Voyage of SY Nessaru 2024 - a crazy idea starts to become a reality
01 January 2024
Colin Maslen

The voyage of SY Nessaru had its genesis on 29 October 2022, when celebrating Steve Hooke's (Hookey's) 70th birthday during a lunchtime cruise on Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, onboard the MV Southern Cross. Over a couple of beers, Michael Stewart and I reminisced about a voyage in 2010 when we were invited to deliver a 90ft Cheoy Lee motor yacht, the MV Robert Bruce, from Malta to Lymington in the UK, with our former sailing buddy David Street (may he rest in peace). Mick commented that he didn't want to sail around just for the sake of sailing, he wanted to do something - something adventurous, like a long voyage. I mentioned that I had a draft passage plan for a global circumnavigation.
I had once entertained this wild idea of sailing around the world. from 1985 to 1986, I worked as a staff officer for a most remarkable man, Commander James Armstrong, then Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence (DDNI), in Navy Office, Canberra. Our very small directorate was involved in the planning and execution of certain naval operations during the Cold War - but this is another story. When it was time for me to leave the directorate and return to the Australian Submarine Squadron, James gave me a book, Joshua Slocum's Sailing Alone Around the World. When I thanked James for the book, I commented that such a voyage was something I might like to do one day. James answered: "yes, I know." But then other circumstances, commitments and priorities got in the way, and I had begun to think that such an undertaking was no longer feasible. Then I chatted with Michael, and before I knew it, we had hatched this plan to buy a yacht in Europe and sail it to back to Australia, while we, both in our early seventies, could still do this. Okay, so it is not a global circumnavigation, but it is still ambitious - across the world's two largest oceans, a distance of some 14,000 nautical miles (about 26,000 kilometres), crossing 14 time zones in about five months.
After considering various routes - via the Suez Canal (with the risk of unwanted encounters with Somali pirates), or around Cape Horn (not such a good idea, particularly when going east to west against prevailing winds and seas), or around Cape of Good Hope and across the Southern Ocean - we decided to go via the Panama Canal. This would mean staying in the lower latitudes (between 41 degrees north to 27 degrees south) and taking advantage of the trade winds and currents across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Timing was another consideration, and we decided that it would be wise to be out of the Caribbean before June when the hurricane season usually starts. This would mean a departure from somewhere in Europe by late March or early April, while allowing for an average speed of about 4-5 knots.
Our respective wives, Mandy and Annie, both agreed to give us leave to plan and undertake this voyage. We floated the idea with some of our friends and peers, including former classmates from the Royal Australian Naval College (RANC), but the response was mostly "You're both mad!" or "No thank you, you're crazy!" (or words to that effect!).
Finding a yacht in Europe - caveat emptor!
After drafting a passage plan, the next big agenda item was to find and buy a suitable yacht in Europe. That is not easy, particularly when you live on the other side of the world. Eventually, after some months of internet searches and email exchanges with various brokers, we thought we had found the ideal blue water yacht, advertised for sale for sale in Spain, through an international yacht brokerage based in the Netherlands. Built in South Africa which a good blue-water pedigree, the yacht was described in the broker's internet site as a "well maintained Vickers 41 cruiser-racer from the early nineties, located in Cádiz, Spain; fast and strong ocean cruiser, ready to sail. Nice and comfortable interior with excellent woodwork finish." The description was supported by colour photographs in which the yacht looked to be in immaculate condition.
Of course (despite what others may have thought), we had no intention of completing a purchase before seeing the yacht ourselves and having it thoroughly inspected by a qualified marine surveyor. But, when looking to buy a yacht in Europe, a down-payment is usually required before a survey and/or test sail can be arranged. So, trusting the broker's assurances that this was a beautiful, well-maintained boat, we put down a 10% deposit, contracted a marine surveyor, arranged for the yacht to be taken out of the water and placed on a hard stand, packed our bags, and flew to Spain. (Madrid is a long way in economy class, and Cadiz is another four hours by train!) Notwithstanding our misplaced trust in what the broker was telling us, we did expect that the yacht, which was built in 1991, would require some work and upgrading including a complete replacement of the standing rigging - the stainless-steel wire shrouds and stays that support the mast.
