The Boat
"Moana" is a fairly recent (2001)
Bénéteau Océanis
Clipper 361. She is registered as a French "first
category" vessel which means she's fit and equipped for any
type of ocean passage. If you download the original
Bénéteau brochure you'll get a very
good idea of what she is like.
"Moana" is about 11 meter (36 feet) long and has the
shoal keel option (1.53 meter draft) and 3 private cabins.
(One is used for storing "stuff.") She has a 27 hp Yanmar
Diesel engine with an 85 liter fuel tank. She offers
complete amenities and very good comfort: there is a
separate shower stall, running hot and cold water with 380
liter tanks, a sea water cooled fridge, snorkling gear, a
windsurfer (Marc's good old Mistral Hookipa sinker), as of
yet only one set of scuba gear, a color GPS chart plotter,
a tender with a 4 hp Yamaha out board engine, and so forth.
The Skippers
Primary Skipper:
My name is Marc, I'm Belgian, and I grew up in a
coastal town called Oostende. That's at the North Sea and
at the Channel between the European mainland and the United
Kingdom. From when I was 11 or 12 years old my parents sent
me to sail camps every summer, which I loved. As an
adolescent windsurfing was my big hobby but I still crewed
on a friend's yacht from time to time to sail club races
along the coast or across the Channel. I went to university
in Brussels, away from the sea, and I stayed there later
for work. From university on swimming became therefore my
hobby and I went five times a week ever since with a few
gaps here and there when work got too hectic.
I worked a small year at Apple Computer Belgium in the
middle of their big downsizing period and we moved office
and the staff got slashed in half, but I nonetheless have a
fond memory of the time I spent there. I left to realize my
professional dream of creating my own small business. After
many years of long and hard work, this now allows me to
afford a boat to go sailing for a year or two (even though
I'll still have to keep in touch with my customers and do
some work for them now and then). It's just a lifelong
dream come true. As a kid pirates were my favorite phantasy
world and later I've always been doodling sailboats. I want
to realize this dream now that I'm still young enough, not
when I'm retired with a plastic hip and a heart condition,
after having traded my sense of adventure for grumpiness
and fatigue. ;-)
I like hiking so sometimes when it's possible I spend half
a day or more on land for that purpose. Or other times I
stop for a week for windsurfing, but it's quite rare to
have all the good conditions for this in one single spot
where you can safely anchor the boat as well.
Secondary Primary Skipper:
I'm Heather, and I'm American. I grew up in
California and so didn't learn to sail until I arrived at
college in Florida due to California's lack of a coastline.
Once in Florida, however, I began sailing frequently
amongst, and admittedly sometimes onto, the sandy shoals of
Tampa Bay. I obtained my degree in marine science and plan
to pursue a PhD in algology. I play guitar terribly and
sing even worse, so I instead spend my time baking whole
wheat breads, swimming, and scuba diving.
Pictures
These were taken in Croatia during March-April 2005.
