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Sailing Nandji Video Archive...Welcome to the Archive of all the Sailing Nandji Episodes! Scroll through and watch what we have been up to since we began this crazy journey, or go to the bottom and binge watch them all from day one. We started this adventure knowing nothing about sailing and just throwing ourselves into the deep end. What better way to learn about sailing, our boat and ourselves. We have endured some difficult times and faced some challenging decisions along the way. But we have experienced some of the best times of our lives and witnessed things we only dreamed of. Taking the plunge and entering into the live aboard life was not an easy decision, but a decision we have no regrets about. So strap yourselves in, get the popcorn and get your self comfy for one crazy and perhaps silly, but definitely one adventurous time! YEW!
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Cancer Scare! First Flight out of Here!
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The Lows of Sailing Around the World
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Episode 103This week on Sailing Nandji, we arrive to the city of Ambon after a gruelling passage with strong winds and big seas, then days of drifting with no wind and no motor... Finally arriving to the city of Ambon, land never felt better! We say good bye to our crew member Juzzy who had been on board for nearly a month of sailing! But before he leaves us, we explore the area and the city Ambon. Juzzy had never experienced Indonesian street food before and we thought he better try this before he leaves us, maybe not try everything! Dont eat the dog!!
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Episode 102This week on Sailing Nandji, the time has come to depart the beautiful island of Wayag. The upwind passage of 400nm to the city of Ambon was no easy task. The strong trade winds however had been howling through the area for over a week and showed no sign of easing. We put on our PFDs and big boy pants and tackled the rough seas. With strong winds of 30 knots on the nose, it made for some challenging sailing at first. Then days into the passage, the wind disappears and we are left with our broken motor drifting at sea for days...
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Episode 101This week on Sailing Nandji, we have been anchored inside Jurassic park for a while and opting to pick up anchor and move Nandji into the inner lagoon of Wayag, trying to find a new perfect place to call home, things go horribly wrong... With strong gully winds we slotted Nandji into a tight sandy hole when we realise we have no gears... With no way of manoeuvring Nandji, some quick thinking was needed as we drifted towards the rocks...
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Episode 100This week on Sailing Nandji, after making the big decision to head to the far away remote northern island of Wayag in Raja Ampat, we were greeted with the most stunning scenery we have ever witnessed. The entrance into the lagoon is prehistoric and from there on, you only get more lost as you weave around the hundreds of conical islands. The strong winds blew but we managed to find so many secret little gems.
Our crew member Juzzy, is an amputee and his time spent on Nandji, he proved to us how your outlook on life reflects what you are able to do. Juzzy only received his new leg a couple of days before arriving to Nandji. He ticked off many firsts and one of them was a bush walk. We had all seen the postcard photos from the top of one of the hills in Wayag. We head searching for that perfect postcard photo and find the track that takes us up the hill. The easy walk turned more into a rock climbing expedition and Juzzy with only one leg, was the first to the top of the hill. |
Episode 99This week on Sailing Nandji, we make the decision to sail of the beaten path and head super remote in search of the most beautiful place in the world. During our time in Raja Ampat we had seen other tourists and dive boats from nearby resorts. We wanted to get as far away as we could, to the hard to reach places where very few make the effort to go. We first thought we would not visit the island of Wayag as it exactly that, a long way away. With strong trade winds blowing, it would be downwind sailing to reach the island but make it extremely difficult to leave. We decided it was worth it, even if we got stuck for a week or two. What we discovered was simply amazing and well worth the effort of being stranded in paradise!
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Episode 98This week on Sailing Nandji, it is Bonita's Birthday!! With our new crew member being on board for a week by this stage, we sail to a new island home to celebrate Bonita's Birthday! The anchorage is much too deep to anchor, but as it is surrounded by tall steep cliffs and protected from all winds, we decide to try something new! We tie the bow and stern off to the mangroves and don't use the anchor at all! Tied up securely, right on the edge of the reef, we have a floaty party in this amazing geographical location. We float around in the stunning lagoon, go snorkelling and generally enjoy our time here celebrating Bonita's birthday.
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Episode 97This week on Sailing Nandji, after taking the plunge and deciding to get a new crew member on board, we reached out to our Instagram following. Within a couple of days we had found Juzzy! His unique story took us by surprise and with such a positive attitude towards life, I wanted to meet this man. Collecting Juzzy from the ferry in Waisai, after a quick food shop, we headed out to sea for the first time. Juzzy had never been on a sail boat before and what better way to initiate him to the world of sailing then a 40nm sail on day one! Chuck him in the Deep End!