On Tuesday 1 August 2023, Michael and I, together with our surveyor, Manuel, arrived at the marina to inspect and test sail the yacht, called Kalika. The owner was also there, but not the broker. Too late did we learn that the broker's description and assurances were lies, and that the photographs used to advertise the boat were taken from another from broker's website when the yacht was sold to the current owner in 2006. The photographs were at least 17 years old; they were deceptive and very misleading!
What a disappointment! The condition of the yacht was just awful. It was broken, filthy, uncared for, in a state of disrepair from years of neglect. Much of the navigation and communications equipment, as well as domestic appliances such as the refrigerator and stove, did not work. As Michael observed, a refrigerator that doesn't work is not a refrigerator; it is just a box.
We were dismayed, having been deceived and having travelled all that way to Cadiz to inspect a wreck. We did not expect to receive the surveyor's report for at least two weeks, but felt confident that the report would give us ample grounds for us to cancel the sale and have our deposit to be refunded. So what to do next? We searched the internet and found a yacht for sale in Port Ginesta near Sitges, about 40 km south of Barcelona. We contacted Network Yacht Brokers Barcelona (info@nybbarcelona.com), made an appointment to view the boat, and booked seats on the next train to Barcelona.
Finding our yacht, Nessaru
Soon after arriving in Port Ginesta marina, we were shown over the yacht, a 1991 Jeanneau Sun Charm 39, by the broker Òscar Rius. What a difference! The yacht was clean, and obviously well cared for, with a great layout and a light airy interior. It was hard to believe that was of the same vintage as the wreck that we saw in Cadiz. It was called Nessaru. Mike did ask Òscar what "Nessaru" meant, to which Òscar replied, "It doesn't mean anything". Back in the brokerage office, where we met Chiara Campagnaro, the Director of Network Yacht Brokers Barcelona, we made an offer. We also asked many questions such as about renting the marina berth and arranging a survey. We were very impressed by both Òscar and Chiara, who offered to coordinate the survey and to project manage any work that might need to be done. The contrast between Network Yacht Brokers Barcelona and the brokerage we had the misfortune to deal with in Cadiz was enormous. We could hardly believe how our luck had changed.
With a couple of days to kill in Barcelona, we visited the Sagrada Familia, the basilica designed by Antoni Gaudi and now the most visited attraction in Spain. It is hard to believe that that one man could have had the vision, courage and dedication to not only imagine, but to construct such a complex, beautiful, and inspiring spiritual monument. It is truly magnificent, and if you travel to Spain, you must see it!
Meanwhile, we received word from Òscar that owner of the Jeanneau Sun Charm 39, Nessaru, had accepted our offer, and would agree to lease to us the marina mooring, which she owned. Michael and I celebrated with a glass or two (or maybe more) of Spanish wine over an excellent dinner in Las Ramblas in Barcelona.
On return to Australia, we received the surveyor's report for the other yacht , the Vickers 41 in Cadiz, in which Manuel identified many defects and concluded his assessment with the following: "The equipment of the boat and its maintenance can be considered as lower/worse than the average of similar boats." The surveyor's valuation indicated that the asking price (53,000 Euros) for the yacht was inflated by as much as 35%.
What followed was an exchange of emails in which we made the case for our deposit to be refunded. The broker refused a refund, argued that the seller (his friend, same nationality - not Spanish) needed to be compensated for damage to the boat during the survey (unbelievable!), and continued to insist that the yacht was in excellent condition with the added qualification: "What did you expect with an old yacht?" I wrote a letter to the head office in the Netherlands, with a copy of the survey report and the email exchange attached, but got no response. So I wrote two scathing reviews - one on their website which got about 200 hits in two days, and another on their Facebook page. At long last, the brokerage acknowledged that the photos were over 17 years old and misleading and subsequently, albeit reluctantly and without apology, refunded our money.
Preparing Nessaru for crossing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
Meanwhile, we received the survey report for Nessaru and completed the sale contract. With the ever-helpful Network Yacht Brokers Barcelona, Chiara and Òscar, we arranged for some refitting work to be done on Nessaru. This included removing the mast and replacing the standing and running rigging (because of its age), as well as running new cabling through the mast for masthead navigation lights, GPS antenna and wind indicator. The boat was then lifted out of the water for a major refurbishment of the hull. This involved stripping current paint down to the gel coat, repairing the hull where necessary, applying a coat of epoxy resin and filling any indentations and treated areas with epoxy 830 putty, sanding the hull smooth and applying three coats of epoxy primer, and finally applying two coats of anti-fouling paint. This process had to be repeated in the strike areas where the travel-lift slings had been placed around the hull.
