Paul Kanev, a retired Pediatric Surgeon, is a man who defines his retirement not by stillness but by the relentless pursuit of high-latitude exploration. A self-confessed "cold weather person," Dr. Kanev deliberately seeks the solitude and "majesty" found in remote northern waters, preferring them over conventional warm climates and crowded anchorages.
Restless when ashore, he is currently wintering in Richmond, SW London, yet his mind is fixed on the extensive “zero hour” refit of his beloved vessel, Momentum, a 1993 Hinckley Competition 51. He maintains a weekly commute to the Berthon yard in Lymington to ensure the yacht’s timely return to the water in the spring of 2026.
Momentum, designed by McCurty and Rhodes, is built with a durable and stiff fiberglass kevlar hull. Dr. Kanev’s profound faith in the yacht’s seaworthiness is captured in his striking statement: “I run out of courage before she runs out of strength.” Given that he often sails Momentum short-handed, relying on friends for racing or paid crew for passage making, reliability is paramount.
The demanding nature of high-latitude sailing necessitated a crucial upgrade in 2021: the installation of a new triple spreader carbon mast from Offshore Spars. This refit provided remarkable technical and operational advantages. The replacement mast shed a substantial 350 lb of weight aloft and added 4ft of extra height, allowing for an additional 11 square meters of canvas.
Despite these performance enhancements, the race rating shifted by a minimal 4%.
The practical benefits for cruising have been dramatic. The reduction in weight aloft, combined with the overall stiffness of the carbon rig, has led to more comfortable sailing, notably reducing the tendency to roll and pitch. The rig was also simplified, with a set of stays removed, and the running backstays are now seldom used, making Momentum notably easier to manage when sailing alone. This ease of handling, supported by her furling boom and electric winches, is crucial for short-handed voyages.
For Dr. Kanev’s cruising style, the most significant benefit has been the positive effect on Momentum’s light wind ability. The additional sail power means the threshold for turning on the engine has dropped from approximately 8 knots of windspeed to just 5 knots.
Paul describes his fiancee and son as fair weather sailors who join him for the kinder, coastal legs of his adventure but every sailor quickly learns to love the quiet surge of wind power, the moment the engine goes silent. This is something that Paul and his family can enjoy more often and is fitting for the dramatic landscape in which Paul enjoys Momentum most.
The new rig delivered invaluable peace of mind before Dr. Kanev crossed the Atlantic from Bermuda to West Scotland in 2022 and while Paul does not claim to be a racing sailor, he casually mentions participation in some of the most prestigious offshore yacht races when it fits in with his cruising schedule.
Momentum came to Europe via the 2022 Newport-Bermuda race, finishing in an elapsed time of 104:00:00 hours, and participated in the 2023 Fastnet race, where she finished 11th in her class with an elapsed time of 5 days, 12 hours, and 47 minutes. For the Fastnet, she was co-skippered by Ken Reilley, a former US Naval Captain with over 30 years of service.
With a fully revitalized vessel, Dr. Kanev has pursued his high latitude goals, including explorations of Norway in 2024 and a tour of Iceland and the Faroe Isles in 2025. When cruising in these regions, the solitude is total: many of Momentum's ports of call see only about 30 transient yachts each season. The landscape remains utterly untouched, and Paul describes moments sharing empty fjords solely with pods of whales and puffin colonies.
Steep sides fjords and cliffs allow Momentum to be anchored within yards of shore in deep water, something that only adds to the dramatic landscape and stunning wildlife.
Looking ahead, once the refit is complete, Dr. Kanev plans to join the Baltic ARC in 2026. This cruise in company starts in Kiel on July 5 and concludes near Stockholm on July 31, covering five countries—Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, and Finland—over 1000 miles.
Dr. Kanev’s meticulous preparation underscores a vital lesson for sailors inspired to seek the polar regions. High-latitude sailing requires surgical precision in preparation. A yacht must be solid—solid hull, rig, systems, and crew.
Finally, feed the crew well; a calorie deficit in the cold is dangerous.
Paul Kanev’s saga—a blend of technical optimization and sheer cruising ambition—is a testament to the fact that solid preparation allows a sailor to safely enjoy the wonders of the polar regions. While some people are happy to follow the crowds to conventional yachting hotspots, Paul presents a very strong argument to look North and bring your sailing ambitions back to the raw, wild and exposed environments that so few ever experience.
It is telling that when asked, Paul estimates that he has completed 30-40,000 nautical miles aboard Momentum in his ownership. Since his retirement he has averaged 5-7,000 miles each year. A sailor who estimates in the tens of thousands is worth listening to.