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Episode 96This week on Sailing Nandji, we leave the tiny island of Air Borek in Raja Ampat, Indonesia and begin the final sail towards the small town of Waisai to collect our new crew member. I did a little whoopsy and when put the coordinates into our plotter to find the town, it was 30nm back the other direction, into the wind and current! Lucky we left 2 days to travel! Exploring Raja Ampat by sailboat means you can peek around every corner and find something stunning. As we had to travel back the wrong way, we were forced to find ourselves an anchorage for the night and discovered one of our favourite anchorages in all of Raja Ampat! Pristine reef in vodka clear water to dive on and a sneaky private beach to relax. This is why we love living on Nandji, discovering these hidden gems that we never knew existed!
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Episode 95This week on Sailing Nandji, we finally depart the city of Sorong, Indonesia. After spending 2 long weeks being land locked, fixing Nandji and collecting our new tender, it was time to prepare to head out sailing and exploring once again. With the help from our friend Mister Wick, we got everything sorted and departed Sorong in the gentle afternoon breeze. With not enough wind to reach our desired destination, we spend 2 days slowly cruising the coast and adventuring further west into Raja Ampat. We have a skype chat with a bloke and decide to accept a new crew member onto Nandji, we have a week to reach port where we will collect our new guest! long the way we dive in the clearest water ever! The water off the small island of Air borek is in the middle of the Dampier straight which brings clean water from the ocean, providing the clearest water ever! Whilst diving we come across the biggest school of fish we have ever dived with!! Amazing!
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Episode 94In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we complete the last leg of our passage from Jayapura to Sorong, Indonesia. After making our offering to Neptune, we were quickly beaten back into the Southern latitudes by a strong squall. The final 150nm of passage we were greeted with fisherman and the Navy... Arriving to Sorong with a few things broken it was a bitter sweet arrival as we had some very important items break on passage but we had arrived in time to collect a new toy for Nandji!
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Episode 93In this episode of Sailing Nandji, after visiting the local market in Jayapura and enjoying the street food of Indonesia, it was time to head back to sea and continue our journey West to the Indonesian province of Raja Ampat. The 700nm passage to Sorong took us close to the equator and since we were so close we thought, lets cross the damn thing! We sail off course and head North crossing the equator naked then are greeted by a monster squall. We have a quick party and offer our sacrifice to King Neptune before setting some sails again and sailing south in the strong winds and heavy rain!
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Episode 92In this Episode of Sailing Nandji, we bid our farewells to the lovely community of the Ninigo islands. We embark on a 300nm sail to a new country, Indonesia. The 4 day passage was plagued with storms every night which kept us on our toes!
Arriving to Jayapura, Indonesia, we go through the run around of organising our entry which rarely goes smoothly. We have trouble with immigration and they take our passports. Give them back! |
Episode 91In this Episode of Sailing Nandji, imagine living in a lagoon in the middle of the ocean. No wifi, no cars, no shops, no hospital and the one land line phone to the outside world is 15nm away on a neighbouring island. Welcome to the Ninigo islands of PApua New Guinea. This is where we anchored Nandji for a week and spent our time with the local community. A young boy had been bitten by a Morey Eel and with no doctor or nurses and very limited medical supplies on the island, we are the closest thing to first aid. We try our best at cleaning the boys wound and trying to put the brave young lads hand back together.
We visit the local garden where the family grow all their food and head out spearfishing with one of the lads from the island. We are inundated with gifts of fruit and vegetables and have lunches cooked and brought out to the boat. We have supplies and balls for the kids at the school and take a visit to the community school. Escaping at the end of the week for one quite evening on a remote beach, Marley has some fun and then it is off to sea we go! |
Episode 90In this Episode of Sailing Nandji, after a slow 6 day passage at sea, we arrive to the remote Papua New Guinea group of islands called the Hermit Islands. We spend hours diving and exploring what is below the surface and see lots of marine life. Plenty of sharks and we play with some Manta Rays. We catch plenty of fish and help out the local village residents where we can then head back to sea on an overnight passage to the next chain of islands 80nm away. Arriving to the Ninigo Islands, we are greeted by Oscar and his 12m sailing canoe. He invites us for a sail and off we go sailing a little different than normal!!
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Episode 89In this Episode of Sailing Nandji, we are in Kavieng, Papua New Guinea. We visit the local market and prepare for our next passage. Heading out to sea we embark on a 400nm to the remote Hermit Islands. These islands are a long way from anywhere and very remote. If we need help, it is not coming anytime soon!
