About Us
Sea Fever Sailing is a new venture, weaving strands of everything that’s great about sailing in Scotland, into truly memorable experiences.
As a commercial skipper and RYA Yachtmaster Instructor, Dónal has drawn on his time working with some of the best operators in Scotland for over 30 years to produce a range of holiday, adventure and instruction cruises designed to give you the best possible time onboard.
Meet the Crew!
Skipper - Dónal Boyle
In 1986 Dónal moved to Arran and began his sailing (and music!) apprenticeship. Learning to sail with the Arran Junior Sailing Club and Ocean Youth Club, Dónal went on to study Yacht Design in Glasgow. In 1990, he started skippering small yachts in the Clyde and Northern Ireland.
A Yachtmaster at 24 and Instructor at 25, Dónal worked at the Scottish National Watersports Centre, Cumbrae from 1997-2003 where he cut his teeth with many of the best sailors in the country.
Following a career break (which included owning Crofters Music Bar & Bistro on Arran), Dónal returned to the sailing world in 2019. In 2023 he moved to Dunoon and came back to commercial sailing full-time, freelancing for several of the Scottish charter and motor cruising companies. In 2024 he revalidated his RYA Yachtmaster Instructor’s certificate and went back to running the full range of RYA courses for sailing schools based in Largs Yacht Haven.
Dónal has been working on Sea Fever Sailing for a few years and feels it’s time to slip the lines...
Host
Kitty Poynter-Dalton
Meet Kitty — a friendly, familiar face in hospitality with 25 years’ experience and a proper “can-do” approach. She’s worked across brilliant venues including Costley & Costley, Macdonald Aviemore Resort, and Crofters Arran, taking on everything from front-of-house to kitchen graft (and all the behind-the-scenes magic in between).
After years of supporting other people’s businesses, Kitty took the leap and opened her own cosy bed-and-breakfast on the Isle of Arran. These days she brings that same calm, capable energy to freelance hospitality staffing — popping up at events across the Clyde and making sure guests are looked after properly.
Her love of sailing started young, with trips to Loch Lomond with her dad — a spark she now shares with her children. More recently, she’s been happily adding new skills under sail herself. When she’s not working with Sea Fever Sailing or hosting aboard the Clipper 60 Taeping with Ocean Sailing Scotland, you’ll likely find her daysailing a Westerly Fulmar somewhere on the Clyde.
