Posted: 16th February 2012.

Catana have just released some exciting new footage of the Catana 47 sailing, showing the boat sailing at extreme speeds in superior comfort.

This new model Catana 47 epitomises the values which have made Catana one of the world’s leading brands: Comfort, Safety, Quality, Performance

Check it out here:

For more information on the Catana 47 – visit the Catana 47 webpage.

Posted: 15th February 2012.

When we list a premium pre-owned boat for sale we create a dedicated 16 page, full colour, gloss brochure to send to perspective buyers. These brochures highlight the vessels features, specifications, layouts along with an array of quality photos.

To download the PDF version of these brochures or to see more details on any of these premium multihulls for sale please use the below links:

 Quick Links:

• Contact Us
• Complete List of pre-owned multihulls for sale
• Year-round Boat Show at Mooloolaba Marina
• Sell a pre-owned multihull

Posted 13th February 2012.

“La Rochelle” is a superbly presented Orana 44 by Fountaine Pajot. Her current owners are meticulous in her maintenance schedule, resulting in an ideal buy for a new boat buyer.

The Orana 44′s are a blue water capable catamaran with 200nm + days easily achieved.

She features same level living with the cockpit and the saloon creating an open and social area. This owners version features the starboard hull dedicated to the owner, plus a customised workshop. The port hull is for the guests, both double cabins with ensuite bathrooms.

Owners looking to sell with view of purchasing a larger model Fountaine Pajot.

Price: AUD $595,000 Tax Paid
Current Location: Sydney

• Download the PDF brochure on this boat for more information.
• Visit La Rochelle’s webpage
• Read Orana 44 and other Fountaine Pajot Boat Reviews

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information on this vessel or any other boats for sale.

Posted: 9th February 2012.

“Rafale”, the first Catana 47 with the ‘Carbon Infusion’ proceeding, participated in the 2011 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC). The start was given on November 20, 2011 in Las Palmas (Canary Islands) to arrive in St Lucia (Caribbean) on December 6, 2011.

This is the only boat in the fleet to have used its engines just for 20 min (0.33 h), for maneuvers to approach the port of St. Lucia. The entire Atlantic crossing was done under sail. The energy required for all the equipment on board was provided by solar panels and a hydro-electric generator.

Generously, “Rafale” was ranked on the third place by the organizers.

Miraculously, some boats have traveled hundreds of miles in a few hours with the local weather announcing “failure of trade winds” and 0 knots of wind…

Unfortunately, for the participants, the organization does not proceed to the counting of the numbers of hours using the engines. They are only declared on honor…

Fortunately, for others!

The Catana 47 was hampered by its low weight and its bowsprit because, despite everything, the organization chose to retain the overall length and a lightweight version without options “Carbon Infusion.”

This boat is a owner version equipped with the “Around the World” options with many comfort equipments including solar panels, rigid bimini, water-maker, refrigerator, microwave, the safe, black and grey water tanks, etc … It therefore lacks 1.5 tons in the tonnage of “Rafale”.

Maybe we should have taken a few anvils and irons to be better weighed!

Top 10 ranking includes four Catana and a fifth on the 11th position!

The crew of “Rafale” has indicated a maximum speed of 19.8 knots with many surf at 16/17 knots … It’s mind-blowing! Remember that during testing “Rafale” exceeded 22 knots. The 2011 edition of the ARC has allowed us to demonstrate the potential of our catamarans. The result of “Rafale” shows that the new manufacturing processes and continuous innovation of the shipyard further improve the performance of Catana boats.

Crews have spent some nice moments aboard their Catana in comfort and security that only a cruising catamaran can offer. We thank the Catana crews and hope they will be even more for the 2012 edition!

The Catana shipyard team especially thanks the skipper of “Rafale”, Christophe Mahé and his crew for their involvement and efficiency in this edition of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers.

Final result list of the Catana boats:
(In total 28 catamarans participated in the rally)

• Catana 47 “Rafale” 3rd
• Catana 522 “Anastasia”: 5th
• Catana 65 “Stadium” (changed by Christophe Barreau in a 71 feet): 7th
• Catana 50 ‘Thosyma “9th
• Catana 471 “Delphine”: 11 th
• Catana 431 “Magnificat”: 20th

Posted: 20th January 2012

The stunning new Fountaine Pajot Sanya 57 presentation has now been posted to our YouTube channel. Click here to check it out.

The Sanya 57 is defined by its unique, contemporary design and has been strategically constructed for ocean cruising and unforgettably luxurious family holidays.

Affording all the pleasures of the sea, the Sanya 57 will take your breath away with the distinctive comfort, fixtures and services you’ve come to expect from Fountaine Pajot’s prestigious Flagship Class.

Posted: 20th January 2012

Hosted and organised by Multihull Solutions, the Pittwater Multihull Rendezvous is a casual sailing event designed to bring multihull enthusiasts together for a weekend of fun sailing and socialising.

We welcome you to join the fun, enjoy sailing in company with other multihull enthusiasts along with having time to share and learn new skills from other participants, meet new friends and enjoy the magnificent scenery and waterways of Pittwater.

Dates:
17th and 18th March 2012

Location:
The stunning waters of Pittwater, NSW, Australia.

Click here for full event details.

Posted: 16th January 2011.

Liapri 41 under sail

Western Australia’s most popular family orientated show is due to be staged from the 23-25 March this year at Hillarys Boat Harbour in the northern suburbs of Perth. The Multihull Solutions team will be there showcasing the brand new Fountaine Pajot Lipari 41.

With 17km of pristine coastline, the City of Joondalup is an ideal location for this popular iconic show, which is one of the biggest boating events in WA. This year’s show promises to be packed with fun displays of the latest in boating and associated leisure equipment, as well as plenty of entertainment for the whole family.

General Information:

Lipari 41 - cockpit

Dates: Friday 23, Saturday 24, Sunday 25 March 2012
Times: 9.30am – 5.00pm
Admission: $15 per ticket; Children Free,
Friday Adults $10

Come along and meet the team and check out the most popular model Fountaine Pajot built to date.

To book in a VIP tour please call or email Rachel to make an appointment. Click here for more information and photos of the Fountaine Pajot Lipari 41 .

Visit the Hillarys Boat Show website.

Posted: 16th January 2011.

Happy New Year and welcome to our very first brokerage e-News which is a new way for us to show you the best pre-owned multihulls on the market today. Sent monthly, each edition will feature a range of new listings, vessels that have reduced their pricing along with a sneak peek at upcoming listings.

Click here to view boats for sale and full newsletter:

http://www.vision6.com.au/em/mail/view.php?id=1020457&a=31923&k=cdfe775

Posted: 13th January 2012.

Following two superyacht launches in 2010, Sunreef Yachts continues to lead the field in luxury large yacht design.

Represented in Australia by Multihull Solutions, Sunreef Yachts has just confirmed the sale of a cutting-edge 80-foot superyacht.

This new Sunreef 80 is significantly different from previous models made by the company, with its design emphasising light displacement, performance and speed.

Commissioned by a European owner, the Sunreef 80 will be constructed of an advanced composite sandwich combining vinylester, PVC foam and carbon/glass fibre. It will feature a carbon mast and boom, standing rigging with Kevlar and total sail area of 340 m², weighing just 45T lightship and 60T fully loaded.

The sleek and sporty exterior line has been designed carefully to reduce windage and water resistance.

The Sunreef 80 is designed to comfortably accommodate nine guests and four crew. The portside hull will comprise one guest cabin with a bathroom, a fully equipped galley and four crew cabins. For the very first time on a Sunreef single deck catamaran, the owner suite will be located on the main deck. This enables the internal cockpit to comprise the navigation station, dining area, lounge zone with the owner suite on the front right.

The interior design will represent a striking, minimalist style based on a modern white and grey palette with touches of strong, contemporary colours.

The mould is currently under construction, and the yacht is due to be launched in Europe in March 2013. The Sunreef 80 will begin the new composite superyacht series intended for owners who wish to enjoy fast and exhilarating sailing adventures without sacrificing comfort and fully customised interiors.

Multihull Solutions is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand agent and importer of Sunreef Yachts. The company also exclusively represents Fountaine Pajot, Trawler, Catana, NEEL and Journey.

Further information can be obtained by contacting Multihull Solutions on 1300 855 338 (within Australia), 0508 MULTIS (within New Zealand), or emailing us.

Sunreef 80 Specifications:

LOA: 23.99 mBOA: 11.60 mDRAUGHT: 1.80 m MAST HEIGHT: 30.70 m MAST CLEARANCE : 35.50 m MAIN SAIL: 185 m² GENNAKER: 280 m² SOLENT: 70 m² GENOA: 155 m² ENGINES: 2 x 240 HP YANMAR GUESTS: 9 CREW: 4

Posted: 11th January 2012.

This informative article outlines why one multihull owner chose the Fountaine Pajot Mahe 36 Evolution after much research. Read on to gain his first hand knowledge and findings and the reasons why he chose this catamaran over its competitors. Written by Geoffrey Chia – owner of Fountaine Pajot Mahe 36 Evolution.

Multi vs Mono:

As a live-aboard boat, a catamaran is superior to a monohull due to the greater living space and larger coach roof space (to install solar photovoltaic and hot water panels, as well as for rainwater capture). Furthermore, a cat is more stable and does not significantly roll at anchor. Notwithstanding old chestnuts such as: “the most stable position for a catamaran is floating upside down” vs “the most stable position for a monohull is on the ocean bottom”, I will not flog the argument about whether monohulls or multihulls are more seaworthy. A conservatively sailed modern cruising cat is safe to cross oceans. Unless the boat burns down, a life raft is unnecessary.

Which catamaran?

These were my personal criteria to decide which cruising catamaran to choose for my project*:

1. Ten to 12 metres in length, the minimum size for an ocean going cat.
   .
2. Must be a production yacht or professionally built from factory made kit components, to guarantee structural integrity and quality of construction. Many home built jobs may well be excellent, but my impression is that it is very much a “buyer beware” market. Resale value is also better for production yachts.
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3. If second hand, not an ex-charter yacht (unless near new with no previous damage).
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4. Certified ocean going yacht. Even if I do not intend to cross oceans, this certification testifies to its sea worthiness. In particular the Mahe 36 Evolution is made to be unsinkable, which may not necessarily the case with other catamarans with insufficient built-in sealed-off buoyancy chambers. Escape hatches are also included, which is not the case with all catamarans.
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5. With respect to production yachts: the greater the number that have been produced to date, the more likely that previous “bugs” in manufacture will have been ironed out and that more improvements will have been made. The name “evolution” itself implies this process. Mine is hull #133.
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6. Foam sandwich core. Having read Derek Kelsall’s articles, this seems the best way to go rather than balsa core or strip planking. Together with vacuum bagging and resin infusion, these methods seem to produce the best combination of strength, light weigh tand long term durability.
   .
7. Mini keels rather than dagger boards. Better for beaching and no risk of smashing a dagger-board case if a deep submerged object is struck. Ability to side-slip across the face of a large wave in a storm minimises the risk of capsize. True, dagger-boards can be retracted, but things can happen very quickly as weather/waves change and dagger-boards can get stuck. With regard to pointing ability, as an old salt once said to me: “a gentleman does not sail to windward”.
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8. Positive reviews (including good sailing characteristics) from various magazines and websites.
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9. Specific thoughtful liveaboard design features: vertical windows (minimise greenhouse warming of the cabin), hardtop bimini over cockpit, mainsheet traveller located on hard top rather than on transom (hence mainsheet does not blight the view astern from the cockpit nor impede stern access to the dinghy tender), coachroof guttering for rainwater collection, ample natural ventilation.
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10. Probably the best value for money of any cruising catamaran.
    .
11. Engines: I was initially keen on twin outboards in wells. The idea that the propellers can be tilted out of the water (and hence not collect marine growth when at anchor nor cause drag during sailing passages) is very appealing. Inboard saildrives have a bad reputation for losing their props if tangled by rope or if they hit underwater obstructions unless skeg protected. If an outboard engine causes too much trouble, one can remove it and simply drop a new one in the well. The main disadvantage of diesel engines is the weight, but when I discovered that the Mahe 36 was in fact overall lighter than the Seawind 1000XL** (despite the Mahe being larger), this was no longer an issue.Advantages of diesel engines:
    (a) Greater power to claw off a lee shore (my Mahe 36 has 30hp x 2 diesel engines vs the Seawind 1000XL which has 9.9hp x 2 petrol outboards).
    (b) Greater reliability, fuel economy and range.
    (c) Carrying diesel rather than petrol is less of an explosion/fire hazard.
    (d) Diesel engines can run good sized alternators and can top up the batteries if solar/wind sources have been sparse. A boat with petrol outboards (which carry puny alternators) will require an extra generator to be carried aboard.
    .
12. Having diesel engines opens up an intriguing possibility for the future: to turn hybrid. Most hybrid cats have a diesel electric generator weighing 150 to 200kg or more, with two electric stern motors. One interesting option would be to keep one stern diesel engine which doubles as the generator and to replace the other diesel engine with an electric motor. In this respect, having a larger diesel engine (30hp vs the standard 20hp) is a major advantage. Hybrids are only practical with greater and lighter electricity storage, namely with lithium rather than lead acid batteries. Lithium batteries are not yet fully mature nor affordable for the mass market but as as the electric car industry develops, so will lithium technology. Why hybrid? Because properly configured, it can further reduce one’s fossil fuel emissions and may increase the boat’s range for the same amount of fuel. Short passages can be completely powered by renewable electricity on silent running. Catamarans tend to track straight even when running only one engine.
    .
13. Bridge-deck clearance: it was almost impossible to obtain this specific piece of information for most catamarans despite extensive research. For some reason the manufacturers seemed a bit coy about revealing their measurments. The Seawind 1000XL website however was happy to disclose that their bridgedeck clearance was a healthy 0.77m, even more than the Seawind 1160. From general perusal of cruisers’ forums my impression was the South African boats tended to have lower clearances than the French models, nevertheless the SA boats were delivered across oceans on their own hulls, which no doubt represented robust shakedown cruises. Hence BDC seems more a matter of cruising comfort than seaworthiness. The higher the clearance however, the higher the freeboard and windage, with other attendant disadvantages.

Conclusion:

The above are obviously just personal preferences and the debate about the ideal boat continues to rage on endlessly at many a yacht club watering hole. For those who love a bouncy wet ride to windward and rolling about in anchorages, then a monohull is the way to go. For those speed demons who are not bothered about accomodation, the trimaran is their choice. The bottom line is this: there is no such thing as the “best” boat, just one’s best personal compromise.

By Geoffrey Chia

*See article “A low consumption, low waste, low carbon footprint project (to be based on a catamaran moored on the Brisbane river)”

**The new Seawind 1000 XLS has apparently shaved 500kg off the old weight while producing a stronger hull by (finally) adopting resin infusion and vacuum bagging techniques. One might argue this may not have happened if it were not for the stiff competition to the Australian market posed by imported Cats such as Fountaine Pajot.

Cam & Nicki - Dreamer in the background

Crikey…just looked back on our emails to see when we sent out the last big one….it was a month and a half ago and we were heading to North Komodo???? Well just to reassure you all…WE MADE IT! Hey…better late than never! So for all you people who just love the long bedtime stories…suck it up! This could take me a while…I’m guessing a couple of Bintangs at least!!

Nth Komodo National Park….excellent diving!! …one scary incident though when the tide got the better of us; changed dramatically very suddenly and we found ourselves having to climb back up the anchor chain and doing a mad dash for the back of the boat, but hey it all turned out for the best! We found a great little bay called Monco and spent a few days there with nobody but ourselves…nice for change! The day before we had planned to leave we did get some visitors though. Got the standard knock, knock, knock on the hull and a bit of a hello, so I volunteered Cameron for the job of welcoming committee and listened below decks intently to see how he went …turns out they were park rangers (about 8…apparently you can never have enough) armed to the teeth with MP5 machine guns wanting to know if we had paid our park entry and that the shells on board weren’t from the park…luckily for us I had kept our pass from Rincah Island from our visit to the dragons as a memento, unaware that it covered us for 3 days …phew! Anyhoo everyone departed with smiles on their faces …especially after Cam had complimented them on their guns!! Cheeky bugger!

From the Komodo National Park, along the coast of Sumbawa our next stop was Bima. It was not a planned stop as it was a little way out of the way, but it was our best opportunity to get some much needed diesel. We managed to weave our way up river to Bima early morning, picking the tide to perfection and after meandering around near the harbour for a while (wondering where the bloody hell to anchor) we were waved down by a rather official looking gentleman, who we thought was the harbourmaster…only to discover he was just a entrepreneurial guy who was wanting to know if he could “help” us with anything. Cam put on his negotiator cap and wheedled the guy down from 7500Rp pL to 6000Rp pL (as we had previously paid in Kupang) and went with him to get the fuel (Cam thought he looked a little shifty). After an extremely wild ride (Cam says he saw his life flash before his eyes) on a moped with himself, the guy and 2 20L gerry cans of diesel (the two other guys on mopeds carried 4 20L gerry’s)….we were fuelled up and back on our merry way, and once again like perfection we got the tide going out and were out of there before lunchtime.

We covered the rest of the coast of Sumbawa quite quickly, stopping mainly for overnighters as the coastline is nowhere near as pretty as Flores and the opportunities for diving not as plentiful. Our next place of interest though was Satonda Island. We spent a couple of days there, did some snorkelling and went and looked at the volcanic salt lake in the centre of the island. At sunset hundreds of flying foxes leave the island headed straight for the mainland of Sumbawa to raid the fruit trees and are back like clockwork at 5 in the morning…an incredible sight to see as they fly overhead!

Just around the corner from Satonda was our next island stopover Moyo, where we had a very memorable time…infact we met the nicest, local, Muslim guy Sidik and his family there. He was a waiter at the very exclusive nearby resort (Amanwana…only $1200USD per night) and invited us to come see his village and his house. Infact the dinner his wife so kindly and unexpectedly had cooked us at his place was nicer than the one that cost us $420USD (the Barossa shiraz alone cost us $180 USD…but it was a special occasion…our 1 year sailing anniversary) at the resort (apart from the fact Cam was a little crook the next day…ooops…dodgy fish!) In exchange we took his family out to the boat, gave them a tour and a spare battery we had, plus a little cash to help him out with the solar set up he had. An extremely genuine and generous guy who we still keep in touch with.

Gili Lawang

Moyo was our last stop in Sumbawa, we hopped from there to Gili Lawang off the coast of Lombok overnight and then headed for the “Gili’s” that everyone knows and loves. The word on the Gili’s is that the Polisi run the islands as a trade off for the rest of Indonesia being drug free…You can get as many magic mushrooms and pot as you want there (and they constantly ask you if you want it) and there are no Polisi stationed there…The Polisi are apparently (according to locals) the ones who operate the drug trade….Ahhh Indonesia the land of bribes, forms and bureaucracy gone nutty!!! We asked the locals if they had ever heard of Schapelle Corby, the Bali Nine or the young Aussie boy who recently got sent home….they just kept telling us no Polisi..no worries????? We told them they had to be kidding!!! Anyway, we anchored at Gili Air and used the dinghy to scoot over to check out Gili Trawangan or Gili T as everyone called it…took a Cimodo (pony and cart) ride around the island and have never felt soooooo bad for that poor pony!!! Poor little sucker was virtually whipped the whole way around and was fairly frothing at the bit by the time it had hauled two fat aussies around the island. Had some great meals and some really dodgy meals at the Gili’s with both of us being laid out for a couple of days each (on separate occasions) sick as dogs…downing antibiotics the only cure! It was our intention to get in some diving at the Gili’s but bouts of sickness and the desire to move on prevailed and we had a fantastic crossing to Nusa Lombongan. We managed to actually sail most of the way as about 80% of our travel so far has been motor sailing. Got some fantastic pictures of a local sailing regatta doing a Bali to Lombok crossing…they looked like giant colourful butterflies skiing across the surface of the water.

