a true expedition yacht

“It was the kind of trip most people would ship the boat home for… but we decided to take her across the Pacific instead.”

– BuzzSprout
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The latest Berthon Podcast takes us aboard FPB 78 2 GREY WOLF II, where Sue Grant sits down with owner Peter Watson to reflect on a remarkable pair of adventures. Few private yachts have the mileage, the history or the real world testing of the two Wolves. Fewer still were shaped so directly by the journeys they undertook.

From New Zealand to Antarctica: The Making of GREY WOLF II

The story begins in New Zealand, where Peter bought FPB 64 6 Little GREY WOLF. Shipping her home was the sensible option, but Peter chose the other route. “I looked at shipping the boat back and then thought, no, let’s drive it back,” he says. For a first major passage, it was ambitious. For Peter, it was irresistible.

The crew included a retired MOD naval architect, a chief engineer and two apprentices, one from the yard and one from Berthon. Five people aboard a 64 foot FPB meant tight quarters, but the boat proved herself as they worked their way north to Tahiti, into the counter currents, and onward to Panama and the Azores before returning to Guernsey. The entire journey took three months. “I think it was pretty quick,” Peter says with understatement.

While Little GREY WOLF was crossing the Pacific, GREY WOLF II was taking shape in New Zealand. Peter spent nine months in the yard, working closely with Steve Dashew and fellow FPB owners to refine systems, access and layout. “It was very much a collaborative process,” he explains. “Make sure you have the spares you need and make sure you can reach everything. Access is everything on long trips.”

GREY WOLF II was also built to MCA Category Zero. Peter never hesitates when asked why. “I wanted to make sure the boat was as safe as it could possibly be. It did not need reference to a safe port. It had to pass everything the MCA could throw at it.”

How GREY WOLF II Was Tested Across the Pacific, Chile and Antarctica

Once launched, she took the long way home. New Zealand to Tahiti, the Gambier Islands, Pitcairn, Christmas Island and onward into Chile. There she rendezvoused with FPB 78-3 IRON LADY II and the two boats continued south together.

Antarctica was the highlight. “It was wonderful. The wildlife, the scale, everything. By the end I was penguined out,” Peter jokes. Drone footage of orca, close encounters with seals, anchorages surrounded by drifting ice, and the constant judgement required for safe holding in a place where the charts are unreliable. “You would anchor with the ice going one way, then the wind would change and the ice would come towards you. You had to decide whether to push it off or lift the anchor and move on.”

Chile provided another test. At one anchorage GREY WOLF II held solidly through 100 knots on the nose. “The gear just held. No problem at all,” Peter says. It is the type of reassurance that only comes from a boat born to go places.

Owner Insight – Peter Watson on Life Aboard GREY WOLF II

Between both Wolves, Peter has logged close to 100,000 nautical miles. GREY WOLF II alone has lived the equivalent of a circumnavigation. The boat remains immaculate and profoundly capable. “You do not look for bad weather,” Peter says, “but you know the boat can handle it if you meet it.”

GREY WOLF II is a family expedition yacht in the purest sense. Built with purpose, tested by oceans, and loved for the places she allows her people to reach. The podcast is a rare chance to hear the full story directly from the helm.

GREY WOLF II is currently for sale with Berthon and you can find her full particulars here:
https://www.berthoninternational.com/yacht-sales-brokerage/yachts-for-sale/fpb-78-grey-wolf-ii/

Here are some videos of her

Tour with Sue Grant, Owner Peter Watson, and Harry Shutler:

Sales Video:

For further information contact sue.grant@berthon.co.uk.

About Sue Grant | Meet the Berthon Sales Group

Listen to Berthon International’s Podcast