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 training courses, designed to give you the best possible time onboard.
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 the Clyde.
Dónal has been working on Sea Fever Sailing for a few years and feels it’s time to slip the lines...
Skipper - Amy Graydon
Since being a small child, Amy has always loved the water, in it, under it, on top of it, so long as she was at least close to it. At 10 years old, her family took a holiday to Greece, where she got the opportunity to try dinghy sailing for the first time, and that was her absolutely hooked!
Once they got back, boats became a huge part of her life and she spent most weekends down at her local sailing club, racing and messing around on the water. Study leave was great as it meant she could go during the week too, although she was sadly informed she still actually had to study during that time!
As soon as she passed her Dinghy Instructor qualification and turned 18, she was straight off to Europe to spend her summers teaching on the beaches there. It was then that she got introduced to the world of yachts, and the dynamic changed. She loved that she could go further and see more places than she could ever have made it to just working so close to land.
She went home one winter and started working her way through her yachting qualifications, quickly obtaining her RYA Cruising Instructor certificate. From there, she’s spent time running RYA courses, training crew for the Clipper Yacht Race and skippering charters. She went on to obtain her RYA Yachtmaster Instructor qualification and has seen much of Scotland’s west coast, including the legendary St Kilda. She’s sailed in Greece and Turkey, travelled through the remote North Pacific, and conquered the Panama Canal on her way to the Galápagos Islands. Her experience ranges from smaller yachts to bigger 70-footers, and every sail is still a new and fun adventure.
Host - Kitty
Poynter-Dalton
From a young age, Kitty was never far from the water. Childhood trips to Loch Lomond with her dad sparked a love of being afloat that never really went away, and years later she found herself sharing that same excitement with her own children through paddleboarding, kayaking and sailing.
While hospitality became her career, the sea was never far away. Over more than 25 years, Kitty has worked across hotels, restaurants and events, eventually running her own bed and breakfast on the Isle of Arran before moving into freelance hospitality and event staffing across Scotland. Looking after people has always come naturally, whether ashore or afloat.
Over the last few years, Kitty has been steadily building her sailing experience. Now a qualified RYA Day Skipper, she has sailed extensively on the Firth of Clyde, explored the Inner and Outer Hebrides, and made the trip to St Kilda. She works behind the scenes at Sea Fever Sailing and is also a Principal Host aboard a Clipper 60, bringing her hospitality experience together with practical life at sea.
Kitty is currently working towards her Watch Leader and Coastal Skipper qualifications and is always looking for opportunities to crew, build sea miles and learn from experienced sailors. Shetland is next on the list, as she continues her journey towards becoming dual-qualified as both a professional Host and Mate.