We would have loved to spend some time at Nusa Lombongan but this time the quality of the anchorage overrode us and we made the decision to call Bali Marina at Benoa to see if they could take us a few days early. Next day we sailed for Bali and arrived in the Marina around lunchtime. Cam spent the next 3 weeks at the marina doing all the jobs that had been put of for too long…servicing, washing, waxing and general repairs. I went home for two weeks and spent Christmas at home with my family and most importantly caught up with my son who I hadn’t seen for about 11 months.

On my return to Bali, being well stocked up and refuelled we spent Cams birthday with new friends at the Marina (aptly the boat was called “Misfit”) and left the next day (yes he was okay to travel!!) Found a nice little anchorage just around the corner from Candidasa to overnight at and moved onto Ambat the next day where we watched the local fireworks and like a pair of old fogies never saw New Years in. Hey we had a long journey ahead of us!!! Next morning we left for our trip across to Kalimantan (Borneo) …3 ½ days later (with one stopover at Coa Goa Island) we arrived at Banjarmasin…very tired!!!

Banjarmasin

This evening we are still anchored up in Banjarmasin, the weather turned foul and we are waiting it out…Cam managed to negotiate 235L of diesel with the local Marine Polisi and got them down from 10000Rp pL to 8800Rp pL (anything is possible in Indonesia …even negotiation with the Police!!) We are also sorting our Cam’s visa extension whilst here and have to go back into town on Wednesday to pick up his passport and visa. Banjarmasin is like the East’s version of Venice…everything is on the water and on stilts…though I doubt that Venice is as putridly stinky or as poor!!) We leave for Kumai on Thursday which will take us a couple of days…our plan is to meet up with a fantastic couple we met in Darwin on a catamaran called Verite, hire a boat and guide for Sunday to go out to the national park and check out the Orang-utan sanctuary…which apparently has Proboscis Monkeys and other interesting wildlife as well. The place we are currently anchored actually has a pretty cool family of about 8 otters who all stand on their hind legs and check you out when you whistle at them…a lot nicer than the nasty looking and rather large reticulated python we have also seen swimming across the river (luckily to the other side!!)

After Kumai we will move along the coast and then cross over to Belitung Island, hop over to Batam Island then cross to Johor Bahru, Malaysia…we have just over a month to do this…so will try to be a little more prompt with the next email.

Till then… Dari Cameron dan Nikki Selamat Tinggal!

Written 22nd December 2011. Posted 05th January 2012.

Hi Everyone,

Our Christmas will be a very different one in quite a few ways – but before I tell you about our activities I will fill you in on the happenings of the last few months.

I will say …. that I have written a fair bit about Tunisia – mainly because I know many of you – like us – were concerned about us coming here. I hope you will enjoy our impressions.

The last episode ended around mid September in Sardinia – just after we farewelled our son Mark and daughter-in-law Jaimie in Olbia. We were travelling down the east coast of Sardinia and with at least three weeks to get to Tunisia, where we will rest “In Tune” (‘IT’) for the winter – we can take our time.

There are plenty of places to anchor and we are now so practised that we even anchor in bays not shown in our pilot books. I am impressed- it is unusual for David to take chances in ‘uncharted waters’.

It is so lovely to just relax and take our time, sailing with the wind and even without the wind. At one point, we are happy to just stay ’becalmed’ and drift – that is until we start going backwards…. !

The beaches are much quieter now too and many are totally deserted except for the occasional walker or bather (or the poor Africans trying to sell their wares). Only a few beach umbrellas dot the sand. There are still a few motor homes about though and they seem to have the luxury of parking anywhere – there is certainly no shortage of quiet, isolated beaches.

It is a lovely time to be sailing – with the clear skies and water still warm enough for swimming. The shorter days are becoming more noticeable though.

We arrive at Arbatax – still in Sardinia – and shelter in the marina from a strong mistral wind. This gives us a great opportunity to take the “Little Green Train” to Niala – through some lovely mountain villages and ride our bikes to ancient, 1500BC nuraghe sites which resemble the Talayots of Menorca. We spend 5 enjoyable days here, including my Birthday, which we celebrate in a lovely restaurant, while listening to a very pleasant duo perform their own arrangements of some beautiful songs.

A few more quiet anchorages brings us to Villasimius and then we have a very pleasant overnight sail across to Trapani in Sicily.

A number of people have mentioned the beautiful Sicilian countryside as well as some exceptionally well preserved Roman ruins, so we decide to stay for a week and see for ourselves.

Trapani itself, is a lovely place and we anchor in the harbour for two nights, to ‘check things out’ – then settle ‘IT” into a marina and hire a car. It is a little blue/mauve Fiat Panda and we like it immediately. David quickly adjusts to the driving and with the map stretched out on my lap we find our way out of town, to the freeway and along the country roads very easily.

The Doric Temple at Segesta is our first stop. This majestic 430 – 420 BC temple, stands alone on a solitary hill. Apparently, it never had a roof and some say it was never finished. Whatever its history, it is one of the best preserved temples of classic Sicily and it is easy to see why it was built here – the surrounding countryside with its gently sloping hills and distant mountains is beautiful.

The nearby amphitheatre is less well preserved but no less impressive. We sit and absorb – being early and beating the tourists, gives us time to really enjoy the lovely atmosphere in the blissful silence.

A cloudless sky helps create the perfect picture – we have added some to our album for you to view.

Enna, at 943 metres above sea-level, is the highest major town in Sicily and will be our night destination – but as we get closer, the sky changes dramatically – resulting in a super heavy downpour. Peering through the windscreen, we wind our way up the steep, mountain side to the ancient town perched incredibly on top. In the pelting rain , the labyrinth of narrow streets presents a further challenge but we somehow manage to find ourselves in the centre of town and spot a travel agency.

As I’d hoped, she speaks English and even books us into a very comfortable hotel where we enjoy a lovely, long, hot shower.

The rain has cleared by morning and we make our way to Piazza Armerina and the Roman Villa de Casale. This 3rd century AD villa is the most important archaeological site in Sicily and a world heritage site. It covers an area of 3,500 square metres with 40 rooms, so we are eager to see it. Disappointingly, most are closed off for further restoration but there are still enough open for us to marvel at the amazing precision and beauty of the unbelievably, well-preserved mosaics. One, very famous one of ‘girls in bikinis ‘ working out in the gym is of special interest.

We stay the night in Pergusa and are the only guests at the large hotel. The tourist season is really winding down. Tomorrow it is back to Trapani and then off to Tunisia.

Up at 7.30am and off at 8am – it is a perfect day (well for me anyway )…… light winds – up to 8 knots, and polished seas – lovely. The sails are up but to keep to our 5 knot speed we need to motor a bit. The 29hour journey to Port Yasmine Hammamet, gives us plenty of time for reflection.

We talk about what we‘ll do for the next seven months. We need to leave Tunisia in January – when our three month visa runs out – so what will we do?

One option is to go to the UK – even though Ian no longer lives there but the cold and rain is less than appealing. We could visit Ian in Chicago but the minus 40 degrees doesn’t appeal too much either.

Then there is my knee……..

I fell off my bike, landing heavily on my right knee about two months ago – it mainly recovered but a slight twist in Sicily, going down steps, now causes it to ‘pop-out’ and lock frequently with a lot of pain. It is unlikely to get better on its own.

Going back to Oz. to have it fixed, seems a sensible solution.

I reluctantly begin to plan the trip in my head – it is 9pm. and my turn for night watch while David is resting. I don’t mind night watch when the weather is fine. I love the silence but also enjoy my Ipod – it has been a great entertainer and keeps me awake as well as mildly exercised. I’m glad I am invisible as I bop my arms and torso and lift my legs in time to the music. I finish my shift at 2am. and David takes over – a stronger wind has swung around onto our nose forcing us to motor again.

It is early afternoon by the time Hammamet comes into view and our thoughts are quickly diverted to contacting the marina for instructions. We also ring Kim at ‘Yacht Services’. Due to the hassles that Coralie and Allan experienced when they arrived here a month ago, when they felt intimidated by customs officials and police demanding gifts – we organise for a ‘Yacht Services” rep to meet us on arrival.

This English-speaking, Tunisian is a tremendous help. He helps us moor, gathers our documents, takes us to the marina and immigration police and customs, where he helps us fill out all of our forms and sort our visas. Our boat is checked by customs while he supervises – everything is so easy and we have no hassles – it does cost us 35 euro but we feel it is worth it.

We meet Kim and her husband Duncan (the owners of YS), who invite us to join them and all the other English-speaking ‘winterers’ at a Happy Hour gathering this evening in a local bar. There are at least a dozen others in the gathering – mostly from the UK though some are ‘permanents’ who have wintered here for years and love it. Kim also gives us a map to show where we can find any and all of the things we will need. With lots of advice and enthusiasm we are pointed in all the right directions.

After two hours we head back to ‘IT’ – it has been a long two days and a sleep is beckoning strongly. David is beaming and our steps are light as we walk down the long, palm-lined promenade – not only have our concerns been cleared but we feel very welcomed and positive about staying here, for perhaps, the whole 7 months.

There even seems to be a solution to my knee problem. Kim had her knee operated on by a yachting friend who is also a top orthopaedic surgeon trained in France. She organizes an appointment and Duncan drives us to the specialist in Nabeul ( 20km away) and shows us around the area.

Within a week I have seen the specialist, have an MRI done ( in Tunis) – which confirms his diagnosis of a torn meniscus (cartilage) and the need for an arthroscopy. The following week I find myself in one of the cleanest, best run hospitals we have seen, watching my cartilage being trimmed on a TV monitor while I am anaesthetised from the waist down. I stay the night and a nurse organises my pharmacy prescriptions ( anti-coagulant injections and antibiotics). He also offers to drive us home. A physiotherapist organises crutches but I only need them to walk to ‘IT’ that evening.

“IT’ is berthed right at the end of the pontoon – a bit of a walk – but it also means we have no neighbours with squeaky fenders or people walking past and our view out to the entrance of the marina always provides some interest. Four big “pirate” galleons are berthed in the marina and pass us most days on their way out to pick up tourists on the visitors’ pontoon. They start up with pirates swinging on the masts and return with everyone singing “ I will Survive”. I am determined to drag David along later in our stay.

It is two and a half months now since we arrived and the time has passed amazingly quickly – also, our positive impressions of Tunisia have only increased. So many friends and family were worried about us coming here and we certainly had our own doubts. But, as usual, our fears were ungrounded and we are now very happy to be here and will stay for the whole 7 months.

We have seen no signs of animosity in any form and feel very welcome and certainly safe. Our marina is also very secure and well run and we have only been treated with respect and friendliness wherever we go.

The visa won’t be a problem either, as apparently we can stay as long as we like. We will be “fined” 10 dinar ( about $7) per week each but we have to pay this anyway. UK folk pay nothing and can go back to the UK or leave here for a day to renew their visa. Our government must have annoyed the Tunisians somehow. New Zealanders are even worse off – they have to apply for a visa before even coming here!

The local shops mainly sell giftware, although there are some supermarkets. To buy fresh produce, I need to go to the local towns. The bus stop, where the 25mtre bendy buses leave on the half hour, is only a short walk from the marina. I really enjoy these trips and travel into town a couple of times a week

The fruit and vegetables here are totally unadulterated – no pesticides and although they may not be perfectly unblemished they taste wonderful. Of course you can only buy what is in season but there is still plenty of variety. Eggs are all free-range and the dried foods, nuts and spices etc. are still sold in shops lined with massive hessian bags and scoops. Local farmers bring their cart-loads of produce and park on the footpaths. At present mandarins and oranges are in plentiful supply adding vivid colour to the display and they taste delicious. The meat is quite something else – the butcher advertises his fresh kill by hanging the poor animal’s head outside his shop. On these occasions, I lower my head and quickly walk past.

There are also plenty of supermarkets where I can buy anything else I need. I even found brown sugar and coconut for my apple crumble! And everything is so cheap!

The bus fare is 70 cents return, a baguette costs 15 cents, filling our 2.5 kg camping gaz bottle costs $3, the full, inclusive cost of my knee operation was $ 1400 ( the specialist visit – $ 25 )

Due to reduced tourist numbers since the revolution (which was very hyped up by the foreign media and affected no tourists at the time I might add ), the shops have been struggling. This is very evident in the medina, tourist shop areas where the pushy, over- anxious tactics of the sellers is very annoying when you just want to browse. I am used to it now and have a few Tunisian words to help me though these places are easy to avoid.

Kim and Duncan, who have lived here for 8 years, also recommended various places of interest and things we ‘must do’. So with maps and a ‘Lonely Planet Guide” we plan a 7 day tour into Southern Tunisia – the desert area.

There are many car hire places and we book a Renault Symbol at $28 per day. We also book our first two hotels which are in 400 year old Berber troglodyte homes. These are homes based around a circular pit with vertical walls 7m deep and 10m in diameter. Caves are then dug out of the soft sandstone to form rooms. These pit dwellings have a natural temperature control and we find them very comfortable. Prices amaze us – $15 to $20 each for bed, breakfast and a lovely dinner.

The second one is an old cliff dwelling and is run by two women. We are their only guests for the night. They make us very welcome, book our following nights accommodation and join us for dinner. When we leave they present us with a large bag of wild rosemary from the mountain with which they made the beautiful tea we really enjoyed the night before.

Our 1750 km trip takes us through some spectacular scenery – vast stretches of stony flatness to undulating hills, then canyons and gorges sculptured against a backdrop of mountains and vivid sky. Bright green patches of date palms, happy in their protected oasis, add a colourful contrast to the desert landscape. We are fortunate to have beautiful blue skies for the first few days and the well-maintained roads are excellent and very well sign-posted. Ten minutes can pass before we see another car – it is very, very still and quiet and we thoroughly enjoy the drive.

On the fourth day we travel to Ksar Ghilane on the edge of the Sahara. Here we experience a camel (dromedary) ride into the desert and in the evening, snuggle down in thick, camel hair blankets in a Bedouin tent. A sand storm the following day adds interest to our drive as we watch a little apprehensively while the desert sand begins to cover our road. Sky meets sand somewhere – it is difficult to tell where. Fortunately the wind eases but the ochre sky remains for the rest of the day.

It has cleared by morning as we cross a massive salt lake producing mirages in the far distance. We are now close to the Algerian border where there are many camel trails leading through the sculptured gorges into the natural springs of the oasis. We visit a few of these – they are a favourite and truly amazing while the natural spring settings are stunning. We wish we had more time to just sit and absorb the beauty.

At the last one, a local man follows us and begins offering information. I’ll let David continue the story, he is not quite as charitable as I am.

If someone approaches you and offers help, particularly in a tourist area, inevitably they will want to be paid. Even if the information they might give is unsolicited and of no use to you, they consider they have provided a service. There is always someone who wants to be your guide or sell you something, and you have to be very definite about saying “no thank you” a number of times before you have any chance of putting them off. If you do decide to take a guide, it is very important to decide on a price beforehand. We were caught on this occasion, when this guy just kept walking along with us, completely unasked, and started talking to us about the area and pointing out various things. We realized he would want money but he was helpful and informative, found and cracked open some rocks to reveal quartz “caves” which he gave to us, and we thought we would give him about 20 dinar, the going rate for an hour of “guiding”. The trouble was he wanted 60 dinar, which meant a confrontation and haggling – best avoided.

 Immigration/customs officials put pressure on you when they want a “gift”, usually asked for when they are on your boat during an inspection. The problem is, they have a position of authority and they could make things very awkward for you if you refuse. I think I will save up a very cheap, hopefully rancid old bottle of wine to give them when the time comes for us to leave.

Of course, Tunisia is not the only country where people hassle tourists for money and business. It is a shame but I guess you just have to learn to deal with it, in whatever way is most comfortable and convenient for you. At least once you have negotiated a guide, you do learn something, you are not hassled by others and the kids wanting dinars and pens are kept at bay.

I must add … it is sad that the thought “ What does he want” springs to mind whenever someone ( usually a man) approaches you and wants to be friendly. Too often payment or a ‘gift’ of some sort is expected.

We are happy to give or reward effort, but not when we feel pressured to do so.

Having said that … anytime I have asked for directions or help it is always happily given with good grace.

On our final day we visit the Roman Sufetula ruins which boast the best preserved complex of Forum temples in the country and has a huge Roman baths area with amazing mosaics.

It is a very enjoyable week and we are already planning our next one to the Northern part of Tunisia. Here lush gardens and vineyards add green to the landscape and cork forests hug the mountain sides which could well be covered in snow. This trip will be one of many we hope to make in the new year. It is such a fascinating country.

Although now deposed – the former president, Ben Ali, in his 30 years in office can be credited with providing free education, which is compulsory for the first 6 years. University is also free and 40% of enrolments are women. 90 % of Tunisians now have at least a basic education. He also established equal legal rights for women – the veil, for example, is optional and there are many women in high ranking positions – such as the head of customs police here in the marina. Although it is predominantly a Muslim country, other religions are very well tolerated and differences accepted. For example – there are Christmas things on sale in many shops and the hotels all have Christmas trees and tasteful decorations creating a lovely warm atmosphere.

So to end ….

The decision to winter our boat in Tunisia turned out to be an excellent choice. We also had to take ‘IT’ out of the EU for VAT reasons. The 7 months will pass very quickly – “boredom” is not a word yachties understand. We even declined satellite TV! We were offered 25 English-speaking channels (at only $175 full cost) – but have not felt the need. We have our guitar and also – I know many of you will relate to this – I am not sure whether I have reached the ‘tolerance-level’ necessary to cope with David channel-hopping that many channels!!!!!

This year has certainly been a very steep learning curve again, but many more grey areas have been well and truly illuminated. We have faced some difficulties but there is always a solution and an end – eventually – and afterwards, the strength and confidence gained only adds to the long list of benefits. We know the financial risks for us are great – especially as the world economy flounders but we are not ready to give up yet – sensibly, we probably should, but then, not being too sensible is all part of the adventure.

On that note I will leave you and say…..

We wish you a really Wonderful Christmas.

And for the new year…..

May it be one filled with all that gives you happiness and peace

and offers many precious moments.

Footnote….

I still feel so grateful for this opportunity.

Yes we need to live in the present – and we do – but it doesn’t hurt to reflect on the past or to look to what might be in the future and realize that what we have right now is mighty wonderful.

Love and blessings to you all – always.

Louise ( Lucy) and David

Tuning In ….. notes for No. 10

Yasmine Hammamet is in a ‘ Touristique” zone which means the kilometres of beaches are lined with modern though tasteful hotel complexes. Most are deserted at present and it is very quiet. This means the lovely, long beaches are not being cleaned up and there is more litter than usual. Litter is probably one of the few Tunisian problems but it is very easy to look past this and just see the beauty. They are trying to fix the problem.

I really enjoy the bus trips now that I have mastered the technique of getting on super quickly at the back (or you get left behind, or worse) – where you pay – then balancing carefully from one foot to the other as I go from seat to seat to the front – where you get off.

It is such a pity that any help offered or kindness shown, or even someone being friendly, leads to the immediate thought of “what do they want?”

Too often payment or a ‘gift’ of some sort is expected.

We are happy to give or reward effort, but not when we feel pressured to do so.

The Tunisians are a very attractive race with their beautiful ebony skin and huge dark eyes that light up so readily when they look at you. Most of the older women wear headscarves ( very sensible in the cold weather and on ‘bad-hair’ days) and fashionable clothing which covers their arms and legs but emphasises their lovely curves. The ‘short –back-and-sides’ is in for men – with ample gel to emphasise their black curls. . I love watching them –especially on the buses

Posted: 4th January 2012.
By: Jacques Armenante (owner Fountaine Pajot Lavezzi 40).

