RUNNING DOWN THE DREAM
Chincogan 52 Soul on her second trip to Thailand
My own dream was one of sailing fast and free under broad blue skies, exploring remote tropical islands, discovering uncrowded surf spots and generally celebrating the wonder of traveling under the power of the wind.
It's not too dissimilar to the dream that most of us share. It's a dream sometimes attained in full glory accompanied by magical moments, at times challenged by situations that require a degree fortitude and resilience.
For some the dream includes the build process, for others the fully equipped boat is the point of setting out on the journey. Either way the experience of sailing, sharing travelers tales with new found friends and taking in newly discovered corners of our planet is a suite of life experiences difficult to match.
For me as a designer, I get a great deal of satisfaction from the creative process but the real satisfaction comes from sharing the experiences of owners, their friends and family, sometimes in real life, sometimes through the videos, photos and stories they forward by email or post on social media.
On these pages I share some of the experiences that various boat owners, skippers and crews have shared with me, and I provide some links to social media pages with related content.
Many thanks to those who have contributed content to this page, and if you have an interesting story to share in pictures, words or both, welcome to Running Down the Dream.
Tony Grainger November 2020
LIVING THE DREAM WITH NUSA
One if the real joys of traveling coastlines and across oceans is the occasional close up encounters with sea life and most of us who voyage at sea are fortunate enough to have encounters whales, dolphins, manta rays and other creatures from time to time. But this encounter with whales and other sea creatures, experienced and filmed by Greg and Lisa Binet from their Chincogan 52 Nusa is absolutely extraordinary. Three whales visited their boat. Two of them stayed and played for an hour and a half.
Greg and Lisa have excelled in the production of this 12 minute video. It's a professional quality piece of work and its well worth watching for the whales alone. Check it out here;
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d_TM6zbu8c
You wont' be disappointed.
OUR EARTH IS NOT FLAT. THE SKIPPER AND CREW OF MUTTLEY SET OUT TO PROVE IT
Muttley is back on the Gold Coast in Queensland after an epic circumnavigation which, judging from their facebook page took in a host of exotic locations around the globe.
Muttley is a Custom 60 originally designed for Kerry Ambrose Pearce and built by Chincogan catamarans. She was called Ef-Jay in her first life.
Her Current owner Hugh Ellis is an experienced and well traveled seafarer who puts a high priority on safety and seamanship. He sold his 57' Sloop X-To-Sea and bought Muttley in 2016.
Hugh reports they got stuck in the Caribbean due to the Covid19 travel restrictions and it took another 12 months to get Muttley back to Australia including an 8000 mile non stop passage from St Lucia to Fiji.
On one of his earlier facebook posts Hugh reports "past experience has found that bringing the right new people onto the boat makes the journey even more enjoyable. My cruising truly is about the journey and the people I share it with".
And later; "I will point the boat anywhere in the world if it sounds like fun".
That sounds like the kind of sailing master I would be happy to crew for.
See the story of Muttley's circumnavigation on their Facebook Page.
CATCHUS - THE DREAM GOES ON
Catch'us was the first built of the Chincogan 52's. Julian and Sandy Way kept her light and simple and used her sleek hulls to carve white lines all over the Western Pacific and from the Gold Coast Australia up into South East Asia.
Catch'us is now in the highly capable hands of Andy and Greta Baker. They seem to be doing a pretty good job of ensuring that Catch'us's legacy endures. Catch'us is currently back on the Gold Coast to be be fitted with new engines early in 2021.
Need some motivation to get back on the water? Andy and Greta's vid's will do the job for sure.
Check it out here; www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9XKlyZcZ2k&feature=youtu.be
