Yacht Delivery Blog

Our delivery of the Lagoon 50 from Singapore to Fiji began on Friday at the Raffles Marina, where the clearance process went incredibly smoothly. While our initial departure was slightly delayed due to the hustle and bustle of Chinese New Year and finalizing our Malaysian registration, it allowed us to complete the final preparations. Leaving Singapore, we embarked on the exciting passage through the Singapore Strait. This bustling waterway, teeming with hundreds of ships navigating the shipping lanes, is a sight to behold. As we charted our course east, we strategically positioned ourselves on the outer edge of the channel. This provided a clear view of the surrounding traffic, allowing the larger vessels to pass safely on our port side.  Our focus remained on the diverse marine life sharing the waters with us – the cumbersome tugs with their barge companions, the colorful fishing boats, and the sleek high-speed ferries. We kept a watchful eye out for the occasional r...

In the beginning, there was the sea. A vast, endless expanse of blue that called to me with a siren’s song. I was just a young lad when I first felt the pull of the ocean. The lure of adventure and the promise of freedom were too strong to resist. So, I did what any sensible person with an insatiable thirst for adventure would do: I ran away to sea. My journey began with buying a copy of Bob Bonds ' Handbook of Sailing ' and then seizing every sailing opportunity that came my way. From small dinghies to large schooners, I sailed them all. Each voyage was a new lesson, a new experience that added to my growing knowledge and love for sailing. Then came the day when I bought my first boat, a 31ft beauty that was as stubborn and willful as the sea itself. Owning my own boat was a dream come true. It was my ticket to freedom, my passport to adventure. I spent as much time as possible hanging out with sailors, listening to their tales of high seas and distant shores. Their stories fu...

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...