For a while now I had been looking at a way to replicate what I have on my laptop (Maxsea V 12.1) on a remote monitor that I could install at the helm.

Monitors are VERY expensive and require a fair amount of wiring. I believe that I have found a great solution which I want to share with all Lavezzi owners.

All that is required is an iPad 2, and an app from Apple called AusNZ HD which is a software produced by Navionics (retails for $ 46.00) and a Talon ( NZ Company) iPad mounting bracket ($ less than 100.00) .

The Talon kit actually comes with a mounting plate onto which you can connect a 12V supply as well as a USB port , so keeping the iPad charged is not an issue. There is also an App that you can download which allows you to mirror on the iPad what is on the laptop screen, so I am able to either look at Maxsea from the helm or use the Navionics charts.

As the iPad has a built in GPS, the icon follows the boat position on the screen, it’s magic as it provides me with a back up to my Furono Chart plotter. All this for under $ 1,500.00 is great value.

Happy sailing to all, and hopefully we shall catch up at the FP Rally in March down on Pittwater.

Cheers, Jacques

Posted: 21st December 2011.

Welcome to our final e-News for 2011. It has certainly been an interesting year with many events and developments that have impacted on the entire marine industry.

Mother nature unleashed her fury on Australia, New Zealand and the entire Asia Pacific region, testing the spirits and resilience of all affected by fires, floods and earthquakes. The global economy continued to create uncertainty across many markets, with the marine industry experiencing another very challenging year.

Multihull Solutions was fortunate to emerge from this challenging year in a strong position, with positive outcomes from these turbulent times. The introduction of more efficient processes for vessel handling and commissioning, the strong Australian dollar, and our ever increasing buying power are all factors that contribute to our record low prices for well-optioned, quality European multihulls. We look forward to introducing many more buyers to the wonderful world of multihulls, new and pre-owned, in 2012.

Read full e-News by clicking here.

Posted: 16th December 2011

By: Jacques Armenante (owner Fountaine Pajot Lavezzi 40)

I have found a cheap way in the DIY mode to increase bench space in the Galley of our Lavezzi .

Follow these 4 easy steps:

1. Purchase two Lazy Susan from IKEA , you will find that the diameter matches the outside rim of the sink
2. Purchase 8 x rubber door stops from Bunnings
3. Purchase a small timber plank from Bunnings
4. Get your battery drill and a phillips head screwdriver out and spenf 45 minutes playing .

The end result is shown on the photos below . The lid of the existing garbage disposal act as a \” locator\” for the top which holds it in place , the door stops fit inside the sink stopping the \” Lazy Susan\” sliding around , and you Can still use it on the cockpit table when entertaining your guest.

VOILA

Have fun and enjoy!

Cheers,

Jacques

Media Release Posted: 12th December 2011.

Multihull Solutions has recorded a remarkable year despite a punishing market with new and pre-owned boat sales continuing to soar.

The specialist multihull company has defied industry trends to sell almost AUD$14 million in new boats and AUD$9 million in brokerage boats in the calendar year to date.

With a total of 32 boats sold so far in 2011, Multihull Solutions has justified its positions as Australia’s leading multihull specialist and is already managing a flood of enquiries for sales in 2012.

Multihull Solutions managing director Mark Elkington attributes the company’s ongoing success to a number of key factors.

“We are extremely selective in the brands we represent,” Mark said. “Unlike other multihull sales companies, we don’t just represent one or two boatyards and can therefore offer unbiased advice and support. We are the exclusive importer and distributors of Fountaine Pajot, Trawler, Catana, Sunreef Yachts, Journey and NEEL Trimarans, so our clients can browse an extensive range of brands and models to find the one that truly suits their budget, style and needs.”

Multihull Solutions not only specialises in new boat sales, but also has an expansive Brokerage Division that offers a broad range of pre-owned boats from all international and regional boat yards. With a rigorous selection process, the company insists on only representing quality boats.

“We want to make sure we match clients to the right boat for them, rather than sell them just any boat,” said Mark.

In addition, the company has an established Charter Investment division with solid relationships with the most reputable charter companies, Boat Maintenance and Management programs, and also offers training and tuition from accredited skippers.

An extraordinary number of testimonials from clients and the solid rate of repeat and referral business also confirm that the Multihull Solutions team is an integral part of the company’s sales success.

With more than 100 years of combined experience in the marine industry, the team provides clients with valuable market advice, security and outstanding service. Their sales staff includes specialists across numerous multihull brands and the team also has several multilingual personnel to ensure efficient communication with international boatyards.

Multihull Solutions’ professionalism and outstanding performance has earned them the coveted Fountaine Pajot International Distributor of the Year Award for both 2010 and 2011. The title acknowledges Multihull Solutions’ outstanding sales record that continues to eclipse other distributors from larger market regions including Europe and the United States.

“Also, as we are privately owned with the owners all actively working within the company, all of our efforts are dedicated to clients rather than satisfying board members and shareholders,” said Mark.

The company has recently launched its innovative “Year-Round Boat Show” from its convenient headquarters adjacent to the Mooloolaba Yacht Club. Buyers are now able to visit the Multihull Solutions office, inspect an impressive range of new and brokerage boats in the marina, undertake test sails on the stunning waterways of the Sunshine Coast, then enjoy all the leisure and tourist activities the beautiful region has to offer.

Multihull Solutions office in Mooloolaba is only one hour’s drive north of Brisbane, and flights also service the nearby Sunshine Coast airport from many major Australian cities.

In 2011, the company also established New Zealand office based in the popular Westhaven Marina precinct and has already recorded strong sales and enquiries across both its new and pre-owned multihull range.

Further information can be obtained by contacting Multihull Solutions in Australia on 1300 885 338, or New Zealand on 0508 MULTIS, emailing info@multihullsolutions.com.au.

Posted: 9th December 2011

Written by some of the most highly respected sailors and boating journalists, Yachting World compares the Lagoon 400, Fountaine Pajot Lipari 41 & Broadblue 435. Read on to gain these invaluable insights.

Could you love a catamaran?

By Yachting World Magazine – December 2011 edition.

Catamarans have a lot going for them. They’re stable, fast, spacious, shoal-draught and beach-friendly, and above all they provide a comfortable platform. And they are becoming very popular indeed in live-aboard, long-distance cruising circles.

There are 32 cruising catamarans taking part in this year’s Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. We couldn’t ignore this craze any longer and wanted to find out once and for all what a production catamaran has to offer. We chose three popular, affordable family catamarans in the 40-45ft bracket and took them on a three-day test around the south of England.

The results were quite surprising. Perhaps we were too ready to be sold the dream, but while catamarans have obvious benefits, they come with an array of compromises that will be up to the individual to weigh up. The first thing you have to say about cruising catamarans is that they offer an unparalleled living platform for their length.

But cats bring with them a host of preconceived theories and worries such as how they will cope in bad weather, where you can moor them and the expense involved, plus the disconnection from the sailing experience monohull sailors know and love. We addressed all these issues during our test.

We took our three popular cruising catamarans on a three-day cruise: sailing, motoring, cooking, eating, anchoring and sleeping aboard. The test team included Yachting World’s David Glenn, Elaine Bunting, Matthew Sheahan, Harriett Robinson and me, Toby Hodges. We were joined by multihull sailor Brian Thompson and multihull designer Nigel Irens, plus the agents and owners of the three test boats.

We sailed the boats from the Hamble River in Southampton, west to Poole, spent the following day testing them outside and inside one of the biggest natural harbours in Europe – an ideal place to assess the shoal draught virtues of these vessels – before returning to Southampton on the third day.

During the second day’s circumnavigation of Brownsea Island the boats joined in tight formation for a photoshoot. Only a few feet apart from each other, doing seven knots in 2m of water, it naturally progressed into a race, giving us a chance to compare the boats’ handling and agility.

Taking the plunge:

What drives people to buy a multihull in the first place? Because once they have sampled two hulls, owners don’t tend to look back.

Click here to read the full story and catamaran comparisons – you may be surprised at what you find out!

Media Release Posted: 5th December 2011

Industry leader Multihull Solutions reports a shocking increase in stories of people being stung by the pitfalls of purchasing alleged ‘bargain boats’ from overseas.

Multihull Solutions director Richard Kilburn said that, while attracted by the idea of nabbing a ‘cheaper’ pre-owned boat on the international brokerage market, many people have seen their dreams fall apart when confronted with the reality of unforeseen handover issues and unexpected costs.

“The GFC has made the asking price for a boat overseas seem initially attractive, but many buyers aren’t aware of the huge costs involved in getting it home,” Richard said.

“There are usually a mountain of challenges that present themselves as soon as the boat has been purchased,” he said.

Among the extra expenses a buyer faces are the ‘real’ costs of travel, the cost of replacing old equipment, and also purchasing additional blue-water equipment such as watermakers, radar, HF radio, sat phones and modems which are required for undertaking extended passages. There are also numerous problems that surface throughout the process including the complexities of moving a boat thousands of miles, the risks of offshore purchasing processes, managing breakdowns and dealing with language translation difficulties.

“By the time the buyer gets their supposed bargain home, they’ve blown their budget and are typically embittered by the experience,” Richard said.

Multihull Solutions is warning people to speak to Australian experts before rushing in to purchase a pre-owned boat from overseas.

“Recently, we’ve listed for sale several boats for clients who have been disappointed by their experience of buying overseas. They have finally managed to get their boat home but can’t afford to keep it,” said Richard.

“They realise they could have saved a lot of trouble and money by researching the database of brokerage boats available in Australia and New Zealand.”

Multihull Solutions has a specialist Brokerage Division that is dedicated to sourcing high quality pre-owned multihulls for clients who want to avoid such pitfalls.

“Our first priority is sitting down with the client and getting to fully understand what they are looking for in a boat and what their budget is,” said Richard.

Multihull Solutions has an extensive listing of quality pre-owned brokerage boats from all over Australia and New Zealand, ranging in size and style to suit almost all budget. The award-winning company has rigorous criteria for listing brokerage boats, ensuring they only agree to sell top quality pre-owned catamarans from a range of manufacturers that are realistically priced to meet the current market conditions.

“We aren’t interested in selling dodgy boats for inflated prices,” Richard said.

If the client decides to proceed with the purchase of a boat, Multihull Solutions helps negotiate a smooth transaction, assist with the survey stages and HIN searches, and even arrange competitively priced shipping and insurance as required.

“Not only can we find great buys on pre-owned boats, but the strong Australian Dollar means clients can even choose to purchase a brand new 11metre catamaran with great inventory from a world-leading manufacturer for under AUD$250,000,” Richard said.

Multihull Solutions has full Marine Queensland Brokerage accreditation and offers absolute security and peace of mind for clients with all deposits held in local trust accounts, which eliminates the dangers of trusting unknown overseas agents.

“Our client base is strong and loyal because they understand that we represent their best interests and want to see them fully enjoy the experience of boat ownership,” he said.

“We believe that our sustained growth and business success in these challenging times has been due to our willingness to listen to our clients and offer impartial advice and support to help them realise their dreams.”

Richard Kilburn described the past year as volatile yet dynamic, with Multihull Solutions diversifying its operations to accommodate the impact of the GFC on sales trends.

“It’s certainly been an interesting period; the GFC and spate of regional natural disasters had a big impact on the greater marine industry, slowing down the traditional buying cycles,” Richard said.

However, the strong Australian Dollar has been a driving force behind Multihull Solutions’ impressive year of record sales in new and brokerage boats over this period, with the exchange also prompting more clients to request ex-factory deliveries to save even more money.

Further information can be obtained by contacting Multihull Solutions in Australia on 1300 885 338, or New Zealand on 0508 MULTIS, emailing info@multihullsolutions.com.au

Posted: 30 November 2011.

Please find below our operating hours for the Christmas and New Year period. Leading up to the holiday season we will be operating our normal business hours of Monday to Friday – 8.30am – 5.00pm.

Mooloolaba & New Zealand Office:

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any assistance in the
lead up to Christmas or over the Christmas period.

Wishing you a bright and delightful Christmas and holiday season!

The Multihull Solutions Team

Posted: 30th November 2011.

The Fountaine Pajot Lipari 41 has earned its reputation as one of the world’s top offshore cruising catamarans in its 12 metre class, after successfully completing a formidable 12,000nm voyage from France to Australia in just six months.

Confidently tackling the world’s biggest oceans and most challenging conditions, the Lipari 41, Mojo 2, recorded a number of 200+ nautical mile / 24 hour days and completed the passage well under the planned timeframe.

Multihull Solutions director Richard Kilburn said the recent voyage was clear proof of the Lipari 41’s outstanding seagoing qualities and offshore performance.

“Fountaine Pajot is the world’s leader in cruising catamarans, but we can now confidently claim the Lipari 41 sets new standards in offshore performance and long-haul cruising,” Richard said.

Multihull Solutions arranged for the new Lipari 41 to be sailed from France to Australia so the company could effectively see how the catamaran performed, as well as obtain invaluable owner’s feedback on the boat’s design over such a challenging distance.

In April 2011, this new 2011 Lipari 41, Mojo 2 was sailed by Andrew Partington and his crew from the Fountaine Pajot factory in La Rochelle. After equipping the catamaran with comprehensive options and provisions, they set off on an unforgettable passage that included stops in Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands, Antigua, Aruba, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Tahiti, Cook Islands, Tonga and New Caledonia before arriving in Mooloolaba in October 2011.

The Lipari 41 competently handled the huge range of conditions including heavy storms, squalls and dangerous low pressure systems.

Skipper Andrew Partington was particularly impressed with the Lipari 41’s speed throughout the voyage. “Over the full passage of 3700 miles into Tahiti, we average 149 miles per day,” he said.

“We had horrific weather over the last 24 hours approach Brisbane with 35 knots right on our beam. We had the mainsail at the third reef and a tiny headsail and the boat was still recording over eight knots.

“We used the gennaker for large parts of the Atlantic and Pacific crossings and was still able to carry this sail with 60 degree winds off the bow,” he said.

“Having all the lines returning to the cockpit also made this a very easy boat to sail and meant we were not tripping over lines on the deck. Also, the folding props were a real winner. When they fold back you can feel the surge in the boat, especially in stronger winds. Anyone would be crazy not to take this option.

“The beds were enormous and comfortable and you can not fall out in poor conditions on passages, and the galley layout worked really well. The size of the fuel and water tanks were more than adequate, and the electronics package was very good, especially the Garmin chartplotters which worked a treat.

“The volume of the boat was just amazing and leaves for dead anything else I have seen in Australia. At over six feet, I had full standing room nearly everywhere in the boat,” he said.

The Lipari 41 has become one of Fountaine Pajot’s biggest success stories, and Australian importer Multihull Solutions has already sold twelve in 2011 alone.

The catamaran has been constructed with a low centre of gravity and light displacement of 7.6T to ensure safety, stability with optimal comfort and performance in all conditions. The Lipari 41 features class leading bridge deck clearance and the latest design in hull shape, such as a wave splitter and aggressive flaring of the hulls. Its two 20Hp standard engines provide a cruising speed of 7.7 knots, while the option of two larger 30Hp engines offers up to 9.5 knots if required.”

Aesthetically, the Lipari 41 represents the pinnacle of European excellence with elegant lines and a revolutionary design that maximises space, storage and comfort.

Built using compression moulded fibreglass, the next generation of fibreglass technology, the Lipari benefits from big weight savings and strength gains over its competition. It outshines its competitors in innovation with the mast built into the deck rather than the roof for reinforced structural rigidity and ease of handling.

The Lipari 41 also features an integrated dual-seating helm station with excellent visibility and has the cockpit and saloon on the same level to help make short and long passages a cruising pleasure.

The cockpit features all-weather protection, ample seating for eight guests, a stainless steel framed dining table and open-plan entertaining facilitated by a large sliding door opening into the saloon. Inside, the saloon and galley have been designed for spacious and relaxed living with large windows that provide outstanding natural light, ventilation and visibility, beautiful timber cabinetry and the highest standard of fixtures, trims and upholstery.

Dining for eight is comfortably accommodated with the saloon’s stylish table that also has stainless steel legs, an integrated plate stand and extraordinary under-bench storage. The adjacent chart table is also large, comfortable and practical.

The generously equipped galley has been cleverly designed to ensure entertaining onboard is a breeze with an easy access ‘piano-hinged refrigerator’, outstanding storage and quality designer fixtures.

Each of the roomy cabins is well ventilated with large portholes, superb visibility and an abundance of hanging and cupboard space.

Mojo 2 is now for sale fully equipped for world cruising for just AUD$599,000 with more than $100,000 worth of added options. The catamaran is located at Mooloolaba Marina at Multihull Solutions’ ‘Year Round Boat Show’ in Queensland. Prices for the new Fountaine Pajot Lipari 41 start from AUD$525,000.

Further information, sea trials and inspections of the Lipari 41 can be arranged by contacting Multihull Solutions on 1300 855 338, emailing info@multihullsolutions.com.au

Visit the Lipari 41 page on our website.

Posted: 26th November 2011.

And now, the end is here

And so I face the final curtain (for the 2011 Northern Hemisphere sailing season)

My friend I’ll say it clear

I’ll stake my case of which I’m certain

I’ve lived a life that’s full (sorry Dr Nigel)

I traveled each and ev’ry highway (well a few watery miles and land-based ones)

And more, much more than this, we did it our way!!! (Apologies to Frank Sinatra for pinching his song)

Well this is it, the last newsletter for 2011. It has been like coming home, to return to Marmaris, even though we are at a different marina. We have caught up with old friends, met some new ones and started the process of putting Midi to bed for the winter. But we saved the best adventure for last. A trip  to Cappadocia. There were only 12 of us on this trip – English, Irish, Dutch, Norwegian and us Kiwi fullas. We had five nights/six days away in our little bus with Tansal our Turkish driver and Taz, our Turkish guide. Taz is a lovely young man and I thought I might like to take him home for a son-in-law but the only trouble is I am not sure whether he would fancy Serenity or Hamish!

We were picked up last Sunday morning at 6.15 and drove, with stops 7 hours to a place called Egirdir, which is on a lake. Very pretty but very cold and the hotel was not all that warm so we were glad it was only an overnight stop. Next place was Konya, three hours away, the home of the Whirling Dervishes and we visited Mevlana Museum, the former lodge of the dervishes. Another three hours on our little bus, found us visiting a wee place called Sultanhani where we visited a Caravanseri built in 1229 to house the camel trains on the silk road. Then we were in the Cappadocia region at a town called Nevsehir which would be our base for the next two nights. The next morning it was up at 5am to go on our hot air balloon ride over Goreme.

This was absolutely magical. I am a bit scared of heights but at no time did I feel afraid. We went way up high and we were up there with 30 other balloons and then they would bring us down and almost touch the hills so you could see the cave dwellings, up close and personal.

The landscape was spectacular. Rolling hills just like a Sharpei dog. We then went to the Goreme Open Air Museum to look at the Rock Churches. It was so amazing to see all these churches, dedicated to various saints, carved out of the hillside. We then had a  lovely lunch in a large cave restaurant. After that we went to a pottery demonstration and Bruce got to be the person to throw a pot (plate actually) but we don’t have a photo of that because I couldn’t get the camera to work. One of the others in the group did so hopefully we will have proof that he did it.

The next morning we visited Derinkuyu underground city. 35,000 people lived in this underground city, used by the Hittites, Romans and Byzantines. We wound our way down 80-90 metres and it was hard to imagine people living down there, although the air was fresh and clean from the many ventilation shafts. There are 36 underground cities in the area and many are linked by tunnels of up to eight kilometres. I think they must have been a lot shorter in those days or ended up with very sore backs as we had to bend over quite a bit to get around.

We visited a carpet weavers co-operative and saw the silk being threaded, from the cocoon to make thread. The women making the carpets are amazing. They must surely end up with back problems, producing those beautiful carpets. Another place we have to go back to, if we win Lotto.

