Sailing Yacht Coco
The excellent adventures of Alex & Jac
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A new adventure is on the way. We’ve ordered a new Swan 58 and are planning to sail the Mediterranean. #sailingyachtcoco
A voyage of discovery, learning, challenges and memories of a lifetime “If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it, even if I may not have it at the beginning” Mahatma Gandhi In the beginning, there was Adam, Eve, and a Swan 54… Now that we are stuck at home in New Zealand with that damn virus leaving every sailor in the… Read More
So we made it. A couple of people with a dream. Thankfully we didn’t know enough about sailing around the world when we left Nautor’s yard in Jakobstad Finland on September 21, 2018 on our beautiful Swan 54 Coco, to understand what we’d just taken on. Thankfully we didn’t know what we should have been worried about. But we did it. It’s possible that we are half good sailors now,… Read More
We’ve sailed a long way to find this. I mean don’t get me wrong; we’ve seen some really beautiful places and met some awesome people. And the diversity of the places we have seen has been enormous. From the chilly Baltic and the Nordic culture, the English autumn, some European flair in Spain and Portugal, island style in the Canaries, a taste of Rasta in the Caribbean, chasing hammerhead sharks in the… Read More
Endless miles of ocean; it takes time and bends it, until you lose any structure you thought you had in your day. You eat, you sleep when you can, you sail, you repeat. It becomes your new, sometimes monotonous, and warped reality. It’s a blur, a smudge, you are simply counting down miles. Keeping the boat sailing is all that’s important, your only point of reference is that circular horizon that has no… Read More
The sea is still the sea no matter where you are. Its blue(ish), salty (some more than others), the wind blows, its flat, its not, its cold, its not. But it’s still the sea. So I don’t know why I was so damn excited to leave the Atlantic and get across the other side of South America to the Pacific Ocean! Home waters? A sense of achievement having made it half way home… Read More
Well, here we are – about half way home. It’s a real milestone for us and I’m leaving the Caribbean, and the first half of our adventure, with mixed feelings. We’ve now sailed nearly 9000 nautical miles (around 16,000km) and I have feelings of nostalgia, some sadness that we are leaving this part of the world, excitement for where we are heading, and also, a sense of achievement. That early route map… Read More
Now that we’ve made it across the Atlantic and we are Swanning around the Caribbean, I thought I’d add some comments on how we go about getting ready for a long crossing, for anyone interested. I’m not proposing that we are experts in this area at all, this is just what worked for us. We had a few primary priorities to help keep us focused: Fresh food and managing that, Yumminess –… Read More
So are we living the dream? That’s a good question to ask right now, 6,750 nautical miles (12,500 kilometers) and 2 ½ months into the trip. The last sector of this leg has been long; we joined the ARC Rally across the Atlantic (more below on that) and I’m a bit tired after 18 days and 3000 nautical miles at sea. It seems a lifetime ago we made the decision to buy… Read More
Or 4600km for the landlubbers amongst us! Anyway, it’s a long way and yes its really happening. This first part of the journey has been a bit rushed. We’ve been heading south as quickly as we can to miss the start of the winter weather in the north. With some success… So we are looking forward to the next leg that will take us down to the Canary Islands and then across… Read More
Well, we made it. After almost a year of planning we are currently sailing the Baltic Sea down the coast of Sweden. To kick off the sailing stories I’ll cover the first part of our journey south, and for anyone contemplating a project like this, I thought I’d also share some thoughts about the process of getting a yacht in the water and ready for an ocean voyage. Building a yacht I’ll… Read More
Well, we think so anyway… The muppets at Selden masts have somehow managed to screw up the delivery of our beautiful carbon fibre mast and so our sail away date of September 14 has just been buggered. Manufacturing problems apparently. I just think they left everything too late. So thanks a bunch guys! I’ll be sure to endorse your over promising and under delivery all around the world… You’re welcome. Anyway, my… Read More
We are only two months out from the estimated delivery date for Coco, our beautiful Swan 54 yacht (yes, it totally is like a birth). There’s the process of final sail selection (I’m glad they last several years, just saying), getting sail numbers (we are NZL 9966), the teak decks have gone on (see below), the dive compressor is in, and there is enough wiring in this yacht to get a space… Read More
Crickey, it starts to get real when the drawings turn up! The hull construction for Coco, our beautiful Swan 54 is about to start. I’m pretty stoked that we got to this point, especially after being out sailing last week in a chartered 32 foot Bavaria; we had a 30 – 35 knot easterly with 2 – 3 metres of swell. I was somewhat concerned that my crew (read wife) was going… Read More
First it was Gabby, and she’s beautiful. And to be fair, still a very large part of my life, even after two years together. And with time, my wife has grown to love her as well. But now its Coco. Coco is irresistible. She’s dark, sleek, seductive. The complete opposite of Gabby, and I kinda like that. I’m not quite sure how well Coco is going to be accepted into our family;… Read More
I have been remiss in sharing with you some thoughts and pictures of the ocean environment while on our recent Indonesian dive trip through the Flores and Banda Sea’s, and Southern Raja Ampat. I hit the ground with a significant thump upon arriving home after such an incredible diving trip and have struggled to get my fingers attached to the keyboard! Let me say this – the diving in this region of… Read More
Having just returned from 3 weeks sailing 1,200 nautical miles across the Banda Sea in eastern Indonesia on the beautiful yacht Amandira from Sumbawa (near Bali) to Sorong in West Papua, it’s time to share some stories and images of the adventure. I’ll split this blog into a couple of sections; I’ll start with Life & The People, and follow with The Oceans & the Islands in a couple of weeks. Most… Read More
Only 6 weeks to go before we head off. 17 days sailing on Amandira from Mayo Island near Bali, finishing 1200 nautical miles later in Sorong, West Papua. After sailing through the Komodo National Park, we head eastward towards Maumere and Alor to start some world-class diving in warm 30 degree, crystal clear waters abundant with marine life. From there we hit the volcanic region near Maumere, on the east end of Flores island. It’s… Read More
Amandira, a two-masted sailing ship measuring 52 metres from bow to stern, was handcrafted by the Konjo tribe and launched in 2015. The ship, a traditional Phinisi vessel, built to represent the ancient romance of the spice trade, is a truely magnificent piece of work. We’ve just spent a week with Justin and his crew sailing the vibrant waters of Komodo National Park in Indonesia. I have to say, this is one… Read More
Located within the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia, this place is magical. I can see why in 1991 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since 1980 this 1700 square kilometres area that includes the islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca, and 26 smaller ones, has been the protected home for the Komodo dragon, the worlds largest lizard (they grow up to 3 meters long; and believe me when I say… Read More
Sailing Yacht Coco 