Sailing so close to the equator means long periods of no wind and flapping sails. Lots of squalls with heavy rain and strong winds followed by hot clear skies. Most people imagine that the ocean is full of huge waves bigger than sky scrapers and strong winds like a non stop cyclone. In the doldrums, it is more like a desolate desert leaving you pining for a breeze... We love our time sailing offshore, as there are always highlights and tough times on long passages, that is what makes sailing offshore such a memorable experience! |
Episode 88In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we finish our sail north to the town of Kavieng. After dropping anchor and heading to shore, we discover that the APEC summit meeting for tourism is being held in the town we just arrived to! We knew this would mean some sort of show so went to investigate. We arrived early and somehow made our way into the VIP area. The delegates arrived and yet we still remained in the VIP area! After we were invited up stairs for a cold coconut, we realised we were not getting booted out and made the most of our time as VIP's! Mingling with the delegates and getting front row of every performance. We watched a bird dance, never before performed in the public eye. We witnessed the ancient duk duk dance from the secret society of Tolai men, who also eat and dance in fire... Only in Papua New Guinea!!
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Episode 87In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we have difficulties trying to organise officials for our clearance from port. It is hard dealing with regulations as they differ from country to country and Yosh gets a little frazzled, letting his frustration out on the poor customs official who was only trying help! With our clearance in hand, we try to depart Rabaul only to turn around again... Then it is Bonita's time to shine with her big day out in Kokopo! We head out on a day excursion to Pigeon island where Bonita goes scuba diving on a sunken wreck and a steep wall dive. Yosh is is stuck on the beach due to his infected leg that never wants heal and tells a few stories!
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Episode 86In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we are in the city of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. We are a little stuck waiting on a package to arrive so utilise the time explore this very interesting city. This city has survived, 2 World wars, a tsunami and two volcanoes eruptions covering the city! All in the past 100 years! What a place! During WW2 the Japanese held Rabaul and dug mazes of tunnels through out the hills of Rabaul and many are still standing today. We explore some of these caverns and scare Bonita with all the creepy crawlies. It has been a long time since we have had any friends on the boat and we were lucky to cross paths with an old mate from back home and enjoy a great day catching up.
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Episode 85In this episode of Sailing Nandji, after one of our scariest times at sea and a very challenging passage we arrive to Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. With only 5 nautical miles left to arrive into port, the nightmare passage is not over yet. Sometimes you have to rescue yourself... I guess this how to make a Smoky grand entrance into Papua New Guinea!
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Episode 84In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we depart the Solomon Islands and sail 450nm to Rabaul in Papua New Guinea. It turned out to be a bit of a nightmare passage with many obstacles to over come along the way. With Bonita's resilience and determination, Nandji powers on and we reach Papua New Guinea waters. This passage was challenging, annoying, beautiful and also the most scariest as we endure our most frightening time at sea
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Episode 83In this episode of Sailing Nandji, We are in Gizo preparing for our onward journey to Papua New Guinea. Yosh gets a few waves and we anchor out front of what we thought we would be the perfect anchorage to prepare Nandji, until a storm rolls in. With bad weather for days on end we try to keep ourselves occupied and relies that the island close by needs some loving. Sick of seeing rubbish all the time, Bonita decides to do something about it and tidies up our little patch of beach with the help from a few little lads.
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Episode 82In this episode of Sailing Nandji, the question is asked. Why is it so hard to turn around? We attempt to sail 80nm to Noro without a weather forecast. We are hit by squall after squall and despite all of our attempts to make ground, fail to do so. We eventually make it to Noro sailing upwind into the night, through the unpredictable seas of "the Slot". We stock up on food and set sail once more, heading for Gizo where we will prepare to leave the Solomon Islands bound for Papua New Guinea.
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Episode 81In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we adventure to the very remote north coast of the Isabel province in the Solomon islands. Yosh has been excited for months to check out this area in search of the many possible surf spots that we spied on google images. The coast has many reef passes open to the entire north Pacific ocean. We arrived a little later than we wanted and caught the end of the winter swells in the north Pacific. The reef passes had a lot of potential for some amazing waves and both of us had some amazing surfs. At one stage we did not see another human for over a week! Never did we surf with a crowd or even once another person. This is what my dreams have been ever since buying Nandji, exploring remote reefs and surfing with only me... The search is real people.
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Episode 80In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we make a short passage crossing of 50nm across "the slot" between New Georgie island and Isabel islands. Navigate our way through an outer reef in the middle of nowhere and end up in a confused ocean where wind against current causes some tall standing waves. With the strong wind, we sail downwind in the lagoon and find shelter in the stunning Arnavon Island turtle sanctuary. We explore this sheltered lagoon and enjoy the pristine beaches and sea life. We then get to witness the hatching of the endangered Hawksbill turtle and assist in getting the little guys to the ocean. Watching them clamber there way down the sand and get rolled around in the breaking waves swimming off into the unknown.
