Nomad Ocean

Nomad Ocean – Sailors don´t blog: Review and outlook

Nomad Ocean — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 10:57:40 +0000

If you sail, you don´t blog – that is my résumé of the first weeks sailing around New Zealand. Since our departure from Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, I have not typed a single word on my computer.

There was simply no time. In recent weeks, we’ve been too busy facing the stormy conditions and heavy waves on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island and making way. Our goal was to spend New Year’s evening in the Marlborough Sounds on the South Island. From the very beginning, it was clear to us that it would be a race against time in our 8-meter sailboat.

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Nomad Ocean Ep. 4 – Living big on a tiny boat

Nomad Ocean — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 11:37:58 +0000

“I guess boats were the first tiny houses”, our onboard-guest came to the same conclusions as we did when we bought Kahu some months ago. Ever since we moved to the 8 meter we call home, we are referring to our Raven26 as a tiny house. Not a far-fetched referral, at least size wise: Even though there is no set definition as to what constitutes a tiny house, a structure under 500 square feet (46 m2) is generally accepted to be a tiny home. Our sailing vessel fits right in there.

But Kahu is not just an ordinary tiny house.

“Whenever people say `wow, that is a small space!`, we tell them `yes, the house is small but the backyard is AMAZING!´”, I could not have said it better than my friend Jen from Hawaii. Our big blue backyard is truly mindblowing and I wouldn´t change it for a million Dollars.

Our vast playground is not the only reason though, why we made this choice in the first place. A choice, we haven´t regretted until now.

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Nomad Ocean Ep. 3 – A paradise called Mokohinau

Nomad Ocean — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 14:30:43 +0000

“Which part did impress you most?” people keep on asking the two of us after our cruise from the Bay of Plenty to the Bay of Islands in New Zealand.

The answer comes as quickly as simultaneously: The Mokohinau (Pokohinu) Islands – a paradise for those who love solitude, the sights of sh curiously checking out your boat, the sound of birds in a starry night, hikes on long forgotten tracks, dives underneath arches and kayaks in clear water.

“Places like this were the reason why I wanted to be a ranger,” my partner says, and I sense the longing behind these words. It is the same longing I see in his gaze when he looks at the lush green landscape over the steep hills, the deep blue ocean, and the little islands in the background of the Mokohinau Islands off the northeast coast of New Zealand and approximately 25 kilometres northwest of Great Barrier.

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Nomad Ocean Ep. 2 – Finding the right vessel

Nomad Ocean — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 11:21:04 +0000

Some long black coffees, an idea and two individuals – that´s all we had when we sat in the coffee shop and decided to sail around New Zealand and connect with coastal communities to promote marine restoration.

Quite clearly, there were critical items missing: We needed a vessel to make Nomad Ocean Project a reality.

When we started our search for the best yacht to sail around the coast of New Zealand, there was a lot of boats on the market. Sounds great, but actually, it can make the whole idea of buying a boat overwhelming.

If you ever find yourself in the same position, we thought it might be helpful to share our quest with you.

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Nomad Ocean: 6 Weeks Sailings in New Zealand, a Sea Trial

Nomad Ocean — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 14:50:52 +0000

Sail Universe is proud to present a new “Best Blog”! Doris, a freelance journalist, and T.A., a marine biologist, created Nomad Ocean Project. From October 2017 until April 2018, they circumnavigate New Zealand in our 26 foot sailing boat Kahu.

“In six weeks you can singlehandedly sail Kahu”, T.A. said to me. His infinite optimism keeps on surprising me. It is both encouraging as well as putting me under pressure from time to time: I should learn to navigate the boat on my own in just six weeks? We will see.

Six weeks was not only the duration of this applied “sailing course“ of mine. It was the amount of time we had to undergo a sea trial with S.V. Kahu: How would we deal with the recently bought boat? How would our Nanni engine and the sails keep up with gusts of 30 – 40 knots? Does the fiberglass hull remain as dry as the thorough knocking in our survey suggested? How long would both our two-liter gas bottles last? And above all, would we get along in such a tiny space?

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