CREW NEEDED

All experience levels welcome for leisurely
cruising in the South Pacific.
Visit exciting places where tourists can't go.
Swim or snorkel in crystal clear tropical lagoons.
Watch spectacular sunsets.

Home Page
Selection
Like to join ?
The Boat
Important info
Need to know
The skipper
Some good links
Your contribution
Past voyages
Photo Album

"Big dreams have small beginnings.
My first trip finished 20 meters from the shore, when the mast snapped......"

  

Some 20 years ago I was working for a well-known steel company in New Zealand.

  

The local manager had just finished building his yacht, in which he and his family were going to sail to Fiji, a round trip of 3000 NM.

  

I told him in no uncertain terms, that he was a total nutcase to even contemplate going off shore in a 12 ton 40 feet steel bathtub.

  

He just grinned. (I can speak with some authority regarding the conditions at sea, as I had sailed for 17 years as engineer-officer prior, on big commercial ships across the oceans in all weather conditions.)

  

Anyway he returned 3 months later sun tanned, had a great time and was going back next year.

  

I was utterly amazed that even his boat survived unscaved.

  

It had never entered my head that, even small boats, can handle ocean conditions.
Coastal cruising yes but crossing an ocean. No way.

  

This feat got me thinking and planted a seed in my brains.

  

I purchased a 12 feet sailing dinghy.
(Similar to the one I learned sailing in when I was 12 years old.)

  

The first day out, to great enjoyment of on lookers, the mast came crashing down, 20 meters from the shore. Made some improvements and over the next 12 months became a lot more confident in small boat handling.

  

I wanted to go offshore, sail around the world even.
To achieve this I read stacks of marine related books, learned celestial navigation, got full Amateur and Marine Radio licenses and last but not least, needed a sea worthy yacht.

  

Of course, it had to be a steel one (timber rots, fiberglass gets osmosis and steel rusts) had to have a center cockpit, cutter rigged.15 months later I found my ideal boat in 1994.

  

Over the next 7 months, I re-wired, re-plumbed, installed: storm shutters, auto bilge pumps,ssb radio, life raft, epirb, GPS, laptop. Reconditioned: alternators, winches, autopilot and engine,
fitted lee-cloths, solid cockpit dodger.
The list went on and on.

  

Finally departure day looms, we had joined a regatta to Tonga. Joining gave the impression of safety, as many yachts sailed for the same destination.

  

As it turned out this �safety as promised� did not exist what so ever,
plus we were expected to arrive there within a certain time.

  

The worst thing you can do on a yacht is to maintain some schedule or try to beat some sort of record. That�s why I never participate in a regatta ever again. Some people believe that cruising yachts should have all the mod cons of domestic life ashore, with appliances powered by a diesel generator.

  

Many US yachts carry enormous amounts of fuel, not so much for motoring, as for powering their freezers, microwaves etc. It is rather nice to avoid the noise and heat of an engine.

  

But I do admit that my fridge/freezer is still working of the engine, however it only gets charged when we need to do some motoring.

  

For the rest we live power-wise on 2 solar panels and a wind generator.

  

On land you move around in a steel cage on wheels, read traffic signs and follow the next guy. At sea you go your own way and with experience you will be able to read the waves, sky, wind, even the life in and above the sea. It is immensely satisfying to use the wind to get there. If we don�t get there today, well tomorrow is fine also.

  

And thanks to modern technology, we can now plot an exact position with GPS.

  

Polynesians 3000 years used to navigate across massive distances in the Pacific, just by using the stars, moon, planets and swell waves. Their sailing canoes could reach speeds of up to 30 Knots (55 Km/hour). Speeds like that are today only achieved by 90+ feet racing yachts.

  

The New Zealand yachting federation has set guidelines for yachts that wish to venture offshore. These guidelines concern the suitability of a yacht and her skipper, plus the safety, rescue and comms. equipment, ground tackle, number of sails etc. The list is 22 pages long.

  

If a NZ yacht satisfies all these requirements, than and only than is she given Customs clearance and is allowed to leave the country.