All good things have to come to an end sometime, don’t they? We asked ourselves this question many times in August and September last year, along with a whole lot more. When to stop sailing, how to stop sailing, where to stop sailing, or where to go next?
The answer will be different for everybody but for us the main considerations revolved around what was right for the boys, and some economic realities. In Fiji, having explored some of the more remote islands and mulled over our options with cruising friends, we came to a decision.
Pushing on to get back to Europe was going to be a rush. We’d need to leave Fiji quickly and head for Vanuatu. After that it was getting late in the season to cross Torres Strait just north of Australia and we’d have wanted to go north of Papua New Guinea anyway (to Raja Ampat). Either way, if we were going to carry on round, we needed to leave soon and we weren’t ready to quit paradise!
We also couldn’t afford to be away for more than two years so we’d have to make it to Thailand for January, to cross the Indian Ocean in February before battling our way up the Red Sea to Suez and into the Mediterranean.
This wasn’t going to be the same downwind sleigh ride we’d had for the first 16,000 miles and by the end, the boat was going to be pretty battered.
Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av Yachting World.
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Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av Yachting World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
NIKKI HENDERSON
WHERE DO YOU FIND HANDY BILLY WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
MATTHEW SHEAHAN
IS OLYMPIC SAILING ACTUALLY HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AS A SHOWCASE OF THE SPORT FOR BOTH COMPETITORS AND SPECTATORS?
Building fleet for Baltic Sea Race
The second edition of the Roschier Baltic Sea Race, a 635-mile race out of Helsinki, Norway, saw varied conditions and a new benchmark course time set.
New cruising charter 'Odyssey'
Charter company Dream Yacht has launched a new round the world supported cruising programme for yacht owners which draws on the company's extensive network of charter bases.
Mixed fortunes at Marseille
The Paris 2024 sailing regatta saw mixed fortunes for many favourites - some confirming their dominance, others crashing out as variable winds played havoc.
The yacht Bayesian
Bayesian is one of Italian yard Perini Navi's 56m series, originally named Salute.
Seven dead in superyacht sinking
Seven people are dead following the sinking of the superyacht Bayesian, a 56m/184ft British-flagged Perini Navi, off the coast of Sicily.
5 EXPERT TIPS HELENA DARVELID ON MULTIHULL CONTROL
Performance multihull racing is growing hugely in popularity. Helena Darvelid shares some key learnings with Andy Rice
PALMA'S FUN FACTOR
FUN ON AND OFF THE WATER IS AN UNBEATABLE COMBINATION AT THE SUPERYACHT CUP PALMA, WRITES PHIL RILEY
SWAN 88 DREAMCATCHER
GLOBAL LEADERS AT THE SEMI-CUSTOM END OF THE PRODUCTION SCENE, NAUTOR SWAN INVITED US FOR THE FIRST SEA TRIALS OF ITS BIG NEW 88