We visited the Pasabagi Fairy Chimneys, once again amazing formations created by the erosion over time of Mother Nature.

We had a Turkish night out at another underground venue. Big mistake to offer yachties free drinks with your meal. Bruce made the most of it and suffered late that evening but not before admiring the delights of the Belly Dancer. Of course he blamed Kate and Davey, the Irish couple, for leading him astray.

On the way home to Marmaris, we visited the city of Antalya and saw Hadrian’s Gate built in 130 AD and a beautiful waterfall, right in the middle of the city.

We arrived back in Marmaris, having travelled over 2,000 kms and Bruce ended up sick. At first he blamed it on maybe eating a dodgy mushroom at the restaurant we had stopped off at for lunch on the way but then 24 hours later, I came down with it as well so we must have picked up a stomach bug of some sort. Not the way to end such a wonderful adventure.

But now we come to the final cleaning and packing up of the boat. It has been a wonderful year and we have met some lovely people and Midi has done us proud. She is a great boat and we have had the most incredible time on her. We look forward to next year when we will explore the Ionian and the Adriatic Seas and whatever adventures Midi has ahead for us.

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and hope we can catch up with as many people as we can, once we are back in NZ. Thanks for your emails along the way. They are always appreciated. We arrive back in NZ on the 6th December. Sorry this newsletter is a bit brief but neither of us is up to much at the moment.

Love from

The Dodgy Tum Tebbutts

Posted: 23rd November 2011.

This annual transatlantic rally started on Sunday the 20th November at 12.30pm in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands with 217 multihulls and monohulls bound for Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia in the Caribbean.

This rally has become the most popular way to cross the Atlantic. The largest transocean sailing event in the world, every year the ARC brings together over 200 yachts from all over the world. The Caribbean destination is Rodney Bay in Saint Lucia, one of the most beautiful islands in the Lesser Antilles. The 2700 nautical mile passage on the NE tradewind route takes on average between 14 and 21 days.

Conceived as a friendly race for cruising yachts to make the Atlantic crossing both safer and more enjoyable, participating yachts must carry a range of safety equipment including a liferaft, EPIRB and VHF radio. Daily radio nets contribute further to the safety of participants. The presence of experienced sailors is another incentive for those with little offshore experience.

The ARC has a special flavour, which successfully combines racers with cruisers, old with young, and provides entertainment for all. A wide ranging programme of entertainment takes place both before the start and after the finish. The ARC enjoys the support of the Tourist Authority of Gran Canaria, the Port Authority of Las Palmas, Rol Nautic and the Saint Lucia Board of Tourism.

This year sailing the 2680 nautical mile distance is 217 boats and 1188 sailors from 28 countries! Included in the fleet is a good representation of Fountaine Pajot’s and Catana catamarans and we look forward to following their progress.

More information quick links:

• Fleet viewer – to check the progress of each boat.
• ARC official website.

Posted: 21st November 2011.

Hi all,

Been 9 or so days since one of my lengthy updates that you all love so much and we have left Flores, bound for North Komodo today. We have stopped at little bays for overnighters or to have our little domestic days where we do the laundry etc. We stopped at one place and scrubbed the hull …much needed…I don’t think I’ve seen Cam move so quickly as when he saw the baby sea snake!!! Screamed like a girl, hauled himself up into the dinghy in about two seconds flat and left me in the water to deal with it….what a gentleman, and so brave…apparently when it comes to snakes its every man for himself!!!

Flores has been absolutely picturesque if you can look past the pollution and the poverty and like most Indonesians exceptionally friendly and helpful people. We are however very glad to be moving on. The north coast of Flores was becoming extremely monotonous and after a month we are looking for a change of scenery.

Since I last wrote we have stopped at a few places for diving or just overnight anchoring, but the two most memorable places have been Reo and Labuanbajo. Reo was our first stop..with plans just to anchor overnight and get some miles under us due to our time limits. We decided to explore a little further and followed the river course in our dinghy finding a place to tie up and walked into a very busy little town. On arrival we were greeted by a guy who spoke quite good english who directed us to the local Sunday markets which were in full swing and we managed to ‘Berapa hargunya?’ our way through them buying beans, lemongrass, pumpkin, noodles, beer and soft drink…i think for a change we actually made it through relatively cheaply.

We were most definitely the star attractions with many ‘where you from’s’ being asked, and a developing trail of children giggling behind us!! Reo was also the place we experienced our first monsoonal downpour. Each evening about 5pm we start to hear thunder rumbling in the distance, the humidity really kicks, the clouds turn black and by nightfall the sky is electric, with flashing lightning..it is quite spectacular! We managed to put 100 litres into the water tanks in 1 hour and the bilge pump in the dinghy was working overtime!

After leaving Reo our next big town stop has been Labuanbajo. I must admit after Larantukah (our last big port/ferry stop)I was a little apprehensive about going into town. Larantukah was a seedy little town and I was of the mind that Labuanbajo may have been the same. How very wrong I was…Labuanbajo is a great little town, quite modern by Indo standards but not as modern as Ubud or Denpasar..definitely not as busy! We never got hassled once to buy anything, the people were very friendly and left you to explore for yourself. Labuanbajo is the main stopping off point for people to see the Komodo dragons and dive Komodo and many of the Indo’s speak fluent english…the town itself has many European influences such as a divine little bakery where we bought the most sensational wholemeal vienna loaf with pumpkin seeds in it (whoopdy doo you say….but when you’ve been eating nothing but flat bread for the last month its a HUUUUUUGE deal!!!)..we even went back the next day and bought more, had the best brekky burger and bumped into a pair of aussie ladies in their late 50′s from Canberra there (tube of vegemite in hand!!!). We also ate at a place called ‘the lounge’ who without a doubt made the best pizza we have ever eaten…weeell except for a coriander pesto and prawn pizza from Little Creatures. We walked throughout the town and discovered lots of fresh veges and then the fish market…..the fish market is a smell to behold and not for ones with weak stomachs, the smell of dried fish, mixed in with the flies on the not so fresh fish is quite unimaginably bad!! We were very lucky to get out of there without a second dose of travellers gut just from looking!!

From Labuanbajo we moved on down to Rincah Island to see if we could get a glimpse of the dragons. Fantastic spot to see them and good to see they have taken some initiative with the rubbish here as well…not one piece seen on the island and very little in the surrounding waters. We only had a short hop of 12 or so miles from LB to Rincah so arrived around lunchtime and took the dinghy in to see if we could hire a guide. Got pinned by the harbourmaster at the jetty who wanted to see and stamp all of our boats paperwork (we were in the dinghy??) so Cam had to go back and get our passports etc etc 50,000Rp (just under $6AUS) later we were allowed to enter the park with ranger Bruno as our guide…20,000 each for park entry, 20,000 each conservation fee, 50,000 for the camera (good thing we didn’t have a handycam as that would have been 150,000), 50,000 for walking the trail and another 50,000 for something we are still trying to work out what its for??

We paid our guide an ext ra 100,000 as was expected (but he was extremely informative and a very good guide) so we managed to blow a total of 380,000Rp for the day…the grand total of about $45AUS…we can handle that!!! So we saw many dragons(bloody big bungarras!!), monkeys and water buffalo, even managing to watch a confrontation between two dragons and a buffalo down at a watering hole… the buffalo didn’t look like he gave a crap about the komodo being in his pool he just wanted reprieve from the stinging flies. We also saw a very weak and sick looking buffalo with a bleeding wound on its back leg which had obviously had an altercation with a dragon..poor bugger..it takes them nearly a month to die apparently before the dragons actually eat them…okay for the dragon who only needs to eat once a month!

Anyhoo enough on the biology lesson…it was well worth it and a most enjoyable day, very hot and we walked about 5km…poor Cam reckons he is going to fade away if we keep doing all this exercise..personally I think the beer will win hands down! Quite frankly I think he needs to be kept busy to the point of exhaustion as idle hands do the devils work and he has managed in one evening to wipe all of our waypoints and somehow almost completely stuff up our chartplotter…..the other day he set off the man overboard alarm off and couldn’t turn it off….it was one button…what would he do without me!! He is currently sitting at the helm trying to undo his handywork manual in hand…if only he had thought to use it earlier!!!

Anyhoo beautiful people we are about 1/3 of the way to our destination today (Northern tip of Komodo Island), a recommended dive spot according to ’101 Anchorages of Indonesia’, I had better go and check that the captain hasn’t been left to his own devises for too long as anything could happen!!

much love to all,

XXXX

Nikki (and Captain Courageous, or was that Curious?)

Posted: 19th November 2011.

Multihull Solutions General Manager Patrick Gilot was born in France, studied and lived in Europe as well as South America and USA, and is subsequently fluent in French,Spanish, English and German. Being multilingual has its perks including being invited by a new Fountaine Pajot Salina 48 Evolution French owner to join him on his maiden voyage from Australia back to his home of New Caledonia. Tough for some!

Here is a quick summary of the trip from Patrick…

October 19th 2011. The custom duties are done, time to cast off on the lines of the stunning brand new Fountaine Pajot Salina 48 Evolution Hull Nr 60 ‘Skoll’ from the lovely harbor of Scarborough, Queensland to join Noumea.

The boat has been purchased a few months before by a client from New Caledonia who decided to get it shipped to Brisbane, commissioned by Multihull Solutions and spec’d up with a few options before taking her home.

The owner asked me to come along for her maiden voyage. He did not have to ask me twice: we are talking about the brand new Evolution series with all comforts on board a proper 48’!

The fishing rods are set. I have always loved sushi but never got to get them practically straight out of the ocean.

Unfortunately the weather does not seem to be playing the game with us as we prepare to cover the 800nm. Between 20-30 knots right in the nose with a 3metre swell – this is what you get when you do a delivery job! We could have waited and hoped for better conditions but the owner had business commitments and too eager to give his boat a try.

All right then: whales out there gave us a farewell party with some spectacular jumps. A couple of dolphins offered us some escort to reach the blue water.

With 19-20 knots true wind, the cat glides at 9-10 knots in close haul. Owner is all smiles. No way you can get him to leave his watch at the helm…

Obviously it is not the most comfortable point of sail, but even when the wind picked up and forced us to take one reef we were able to keep a good angle at 50 degrees while maintaining the speed. Maybe too fast to catch anything with the lines on the back!

With gusts of 26-27 knots and the second reef, the bows go up and down through the waves but never do they dig in or caused trouble.

Boat is holding well. The wine bottle on the cockpit table does not move. Bear in mind though that French still know how to appreciate with moderation. You just cannot have a proper lunch without the right taste. Just one glass each.

We keep on heading north. No need to tack every second; no one is keen to face the swell. Our hopes to arrive on time for the Rugby World Cup final are shrinking though.

It is when were crossing some reefs that we hear the beautiful noise of the rod drums: 2 bonitos and one Wahoo. Smiles on everyone’s faces again. We’ll get our damn sushis at the end and even ceviche with limes and coriander.

Alright then, turn the wheel to the sail, too bad for the rugby: let’s enjoy a good lunch.

Some flying fish wanted to join the menu as we found them in the lazy bag, on the trampoline and even on the solar panels on the aft platform…

Conditions do not improve. We wave bye-bye to the World Cup final but bets are still on; even if the mainland knows the score, we don’t. We just live in another world which we are starting to get used to.

After 6 days sailing we do reach the north of the island; a bit tired but happy.

The rock is shaping on the horizon, swell is declining, sun is opening up the largest lagoon in the world, turquoise water with white water over the reef like in the pictures…

Posted: 17th November 2011.

Hi all,

Helen compiled a new nice video of a cruise we did a couple of weeks ago sailing around Gocek, Southern Turkey.

Click here to view.

Keep smiling,

Stefano

Posted: 16th November 2011.

Australian couple Karin and Scott Wilkinson met the Multihull Solutions team at the Sydney Boat Show a couple of years ago and have since purchased “Serendipity” a Fountaine Pajot Mahe 36 Evolution.

They decided to make their first cruising plans The Mediterranean so chose the ‘factory pickup’ option which took them to the Fountaine Pajot factory in La Rochelle, France where they took ownership of their new pride and joy in March this year.

Now happily cruising the Mediterranean, Karin and Scott have sent us some wonderful photos of exotic locations like La Rochelle, Rhodes and Turkey. Check out the pics below. We look forward to more updates and photos soon!

Posted: 9th November 2011 12:18:27 PM AEST.

Scallywag arrived safely in Bundy at 1530 yesterday. Less than 4.5 days from Noumea, top speed 14 knots, average speed 7.9 knots. Not the fastest passage this season but not bad.

All their fears about over zealous officials proved false. Clearance by Customs and Quarantine was over in less than one hour and they were given a years entry which can be renewed for a further two years if they behave themselves and report in every three months (a little like being on probation). Quarantine didn’t confiscate a single thing and left with only their rubbish, even the brie survived. However, a combination of having been in Fiji for long periods and having too much marine ply in the build classified Scallywag as high risk. This means that in one year’s time they have to pay for a Quarantine Officer to inspect the boat for stray termites before their Certificate of Pratique is extended.

The Captain and First Mate had a little celebration last night and have a catch-up in the bar with fellow cruisers planned for tonight. They have had a great welcome from the Port to Port rally organizers and are currently enjoying the beautiful weather, currently 31c.

Cheers

Paul & Glor

SV Scallywag

Current Position:

24 45’00.00 S, 152 23’00.00 E

11-11-09 12:15:00 +1000 +0000

Posted Date: 7th November 2011 9:16:17 AM AEST.

Slow night for the crew on Scallywag, the wind eased back to 12/13 knots from ESE so they motorsailed with just the screecher and managed to maintain between 6.5 and 7 knots.

The captain awoke this morning refreshed from a four hour sleep “what’s going on were only doing 6?” he said. Dreading the implications the first mate tried to divert his attention with the offer of breakfast. It only delayed the inevitable, out came the spinnaker. With the blue and orange kite setting perfectly Scally picked up speed to 8 knots and harmony onboard was restored, at least in the captain’s eyes, the first mate retired to bed.

Breaksea Spit 175nm, across Hervey Bay and down the Burnett River to Bundaberg marina another 50nm, maybe a daylight arrival tomorrow. However, the wind is forecast to die sometime today so the captain may be forced to use the engines and burn some of the precious stuff.

Chicken pies or brie, they’re over provisioned and will loose one or the other to those nice Aussie border control officers. Hard choice, yesterday the brie won, today it could be cheese on pie for lunch.

Note: The ships log noted that they had passed the FP Athena during the night pulling in a 16 hour advantage in less than 3 days.

Cheers

Paul & Glor

SV Scallywag

Current Position:

23 52’00.00 S, 156 08’00.00 E

11-11-07 09:00:00 +1000 +0000

Posted: 7th November 2011

Industry leader Multihull Solutions expects big crowds for its Open Weekend at the inaugural Sunshine Coast Marine Festival on 19-20 November.

Incorporating the first ever Sunshine Coast Sailing Expo, the event will be a spectacular weekend showcasing a comprehensive range of multihulls and other sail and power craft.

Located at the Mooloolaba Marina and Yacht Club, the festival is the result of public and industry demand for a quality Sunshine Coast event that caters for the strong regional interest in boating and water-based recreation.

For the duration of the event Multihull Solutions will open its office, based at the Mooloolaba Marina, to visitors who are interested in new or pre-owned multihulls from the world’s leading brands.

The company will be exhibiting the Summerland 40 and Cumberland 46 Trawler power catamarans, the Mahe 36 and Lipari 41 sailing catamarans by Fountaine Pajot, as well as a great range of quality pre-owned brokerage multihulls.

Serving refreshments from its modern office, the entire Multihull Solutions team will be available to discuss all multihull-related matters, including sales (new and pre-owned), charter investment programs, buying offshore and much more.

Multihull Solutions managing director Mark Elkington said the festival will be an exciting opportunity for Sunshine Coast residents and visitors to see a huge range of multihulls and other watercraft in one convenient location.

“The Sunshine Coast is a mecca for boating and many exclusive representatives of the world’s top products are located right here on the coast,” Mark said.

“The inaugural Sunshine Coast Marine Festival brings more than 25 brands of boat together in one place to give visitors a chance to see the world of choice they have right on their doorstep,” he said.

“Of course, with our comprehensive range of new and pre-owned multihulls for sale in Mooloolaba Marina, Multihull Solutions offers a veritable year-round boat show.”

As well as multihulls, the festival will showcase a broad range of offshore fishing boats, tinnies, fibreglass boats, engines, PWC’s, marine electronics, accessories and much more.

Experts from the boating and fishing industries will be giving talks and demonstrations throughout the weekend, and kids will be entertained with a host of activities. Entry to the Sunshine Coast Marine Festival costs $5 per adult while children under 14 are free.

To book an exclusive VIP tour of selected Multihull Solutions boats on display in Mooloolaba, please contact 1300 855 338 or email us.

For more information please contact Multihull Solutions or visit the official Sunshine Coast Marine Festival website.

Posted: 3rd November 2011

………….. so the story continues. As with many fears the reality didn’t live up to the expectation. Maybe due to proficient boat handling or it could just be down to use of the engines, Captain Paul and crew managed to coax Scally towards New Cal and arrive at Havannah Passage an hour before sunset. This masterful display of seamanship also timed the arrival on a rising tide which shot Scally through the passage at 8 to 9 knots.

Encouraged by this, a decision was made to navigate the additional 40 nautical miles to Noumea in total darkness under a moonless sky, eventually dropping anchor at 2300. Early the following morning Scally was moved around to Port Moselle marina and duly cleared in to New Caledonia.

There followed a week of surviving mainly on baguettes and brie whilst exploring the strange and mainly unsuccessful blend of French and Kannac culture. The First Mates new language skills paid dividends as she could now say hello and goodbye and was even occasionally understood.

However, the crew could not dilly dally too long as Australia was calling and the onset of cyclone season threatening. This morning they cleared out of New Caledonia, left the marina and are currently sitting on a mooring off the holiday island of Ilot Maitre. Reluctantly the beer fridge has been turn off as the crew needs to retire early and sober in order to be up at first light in a fit state to face the challenges on the start of tomorrows passage to land of bonze medal holders.

Paul & Glor

SV Scallywag

Current Position:

22 19’56.43 S, 166 24’23.20 E

11-11-03 16:51:52 +1100 +0000

Click here to see our current position on the google maps.

Posted: 1st November 2011.

Hang on a minute – huff, puff – just clearing away the defibrillator and the oxygen tanks after the trauma of watching the All Blacks winning the Rugby World Cup. That was too close for comfort but the bottle of Moet we drank to celebrate was damn fine! The French certainly do know how to make fine champagne even if they couldn’t clear the last hurdle!

Any way since we last emailed we have been socialising a tad. We sailed back to Ucagiz (Kekova Rds area, southern Turkey) where we met a lovely American couple, Rick and Barbara, who own the boat “Far Out” the same sort of boat as ours. We had a wonderful few days with them, comparing notes on our two boats, out for dinner and out for lunch with them. Ucagiz is a lovely friendly spot  and we spent many days there and almost became locals. Each time we went ashore, we had to stop and have a cup of tea with some of the local businessmen. We ended up buying two more kilims for the boat as it is getting a bit colder under foot now. Just outside the harbour is a place the locals call the aquarium. We had a day there and snorkelled in the very clear water (not a lot to see though).

We dragged ourselves away and motored to an almost fjord-like place called Karakoz on Kekova Adasi. Here we anchored in a very tight spot and roped ourselves to shore. Awoke the next morning to the sound of a (few) birds singing in the trees, it was a lovely spot but alas no internet signal so we couldn’t stay. Afterall there was some important rugby to be watched coming up so we would have to move on. We thought we were doomed when a big gullet came and anchored not far from us but fortunately the people on board seemed to be of a more senior age group (like us) so there was not a whole lot of loud music.