With the boat out of the water, this was also an opportunity to check the alignment between the engine and the propeller shaft, repack the stern gland (where the propeller shaft goes through the hull), and replace the cutlass bearing. (The cutlass bearing is inside the external bracket which supports the propeller shaft. It is usually made from a hard, rubberlike substance known as nitrile, and is designed to improve water flow and to flush away any grit or other hard material that might wear on the shaft.) The propeller was also rebalanced, and the rudder was removed and refurbished with new bearings, and all nine sea-cocks (or hull valves) were replaced. One of the objectives of all this work was to minimise any vibration which could reduce engine and fuel efficiency and cause damage over time. Michael and I had both read an account of a yacht crossing the Pacific Ocean which almost sank from water ingress due to damage to both the rudder and the propeller stern gland; the crew were bailing furiously with buckets until they got the situation under control with emergency repairs! We did not want this to happen to us!
The yacht came with a Bimini (an awning over the cockpit), but not a spray hood (or "spray dodger"), so while all of this work was underway, we commissioned a spray hood to be made.
Meanwhile, back home in Australia, we continued planning and preparations for our ocean voyage - refining the passage plan, researching ports and facilities enroute, ordering nautical publications, charts and instruments, and adding up the expenses. We contracted South East Asia (S.E.A.) Sails in Thailand, a company established in 2017 by Mike Tasker and his son Robert, to make a new 135% Genoa headsail and ship it directly to Spain.
Getting ourselves ready for crossing oceans in a relatively small 39 ft (12 metre) yacht
We read as much as we could, books such as At one with the sea: alone around the world by Naomi James, the first woman to sail single-handed around the world in 1977-78. Michael completed a diesel maintenance course, advanced first aid and survival-at-sea training. In June 2023 I completed an International Yacht Training (IYT) bareboat Skipper's Course with Sydney by Sail (SBS). This was a lot of fun, a good refresher on many aspects of navigation and seamanship, and an opportunity to learn more of the finer points about sailing a yacht.
The passage plan evolved into the following: departure from Barcelona in late March or early April, sailing down the east coast of Spain and through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Atlantic Ocean, on to the Portuguese island of Madeira, then to St. Lucia and Martinique in the Caribbean, to arrive in Colón in Panama before June. In Colón we would have to wait for a slot to transit the Panama Canal; without knowing how long this would take, we allowed two weeks in the plan, during which we planned to take the boat out of the water and prepare for the Pacific Ocean. On exiting the Panama Canal, we would sail through the Pearl Islands south-west to the Galapagos Islands. The next leg across the Pacific Ocean will be the longest, about four weeks, until we reach Nuku Hiva in French Polynesia. From there our plan includes Tahiti, Moorea and Fiji, then Bundaberg which will be our Australian port of entry. The final destination is Mooloolaba where we plan to put the boat up for sale.
Many years ago, I bought a second-hand sextant. Of course we will have GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation, so would we need a sextant? In 2023 I was briefly engaged as a contractor to write a risk management plan for a Defence project called Alternative Navigation Positioning and Timing (A-PNT) which aimed to mitigate the risk of losing GPS and/or any other global navigation satellite systems. (Working on this project was just awful, in one of the most toxic work environments I have ever had the misfortune to work in - but that's another story.) So I decided we should have our own GPS risk mitigation strategy and be able to fall back to celestial navigation if the need arose. Besides which, I just wanted to be able to prove to myself that I could still do this; even though it is more than 40 years since I last used a sextant, re-learning the art and science of celestial navigation was a challenge!
In November 2023, Gary Humphries (a former Senator representing the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) for the Liberal Party from 2003 to 2013, and Chief Minister of the ACT from 2000 to 2001) agreed to join us as third hand on a leg of the voyage, from Panama to Tahiti. On 21 December, Gary and I attended a Remote Area First Aid course with ACTWell First AID Training, on completion of which we went home with our clothing stained with splatters of red vegetable dye. We joked that, hopefully, that would be as close as would get to having to deal with the real red stuff!
To be continued ... Meanwhile, don't forget to check out the photo Gallery!