Hello all...while you are at
anchor somewhere in your own little heavens, thinking of something to do, how about helping out a new ocean cruiser and his
family. We are about to live the dream...we may not have 20 years experience, but we are boaties. ( is this a term you guys use out there?)
Think back a few years and put yourself in our
boat shoes here....off we go, no laughing or scoffing....or negativity...
We are
motor boaties..fizz boats mainly...5-6m in the past, and pretty new to ocean cruising scene. We currently have 28ft Fly Bridge Cruiser
game boat in Cairns, Qld
Australia, have about 20 years experience in waters up to 40km off shore only in NZ and
Australia and are finally going to go the next step further and updating to go cruising with wife and 2
kids aged 6 and 3 up and down
East Coast of Australia and
Vanuatu new
Cal etc.,......maybe further with more experience, but always coastal cruising......fuel and all that.
Have
almost bought a 37 ft Cho Song aft
cabin Fly Bridge Cruiser, powered by twin Cat diesils, 375 Hp each, with under 600 hrs each!!Boat and engines and
gear in "as new" cond.
1100 liter diesil
tanks, 350 liters H2O and good
equipment all round.
Q1: What do you all know about the Cho Song name and craft and it's compatibility to what we want to do...
Can't afford to freight it back to Australia on a container boat, , so intend to
motor it back, a bit at a time and enjoy the trip and do what it was built for.....over about 6 months...from
Japan to Cairns.
Q2: Is this a good idea...
Advice wanted please from people who have done this trip ( my son has travelled from NZ to Japan/Guam/Vanuatu/ and so on to finish at ChiChi Jima in a small 28 ft
ferro single masted yacht with wife and infant, safely and competently and reckons to go for it with a good plan..hence this plan...I like to ask the experts first)....
Q3:Can someone recommend a good publication or web site.....about this location and this type of
cruise...
Q4: I need
advice from you on recommended and practical routes for a diesil cruising yacht, considering the boat ( the seas will be bigger than this thing is long!!) ...news on some good
ports, advice on location and activity of pirates, authorities encountered, (
Korea?) proven diesil outlets and costs...boat info if you know the Cho Song....anything else about cruising with a
family of 2 adults and 2 littlies would be welcomed...highs and lows especially from mothers...
I am a
skipper, as well as a mecahnical fitter and
mechanic and have done time on Caterpillar diesils....these motors are low hours and are like they are off the show room floor, and being a kiwi can make anything out of a piece of old fencing wire and some bits of anything I find....good skills to have with this craft doing this trip?
We know we are a dirty old diesil and not a clean eco
sail boat, but we are ready to enjoy life and to start somewhere.....this is the time...
Look forward to your comments as you think about all this.....
Roydo