What a good idea!
by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-WorldCruising.com 30 Aug 2018 00:00 UTC
Attendees at the inaugural information night for catamaran specific sailing classes held by Multihull Central and Pacific Sailing School © Multihull Central
Look at any marina. There are plenty of cats in the pens (slips). Take a look at an anchorage, and you are bound to find Seawinds and Fountaine Pajots already there, because cruisers use these sorts of brands. A lot! Then there are the charter fleets too. Many, many multis make up their armada in places from the Med to the Caribbean, Whitsundays to the South Pacific.
So whilst the cat market has continued to push on, the market that feeds it all is arguably somewhat still untapped. They are those that now have the time and the money, or at least can make it work for them, but nary the skills required. Brent Vaughan from Multihull Central even wrote a book on it all, entitled, SEAbbatical. It is all about getting people to live the dream, and not just dream the dream, or worse still, bore all their family and friends with tales about 'one day'.
"How about now!" is the new mantra.
That's terrific, but you still need to know the pointy ends from the blunt ones, and just how do you go about getting all of that, without investing years and years? Well just last night, Multihull Central (MHC) and Pacific Sailing School (PSS) held their very first ever information night about courses to get you chartering, or owning your own cat in all parts of the globe. (Well except for a fair chunk of the Western Indian Ocean, and maybe the Suez, as well as reports out of the Windward Isles in the Caribbean seem to indicate all is not well there...)
Yet before you can do any or all of that, you need to work out how to sail safely, and really enjoy yourself; whether you want to be competent crew, or the Skipper in charge! Needless to say, it was well-attended, as landlubbers flocked to get an idea of just what might be involved in casting the lines off, and really doing something in this life.
Now it is Sydney-centric for the moment, but you get the point. People were happy to invest just two hours to listen to experts explain how to go from all tied up, to free as an Albatross. There were great questions asked of PSS's Terry Wise, and MHC's Brett Hodder. There was a bit of fun involved too, with some attendees donning foul weather gear and the quintessential PFD. Many wondered just what it all meant, but it did drive home the need to have fun whilst dealing with the major points. This is something that MHC and PSS are very keen to have as a cornerstone of the whole affair.
For my mind, I think it is wonderful to see some very dedicated industry members putting all this energy into the burgeoning cat market, and building better pathways to the big blue for those wanting a change in life. There certainly is a need, and allowing newbies to access it all in this way is distinctly and genuinely laudable. Nice one, team!
OK. Today you will find that we have information for you about life after being in the services, the panel for the Endowment for Clean Oceans continues to attract big names, gear from Musto, BIG fish, J/112 is one craft that can allow you to get the best from your cruiser, solar panels, being in Spain, volcanic action in Vanuatu, LEDs and your VHF and AIS, hurricane Lane in Hawaii, the Northwest Passage is icebound, as well as much more.
So you see, there are stories, lessons, inspirations and history to regale yourself with. Please do savour... We're really enjoying bringing you the best stories from all over the globe. If you want to add to that, then please make contact with us via email.
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In the meantime, do you love being on the ocean? Well remember to love them back too. They need our help. Now more than ever! Until next time...
John Curnow, Sail-WorldCruising.com Editor