Cruising Sailing Australia; Its about the Journey not the Destination.

16/12/2013

“Anything you can believe; you can achieve”

If someone had suggested seven years ago, that today I would be sitting at the desk on board my own cruising sailing catamaran, having just sailed it from Dunsborough to Albany, I would have seriously doubted them.

Never the less, in December 2013, OUR boat is tied to a jetty at the Princess Royal Yacht Club in Albany Western Australia. Leanne and I having sailed from Quindalup (near Dunsborough) over the last two days.

In fact, up until 2008 I had never owned a boat, sailed a boat or knew anyone that had a boat. Yet today, Leanne and I own a catamaran, our daughter Bree is working on a slug diving boat and our son Luke works on a mega super yacht in Italy.

This journey began with the dream of owning a cruising sailing catamaran becoming a reality in 2009.

We purchased a Fusion 40 catamaran, called “Easy Tiger” and have spent the four years since then practicing our sailing and developing more confidence with handling, managing and using our boat.

As we developed our confidence, we began to believe that we could sail to far off places. To start with the far off places were Bunbury to Busselton, about 30 nautical miles. That done a couple of times, we ventured further out and went all the way to Mandurah from Bunbury or about 50 nautical miles.

After a year or so, we decided on a real test of endurance and staying power. We sailed the boat to Rottnest Island and stayed aboard with our family for two weeks, then back to home base, Bunbury. We really though we had achieved a great feat. At the same time a 14 year old school girl called Jessica Watson sailed around the world single handed.  So OK one persons adventure is another’s ho hum.

Having had our boat on a swing mooring for a year and then in a marina pen for another year, while we grew our business, it was time to anti foul.  After a ring around it was decided to go to Two Rocks Marina. Another bigger, broader and better sailing adventure.

Glad we did go there. Not because of the outstanding facilities or great antifouling job, but because there I met fellow catamaran owners Trevor and Gay Teede. They came to look at our boat and I went and shared a meal with them on theirs.

They did me a great favour. They spoke of their preparation to sail around Australia. That opened my eyes to the possibilities.

When we sailed Easy Tiger home to Bunbury after meeting Trevor and Gay, we probably didn’t realize it, but a new journey had begun. In fact I remember saying to Leanne “If they can sail around Australia, why can’t we”. I had started to believe it was be possible.

Trevor and Gay did me another favour too. They gave my number to a friend of theirs who owned a catamaran and was looking for a mooring to borrow in Bunbury. One night a phone call and visit to our home introduced us to Brian Lowe and Marie Glover. A couple who, although we didn’t know it at the time, were going to have a huge impact on our lives.

Marie (Is it On) Glover and Brian (B1) Lowe