Fast and Damage Free Passage

by Jane Pares on 20 Jun 2007 Ron Simm from Austria, who is solo circumnavigating on his Bavaria 36, Nautilus is absolutely rapt with his latest passage from the Galapagos to the Marquesas!

'My best 24 hour run was 182 miles……...it took me 19 days to cover the 3000 nautical miles from Isla Isabella to Fatu Hiva. I outpaced many mono hulls by as much as 2 - 5 days and even a catamaran by 1 day! I sailed for hours at 8 to 10 knots with a top speed of 11.6. Other yachties, especially the ones from the catamaran, were quite surprised! I had no damage whatsoever, while most other boats had one or another major problem with equipment.'

Ron says that the landscape in the Marquesas is as impressive as the prices in the shops - one can of beer costs ~ $15NZ in the supermarket! He is really enjoying exploring the islands and will sail on to the Tuamotus next.

Nautilus is a 2005 Bavaria 36 Cruiser and Ron spent a lot of time fitting her out for this circumnavigation. He left Croatia in July 2005 and is due into New Zealand in November this year.

You can follow his trip on www.nautilus-on-tour.com

For those of you thinking about going offshore, you might be interested in this list of additional equipment that Ron added to Nautilus for the circumnavigation.

2 Auto pilots (Raymarine ST4000 and ST6000)
Radar, 2kW (Raymarine C80)
Iridium satellite phone
220V Inverter
Water cooled refrigerator
3 Kobra anchors (1x20kg, 2x 16 kg)
1 Aluminum anchor (Guardian)
12 ft folding dinghy (Porta Bote)
Spinnaker (60m²)
2 Spi booms
An additional headsail