So back to Ucagiz where we know we have a good internet signal to watch the AB’s v Wallabies showdown in the semifinal online via a link sent to us by our friends Ed and Jean on Tuatara (thanks guys). After the warm up between the French & the Welsh on  Saturday it was on to the main event and what a match it was. A great performance by the AB’s. Also while we had been anchored in the one spot I had in my wisdom decided to run out a 2nd anchor that I could then use to pull Midi’s stern around so she hung stern to the sun, so that our solar panels were charging the batteries. And despite Lesley telling me she thought I had gone to a lot of trouble when all I needed to do was run the motor, it worked well. Well for a day and half anyway. Then the wind came up and we were hanging stern to in quite a strong breeze. No problem I will tie another line onto the stern anchor line and that should allow me to let go at the stern and get it around to the bow and tie off again.

WRONG! I underestimated how strong the wind was and before I even got half way to the bow of the boat we had taken off and were swinging around to our main anchor and I ran out of rope! Bugger, 60 odd mtrs of anchor rope and our spare anchor now lying on the bottom in muddy water. Oh well I guess I will find it tomorrow morning hopefully once the wind has settled down. I hadn’t reckoned on our American friends though who were anchored about 100mtrs behind us deciding late in the day to go for a swim with their mask & snorkels, no flippers, swimming up and asking where I thought the anchor was and then heading in that direction and proceeding to dive for it. While the water was only about 4mtrs deep there was zero visibility but Rick found it by swimming along the bottom and shovelling his hands into the mud. His only worry he said was coming up with a crab hanging off his hand! We were very grateful as Lesley was not looking forward to having to dive for it the next day.

Yeah right!

Next was a visit to the Greek island of Kastellorizo. This island is within spitting distance of Turkey and I cannot understand how it would be a Greek island but it is and what a pretty place it is. It was awarded to Greece after the war as Greece sided with the Allies and Turkey was neutral. It has quite a history and there was a movie made called Mediterraneo which was about the Italians that were occupying the island during the war and did not know the war was over. Italy actually occupied the island from the mid 1920’s when the Turks ceded it to Italy. Most of the residents fled the island around this time and many ended up in Australia but in later times a few have started moving back here. Another place we got stuck at, it was just so picturesque. Beautiful harbour with the lovely houses alongside the tavernas. The cats sitting under each dining table, waiting for their tit bits. We had a coffee or two at one tavern that was run by a Greek chap who had been born and raised in Melbourne but was back there living with his German wife.

He said he was called a wog in Australia and now he is home in Greece, even though he had lived there for over twenty years, he still wasn’t quite a local. A photo of me here with “Gangster” one of their restaurant cats who thought our laps just needed to be sat on. Also me again, “just looking” at real estate – Kastellorizo style.

Next it was Oludeniz, where there is almost lagoon like bay. At this stage we were worrying about getting somewhere to watch the rugby so we didn’t stay long at this stage, knowing we would be back and then it was off to Fethiye, a small city. We knew our friends Jane and Russell off “Ta-B” were there but we hadn’t reckoned on Russell putting the Haka on his stereo system and cranking it up full bore for when we came in to anchor. So it was off to one of the local cafes with Kiwis and Bruce was able to talk rugby stuff with real kiwi blokes instead of me having to nod knowledgeably when he uttered his profound statements on the game.

Russell and Jane had to leave straight after the game to take his sister and brother-in-law, who were on board with them, on to their next adventure but not before doing his own version of the Haka as he left. A bit of a lad is our Russell.

We really enjoyed Fethiye and ended up spending almost a week there. At the marina there was a small Labrador-type dog that the men would throw a stick for. Into the water, the dog would leap, a jump of about six feet. He would grab the stick and swim to the pontoon where the boats were tied and them ‘climb’ up the ladder. Just amazing to watch. Once again we ventured to the big local market to get our fruit and veg. We had lunch there also and some young men came and sat at the table next to us. One of the guys, perhaps in his mid 20’s, who looked a bit like a gypsy, offered me some of his lunch to try. Wouldn’t get that back in NZ, now would you.

We left Fethiye and went back to Oludeniz, just in time for the International Paragliding Festival.

This was just amazing. You would be walking along part of the waterfront, hear a yell and look over your shoulder and a paraglider would come in to land. Of course Bruce had to try it out. Had a great flight on a tandem paraglider. This is one of the top spots in the world for paragliding and they launch off a mountain that is 1967mtrs high and is set almost right on the coast. After a trip in a van that took about 45 minutes to reach the top I was introduced to my pilot, PSYCHO! Yes Psycho! Really filled me with confidence. The take off area is a large paved slope set at 1700 mtrs above sea level, that you run down until you are running in air. Actually very easy and gentle although I did get to witness a couple of people who half way through their launch were urged to STOP as their sail was not quite set right. Gee hope someone is watching over us. But all was fine and it is a very relaxing experience. You just float along on the thermals, getting a great view and landing was a simple affair as well. Nothing like the rush I got when I did a tandem hang glider a few years ago. At most times we could count 20 – 30 paragliders in the air and those were only the ones we could see.

The Turks are very industrious and here we introduce George. George would come up to us in his little boat and ask us if we would like to buy anything.

No thank you – not today, we would say and then he would start chatting and found out that we liked calamari so after selling us an apple pie that we didn’t know we needed (sorry Dr Nigel), he flipped out his line and caught a calamari that he processed right there (couldn’t get fresher than that) and managed to sell us a loaf of fresh warm bread that we certainly did not need. We did not buy anything off the pancake boat, much to their disgust. This was a small open boat where they are cooking the pancakes right there  on board while they are alongside you. The pancake man was not happy that we did not buy and would not let me take a photo! Well he thought I hadn’t anyway.

So now we are back in Fethiye and it was off to the market again to buy all that lovely produce. I don’t know how we will cope, going back to NZ supermarkets. The markets contain everything and yes I had to buy the colander for 1.50 Turkish Lira and the new hand bag but no, I resisted buying the ‘genuine fake’ perfume. After unloading our purchases, it was back to the fish market for lunch.

They have all the fresh fish, including prawns, all out on display for purchase. You buy your fish, or prawns in our case, and the restaurant cooks your purchase, gives you salad and toasted bread with garlic butter, as well as fresh bread, all for the princely  sum of 6 Turkish Lira each (approx. NZ$4.50) plus the 25TL for the prawns.

I wish we had managed to catch, on camera, the man standing behind the counter, having his cigarette! Where is Health and Safety, when you need it.

Well we will be heading back to Marmaris over the next couple of weeks and then we are off on a trip to Cappadocia for six days so our next newsletter will not be until the end of November, just before we are ready to leave for NZ. It is getting cooler here, with  the days still 20- 25 degrees but the nights see us reaching for the blankets and it is harder to get out of bed in the morning.  Daylight saving ended here on Sunday so it really feels like winter is approaching and oh what I would give for a nice long soak in the bath tub! Saying that our water maker decided to pack a sad about a week ago but Bruce managed, with the help of the agents in Spain plus our good friend Nick in NZ talking and emailing instructions, to fix it so we have nice hot showers once more.

Amazing what can be done with some wire on a circuit board! Much better than the original quote of 480 euro for a replacement part that we would need to get from France.

Lots of love from the Turkey Tebbutts.

Posted: 1st November 2011.

Hey guys,

Well after leaving Kupang we ended up heading to Flores rather than Alor. We had to cut something out as we have to be in Bali to extend our visas in about 5 weeks time. We have decided to extend our social visas for another 2 months and our CAIT for another month otherwise we would be pushing it all the way to Malaysia without being able to stop and have a good look around. Thanks to ‘Verite’ for the heads up on how long we could extend it for!!

Anyhoo we sailed overnight with a few blips on the radar but nothing that caused any concerns whatsoeva. Arrived to the very spectacular and mountainous terrain of Flores early in the morning (timed to perfection) with intentions of heading straight to Larantuka. Instead we headed into the bay prior to Larantuka and spent 2 nights there as it was very pretty (few bities though). The little village we anchored off was called Konga, which a guy called Antony from the village gave us a guided tour of.

You know how we describe a place in Oz as having ‘a pub on every corner’ well these guys have a church on every corner’ and very proudly stated they were 100% christian. Hugely influenced by the Portugese with some old cannons in the town centre dated 1757.

We bought about 3 hands of bananas for the local kids who (about 50 of them) followed us everywhere and played on the beach yelling at us for hours until someones mother came out and yelled at them to all get home! Antony dropped off a huge bucket of mangoes for us the next morning (15 mangoes @ about 35c each)and we headed off to Larantuka.

Larantuka is basically a ferry stop, very pretty to look at from a far…once again every 200m a very picturesque church. Very busy!!!! Boats going in and out at all times of the night and day.

Had some young guys swim out to our boat and look like they were planning to stay the night, climbing onto the boat and dinghy like they owned the place…very shifty feeling about them. Eventually shifted them off the boat and went into town and managed to buy two cases of bintang and some veges (cabbage, beans, tomatoes, garlic and bananas) but planned to move on the next day. The only reason you would stop here at all is to jump on a ferry or get some meagre supplies. Water is crystal clear but absolutely full of rubbish!!

Left Larantuka early the next morning as we had planned to use the tidal flow out thanks to some info from a guy we met in Rote/Darwin. Boy did we read that completely wrong???!!! Made the Kimberlies look like a walk in the park! At the narrowest point we were pushing a 5 knot tide, and had the motors at full tonk cutting across it on an angle just to get anywhere…mission impossible!! We think not…stubbornness won through and we got through it arriving at our destination (a whole 12 miles away), a reef we had been advised had great diving. And it is spectacular!!!

We are currently anchored in about 9 – 10 metres of water and we can see the little fish swimming around on the bottom. So we went for our first dive in 10 months(Lucky Bay, just north of Geraldton)yesterday, and it was magic. 30 degrees in the water..no need for wetsuits and it was like being in an aquarium. Visibility easily about 20m…no table sized fish though, and only one crayfish spotted(about the size of my little finger).

Will spend tonight here again..more diving today and then move onto the next spot off Gedong, Flores…Also reputedly good for diving. So folks until next time!

XXXX

Cam and Nikki

SV Dreamer

Posted: 28 October 2011.

Hi everyone,

Helen compiled this slideshow of our last trip to a beautiful bay about 25NM from Marmaris.

Click here to watch the you tube video Ekincik Buku

Keep smiling

Stefano

Posted: 25th Oct 2011.
By Roger McMillan – Editor My Sailing and Australian Sailing and Yachting Magazine.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, the organiser of the Rolex Sydney Hobart race and Australia’s most influential ocean racing organisation, has agreed to investigate whether it should include multihull racing on its program. In its Offshore e-newsletter to members, the club included the following from Commodore Garry Linacre:

There has been a lot of talk around the club about Multihull racing and its possible place at the CYCA. This subject has been widely discussed at Board level. Recent focus has been precipitated following an approach by a member to form a multihull division to race in our Grant Thornton Short Ocean Point score series.

Following the usual process of our sailing committee bringing information to the board, it was unanimously resolved to proceed in a manner which involves a process of investigation and gaining of knowledge. The broad detail is covered by the following points:

• The matter is referred to the Sailing Committee and the Audit Planning and Risk Committee for investigation.
• The investigation will be conducted having regard to the experience of ISAF affiliated clubs and associations with current multihull involvement.
• The Sailing Committee will report back to the Board with recommendations in a timely manner.
• If the recommendations as approved by Audit Planning and Risk are in the affirmative regarding Multihull Racing, consultation will occur by way of a meeting with a view to ascertaining the wishes of the members concerning the involvement of the Club in multihull racing.
• The Board of Directors, mindful of the members wishes, will determine what if any involvement the CYCA has in Multihull racing.

The term “Multihull Racing” covers a very wide scope. I see it as vitally important on a number of fronts that the committee structures, officers and sailing staff have a strong knowledge regarding all that is occurring in the sailing world and general directions of other clubs both domestically and internationally.

This is especially so with those clubs that we have had a strong historical bond. I am confident the process detailed above will put us in a strong and well researched position to ensure future decisions are made in the right vein and are beneficial to our great Club.

Garry Linacre – Commodore

While the cynical could argue that this is club-speak for “we’ll hold an enquiry and hope the issue goes away”, at least the subject is not being dismissed out-of-hand, as it was when Kiwi yachtsman Simon Hull approached the CYCA about entering his Orma 60 TeamVodafoneSailing in the Sydney-Hobart last year. (Just last weekend, Hull broke the Coastal Classic offshore race record from Auckland to the Bay of Islands and he has twice crossed the Tasman Sea in the boat.)

With 105ft trimarans setting Jules Verne Trophy (fastest around the world non-stop) records, the America’s Cup about to be raced in 72ft catamarans, the AC45 World Series and Extreme 40 catamaran events attracting record crowds and the cream of Australia’s sailing talent looking at A Class cats and other multihull divisions to improve their employment prospects, this enquiry by the CYCA is welcomed.

Posted: 24th Oct 2011.

By Zoe Hawkins for My Sailing website.

Despite very optimistic forecasts yesterday it seemed almost too much to hope for that the sub-six hour record would finally be broken in the NZMYC Coastal Classic, but TeamVodafoneSailing did it when they crossed the finish line in five hours, 44 minutes and 31 seconds.

For the owner of TeamVodafoneSailing, Simon Hull, the win and race record marked the fruition of a long term dream. He always knew that owning a fast multihull was the only way of eventually ensuring a race record, and the notion of purchasing an Orma 60 was borne out of his Coastal Classic attempts in keelboats.

To average a speed of around 20 knots for the duration of the race, TeamVodafoneSailing peaked at 34.8 knots of boatspeed on the racecourse, and saw extended periods of over 30 knots. They put their first reef in the main at Kawau and a second at the Hen and Chicks, as the breeze rose to over 30 knots from the South-West. 52qsd

They cleared Cape Brett by about two nautical miles, but still fell into the light patch infamous in that area during a South-Westerly, a trap that in 2010 cost them nearly an hour of waiting.

TeamVodafoneSailing was followed into Russell by Roger Pagani’s catamaran, Triple 888, at 1924 hours, and Taeping at 1952 hours. The race started at 1000hrs.

Dirty Deeds finished thirty minutes outside the record for smaller multihull boats, and without absolutely perfect South-Easterly sailing conditions.

Click here to see full results and to read the full story on the My Sailing Website.

Click here to visit the NZMYC Coastal Classic website

Posted: 26 October 2011

Hi All,

Scally has just managed to clock up another 200nm / 24hr run. The actual total on the log was 201nm but we appear to have traveled further over the ground, either favourable current or the log is not calibrated correctly.

The wind eased slightly during the night and is averaging a little less than yesterday but still from the same direction. At 2200 UTC our position was 19 16S 173 27E, wind of ESE 17knots and swell about 1 to 2 metre from the same direction. The sun is out and temp sitting at 29c.

We’re in the early stages of a passage when the lack for sleep makes a stop in New Cal seem attractive but let’s see how we get on further down the track as we may yet head straight thru.

At about 0300 this morning I picked up a boat on the radar and could see their lights about 8 miles out. I tried calling it on CH16 but got no answer (not unusual), it ended up passing us about 1/2 mile to stbd. I think it was part of the Chinese fishing fleet currently operating out of Fiji. About 30 of these fishing junks are based in Loutoka and I believe another 80 operate out of Suva. Very sad that Fiji has chosen to trade fishing licences for infrastructure aid from the Chinese government. In a couple of years there’ll be no fish left in Fiji waters.

We had a passenger with us all night sitting on the port pullpit. Not sure what species of sea bird it was but it was big. Needed a shovel to clean up this morning!

Heres’s our position on Google Earth.

Current Position:
19 20’08.18 S,  173 21’20.42 E
11-10-26 11:00:28 +1200 +0000
http://maps.google.com/maps?&ll=-19.33561,173.3557&q=-19.33561,173.3557&z=16
Take care.

Paul & Glor

SV Scallywag

Posted: 24th October 2011.

Hi everyone,

Just a quick update, and I promise this time I will be brief! Apparently I have a tendency to ramble???

After a successful crossing into Indonesian waters with several fly-overs from Coastwatch keeping an eye on us (and scaring the crap out of us with their low flying) we made it to Kupang on the 19th ..exactly as planned and without using to much fuel with one day of full sailing and no motors (glorious).

Spent 3 days in Kupang doing a lot of waiting around..Napa our agent went and handed our passports over to immigration and then we waited for him to return them…then he went and got our fuel and we waited for him to return and basically that is the way most of our time went in Kupang…waiting.

The people of Kupang/Timor were really friendly and helpful. Ate a couple of times at the night markets managing to survive without any cases of Bali belly. Never saw one official, things went smoothly and we were out of there after 3 days. Not many westerners in Timor and apart from a large catamaran full of Estonians (4 berths/8 men) and a small wooden monohull owned by an Aussie living in Bali we were the only boat in Kupang (well apart from the hundreds of Indo fishing boats).

Left Kupang early Saturday morning and motor sailed 60 – 70 miles across to the south end of Rote with our backpacking, surfing, law student from Canada called Kyle.

Rote is a beautiful island with palm trees and white sandy beaches…we anchored off Nembrula which is a bit of a surfing mecca for a lot of Aussies and the best thing about it was …WE CAN SWIM IN THE WATER!!!! We had our first swim since June in Broome and boy was it nice! Scrubbed a bit of the hull down as it was very gungy and green after our trip through the Kimberlies.

Today we hired a scooter and did a short half day sightseeing trip around the coast of Rote and barely missed being knocked off by a falling coconut but apart from that no dramas..the traffic here is very quiet in comparison to that of Bali though the roads are a little to be desired (typical Indo) and after half a day I don’t think our bums could have handled much more! It cost us about 15 dollars for motorbike hire for a day, 1 litre of petrol, a gado gado and nasi goreng for lunch, two drinks at a roadside shop, two large bintangs and a large bottle of water…NOT BAD!

Tomorrow we head off to the weekly markets in the morning to see if we can pick up some more fruit and veg and then we head back to Kupang to drop of our travelling companion and then we’ll head over to Alor to see if we can get in some diving ..YAY!

So anyhoo folks thats about all for now (don’t want to bore you with too much detail) and we’ll write again soon XXXX

Cam and Nikki

SV Dreamer

The first Sunshine Coast Marine Festival is set to take place at Mooloolaba Marina & The Yacht Club over the weekend of the 19th and 20th of November.

Incorporating the first ever Sunshine Coast Sailing Expo this will be a weekend that is all about the boats and getting on the water!

More than 25 brands of boat will be on show at this year’s event with product ranging from sailing boats, offshorefishing boats, tinnies, fibreglass boats, engines, PWC’s, marine electronics and accessories.

There will be plenty of fishing talks and demonstrations across the weekend plus activities to keep the kids entertained!

The Multihull Solutions Team will of course be there with the office open and our great range of new and pre-owned catamarans for sale on display. Come along, meet the team you will be amazed at how affordable the strong Australian Dollar is making buying a boat!

To check out our selection of pre-owned multihulls for sale please visit our pre-owned multihulls web page. To book a VIP tour of selected boats on display in Mooloolaba, please contact us. We can arrange an appointment for a dedicated staff member to personally show you the vessels you’re interested in.

For more information please do not hesitate to contact us or visit the Sunshine Coast Marine Festival website.

Click here to see our full Boat Show Calendar

By Karen Harper and Hamish Smith featured in October 2011 Cruising Helmsman Magazine – My Boat section.

This is an informative article written by a couple who searched long and hard for the perfect boat. It runs through their decision process and gives allot of helpful advice for anyone looking to purchase a live a board multihull.

Karen Harper and Hamish Smith traded up from a trailer-sailer to a large catamaran and are making the most of all that extra space.

