Escape the every day and run away to sea in the pursuit of happiness, is a great way to think of what we offer here on the Snark. A holiday on the Snark is unique. It’s an adventure into what is for many an alien world of sails and ropes , of wind, waves and tides, of serendipity and unexpected challenges. How better to escape the every day.
We focus on the journey, on providing our passengers with an opportunity to re-engage with nature, to see our wonderful coasts and understand their impact on our history and culture from a unique perspective. This is slow travel at its best with time to relax and recharge, talk and reflect, eat and drink well, all while sailing around one of the most beautiful cruising grounds in Europe. We strive to take care of you, removing the need for you to make decisions or plan ahead. To give you time to engage with the world around you and with your fellow travellers.
No other sailing ship can do what we do or offer our particular style of sailing holiday. We are unique amongst Thames sailing barges in holding a cat 2 coding allowing us to sail up to 60 miles offshore with up to 12 passengers (we normally restrict numbers to six). As a modern sailing ship, we have enhanced safety and many labour-saving devices. This means a passenger can join in more easily or that we can sail Snark with just two crew. Our special design means we can get to harbours and anchorages that are inaccessible to other large sailing ships.
The Snark is named after the mythical animal in Lewis Carrols poem ‘ The Hunting of the Snark’ which he agreed was an allegory for the pursuit of happiness. This is not the transient happiness of short term gratification or superficial experience but the sense of wellbeing that comes from the absence of pain; physical and mental and the absence of fear; anxiety and dread.
It is the happiness of the Ancient Greek philosopher Epidaurus, of the American Declaration of Independence, the concept of happiness that drove the Age of Enlightenment and Marxist philosophy. The idea that sufficient is enough, that we can be content once we have removed the negative aspects of our lives, lagom in Swedish. We are not hungry or cold, threatened or subjugated. We don’t need to justify ourselves to others or in turn judge them. In a consumption driven world it is hard to stop and say ‘sufficient’ or ‘lagom’ but it is remarkably liberating once you get the idea.
Epidaurus believed that friendship was the highest virtue and society of friends was the environment in which we would find happiness. Here on the Snark we agree, whether solo travellers, couples or groups we hope all our guests can enjoy the society of their fellow travellers and through that start to see their way to true happiness.
To find out more about our holidays visit our web site www.snark.limited.
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