Touring in a Tropic Paradise 1,000 Kilometres on a 14 Foot Catamaran Part 2 Kim Miller interviews  Jesse, Beau & Kon Martin

Kim Miller's Note
This is the interview that follows on from Jesse Martin's story of a 1,000 kilometre sailing trip up the north coast of Queensland. When I first read about their trip I was inspired by it to the point of envy. I had hitchchiked coastal Qld many years ago but never sailed the reef. To read of three people doing a trip like this on a 14 foot catamaran (the same size as my Hobie Cat) really got my imagination going and I wanted to know more about how they did it. This interview shows a little more about the trip and adds to Jesse's story. Jesse is also planning something much bigger than this trip. You can read about it here.

You might have more questions than I have asked here. In that case get out your map, load up your boat, and go sailing. That way you will find your own answers to those question.

The Martins live near Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne is on Port Philip Bay, one of the largest enclosed bays in Australia. It takes its weather from Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean, and is a good training ground for any sailor.

Kim.
When did you decide to do this trip, and how did the idea come about?

Kon.
I used to live in the Daintree Rainforest and one day a friend suggested we do a trip to the tip of Cape York. A while later I met a man by the name of "Coconut Mark". He sailed up and down the coast in a small catamaran planting seeds everywhere. I remembered the type of boat he used and thought it would suit us for going up the coast to Cape York. Things changed and the friend and I no longer had the opportunity to do it. That's when I thought it would be a good learning trip for the boys. I suggested it to them and like any two boys at the age of 9 and 11 they thought it was a great idea.We waited for the boys to grow up and get stronger while we slowly got the equipment together. Then it came time to leave.

Kim.
How old were the boys when you set out on the trip?

Kon.
Jesse was 14 and Beau was 12.

Kim.
How did your parents feel about you taking on such a challenge?

Beau.
Mum was obviously concerned about not being able to hear from us regularly over the two months but she knew that Dad is very capable at whatever he does and trusted him.  She did tell me, though, at night to look up at the moon at 6:00pm, and so would she, and we would think of each other.

Kim.
What sailing experience have you had before this trip?

Jesse
This trip actually got us into sailing. We decided to do the trip, then we learnt how to sail. We went to a sailing school and once we got the catamaran that we wanted we took some practice runs out of Port Phillip heads into the sea and mucked around in it on the weekends.

Kim.
Your boat was only 14 foot long. Did you have any larger support boats accompanying you?  In Jesse's story he mentions leaving the 35 foot catamarans behind. Who were they?

Kon.
No, we didn't have any support boats, but we did take a VHF radio. Those other boats Jesse was talking about were some cruising catamarans but not many of them went past Lizard Island.

Kim.
Tell us more about your boat and how it suited your purpose.

Kon.
Our boat was a 14' Caper Cat built by Calypso Sailcraft in Brisbane. They don't make them any more but will if they are requested.  It is designed for day sailing and overnight trips with storage in the hulls but there is nothing stopping you from going on a long trip. Equipment must be kept to a minimum due to small storage space. We had to strengthen the rudder brackets on the transom and we added two extra forestays leading to each bow.

Kim.
Your trip was mentioned in Australian Geographic magazine. How did your connection with AG come about?

Jesse.
When we got back I just wrote to them and offered a story. They wrote back and said they would love to publish it.

Kim.
You mention being up to 50km off shore at times in your story. What safety equipment did you carry for emergencies?

Beau.
We had to travel away from the coast because of the threat of crocodiles and were therefore island hopping between long distances. We carried a VHF radio but apart from that, we took enough equipment to survive on fish and rice in case of an emergency.  Our only real problem, apart from the seas, was running out of water. At one stage we only had half a litre left.

Kim.
The North Queensland coast and the Barrier Reef is a beautiful place to sail but it is not well populated and there are not many shops. How much food did you have to carry, and how did you store it in the boat?

Jesse.
Storage was in the hulls which had a lid that could be taken off. In there we packed rice, lentils and water and a few things like rolled oats and spaghetti. We pigged out only a few times when there was a store, but could have easily managed with what we had.

Kim.
Your boat has a little outboard motor. Did you use it much? Where did you store the fuel?

Kon.
The little fuel that we had was only used in an emergency. We carried one and a half litres in the internal tank, and one and a half litres in a separate fuel bottle.

Kim.
How did you go about putting your route together? Did you already know the area, or were you just putting dots on the map so you could sail between them?

Kon.
We knew how far we could do in one day and so we just chose an island or headland that looked like it would be protected from the prevailing South Easterlies.

Kim.
This trip was much longer than sailors on small catamarans normally attempt. Do you have any advice for other people who are thinking that they might like to do some touring on their small boat?

Kon, Jesse, Beau.
If we could have improved it in any way, we would probably take more water storage which would give us more freedom in the places we could go and the time spent there. Also a video camera to record all those precious memories that are so valuable. And of course more time because we did get quite worn out being always on the move and extra time would have allowed us to enjoy it more.

Kim.
If you could go back and just sail around any area of your trip again, where would you go?

Kon, Jesse, Beau.
Lizard Island is a beautiful place with fresh water and a bar that serves the best hamburgers around (probably the only hamburgers around) and some of the numerous coral cays that are so peaceful. Although the Daintree Rainforest doesn't extend very far, it would also have to be a place to return to.

Kim.
Imagine that a boat builder tells you to pick your own boat from his yard, what boat would you choose? And where would you go?

Kon.
Personally I am looking for a relatively cheap fast catamaran that has limited accommodation, just enough to get out of the cold and to sleep in while doing ocean crossings. A contender for this is the Seawind 24 which I have now, or the Growler 10.5.

Jesse.
My mind is made up!! I would certainly get a John Shuttleworth design 63 footer and do charters with it either in the Pacific or Far North Queensland.

Beau.
I would get the most expensive boat around then sell it and go snow-boarding in Canada. I think my cruising days are over.