Month: September 2024

Chaper Two; Adventure will Continue… on a Catamaran

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in Sailing


There are so many differences in cruising catamarans. A few hours of surfing the net for boats for sale can hurt the brain.
As much as we have been “beach cat” sailors, mono hull cruisers and have been cruising with a multitude of great catamarans…..this is difficult. Above is Nirvana, a 50 foot voyage catamaran for sale in Fiji. Our friends let us cruise her for 6 weeks while they visited the states. Very comfy, slow cruiser with tons of space. Too much for us though. Our son Derek got to come to Fiji for a week and really enjoyed it.


But, everything is a sacrifice. What do we mean by that? Fast performance cats are typically not as comfortable as heavier slower boats like Nirvana. Not only are the super comfortable boats slow, but most of the time they don’t sail well. (Angle on the wind, slow, and can be noisy)

KALEA

Fast lightweight boats can sail really well but need expensive sails, don’t have as much room for big beds, couches, and water toys. One or our friends even ditched the water heater to keep the boat light. (Lol, you know who you are).
Fast comfortable boats are typically more expensive….(Think Gun, HH).
Finding a boat you want to live on and sail on is a balance of your priorities and $$$$s.
We don’t want slow. We really like our big couches and we have a good budget for the boat, but we still want to eat well.
And then there is alway “what does this boat need” and “where is it”. Sheesh….this might take some time.

This weeks boat (brand/designers) all are in consideration.
Not all of them are fast. Not all of them are comfortable.
But, they do prompt conversations…..and ultimately…..negotiations.

Two Months in Fiji

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in Sailing

We have been exploring just a bit of Fiji, mostly hanging out with our special cruising friends from Mexico, all here in Musket Cove. Many of these cruisers are now ending their journeys. This happens to non circumnavigators. We will miss them greatly, hoping our paths will cross again! But, we did explore this special island country while we were on our friend’s boat Nirvana.

We cruised up to the beautiful and remote Yasawas, when Kathy’s son Derek came to visit. There are 15 words in the Fijian language meaning Heaven and ‘Yasawa’ is one. The Yasawa Islands are a chain of 20 volcanic islands located in the western part of Fiji. Strung along with reef and volcanic islands. The people are very friendly, they will go out of there way to wave from afar or holler “Bula!” from down the way. We learned the hard way that there is a local etiquette that should be observed.

All visitors are expected to not wear hats, ladies should be well covered and most importantly everyone pays a courtesy visit to the islands chief, bearing a gift of Kava root, which he makes into a drink called Yagona. They claim it slightly intoxicating, but we didn’t feel anything.

We were so busy socializing in Musket Cove, we visited 4 Fiji islands; main island Viti Levu, Malalo, then Waya, and then Naviti to swim in the warm, coral waters.

We hope to make it back here for sure. The highlight of course was our week with Derek, just great energy. So helpful, an amazing cook, and having family here is a treat!! Who is next? Wait… we need a boat first, lol.