Purchasing Isis, a Fountaine Pajot Lipari 41, has been a 10-year journey in the planning and final execution. We started to fear that we were going to join the “Gunna tribe!” We wanted to buy a boat that we felt happy to bluewater cruise but that could also be handled by one person. We hope to be living aboard for the next 15 or so years.

Initially, we had always intended to purchase a 12m monohull. The two main reasons for this were that we had only really experienced sailing on friends’ monohulls (we didn’t count sailing our Hobie cat on dams in the Burnett Region as sailing on full-blown multihulls!), and 12m seemed to be a good size that one person could manage should something happen to the other person.

Then, by pure chance, we happened to be invited onto a catamaran while on our trailer-sailer holidaying in the Whitsundays. We had always intended to be liveaboard sailors, so the appeal of a catamaran with the larger living areas, galley up, and stability won us both over.

So the search was then on for what style of catamaran would suit our needs. Over the next few years we would wander through various marinas and boat yards as the opportunities presented themselves, looking at different cats and getting a feel for what was around and for what price.

Eventually our key criteria boiled down to a number of simple items:

To read complete story – click here for My Boat “Isis” – Fountaine Pajot Lipari 41  full story

Posted 18th October 2011.

Stefano Piviali is originally from Italy but has lived in Australia for 30+ years. He had planned to build his own Catamaran in Thailand, even to the point where he had plans, the yard and the contractors all lined up (he’s built several cats previously) but decided he didn’t want to wait 2-3 years and wanted a cat now. Stefano scoured the market and decided that the Fountaine Pajot Salina 48 was the best boat for him.

Stefano did a pick up ex factory from La Rochelle in France and has sailed The Mediterranean since pick-up. He bought the Salina 48 early last year and is now retired and is living the cruising dream with his wife.

Click on the below link to see a fantastic power point slide show of Stefano sailing recently with his good friend Norman from Preveza to Rhodes via stunning Santorini.

View Slide Show.

Posted 10th October 2011.

Merhaba everyone from Turkey. Yes back where we started from but before we arrived here there have been a few more Greek adventures, hence the delay in getting out the newsletter. Too many distractions. We visited Agios Nikolaos on Crete and once again did the marina thing. We ended up having a BBQ with others at the marina. It never fails to astound us the number of people that are obviously sailing from one marina to the next, looking for the cheapest deal and then complaining about what they are not getting.

After leaving Crete, the next island we visited was Kaparthos. Just before coming in to the bay to anchor we caught two tuna – one after the other and I didn’t even have time to record this momentous occasion on camera, before we lost them both! Fish fingers again. We did a little touring by local bus, from one side of the island to the other. It is always so interesting going by local bus. You are never quite sure where you are going, but hey, it is another adventure.

Following the rugby. I hope the All Blacks realise the lengths their devoted followers in the Greek Islands have to go to so that they do not miss a game in the world cup. Taking a bus to another town to go and check all the bars to see if they are screening the world cup. Finding that they weren’t but we could watch the Warriors play if we wanted to, we had to resort to listening on the boat,  through the internet. Oh oh, about ¾ through the first half of the AB’s vs France and we lose transmission.

Sacre blue! Much muttering and trying all sorts of things by Bruce (steam coming out of the ears) and then in desperation, emailing Radio Sport in NZ to find that the IRB was blocking some of the live streaming but fortunately we were given an alternative site and ‘Magnifique’ we were able to hear the second half and the AB’s beat the French. We had to have a bottle of champagne to celebrate that win. Now that we are at the quarter final stage and we are in a marina so we went to the local bar that had a screen up and ‘Yes” said the nice kind Turkish man, he would have the TV on at 8am in the morning for us to watch South Africa play Australia and then the AB’s vs Argentina and “Yes” we could have breakfast there. Yay – on to a winner there. Next morning, off we trot and what do we find – the bar not even open let alone having the rugby on. So back to the boat to listen to the rugby with our muesli and then Bruce went back to the bar when the AB’s game was due to start and it STILL was not open! I think that Turkish man’s English   extended to “Yes’. But never mind – a win is a win whether you listen to it on radio or see it on TV. Another bottle of champagne had to be consumed, I am sorry Dr Nigel.

Now I have to say that my rugby following in the past has been to watch the scrummy figures of those fine young men (yes Dan Carter – you still are my favourite) but listening to the commentary is a bit different. The Haka sends shivers up my spine even more so just listening to it. I don’t know how the commentators can remember all those foreign names so easily. Any way a few more games later and my man, Dan Carter is out. Please note NZRU and Graham Henry, I have repeatedly offered my services, not just to the aforementioned Dan Carter (I am not a favouritist) but to the entire All Black team. I would offer my services, without cost, to rub salve on to the limbs of our fine young athletes but no – you turned down my many requests. I am sure if Dan Carter had me rubbing emollients into his groin, he would not now by facing surgery and the nation would not have to be anxiously watching his replacement.

Greek cuisine. There are some things that we will miss about Greek Cuisine. The divine Kalamata olives, the feta, the olive oil but not the eating out really. We are so lucky in New Zealand with the variety of cuisines we get. Our dinner out in Kaparthos was one example – we picked this tavern because we had walked by earlier in the day and saw that it had Roast Pork on the menu – hey that is different from what we usually see – that could be nice. And the thinly sliced pork in the gravy was lovely but what did we get with it – French fries and rice! I ask you with all the lovely fresh vegies that we see in the markets, we get chips and rice. I must say though there are some things they do get right.

They don’t really offer desserts on the menu but they always give you fresh fruit at the end of the meal. Much to Bruce’s disgust  though, it is often watermelon (he hates it) but often they have grapes as well. Another good thing they do, if you go out for a coffee, they almost always give you a glass of iced water as well.

After leaving Kaparthos we sailed to Rhodes Island and anchored at Lindhos. We had been here last year but it was about six weeks  later, and the official tourist season had ended and it was very quiet then. It sure had changed. There were tourists everywhere and all the little shops that were closed last time were open for trade. The bestest thing was that there was another Kiwi yacht anchored there. We met John and Kerry, their children Davin (14) and Maddison (12) and Kerry’s father Ken.

It is so spooky that you can be on the other side of the world and you meet people who know people you know. John is a pilot for  Air New Zealand, taking a year off to see how the family likes cruising in the northern hemisphere (they love it) and so he knows friends of ours and also my niece’s husband because they all are pilots. We had a lovely time with them and through them met another American couple, Geoff and Gayle off Lazybones and had everyone on board Midi for drinks, along with an English couple, Bob and Rachel off Wizard that we had previously met. This is what we love about cruising. Getting together with other like-minded people and sharing stories of adventures.

Priceless – as the advert says. It turned out that we were sailing on our previous boat, Bagpuss in Vanuatu & New Caledonia at the same time that John & Kerry were on their boat at the time and probably missed each other then, by only days.

While we were at Lindhos, they had a Tourism Festival night in town and we were all invited to a free night of food and  entertainment. It was great. All the ladies were given a long stemmed rose each and plenty of food and we bought a glass of wine each as we watched the traditional dancing done by teenagers in their traditional costumes.

There were a lot of tourists there and I asked one man if I could balance my plate of food on their table. “Yes” he said in a broad Scottish accent, “and what island do you come from?” I said “the North Island – New Zealand!” “Oh I thought you were a local”. Obviously my tan had them fooled.We ended up having quite a good conversation with our Scottish mates and a few laughs.

Next we went to Rhodos town and there we met up with Joe and Jackie off Antares, another lovely American couple we knew from Marmaris. More drinkies with them as we caught up on our season.

Then we ventured forth in trepidation, to begin the exit formalities for leaving Greece. We thought we might have a huge black mark against our name as it was here last year where we were fined for over-staying. At first when we went to Customs, a nice kind gentleman there informed us that they were on strike so we would have to come back in a couple of days. No problem, we did that and it all turned out to be a piece of cake. No money needed to change hands at all. However the man in immigration would have to be one of the grumpiest officials we have had to deal with. First he barked at us “where is your crew list”! After demanding this several times he thrust a photocopied piece of paper at me to fill in grumbling all the time. He then on looking at our passports  demands “why you stay in Greece more than 3 months”? I looked at him in disbelief and asked him what he meant and he all but yelled the query at me again. By now I am not feeling too friendly towards this fellow as I pointed out that we cleared into Greece on the 14th July and as it was the 30th September we were still a couple of weeks shy of being 3 months in Greece. At this he checked the passports again, grumbled something else to me and then proceeded to stamp our exit out of Greece. No apology was forthcoming. We have come to the conclusion that the Greek officials are generally just lazy and resent having to do any work.  However most of them are very pleasant and with the government’s precarious financial position I guess they are all worried that their jobs are going to disappear and time soon. I think Greece is financially stuffed.

So then it was off to Turkey, heading to the port of Kas, 68nm away, but with not much wind so we ended up motoring a lot of the way and finally ended up arriving at Kas late in the afternoon, south east of Marmaris. We were quite late anchoring and didn’t have  time to suss out the best anchorage before dark, and as options were limited as you can be almost on shore and still in  50mtrs of water.

We ended up anchoring a short way off a beach with a small jetty and restaurant ashore. Well as luck would have it we had hardly settled down for the evening when the wind shifted to the NE and came up at around 20 – 25knots. This put us off a lee shore and given that the bottom was largely covered in weed it was a bit dicey. However we seemed to be holding okay and as we were both pretty tired having not got much sleep the night before due to a bouncy anchorage off Rhodes we elected to stay where we were and I would keep a regular check on us. Which I did until about 2.30am when I must have dropped off into a deep sleep. At this  stage the wind seemed to have dropped a little and we hadn’t moved. Well I was awoken at 4.30 am by the sound of our stern pushing up against the jetty (which fortunately was lined with old car tyres and fortunately was there for us to push up against)) and we swung in to action like a well-oiled team (well not that well oiled really), like we do this every night, and motored across the harbour in the pitch darkness and re-anchored.

The next morning, it was quite a performance doing the check in as they made us go and tie up in the little harbour, which was a tight little space with lots of large local boats coming and going all the time. But fortunately we managed it and after doing a little  shopping, moved back to anchor where we caught up with a German couple, Otto and Rosie, who told us of their experiences in the EMYR rally (Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally). This is the rally where you visit Eastern Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Cyprus and Lebanon and previously you could visit Syria as well.

Our next anchorage was Asar Buku where we anchored beneath the ruins of the ancient village of Aperlai. Amazing sarcophagi everywhere. Must have been some feat carving these out of huge rocks about 2500 years ago. When we went to pull the anchor up here, we found that we had part of the deck of a fibreglass boat, caught up in the anchor. No trouble to Bruce who worked out what had to be done and go rid of it. It’s always the way that when you want to take a photo of something, the battery is flat in the camera, so you will have to believe me when I say it was rather large!

Next on the agenda was Kekova Roads where we climbed up the hill to the old fort on the top of yet another hill and yes, more sarcophagi at Kale koy. Even one down below in the sea water. At the anchorage here I spotted the next boat of my dreams. Always have to have something to dream about that you are not likely to ever be able to afford. This was a huge catamaran, a Sunreef 114 (that’s 114 feet, well that’s according to what we could find on the internet) called Che and it was magnificent! Made Midi look like a little dinghy beside her. We spent a few days in this area which is a lovely with a number of alternative anchorages in the sheltered waters that lie between the mainland, Kekova Adasi, which is an island that lies about half a mile to a mile off the mainland and runs parallel to it for about 2 or 3 miles. There is also the small seaside village of Ucagiz where we managed to get some essential supplies and Lesley had to resist the rug shops as we very little cash on us and there is no ATM in the village (well not that we could find).

Next was Gokkaya Limani just to the East of Kekova Roads and also another really sheltered anchorage where we met Barnu (Turkish) and Peter (Kiwi) on their yacht Denize II along with their dog, Uda, a Portugese water dog from which the poodle was bred. Barnu had quite an American accent and it turned out the she was a Professor who lectured in Istanbul University and America and her daughter was currently doing her PhD in Seattle in Neuro-Science! Peter has apparently sailed all over the world and has a story for every port in creation. He was very entertaining and they shared dinner with us on board Midi one night. We had a little explore in a cave in the dinghy. I am not very fond of caves so after a short look, I took the dinghy outside and Bruce had a snorkel inside but said it was not very interesting.

Now of course we are looking ahead to the RWC quarter finals and as we are only about 14nm from Finike, a smallish town further East we think well maybe we will find somewhere there to watch the rugby. Also the forecast is not looking so good so off we head (no wind again) and motor to Finike where the wind picked up from the west (behind us) as we get to within 2 miles of the marina. So here we are in Finke having listened to the AB’s secure a semi final spot, sat through a violent thunder and rain storm last night with winds in the vicinity of 35 – 40 knots (Windfinder gave maximum winds of about 18knots)and again today when we had hoped to move on further East more thunder and rain. We have very black skies above us and the town seems to offer little in the way of things to do, especially in this weather. Never mind we did make it to the market on Saturday afternoon and I got to go to the  hairdresser to get my hair coloured. That is a bit of an adventure on its own. They didn’t speak English and I don’t speak Turkish but I have come out with hair that does not look too bad – thank goodness. Maybe we will move on tomorrow.

Now finally just a few odd photos (and I mean odd). One of Bruce, worn out after being a part of the All Black team. One of me showing how I store the pegs to hang out the washing and the final one of a bit of the local fauna – namely a lizard.

Hope this finds you all well.

Love from the Turkey Tebbutts

31/10/11 – Vessel Currently Under Negotiation

Multihull Solutions has just announced one of the most exciting brokerage listings of the year with a superb 2007 Cumberland 44 power catamaran in ‘as new’ condition and comprehensively outfitted.

The Cumberland 44, Valelevu is arguably one of the finest pre-owned Cumberland 44’s currently for sale on the world market. With a 2007 retail price of AUD$1,485,000, all offers are now being invited to purchase the catamaran at well below her original value with owners’ circumstances forcing an urgent sale.

The catamaran has been maintained to the highest standards and has had minimal use by her sole owners. Immaculately presented, Valelevu would suit a new boat buyer who recognises value and quality.

With absolutely no expenditure required, the Cumberland 44 is comprehensively optioned with everything needed for long range, coastal or blue-water cruising.

The catamaran has a remarkable array of customised additions including hard top bimini over the flybridge and extended transom steps to match Trawler’s successive model, the Cumberland 46. Other extras include Stazo Marinedeck 2000 to external decks and stairs, handmade Queensland Beech 6 seat upstairs dining table, custom upholstered outdoor seating, LG washer / dry combo, cockpit 6 seater table, watermaker, generator, blue / white underwater LED lighting – amongst many more.

The Cumberland 44 not only offers exceptional range (1000 miles at 7 knots / 400 miles at 20 knots) and outstanding sea worthiness, but the Trawler is renowned for its incomparable space (three decks totalling 120m2), style and comfort.

Offers close October 28, 2011.

Inspections and sea trials of the Cumberland 44 in Mooloolaba (Queensland) can be arranged for genuine buyers by contacting Mark Elkington at Multihull Solutions on 07 5452 5164 ,emailing mark@multihullsolutions.com.au

More Information:

For more details and full specifications please click here.

Posted: 3rd October 2011.

Hi Guys,

We had a great time with Ryan and Holly in New Caledonia. They visited for a few weeks and we explored the south lagoon and especially enjoyed the The Isle of Pines. Ryan arrived a few days ahead of Holly and we took the opportunity to visit some nearby anchorages. Twelve miles from Noumea on a small island is Amedee Lighthouse. This magnificent sight greets sailors enter the surrounding lagoon through a passage to the west. We anchored overnight and were able to climb to the top and take in the breathtaking view of the surrounding reefs and Duet below. The climb up the lighthouse was amazing but the most remarkable thing about Amedee Island is that it is home to hundreds of Tricot Rayes, striped sea snakes that spend their days at sea and arrive back to land late afternoon. They were everywhere! We had to step carefully and they are not at all shy. They have extremely poisonous venom but thankfully, although curious they are not aggressive.

Once Holly arrived we stocked up on French cheeses and paté and headed for the Isle of Pines, which is 60 miles south of Noumea at the bottom of the southern lagoon. On our sail there we were having a run of catching large tuna, I was trying for something else (anything else! I’m sick of tuna) but by number three we let him go and didn’t put the lines back in.

The scenery at Ile of Pines is picturesque with beautiful clear turquoise water. Kuto Bay on the south west corner of the island is the main anchorage and is protected from the SE trades but if a westerly springs up, a short 10 minute sail is all that is needed to find protection in Kanumera Bay which is just around the other side of a small knob of land that lies between them. There is also a hotel at Kuto Bay, which has internet so Peter arranged to be there on the days Marina Skype meetings were scheduled.

The Isle of Pines is 18km long and 14km wide so we hired a car to have a look around. The coastline is very pretty with colonial pines bordering small bays with white sand beaches. Inland there are limestone caves and old penal colony ruins. Although the island is a well known tourist destination it is remarkably undeveloped. A local cruising couple recommended a lovely beachside restaurant in the north of the island where we enjoyed a lobster lunch on the sand. We had to make a booking the day before (we actually got our French speaking friend to do that for us) and the restaurant couldn’t guarantee there would be lobster as it was dependent on whether they could catch sufficient that morning. What surprised us was that although we had to walk 10-15 minutes along a small bush track to get to the restaurant, when we arrived there, there were at least 30 other people enjoying lunch. If you have experienced the Isle of Pines you would realize that you wouldn’t normally see that many people all day let alone in one place!

On our sail back to Noumea we were entertained by a pod of breaching humpback whales. Once back in town Ryan and Holly had a few days before flying home so we explored the town, visiting the aquarium and having our daily quota of delicious cakes from Peter’s favourite shop.

A short time after the kids left, our friends Bob and Rosie joined us. We spent a few more days in Noumea and during this time we visited the recently built Cultural Centre. The building is a spectacular design, inspired by the shape of the local colonial pines that are a prominent feature of the landscape. We spent quite a bit of time both inside viewing the displays and also walking around the grounds and outside displays.

Before leaving Noumea for to the southern lagoon and Isle of Pines we once again provisioned. We enjoyed selecting from the wonderful range of cheeses available in the supermarket and we stocked up at the produce market, which is conveniently located next to the marina. Once everthing was securely stowed away we sailed out of the harbor and into the lagoon.

The route to the Isle of Pines passes many bays and islands in the southern lagoon. While in this area we planned to find a suitable place to put Duet up on the beach. We would check her underside, clean it if needed and touch up the antifoul around the waterline. Australian Quarantine is very concerned about importing foreign bugs so they are quite particular about the cleanliness of ships entering Australia. By chance we came upon a little beach and at low tide we found it to have gently sloping sand suitable for the job so we decided to beach Duet the following morning just after high tide. Fortuitously the beach had a mooring buoy out from the sand. By attaching a stern line to it we could easily pull ourselves clear of the beach once we started re-floating. Usually we put out a stern anchor to do this but a mooring buoy is much simpler. To beach Duet, we slowly edged up to the beach until we stopped in the sand. Once settled, we tied the front lines to a couple of trees on the beach and the back lines onto the mooring buoy. The back line would also stop us drifting further up the beach as the tide came in.

Peter and Bob had almost finished the job of scrubbing and pressure washing around the water line when a boat pulled up and a Park Ranger informed us that we couldn’t work on the boat there as it was a Marine Park (whoops!). However he told us of another beach not far around the corner we could go. So all work ceased for the day and we sat waiting patiently for the tide to come back in. During this time Peter and Bob took off in the dinghy to check out the new bay at low tide and see how best to beach Duet the following morning.

Once afloat we headed for the new bay, dusk was approaching as we set anchor. Come morning we repeated the procedure of beaching, however this time without the convenience of a mooring buoy and the sand wasn’t clean and white but red and sticky. Peter and Bob got busy finishing the job. For me, I had a very enjoyable day. I had a lovely paddle on my kayak around the mangroves while the men finished the antifouling, I don’t normally get out of antifouling the boat so I really appreciated having Bob there doing my share of the work.

