Living on a Sailboat exploring the world
It’s been busy here in Fiji as we packed up Sava and moved everything onto Go. Finally I have enough photos to provide a look inside our new boat.
Go is a Leopard 43 catamaran. She is 43 feet long, 22 feet wide, and has a 5 foot draft.
We jumped on Go because it’s equipped with everything we need to keep sailing around the world.
Continue reading “Inside Our New Boat”
We’ve spent the greater portion of five years on Sava, but now that we have another boat, we’re selling Sava. She’s a great boat for crossing oceans or cruising around beautiful motus. If you or anyone you know is looking for a comfortable and reliable monohull, here’s Sava!
Sava is a 2000 Bavaria 46. This German made 46 feet long boat is known for being blue water ready and a good-value sailboat. From our experience, definitely.
After nearly five years on board Sava, Brian and I are making a change. We bought a catamaran and will sell Sava.
We only recently started looking for a different boat. When we saw this sailboat, it was a go! We bought a catamaran; it’s a Leopard 43.
After almost five years and thousands of miles on board Sava, we’re ready for more space. A head for each of us plus one for guests. Lots of lounge space indoors and out. This boat provides all of it.
It’s also been lovingly maintained by its previous owners, is registered to Canada, and has lots of power. The decision to buy a catamaran was even quicker than when we bought Sava, which we never regretted.
Once we’ve moved aboard and made ourselves comfortable, I will post photos and more details.
Continue reading “We Bought A Catamaran”
We spent a year in French Polynesia, exploring beautiful islands, communing with marine life, and meeting amazing people. We also dealt with lots of broken equipment. From sails to machinery, something was always broken on board Sava. Sometimes it was easy to solve, sometimes it wasn’t. Here’s what it’s like fixing a boat in French Polynesia.
One of the cliches and constants of life on a cruising boat is fixing your boat in exotic locations. At least we have nice views while we’re dirty, tired, and frustrated. In French Polynesia, the views are beautiful. That’s an excuse for a scenic shot!
The best place to be when fixing a boat in French Polynesia is Papeete, Tahiti. Since all the stores selling marine hardware, and regular hardware, are in Papeete, you almost always have to source from there unless you get very lucky. In our three different stays in Papeete over the year, we visited every possible chandler and hardware store. Multiple times. And a machine shop. Living the glamorous yacht life!
Continue reading “Fixing A Boat in French Polynesia”
A trans-Pacific 30 day passage does a lot to a sailboat. Our time in the yard in Tahiti isn’t over! While resolving the known issues, we’ve found more problems with our twenty two year old boat. From sails and rigging to appliances, we’re getting Sava fixed so we can return to the water.
Sava had water coming in through the stuffing box due to a vibrating engine. So we had to replace the engine mount and stuffing box and realign the prop shaft. We also needed to dry out and rebuild the rudder. After two weeks, we’re making progress on these jobs.
The engine mount is rebuilt and working. The prop shaft was straightened and realigned and is now installed!
The rudder is dried out, refilled with fresh epoxy, and fitted with new rudder shafts. We know everything fits properly and will be reinstalled next week.
Sava has one coat of bottom paint and is waiting until just before she is ready to splash for the final coats.
Continue reading “Getting Sava Fixed”
