All over the globe there are people discovering new places both in the natural world and
within themselves. The Seawind Life series of articles looks at how people arrived at their
decision, their background, what adventures they have had and also takes time to
consider the way to achieve the dream and the choice of tool for the job, why a Seawind.
Episode 1 – Sky Pond
Sky Pond is a Seawind 1160 Lite/Deluxe with the diesel engine option. Owned by Carl and Roxy, she has covered 50,000 nautical miles, from Vietnam to Australia, the South Pacific, Hawaii, the west coast of the USA, Mexico, back through the south Pacific and finally to Australia.
Carl and Roxy are an avid adventure family. Backpacking, running, mountain climbing and back country skiing was their release from intensive careers in the software industry in their native West Coast USA. Indeed one of their favourite hiking spots an alpine lake in the Colorado Rocky Mountains called “Sky Pond”, that inspired the name of the boat.
As they approached retirement they developed a plan. A simple plan. Sell their stuff and sail away. Their motivation for this plan was threefold;
• Challenging themselves to become competent sailors through practiced
seamanship.
• Safely explore beautiful destinations where few people in the world
experience.
• Continue to learn while they were still physically capable to blue water sail.
They had little sailing background before this simple plan emerged. In preparation for actioning the sail way part of the plan they undertook training courses to become US Sailing and American Sailing Association certified. They undertook training with John and Amanda Neal from Mahina Tiare (https://mahina.com/), who provide blue water cruising training and consulting services. Following that the the well worn path for newer sailors of chartering various boats, including Jeanneau monos in the British Virgin Islands and a Lagoon multihull in Croatia.
A trip to the Fountaine Pajot factory in France occurred, sailing a Lipari there, and they started to expand their understanding of Multihulls and there was much reference to Gregor Tarjan’s book “Catamarans: The Complete Guide for Cruising Sailors” (As an aside Gregor and I were on the Panel of a multihull symposium some years ago at Annapolis Boat Show. Whilst I had read all his publications I discovered so much more talking with him).They of course compared various cats side by side at Boat Shows, including Fountaine Pajot Lipari and Seawind 1160.
Through those experiences they discovered that, for them, the monos were to dark, too uncomfortable, and just not what they wanted to be aboard full time for the next 7 years.
The Lagoon experience informed them greatly on the safety and sailing aspects of multihulls and the boat show comparisons enabled a direct comparison of some design principles and philosophies of Multihulls.
After that journey they reflected on all that they had experience and learned and arrived at the decision that a Seawind 1160 was the best boat for for the grand adventure for many reasons, including the following key points.
These are their words not mine,
• Fundamental for a blue water sailing couple, the boat must be able to be managed single handedly,
• Engine access has to be from inside the boat, not from outside on the stern,
• There must be line of sight of each other at all times,
• The helm needs to be on the same level as where your partner will be sleeping during ocean passages, not up out of view on a fly bridge or stepped up helm,
• They did not want to risk falling down steps during high seas or when coming down from a stepped up helm. Steps may be necessary, but the fewer the better, especially outside. On blue water passages they transform the saloon table into a bed. One sleeps on the bed as the other is on watch, thus the support crew is inside just 1 meter way,
• Visibility – there is an old adage that “If you cant see it you can’t avoid it”, and this meant that the 360 degree visibility through big windows from within a enclosed saloon was paramount for them. During heavy weather they stay inside dry and warm, working the plotter which swivels from facing out to
facing in,
• Aerodynamic and hydrodynamic topsides: An often overlooked part of boat design, it is important that wind and waves flow over the boat rather than smack and punch it. This is not only important when at anchor during windywavy nights, and when docking with wind, it’s especially important underway
in high seas. In its 50,000 nautical miles Skypond has taken three waves completely over the top of the boat. The boat continued effortlessly, unaffected, due to its streamlined topsides and low freeboard,
• Unobstructed line of sight and access to the helm side stern: vital for docking especially if single handed,
• Bright interior: Carl and Roxy are convinced after seven years that if you’re going to live aboard then you need lots of natural light, no dimly lit living spaces and hallways,
• They also report experiencing less seasickness since the horizon is always visible from anywhere on the boat,
• Ventilation: big forward facing hatches create a breeze in the boat while at anchor keeps the boat cool. In all their travelling in tropical and even equatorial zones that found that A/ C was not necessary. Windows open, trifold door open and there is ample cooling,
• After their research on likely ports, marinas, travel lifts etc, they thought that the beam width on an 1160 offered the best range of options,
• No hydraulics, particularly in the area of the steering system,
• Galley down: to keep hot foods away from saloon area. Easy to see out the side windows from the galley and a host of other reasons, many of which can be found in the informative article I wrote on Galley Up -v- Galley down.
• Seawind design: well thought out and built, fast and fun, easy to single-hand if necessary.
I always find it interesting to talk with owners and discover what things they would change or what improvements they have developed, Owners provide a wonderful store of data and solutions and many of these can be found on the Official Seawind Owners page on Facebook . This is a closed group and only available to owners and those with a boat on order. As for Roxy and Carl, they had little to offer regarding changes – they were very happy with their decision and it proved to be an ideal blue water home for seven years. When they took delivery of their boat they did so ex-factory in Vietnam, there was an option to take delivery in Australia, however they felt that delivery process at the time was not as efficient as it could have been nevertheless they note that Seawind has considerably improved and streamlined the ex factory hand over process.
Of course it would be remiss of me to not report the most memorable parts of their voyages, there were many, and every day was an adventure, but a few things stand out. The two most interesting ports or anchorages were the Tuamotus Atolls for spectacular snorkelling and scenery, and Fiji for the people. Roxy and Carl found the Fijians engaging and delightful they were welcomed into villages and homes, and these interactions resulted in long term friendships.
So after 50,000 nautical miles and seven(7) years of fun and adventure and no small amount of personal growth they have settled in a small town known for its artists, writers and outdoor enthusiasts. A stimulating and engaging community much like the sailing community, Santa Fe, New Mexico is nestled in the foothills at the terminus of the Rocky Mountains.
While sailing on Sky Pond, Roxy became an accomplished watercolorist. Painting Plein Air (painting outdoor scenes in real time) from the deck of Sky Pond. She is immersing herself in the artist’s community, meanwhile Carl became a skilled skipper who other sailors seek out to improve their blue water cruising skills. He has developed and documented best practices for the Seawind and likes to share them with other cruisers.
The Seawind Life, truly a life worth living.
Andrew Crawford
Yacht Broker
0402 345 245