The next day we continued to the Isle of Pines catching a tuna on the way, which we enjoyed as fresh sashimi with our sundowners. Our time there was very relaxing with leisurely walks and lot of reading. We dodged a few tricot rayes as we wandered around the knob of coastline between the two bays.

Bob stayed with us for our passage back to Australia but Rosie flew home and to meet us at the other end in Bundaberg. We headed back to Noumea and the following day she caught an early morning bus to the airport which is about 50km out of town.

Our plan was to sit and wait for a suitable weather window, however it turned out that the weather looked quite suitable for the passage back to Australia anytime in the next few days. So we set about the process of clearing out of New Caledonia. Once we had completed the paperwork at three different government offices we were then free to leave.

The 6-day passage was very calm. It was so calm in fact that we ran the motor for 5 ½ of the 6 days. It was like sitting in a lounge room. We did cryptic crosswords and read a lot of books. Everything went smoothly at the Port of Bundaberg at Burnett Heads where we cleared into Australia. Customs and Quarantine were pleasant and quarantine very thorough. They went through every cupboard and bilge on the boat to check for insect pests and restricted foodstuff. As expected they took any fresh fruit, veg, eggs and meat whether cooked or not. They also took seeds and beans such as lentils, mung beans and popping corn etc. Dairy product packaged in Australia , NZ or Europe were OK. It cost us $330 for the privilege of clearing into Australia. No other country we have come across charges like this. We were thankful that the passage didn’t take an extra day because it was double that amount to arrive on Saturday or Sunday. And as it is illegal to anchor before clearing in, so you can’t just anchor and wait until Monday, there would be no choice but to pay the exorbitant weekend rates.

We have always enjoyed spending time in the town of Bundaberg after winding our way up the river. So we decided to do that again before we headed south and back to Mooloolaba. It took about an hour and a half to get to town where we met Rosie.

It was a shock to see the results of the floods from last summer. The marina was pretty much washed away and there were only a fraction of the number of moorings in the river. We spent a few days in the river before Bob and Rosie headed off to continue their holiday further north on Magnetic Island.

The weather had been a bit blowy while in the river but after Bob and Rosie left, the forecast for the following day was to be more settled. So in the afternoon Duet made her way down to Burnett Heads at the river mouth in preparation for the trip south to Fraser Island.

It took us two days to sail from there to the Wide Bay Bar. We firstly sailed south through Harvey Bay watching humpback whale leap out of the water ahead of us. We reached the straits after about 6 hours. The straits consist of winding channels running between the west coast of Fraser Island and the mainland. The channels are all marked but there is much shallow ground and the navigation keeps you on your toes.

The Wide Bay Bar is at the southern end of Fraser Island, where it comes very close to the main land and a lot of water moves in and out with the tide at this point. The bar can be dangerous and has caused many boats to come to grief, so we always give it due care. We wait for reasonably calm seas and choose the time of the tide, which ideally is in the three hours leading up to high tide. Conveniently it was high tide at 10am so 7am saw us heading out with a line up of at least eight other boats heading south. The sea was quite calm so the bar was no problem and we had a pleasant sail down the coast past Noosa and arrived back in Mooloolaba at around 5pm. Ryan was there to greet us and take our lines just as he had been there to cast them off two years earlier.

So here we are back in Mooloolaba after an amazing two years sailing the South Pacific. When I think of the places we have visited and the people we have met, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we would experience such an adventure. But life is short and I am so glad that we made the life changing decision to buy Duet and embark on this extraordinary journey.

The link to Skipr showing Duet’s position is here:

http://skipr.net/whereis/public-page/

Bye for now love

Val & Peter

Catana’s latest model, the Catana 59, has captured worldwide attention with its unique design that revolutionises recreational catamarans.

With more than 26 years of experience and the help of several established firms of naval architects, the Catana 59 is a tour de force with incredibly streamlined hulls, a classically elegant design and astounding performance.

The sail plan is borrowed from racing vessels with a short mainsail that is easy to manage and a larger foresail. Moving away from the legendary daggerboards that made the Catana shipyard’s name, this catamaran is fitted with revolutionary curved daggerboards to create a hydrofoil effect. The result is an extremely safe and comfortable boat that achieves astonishing acceleration and an extraordinary cruising speed.

Catana is one of the world’s few recreational shipyards that use carbon fibre in the construction of cruising catamarans. This carbon infusion technique considerably lightens the boat and makes it more resistant, resulting in a highly responsive boat that slices through the water at speed.

Designed by Chantier Catana Architects, the catamaran is reassuringly strong due its Twaron-Impact construction process. Premium quality aramid fibre is used which is ten times more resistant to perforation than traditional fibreglass.

The catamaran’s hulls were specifically designed to deliver impressive speeds while effortlessly accommodating a staggering range of equipment including refrigerator, freezer, desalination equipment, generator, oven, washing machine, dishwasher, wine cellar, television, air-conditioning, heating, diving compressor and much more!

Its incredible stability on water, due to its 59 feet and significant headroom under the nacelle, is complemented by its astonishing maneuverability. The instruments are all located in the cockpit with the toerails, lifelines and handrails designed for easy, unrestricted movement. Visibility has also been a major focus of attention. The unobstructed 360° view from the cockpit, steering position, chart table and even the salon, guarantees an unparalleled level of safety and comfort.

Equal attention has been accorded to the layout of the Catana 59′s interior. The cockpit and saloon are on the same level, with a central area which can be extended into either zone to make space for a large table. The gourmet galley is astonishing with its central island bench, two refrigerators, freezer, oven, hob, dishwasher and expansive work surfaces.

A great deal more generous in size than its illustrious predecessor, the Catana 59 has three large cabins and a helmsman’s cabin that can be used as a fourth passenger cabin; the passageways and cabins are more spacious and have more storage space to provide greater comfort on a long-distance voyage.

The Catana 59 is priced from AUD$1,935,000 (ex factory).

Multihull Solutions is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand importer and distributor of Catana Catamarans. The company is also the exclusive representative for many of the world’s leading brands including Fountaine Pajot, Trawler power catamarans, Sunreef Yachts, Journey and NEEL Trimarans. The extensive choice of style, design and features across the company’s range of brands ensure that clients can find the perfect multihull to suit their exact requirements and budget.

Catana 59: Specifications

Architect: Chantier Catana
Overall length: 58,73 ft
Beam: 31,14 ft
Light displacement: 18,9 T
Draft boards up: 1,56 m
Draft boards down: 3,75 m
Mast clearance: 26,47 m
Mast length: 24,06 m
Main sail area: 115 m²
Genoa area: 82 m²
Solent area: 63 m²
Gennaker area: 121 m²
Light Genoa area: 105 m²
Engines power: 2 x 110 cv
Fresh water capacity: 2 x 400 l
Fuel capacity: 2 x 400 l
Refrigerator capacity: 2 x 130 l

For more information please visit the Catana 59 page on our website or contact us at any time to discuss this vessel further.

Day 1 - Amazing whale breaching off Airlie Beach

The 2011 Multihull Solutions Sponsored Whitsunday Rendezvous has been hailed a roaring success with boats and crews already making plans  for next year’s event.

Thank you to all those that participated and contributed to the success of this event!

2012 event details to be posted shortly. To be the first to know follow us on facebook.

Click here to read the full wrap up and view the photo gallery.

Posted: 27th September 2011.

Owners of a Lipari 41 “In Tune”, David and Louise (Lucy) Solomons report their stories of cruising The Mediterranean  with good friends Coralie and Allan Davis owners of a Lipari 41 “Whiskers”. Both couples purchased their cats from Australia and took up the “factory pickup” option which saw them venture to the Fountaine Pajot factory in La Rochelle, France to collect their boats. They have been enjoying some amazing experiences since.

Here is the latest update from Lucy …

Hi Everyone,

Huge apologies for taking so long to keep you up to date. As the weeks have turned into months it has been harder and harder to get started – condensing the last 12 weeks was a bit of a daunting task

Thankfully most of you have been receiving brief up dates from time to time so you will know that we are still in good health and enjoying ourselves — mostly.

At the end of “Tuning In “ Episode 7 – which was around June27th – we were about to leave Menorca in the Baleares to travel to Alghero in Sardinia. We are on our own now since‘ Whiskers’ is still in Mallorca. They are enjoying a visit with their son and family and will follow us as soon as they can.

So – off to Sardinia.

The weather looks calm for our 35 hour trip and we set off at 5.30 am. After motor sailing most of the first day we eventually manage 6 hours of good sailing without motors. I must admit, I don’t mind the lack of wind, it is much more relaxing – especially at night.

We are excited to see quite a few flying fish – they rise up about a meter above the water and can travel a good 50 metres or more. Lots of tuna also entertain us for hours, as they leap bodily out of the water. David puts out a lure hoping to catch dinner.

By evening all is very quiet and a 360 degree panorama of the horizons shows – nothing. We see very few other boats on our crossing.

The morning sun peeps up into a cloudless sky. The June weather is much warmer now – only three layers on last night and no red jacket.

Sardinia comes into view — “ Wow cliffs and mountains even higher than Mallorca!”

Porto Conti is our first stop. (photo). It is a wide bay with lots of places to anchor and only an hours bus ride to Alghero. It is a good place to wait for our first visitors.

We drop our anchor near a lovely little inlet in the cliffs which has a small café called Dragunara and take our dinghy ashore to explore the famous Neptune’s Grotto. This is an amazing limestone cave at sea level with 640 steps leading down to it from the cliff top ( we counted them on the way back up) It was well worth the effort – the underground caverns remind us of scenes from Phantom of the Opera.

After treating ourselves to a Magnum at the café, we hop back in the dinghy to return to ‘IT’. David feels like some more exercise and decides to row.

Mid-stroke he freezes … “ There’s a man on our boat!” I look up and spot two men ….. no ….. three men !!

I have never seen David react so quickly – he drops the oars and yanks our outboard with such force it wouldn’t dare not respond. It roars into action but as we come closer we see four men. We also notice that “IT’ has moved a good 100m out into the bay.

“ We are dragging the anchor !” calls David. Alarm is replaced by relief as the reason for our intruders becomes very obvious. Three dinghies are tied up behind ’IT’

All four men are huddled over our anchor locker until one spots us. They come to the back of the boat and help us tie up and begin telling us – in French – what they were doing. With mostly pointing and sign language, we work out that they have been trying to let out more anchor chain hoping to stop it from dragging, but couldn‘t figure out how to first retrieve the bridle. Apparently, this is a common spot for anchors to drag since the water is deep and the bottom mostly covered in weed.

We thank them profusely as we start up the motors and look for a sandy spot. Again we are impressed by the camaraderie and helpfulness that exists among the yachting community. There are only three other yachts in the bay – all have come to the rescue. I hope David has enough cold beers!

Brad and Erika join us a few days later – we have rain for the first time in months but it soon clears. Unfortunately they have only 6 days – so instead of rushing on a passage we decide to sail south down to Bosa. I am very happy to let Brad take over ‘crew’ duties and David is delighted to have such a keen and willing ‘student’.

It is fun to just sail for pleasure without having to rush to get to a particular anchorage.

Bosa is essentially a town of fishermen and farmers and is therefore especially charming because it is not at all touristy. An afternoon walk on shore certainly confirms this. The long beach is literally covered in different coloured umbrellas from the local people. Most are family groups and we enjoy watching the children and adults frolic in the wave-less shallows, many wielding racquets and splashing after balls and inflatable toys. Shrieks of pleasure drift towards us from teenagers playing ‘dodgems’ in two paddle boats.

We decide to stay another day.

The week passes too quickly – fortunately we have some very hot days ( these have been rare) and Brad and Rik have a chance to enjoy some welcome swimming in the lovely clear water.

Our next visitors – David’s brother Louis and his wife Michele arrive in about a week, so we need to leave Porto Conte immediately to sail around the northern end of Sardinia to Olbia where we have organized to meet them.

Unfortunately the wind is wrong again – we try to tack but it is taking too long so we end up mostly motoring again with the wind on the nose. We stop at Piana Island for the night and then move on to Baia Reparata at Capo Testa on the northern eastern tip.

The forecast tells us that a very strong westerly wind (mistral ) is coming and this is an anchorage with very good holding in the sand so will be a good place to shelter.

I wake next morning to stormy skies and seas to match. Staggering upstairs, a bit like a drunk, holding on to anything I can for support, I gaze wistfully out to shore. Waves are crashing onto the beach sending up plumes of spray – there goes my chance for “shore-leave”!

David gives me a disapproving look when I suggest getting the dinghy down. I realize that if we don’t get soaked motoring or rowing to shore the chances of getting out onto the beach without a dunking are pretty slim.

Already feeling a little queasy – I resign myself to an “ In Day“.

The following day, the weather settles and I do have a chance to explore this very historic area where the Roman town of Tibula once stood. A sandy path leads me through an amazing area of magnificently sculptured rock eroded by wind and water and formed into incredible shapes. For a rock-lover, like myself, this is Heaven.

The winds finally look favourable and we move on through the national park area of the Maddalena island group.

“ This is the best day yet !” enthuses David “ We’ve sailed nearly the whole day – often at 8 knots and the scenery is as good as any we’ve seen.”

I have to agree. The archipelago is made up of seven major islands of which only Maddalena is inhabited. It is a lovely natural environment with a splendid harmony of colours between buildings, water and land. This will be a very good area to take our next visitors. There are also plenty of places to anchor with lots of bays and inlets and lovely beaches as well as towns with supermarkets where we can pick up supplies.

We sail all the way into the Golfe de Arzachena and anchor behind the tiny island of Zui Paulu. It is beautifully still and after a swim we dinghy to shore.

A walk along the foreshore past the village only improves our impressions of Sardinia. A real effort has been made to limit modern development and each village seems to have its own unique style of architecture with buildings constructed using local natural woods and granite columns. The colours, curves and archways blend naturally with the surrounding rocks, cliffs and forests. Carefully tended gardens, enhanced with natural stone and timber, rest behind fences and gates fashioned out of polished driftwood and twisted tree trunks. Purple bougainvillea drape over verandahs to meet pots of bright geraniums and petunias.

It is wonderful to see the respect given to the surrounding landscape. Nothing is garish – nothing stands out. This uniformity may sound boring but it achieves a genuine regard for the surrounding countryside as everything blends in harmony.

I stand and stare and absorb and take lots of photos.

We arrive in Olbia and anchor in the harbour until a place becomes available on the commercial quay, which is free but has no electricity or water.

Louis and Michele join us the following day in a rare rain storm. This is not so good when carting heavy luggage but is certainly welcomed by the yachties who are out in force with brooms and brushes cleaning down their decks.

Poor weather keeps us on the quay for a few days but Olbia is quite interesting and there is still a lot of tourist activity happening. Street stalls and booths selling everything from food to carved out grammar lamps, hand-made jewellery, toys and smoking statues line the main street. Louis is very happy to find a large number of gelato shops. There is also a large supermarket a short walk away which makes re-supplying very easy.

With improved weather we slowly head north back towards the Maddalina Islands via the beautiful, very indented coastline of Costa Smeralda and take our time enjoying days of sailing and swimming and walks. We go as far as Liscia – a wide bay which must have a reputation for consistent winds. I count over 50 kite surfers at one point and as many wind-surfers – who delight in going as close to us as possible.

This is where Whiskers catches up with us and we have a lovely and very special, family re-union.

After Michele and Louis leave Olbia we have nearly three weeks to fill in before our next visitors arrive.

Corsica is only a short sail from Liscia and apparently the medieval town of Bonifacio is a must see. So after re-stocking with food, our two boats head north again.

With excellent conditions we manage to sail most of the way and marvel at the majestic buildings clinging precariously to the cliff overhang. We are certainly not disappointed.

“If you dig down through the floor of those buildings you would finish up in mid air,” points out Allan.

The harbour entrance comes into view so we put down our sails and prepare to enter the very narrow opening – along with a number of other vessels as well as ones coming out. This is an experience we will always remember!

It is peak season and absolutely full of yachts and pleasure cruisers. Four yachts reach the narrow entrance at the same time. We all move into single file as the passage narrows even further. All goes well until a 40m cruiser pulls out in front of us and everything stops abruptly – causing a traffic jam. We are packed on all sides with fenders and Coralie and I race around checking distance between us and encroaching craft – ready to push them off.

That one passes and soon another -even larger – does the same.

David and Allan do a marvelous job of maneuvering our boats to miss everything and even manage an expert, on-the-spot, pivot turn at the end of the marina to allow us to go back out.

Somehow, it is a little less congested and as Coralie and I stand on the front decks with camera in one hand and a defensive fender in the other, we can’t stop grinning.

The harbour is truly amazing with cafes and shops lining the waterfront. Ancient ramparts and defensive walls and towers stretch up behind. We are determined to come back here.

This we manage the following day.

After anchoring around the corner in the Golfe de Sant’ Amanza, Coralie, David and I take a taxi back into the town. The weather is perfect and we spend the day enjoying what we consider to be one of the most beautiful and interesting places we have ever seen. Even the 8 kilometre walk back, when there are no available taxis, does not dampen our impressions.

Our next stop is Porto Vecchio which also has a medieval section as well as a good shopping centre. We stay for three days but mainly due to bad weather.

After discussing things with Coralie and Allan we feel it will be too much of a rush trying to get up the east coast to Elba – which was the original plan – so we head back down south and up the west coast to Propriano where it is more sheltered. Here we book a bus tour to take us inland to the mountain village of Bavello.

The sales girl assures us that it is a lovely, two and a half hour trip through small villages and beautiful scenery – this sounds like a great way to see some of Corcisa‘s interior..

We are the only four passengers on the 12 seater bus and fortunately, I am able to sit up front because the bus is soon twisting and winding up the steep mountain road. The countryside is spectacular and would rival any we have seen. I am already loving Corsica but now I am completely hooked.

I try to take some video but this is impossible. We had not counted on the ‘grand-prix’ aspirations of our maniacal driver. As if in a race, he speeds up, then rams on the brakes at every turn, then accelerates away again – you can smell the brakes as they ‘cook‘.“

We hold our breath many times – sometimes in awe of the huge mountain peaks but mostly in angst and horror as we are thrown around another twisty corner and our eyes are forced onto the road rather than on the spectacular scenery.

Then his mobile rings.

With mouths open, we gape in disbelief – somehow, he manages to steer and change gears ….. one handed…..!!

A few prayers go up!

All is soon forgotten when we reach the idyllic mountain setting of Bavella. It is not really a village – just a few tasteful shops – one a bar and restaurant of course – and a few old wooden cabins where people can stay. It is a walkers’ paradise and part of a long walking trail that stretches down Corsica.

David and I manage to fit in a wonderfully enjoyable 2 hour walk through the splendid rocks and alpine forest.

Allan has not been too well so he and Coralie are happy to relax and take in the atmosphere.

Then we have the downhill bus trip back ……… which is now over full ….. no time here to tell that tale. ….. ……..we do eventually make it back!

All in all though, it has been a great day and another hi-light for us.

From Propriano we have a lovely sail back to Sardinia but then have to say a sad farewell to Whiskers.

Allan and Coralie have to be back in Oz so they will sail south to Tunisia where they will leave ‘Whiskers’ then return to Oz.

Meanwhile, we have more visitors coming – this time our two sons Mark and Ian and daughter-in-law, Jaimie. It will be a rare and very special time for us having our whole family here at one time and in this situation. We are very appreciative and excited as we make our way back to Olbia.

The boys sailed our ‘Flying Ant’ (‘Runaway’ ) for many years and are very keen to test out ‘IT’s capabilities. Fortunately Jaimie is coping well with the sea-sickness and is handling the sailing very well.

