Crossing an ocean without sails (but with a budget)
Discussion
Its not even been a year but feels like something we did in the distant past.
I have had a few texts from friends still on boats in Fiji recently, about cyclones, changes to immigration/boat visa, cost of everything.
It would seem like we def chose the best time for our adventure !
The new owners of LS became challenging, I think thats the best description.
Messages, emails, calls at all hours asking for help/advice on some quite simple stuff.
I think the first was why is there no 240v power after they left marina, a simple flick of a switch from shore power to inverter was required.
Why is brown water coming out the shower ? I think that call was at 4am our time.
Turns out they had filled water tanks (1000ish litres) at marina and then headed out for two weeks and hadnt run the watermaker in that time. Im surprised it lasted two weeks, couldnt have been showering very often !
Next was re windlass fuses/breaker location at a similar time in the morning. Chain had got wrapped round a rock/reef and they just kept holding the button down in the hope it would free the chain. The next day they dragged anchor in the middle of the night and nearly ran into another boat. Sounds like they anchored on top of a reef and when the wind got up the anchor just snapped off a large piece of reef and dragged across the bottom as it couldnt 'grab'on anything.
This continued once a week for a while.
I was then messaged by some other friends who advised LS had hit another boat whilst leaving the marina dock at Musket Cove, of course we knew that boat too.
The last msg I received from new owners, which was about something very minor, was left unanswered and I/we havent heard from them since.
A few weeks ago the Lotto jackpot here was $100million, I convinced myself we were going to win and started looking at boats.
We didnt but now S wants a 60' Sunreef cat and I fancy a Riviera M78 as I miss the fishing .
Have fun everyone
I have had a few texts from friends still on boats in Fiji recently, about cyclones, changes to immigration/boat visa, cost of everything.
It would seem like we def chose the best time for our adventure !
The new owners of LS became challenging, I think thats the best description.
Messages, emails, calls at all hours asking for help/advice on some quite simple stuff.
I think the first was why is there no 240v power after they left marina, a simple flick of a switch from shore power to inverter was required.
Why is brown water coming out the shower ? I think that call was at 4am our time.
Turns out they had filled water tanks (1000ish litres) at marina and then headed out for two weeks and hadnt run the watermaker in that time. Im surprised it lasted two weeks, couldnt have been showering very often !
Next was re windlass fuses/breaker location at a similar time in the morning. Chain had got wrapped round a rock/reef and they just kept holding the button down in the hope it would free the chain. The next day they dragged anchor in the middle of the night and nearly ran into another boat. Sounds like they anchored on top of a reef and when the wind got up the anchor just snapped off a large piece of reef and dragged across the bottom as it couldnt 'grab'on anything.
This continued once a week for a while.
I was then messaged by some other friends who advised LS had hit another boat whilst leaving the marina dock at Musket Cove, of course we knew that boat too.
The last msg I received from new owners, which was about something very minor, was left unanswered and I/we havent heard from them since.
A few weeks ago the Lotto jackpot here was $100million, I convinced myself we were going to win and started looking at boats.
We didnt but now S wants a 60' Sunreef cat and I fancy a Riviera M78 as I miss the fishing .
Have fun everyone
McGee_22 said:
This ^^^^
OP, are you missing that life so much you would, funds permitting, drop everything and throw yourselves back into it? Or are you now a 'landlubber'? /pirate
I think I will always be a pirate whether on land or sea.OP, are you missing that life so much you would, funds permitting, drop everything and throw yourselves back into it? Or are you now a 'landlubber'? /pirate
My wife desperately misses boat life and would return in a heartbeat. Well thats what she says but she also loves her work.
If, and obv its a big if, we had a sudden influx of $$ and we could buy a later model boat that would cruise at 9 or 10 knots (without using 100L per hour) then I would go for it again.
A million AUD for the boat and another one in the bank would have me rushing out the door but I have got quite used to land life and all its rewards/simplicity.
I may have said somewhere up there ^^ that I only wanted to do something menial for work, well that didnt last long and I'm back in a management role that chews up the daytime hours.
I am desperate to go fishing and looking at charters, might even go up North and fish the Great Barrier Reef (if its allowed !)
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