1,000 Kilometres on a 14 Foot Catamaran Part 2 Kim Miller interviews
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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.