Ian only has a week with us and is allowed to be ‘Captain’ the first week. His last day sees some unexpected excitement however.

We shelter in Porto di Cugnano expecting a mistral during the night. At 3am. we hear the winds crank up and David gets up to check our anchor.

“All hands on deck!!!!” has us up in seconds !!!

It is pitch black but I see the buoys marking the beach lapping our stern.

“ We are dragging” yells David as he starts the motors. I turn the instruments on and man the helm while David grabs the anchor control. We are very grateful for the extra eyes as the kids run around with torches and relay information. I can neither see David at the anchor or hear his directions above the wind.

Getting the anchor up in strong wind and waves can be tricky at any time but managing in 35 knots in the pitch black is another experience altogether.

The beach and rocks are far too close.

As David winds in the anchor I work the poor motors flat out to keep us off the beach.. We have a lot of chain out and it seems to take forever to wind it in as the boat lurches and pitches.

Finally the anchor is up and the kids torches guide us across the bay.

We pick a spot safely away from neighbouring boats and David drops the anchor again while I struggle to keep us straight in the wind. I pray that we will hold and not drag again. I push the motors in reverse – — we hold.

No more sleep tonight though.

Ian reluctantly leaves us – we wish he could stay but he is due to transfer to Chicago in a few weeks with lots to do. Fortunately, Mark and Jaimie still have two weeks and this is enough time to go back to Corsica and to show them Bonifacio. We set off immediately.

With the main tourist season over we actually manage to get a berth in the marina at only 62 Euro ( about $80) per night. We stay three nights and experience the most incredible electric storm we have ever seen.

The lightning is continuous and the wind whips the torrential rain in sheets as we batten down the hatches and watch in awe. Like most storms – it passes quickly and after an hour or so the clouds disperse. Everything feels shiny and clean as puddles reflect the lights.

This photo show us in the marina – we are in the catamaran in the center. This photo at the top of the page shows us on the cliff top looking along the Corcican coastline.

It is with reluctance that we leave this incredible place but the bay of Rondinara around the corner has another beauty. Unbelievably clear, turquoise water and lovely sandy beaches for swimming and snorkeling – plus a very nice café/restaurant on shore entice us to stay for another three relaxing days. We are also waiting for good winds to sail us back to Sardinia.

The time passes too quickly and soon we are back in Olbia to farewell Mark and Jaimie. It is sad to see them go and the boat feels strangely ‘quiet’ without them but in the evening we are gratefully distracted from our new ‘aloneness’ when another Aussie boat, on the quay, invites us over for evening drinks.

We also meet a lovely UK couple and while we chat, another Aussie boat arrives.

The following morning, a New Zealand couple knock on the hull to say ‘hello’.

Of the 8 boats on the quay half are Aus/NZ . As you can imagine there is a lot of empathic, exchanging of experiences and helpful information happening. We are also, all heading in the same direction and will keep meeting along the way.

Our focus now is getting ‘IT’ to Tunisia. ‘Whiskers’ is there of-course though Coralie and Allan arrived back in Oz.

We are not rushing – just going with the weather . On our way to Arbatax we even stay ‘becalmed’ for over an hour – it is lovely and instead of David getting frustrated, as he often does, he relaxes and plays his guitar and we sing. His determination not to motor lasts until we began drifting backwards, then the motors have to go on. We also need the motors on to run the water maker – so we don’t mind.

Suddenly – peace changes to action ! ….. … we are jolted out of our relaxed mood rather abruptly …… I’ll let David tell this story.

“Where has all the water gone? “

We always try to keep our water tank topped up and so we run our water maker when we can, usually when we are running the motor(s). On this particular occasion, after having filled the tank, Lucy announced that we had no water. “Impossible” I said, feeling really confident on this one, but certainly no water came out of the tap when I turned it on, so I thought perhaps the water pump had failed. However the water gauge which was showing ‘full’ was now showing empty – not a good sign. I started checking all the hulls for water, then the starboard engine compartment, and finally, there it was, the port engine compartment had 520 litres of water sloshing around in it. About a 1/3rd of the engine was covered but it was still chugging merrily away, my main concern was for the alternator and other electrics. We turned off the engine immediately. This is when we discovered that the manual bilge pump is very effective at removing water from unwanted places. We dried everything out for a few hours, and then thankfully, the motor started and ran normally. Phew!

We could also see the problem. The deck shower hose runs through the port engine compartment and the hose had burst at the base of the nozzle. I must have over pressurised the system when I filled the water tank, and that was the weak point. Another lesson learnt and a bit of excitement for the day.

Speaking of weather – it has been very, very pleasant with very few really hot days over 30 degrees. It is starting to get cooler now though and the days are becoming considerably shorter but the water is still very pleasant and we are still trying to swim every day.

Another bonus has been the lack of flies and we have only had the occasional mosquito.

The mistrals however, are becoming more frequent it seems and a 40+ wind has been forecast – the worst one yet. It seems that we will be forced to stay in the marina at Arbatax for a few days. This could be good since it will give us a chance to leave the boat and do some interior exploring.

I will leave it here and talk about these events next ‘episode’. There should be lots of time to write when “In Tune” is resting in Tunisia.

We plan go via Sicily and be there around 10th Oct. and have booked a UK service company to meet us and help us with any entry formalities etc.

We hope to be there for three months – plans after that are sketchy – we have a few options …… but more about those when I write again.

Our Italian dongle runs out on 29th Sept. and we may have trouble renewing it so we may not be able to contact you too easily until after we get to Tunisia. Hopefully we can get another dongle there. Otherwise we’ll be using wifi places or internet cafes.

I have added a few photos as an attachment – too many take too long to download. When Erica was here she set up a photo album for us but I am a bit behind in editing and adding the latest – we are working on it today – hopefully it will be finished soon and we can send you the link. I really wanted to get this sent off.

So the adventure continues. We have seen some wonderful places and met some great people. Many more doubts and uncertainties have been put in the ‘experience-box’ and we have grown in confidence, easiness and courage and have learnt a lot more about ourselves and each other in the process.

We do think about the future and try to make plans but inevitably things happen to change them. Happily, this no longer causes the drama it once did.

Although incredibly challenging, for us both, this journey has been and will continue to be, an amazing learning experience.

Hope this finds you all well, happy and in a good space.

It may not always seem like it but ALL of you are in our thoughts at some time and we always value hearing from you.

Love, light, peace and warmest wishes be with you always,

David and Lucy – Louise

Innovative trimaran builder NEEL has produced an exciting new model, the NEEL 45, which has been greeted with enthusiasm from international multihull enthusiasts.

Designed and constructed after NEEL’s three decades of sailing and ship building experience, the new NEEL 45 is the ultimate fast cruising trimaran which is easy to handle, intrinsically impressive, comfortable and built according to the highest safety standards.

In keeping with its predecessor, the NEEL 50, the new trimaran is distinguished by its original design, particularly its use of space and light, modern design, loft look, storage areas, speed, safety and comfort at sea.

The NEEL 45 has retained the same optimal level of privacy in its cabins, as well as independence for owner and crew who have well-separated accommodation.

The NEEL 45 has been designed with an emphasis on innovation to improve overall performance. The reversed bows reduce pitching and maximise the trimaran’s waterline length. The new trimaran features a unique layout, different to traditional trimarans. Its two wings are connected by the living area which accommodates the galley, spacious saloon and cockpit.

The NEEL 45 is available in two versions. The Owner’s Version is a remarkable liveaboard or cruising trimaran that comprises a sleek Owner’s cabin with private bathroom plus two double bedrooms, additional bathroom and extensive storage capacity. The Charter Version can accommodate 12 guests in five cabins.

Multihull Solutions is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand importer and distributor of NEEL Trimarans. The company is also the exclusive distributor of many of the world’s leading brands including Fountaine Pajot, Trawler power catamarans, Sunreef Yachts, Journey and Catana Catamarans, ensuring it has the range and experience to offer clients the perfect multihull to suit their budget and requirements.

NEEL 45 Specifications

L.O.A. – 44.26 ft

Beam – 27.86 ft

Draft – 3.6 ft

Full Load Displacement – 6.5 tonnes

Main Sail Area – 645 sq ft

Genoa Area – 494 sq ft / Trinquette area – 215 sq ft

Engines – 40 hp

Fuel/Diesel – 400 litres

Freshwater – 530 litres

Further information can be obtained by visiting our NEEL 45 web page or by contacting us.

If you would like to own a boat but you simply do not have the time and resource to utilise and maintain your vessel all year round, then a share in a boat syndicate may suit you.

Unlike timeshare arrangements, you actually own a share in your boat and also share the usage, maintenance and running costs. Boat share or syndication takes the hassle out of 100% boat ownership and has great appeal for those who are time poor but want the luxury and freedom of using their boat, knowing it is always ready to step aboard.

We would like to present you with an exciting opportunity to secure a share in the first syndicate offered by Multihull Solutions. The catamaran being offered is a fully optioned Fountaine Pajot Lipari 41 (Owner’s version), one of the company’s most popular models ever produced. A breakdown of options and prices, as well as the Lipari 41′s Standard Inventory can be obtained on request.

There are six shares per boat available, at AUD$107,000 including GST per share. There is no limit to the amount of shares that you can purchase. Each share includes eight weeks of Member’s Use, with each allocation divided equally between seasons ensuring that all syndicate members are treated to a fair share across sailing seasons. A maintenance program occupies the catamaran for approximately four weeks per year to carry out standard procedures such as engine servicing, antifouling, general maintenance. This maintenance program will be spread over the year and during the low season.

To proceed with securing your share of the Lipari 41, we require a 10% deposit of AUD$10,700 per share to confirm your intention to take up the option. Syndicate Enrolment Form can be sent on request. In the event the syndicate cannot be filled within the time frame (deadline 31 October 2011), deposits will be refunded in full.

Once the syndicate is full, we will arrange a meeting for the syndicate members, at which point we will discuss any modifications in options (if required), berthing arrangements, and also the management of the syndicate. There are a number of options for the syndicate management, including a third-party management structure or a “syndicate self-management” arrangement operated by a member who is interested in nominating for this role. This decision would be made as a group at this meeting.

In order to allow this syndicate to operate at the lowest possible running cost, Multihull Solutions will have no involvement in the future management of the syndicate, nor will there be any hidden fees, apart from the boat purchase as detailed. Multihull Solutions is committed to providing optimal after-sales support and advice to ensure all members gain full understanding and appreciation of the Lipari 41′s operation and performance.

For more details or to obtain a Syndicate Enrolment Form and Lipari 41 Specifications, please contact Rachel Haynes on tollfree within Australia on 1300 855 338 or international +61 7 5452 5164 or email Rachel.

For more information on the Lipari 41 click here.

Posted: 17 September 2011

Yasas everyone from Crete. Yay – at last an island you all recognise the name of. Since we last emailed you we visited a little island of Elafonnissos which had the most beautiful white sand and clear water but unfortunately did have a bit of a roll coming in which was just as well as we may have stayed there too long otherwise. Good to take an amble up some sand dunes though. We had a good sail to here from the harbour of Monemvasia where we finished up at the end of our last meandering. This included rounding from east to west Ak Maleas into the Southern Ionian. This is a cape with a fearsome reputation and boats can spend several weeks anchored at Elafonnissos waiting for favourable winds to continue their passage west. It was very meek as we rounded on a clear sunny day with light winds and calm seas. Next up was Nisos Kithera and we anchored in a place called Dhiakofti. Bit disconcerting though when you are anchored right in front of a wreck of a ship that got its navigation horribly wrong and ploughed straight up onto rocks!

Next, further south along the coast, was a lovely little spot to anchor called Avelomona Limani – our sort of village. Typical Greek  village, right on the water, small and beautiful. We wandered around, looking at the grapes in people’s front gardens, looking at the interesting ways they had decorated their front fences (with pumpkins) and of course having to force ourselves to go out to dinner there. The local ladies do not have coffee groups here, they bob about in the water with their sunhats on, chatting merrily for ages. Must end up like wrinkled up little prunes when they get out.

Next was the lovely little harbour called Kapsali on the southern end of the island, with yet another walk up to yet another church with a lovely view out over the harbour and then it was off on our adventure to Crete, 60nm to the south. Our first stop on Crete was at Hania which used to be the capital but that has now switched to Iraklion. Hania has an old Venetian port and pretty little narrow streets that house lovely little touristy shops but hey guess where we had to tie up to – on the town wall, right next to the loudest bar in Crete that played their music all night and even when we got up for breakfast in the morning they still had customers.

We got all excited when we tied up at Hania because three boats along was a Kiwi boat tied up there and we had not seen another Antipodean boat for months. Unfortunately they must have hired a car and gone touring because for the two days that we were there, we never saw hide nor hair of them but we were tied up between two Greek yachts that were very friendly and helpful. On one side we had Erasmus, a beautifully sculpted young Greek sailor on his little keeler and on the other side, we had Odyssey (actually we think that may have been his boat’s name but something got a bit lost in translation). Well Odyssey was a bit of a hardcase and did offer to buy me off Bruce when he had finished with me because he reckoned his wife was not much use on the boat and not a good cook (good in bed though but apparently 1 out of 3 is not good enough)! This was not the most comfortable of harbours either as when the wind blew from the NW, which it does most of the time, it sends a surge rolling right through the harbour. This happened while we were there and it was not comfortable at all. The monohulls were rolling around all over the place. Good reason to be in a catamaran. 2 days here at a cost of 25 Euros though was pretty good including power.

Our next stop was at a small bay just outside of the port of Souda. This is a Greek naval and airforce base that is being currently used by NATO forces. The bay where we anchored used to be off limits but has now been made available to boaties. It was a lovely sheltered spot with clear water and anchored in about 4mtrs of water. However the radio was full of official chatter, “Souda Bay pilot this warship 61 etc (no answer from the pilot so repeated many times then when the pilot did answer the warship ignored him)” and airforce jets taking off and landing at the airfield just over the hill and roaring off into the atmosphere. Also regularly getting messages via the VHF telling us about the coalition forces and the powers they have and how we must obey all instructions etc issued by them.

All very entertaining to a couple of kiwis that never see or hear this type of thing in our part of the world. Our next port of call was Rethymno and hallelujah we tied up next to an Australian boat, Shirley Valentine with Craig and Lesley (what a good name) on board. Here we tied up in the marina, nobody to take your lines and you tie up stern to picking up lazy lines that are attached to permanent mooring lines. Well the mooring line was too short so after much manouvering we managed to get one of our lines through the loop and eventually we were well secured. This turned out to be another Greek Marina that is not fully operational although we did have power and water. All for the grand price of 42.50 Euro for a week! If only they were all like this. Craig can’t be a real Aussie as he does not drink much and he does not follow sports and his wife Lesley is Scottish but has lived in Australia for the last twenty years and still sounds as if she has only just left her homeland except when she would greet us with “Gidday mate” in the best Aussie twang. Well we had great fun with the two of them for three days. We hired a car and went adventuring in our little Hyundai Getz that Bruce drove around the mountain roads like it was an off roader. “Look at that down there” Craig would say frequently. Not me, I am not looking at anything way down those mountain sides but Bruce would try to look AND HE WAS DRIVING!!! Oh lordy I swear I have got more grey hairs.

We visited Knossoss, an ancient ruined Minoan palace dating from 6000 BC where they had recreated some of the beautiful wall paintings. In our little touring of the mountain villages we stopped at one and as we were wandering through this little old lady beckoned us in to her little café. Well it had about two tables inside and three outside, looking over the valley, where we sat and had little espresso cups of strong, sweet coffee (strong enough to put hairs on your chest) plus she gave us biscotti as well as some local cheese for free. She bought out some crochet work she had done and we asked how much she would sell it for (all this done with her speaking no English and us with about six Greek words). We got the gist of how long it took her to make these little crocheted head covering thingies but thought the 40 Euros each she was charging was a bit much so declined to buy them, much to her dismay. We thought she was a very enterprising little old Greek lady until we went further on in our travels to see the same crocheted thingies in a shop for 12 Euros! Here was us thinking she was such a sweet little old lady.

Our next stop was the Holy Monastery of Arkadi, originally built in the 13th century, but what we saw was the rebuilt monastery, built in the 1800’s. It is famous for the heroism of inhabitants in the Cretan Revolution against the Turks in 1866 when a large group died under their own hands, rather than be taken by the Turks. All that gruesome stuff aside, it was a very beautiful, peaceful place with a lovely little church. It made me laugh to see a little old nun remonstrating with a Greek lady taking photos of the icons in the church, right in front of the big sign that said the photo taking was prohibited. More beautiful grapes were hanging there and I am sure they were meant to feed the monks and nuns that lived and worked there but Bruce still had to try and sample them!

Our thoughts returned to home with the opening of the Rugby World Cup. We saw some of the opening spectacular on the internet and of course listened to the opening game and it was pleasing to see that NZ turned on such a magnificent spectacle, even if Auckland’s transport system did let us down. We went into a bar where we are at the moment, to watch the All Blacks annihilate Japan.

Seemed so weird sitting there with the sun blazing down outside, watching the All Blacks play at home, in the company of the English bar maid, the grumpy Greek owner of the café/bar and comments from the odd passer-by that understood what was playing on the TV. For me I got my kicks out of watching the adverts before the game and in half time. Shows how long it is since we have had TV to watch. Here is a photo of Bruce watching rugby – greek style minus the beer which he did have in the second half. (Please note Dr Nigel that my drink is the fresh squeezed orange juice whilst he-who-has-the-diabetes, has a frappe coffee WITH icecream WITH whipped cream WITH chocolate sauce on top of that!). He has been back today to watch the Wallabies lose to Ireland but I didn’t go this time so goodness only knows what he had to drink without my eagle-eyed supervision.

So that brings us to where we are now, in the Spinalonga lagoon, off the town of Eloundra. What a pretty spot and so sheltered. We visited Spinalonga Island itself today, which housed the most important defensive sea fortress in the Mediterranean in the late 16th Century. At the beginning of this century, it housed a Leper colony. If any of you have read “The Island” by Victoria Hislop, it is based here. (Good book by the way). We went by little local boat which was fun.

Had to put in here, Bruce’s good panoramic shot of the bay. The following are photos of the fortress, including a shot of Bruce pretending to make use of one of the guard posts as a loo and a shot of some of the medical bits from the leper colony for my rellies with medical backgrounds.

Well that is about all for now. Hope everyone is well and enjoying the feast of rugby. We will be in Crete for a couple more days and then off to Rhodes before returning to Turkey – well within our legal limit of time this year.

All the best Lesley and Bruce

PS: Ohhhhh Dingo Deans, sorry but your team looked a little out of sorts today. Great effort by the Irish but they didn’t have too many clues when it came to scoring tries either. Go the ASB’s!

If you are looking for a great deal on a marina berth in a prime location, your search is over! Located in pole position in beautiful Mooloolaba Marina, this multihull berth won’t be on the market for long.

Enjoy easy access to your boat with the Sunshine Coast Airport just 15 minutes drive and Brisbane airport just 50 minutes away. This outstanding location offers an extremely protected harbour with easy access in most weather conditions.

On the opposite side of Mooloolaba’s Spit you can enjoy a swim at the protected surf beach just two minutes walk from your boat, or take an easy five minute stroll to the centre of Mooloolaba’s cosmopolitan shopping and cafe strip.

Details:

• This is an 18m x 8.9m berth, located at E18 at Mooloolaba Marina, making it perfect for a multihull.
• 15 years left of the lease (expires on the 28/06/2026). At the expiry date, the leaseholders intend to roll the lease over for another 25 years period at no further cost.
• This berth can be sub-leased at any time.

Price:

• $275,000
• Payment terms – Negotiable

More Information:

• For more information on this superb multihull marina berth, please do not hesitate to contact us today.
• For more information about the marine visit the Mooloolaba Marina website.