sailing

From my youth I was fascinated by the idea of sailing around the world. I remember reading with interest in National Geographic about the travels of Robin Lee Graham, the teenager who circumnavigated the globe in a small sailboat. As a high school student, I also stayed up late on Friday night watching the TV movie The Voyage of the Yes, a fictionalized account of sailing in the Pacific.

Since I have a keen interest i tropical botany, this would provide a means to visit the following locations:

Puerto Rico
Aruba
Grenada
Barro Colorado Island – Gatun Lake – Panama Canal
Cocos Island
Galapagos
The Marquesas
Hawaii
Fiji
Tonga
Vanuatu
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Cairns
Bali
Singapore
Thailand’s Phang Nga Bay
Sri Lanka (specifically, Peradeniya)
Seychelles
Mauritius
Madagascar
Capetown (specifically, Kirstenbosch)
Namaqualand

The idea was to not have a fixed itinerary or timetable, but to remain flexible according to local conditions and weather. The entire trip was projected to take 1-2 years. I had even gotten as far as selecting a likely route:

I had been looking at various boats in which to undertake such a journey. I wanted a boat that would be safe in normal sea conditions, ran on nearly 100% renewable fuel, and was luxurious enough to spend long periods of time on it. The Windelo line of catamarans fit the bill. Here are some exterior photos of that boat:

What I liked about the Windelo was that the forward cockpit allows most rigging changes from within the safety of the interior. All controls are also available from this position.

A 60 kWH battery lies at the heart of the propulsion system when not using the sails. It can power the propellers for up to 4 hours. It can be charged by either the propellers when under sail, the 6 kW solar panels, or a generator.

Below deck are the sleeping quarters, situated in both hulls of the vessel. While shown below are the owner’s quarters, there are accommodations for up to 1-5 other passengers or crew.