Yacht Delivery Blog

Welcome to the thrilling conclusion of the yacht delivery ! We have sailed from New Zealand to Phuket, almost. We can see Phuket from here, nearly.  Sailing from New Zealand to Phuket is a challenging adventure that took us across a quarter of the globe, experiencing different cultures, climates, and wildlife along the way. The distance between New Zealand and Phuket is about 6,500 nautical miles, which is equivalent to about 7,500 miles or 12,000 kilometers. The average sailing speed for a cruising yacht is about 6 knots, which means it would take over 50 days to complete the voyage non-stop. However, this depends on many factors such as wind, current, weather, and boat condition. We crossed the Tasman Sea, the Coral Sea, the South Pacific Ocean, the Arafura Sea, the Timor Sea, and passed by the Indian Ocean. We passed by Indonesia and Australia, and the Solomon Islands. We faced some potential challenges such as piracy, fishing nets, shallow waters, busy shipping lanes, and boat...

This is the last leg of the journey, the finish line is almost in sight.  We are under starters orders, just about to come out of the gate and head over a couple of hurdles, down the final furlong and passed the checkered flag.  We've navigated through treacherous waters, dodging rocks, reefs, ships and fishing boats along the way. Stopped in new places, and overcome obstacles.  With just a few furlongs left to go, we are about to cross the finish line. 

We are on the final leg of our journey to Sabang, Indonesia. We have made good time during the night even though it's almost flat calm. We were expecting to arrive in Sabang super early in the morning, so we have decided to find somewhere to anchor this afternoon, get a few hours of rest and leave very early to arrive mid morning. This way, we can clear out and leave first light Sunday, and avoid any delays or complications. Sabang is a busy port and a popular stopover for yachts heading to the Indian Ocean or the Red Sea and I'd be very reluctant to enter in the dark.  The photo below shows the marine traffic and our planned route in black. As you can see, there are many ships and boats in this area, some of them very large and fast. We have to be careful and vigilant, especially at night, when visibility is low and navigation lights are scarce. Not showing on the map are the pirates, smugglers, illegal fishermen and numerous other hazards that lurk in these waters. We will be...

I want to make a small disclaimer. This blog is not meant to be a factual report of everything that happens on board. Therefore, some of the details may have been exaggerated, embellished, or even invented for the sake of drama and humor. This disclaimer is especially important for people who may be worried about our safety and well-being. We want to assure you that we are fine and that we are not in any danger or trouble. So please don't panic or call the coast guard if you read something that sounds alarming or outrageous. It's probably just a joke or a hyperbole. Unless I write "help, help we have been kidnapped by pirates".  The only consistent thing of the last 24 hours is the degree the wind is decreasing - now it's about zero. And it looks as though we will keep that until we arrive in Phuket. We had a bit of drama with the Starlink yesterday. Apparently it doesn't work the same in Indonesia. Yesterday was the billing day and instead of the plan rolling...

We are on the final stretch of our journey from NZ to Phuket. The wind has been teasing us for the last few days, sometimes giving us enough to sail, sometimes dying down and forcing us to use the engine. But at least it's been blowing from behind, so we've been making good progress towards our destination. The weather has been hot and calm, which has its pros and cons. On the plus side, we've been able to open the hatches and let some fresh air into the boat. On the minus side, we've also had some unwanted visitors. Last night, we woke up to a strange smell and a loud flapping noise. We discovered that four flying fish had somehow managed to jump through the hatches and land inside the boat. They were flopping around on the floor, making a mess and a racket. I was about to spring into action and save the day, but Rhona beat me to it. She bravely picked up the fish and threw them back into the sea. I'm sure they were grateful for her mercy. I was grateful for her co...

We are still pushing on to Sabang, Indonesia, as the wind has been playing tricks on us. Every time we think we have enough breeze to sail, it dies down and we have to turn on the engine again. It's frustrating. A few knts of wind can make the difference between us sailing at 4.5knts or 6knts. Our cut off for sailing is 5knts - any slower and it's engine time. Sometimes we can sail for a few hours at a time but it's impossible to know what's going to happen.  The nights have been beautiful, with a full moon lighting up the sea and the stars. We have seen some ships on the horizon, but not too many to worry about. We have also tried our luck with fishing, but so far we have not caught anything. I don't mind, though, as we have plenty of food on board and I don't like killing fish unless I have to. We have a little over 600 nautical miles to go. That means we should arrive in Sabang in about four days, if everything goes well. I have been looking at the chart and ...

Look at this floating hulk of doom.  And there's lots more where this came from.  It's like a nautical conspiracy.  And if we are down wind of the fishing boats you can actually smell them.  It's dawned on me that this is becoming a blog about nothing. It's like a sienfeld episode about if Jerry and George went sailing -  "You know, there's something fascinating about these FADs. Have you ever seen one? They're like the pied pipers of the sea, drawing all sorts of fish right to them. And why do we always talk about "putting them out to sea"? Why not just leave them by the beach? It's like having your own personal sushi conveyor belt, but instead of California rolls and sashimi, it's marlin, tuna, and mahi-mahi. One day you're reeling in a big one and the next, who knows? It's a never-ending cycle of surprises, right in your own backyard. Now that's what I call convenience!" Luckily for everyone ther...