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Episode 79In this episode of Sailing Nandji, after a week of having land living with Yosh's parents, we head back through the Diamond Narrows to Noro to prepare for our next adventure. Whilst at anchor we have an uninvited drunken guest in the middle of the night to Nandji... We tie up to a barge to get fuel, then head out sailing. With a nice breeze on our back, we sail a quick 30nm to a beautiful anchorage. Only to be awaken in the middle of the night with some terrible weather, we rise early and move on down the coast as it is too rough to cross the passage to Isabel island, our wanted destination. We hide away in a protected cove and discover an abandon village. We tie up to the old wharf outside the village and spend a weekend hanging with the local people. We check out what village life would be like and have a look at the huts and the way of life for many Solomon Islander's.
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Episode 78In this episode of Sailing Nandji, Yosh's parents travel from South Australia to come visit. With over a week of great weather we head out enjoying all the activities. Firstly Kayaking to the neighbouring island called Skull Island. This island is where a nearby tribe kept the skulls of the humans they had killed during the head hunting days. It was believed that the more skulls you had, the more power and prestige one had. We counted over 30 human skulls on display... It is very confronting to see a human skull in real life!
We take the fast boat exploring the Vona Vona Lagoon and visiting many of the lush secluded tropical island paradise's. We free dive on a WW2 plane wreck, dive an exquisite wall packed with fish and beautiful corals, then the men try to out fish each other! |
Episode 77In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we leave Gizo town on our way to visit the famous Kennedy island. After a quick detour so Yosh can have a quick surf, we anchor in a beautiful anchorage and take the tender across the lagoon to Kennedy island. Bonita tells us the fascinating story of survival of JFK in WW2. The island was renamed Kennedy island after JFK. During WW2 Kennedy and other Americans were on patrol in their vessel PT109 looking for Japanese targets when their boat was ran down by a Japanese destroyer. Kennedy and the other survivors swam to the nearest island which is now called Kennedy island. We visit this little island and Bonita explains the full ordeal.
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Episode 76In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we have our first sail on cruising catamaran. Gavin and Luciana from SV Chemestry run a charter business in the Solomons and base themselves at Liapari island. We were anchored next to each other and they generouslly offered if we wanted to do the weekly trip to Gizo for supplies. Of course we excepted and had our first sail on a catamaran. Of course this then sparks the conversation of every cruising sailor. Monohull vs Catamaran?
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Episode 75In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we are anchored at the beautiful Liapari island. This small island is off the southern tip of Vella Lavella island in the Northern area of the Solomon islands. We had always planned to visit the lagoon of Liapari island as we had read about the safety of the anchorage and that this place is basically the only place where we could get things repaired in the Solomons. But when we went exploring, this island uncovered some magical places that we would struggle to dream up in our own minds! Enjoy!!!
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Episode 74In this episode of Sailing Nandji, Marley and Bonita go for a little excerise and run into a pack of dogs who want to tear the bark off them. With the braveness of Bonita, they both escape but not worse for wear. We high tale it out of the city on a mission. Brady from the well known vessel SV Delos, wrote to us asking if we could translate some lyrics in a song for him. With Detective's Yosh and Bonita on the case, we steadily track down the location of the language. We head out a nice day sail and of course have engine issues at sea. Thats why we carry spare parts people! Enjoy!
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Ep 73In this episode of Sailing Nandji, Marley and Bonita go for a little excerise and run into a pack of dogs who want to tear the bark off them. With the braveness of Bonita, they both escape but not worse for wear. We high tale it out of the city on a mission. Brady from the well known vessel SV Delos, wrote to us asking if we could translate some lyrics in a song for him. With Detective's Yosh and Bonita on the case, we steadily track down the location of the language.
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Ep 72In this episode of Sailing Nandji, Bonita's parents travel from Australia to come visit us in the Solomon islands. Since they made the effort to come all this way, we spend our first nights sleep on land in over 7 months! They arrive just in time for our first monsoon in the Solomons. We have winds over 40 knots and torrential rain for days. It was a good time to be on land with Nandji safely anchored out the front. We head out fishing when the weather allowed us and the competition for biggest fish heats up! Will Bonita's dad win? Or does Bonita win one for the ladies!
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Ep 71In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we leave the beautiful Morovo lagoon and head on an overnight passage further North West to Noro. Bonita sails us out of the reef pass and we make course directly into a storm... The rain is heavy and the wind is everywhere. It makes everything go a little crazy!!! We arrive to our destination of Noro to be greeted with a monster Barracuda. Even the fish went a little silly from the storm! Barracuda be crazy!
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Ep 70In this episode of Sailing Nandji, after an overnight sail we arrive to the stunning Marovo lagoon. Solomon islanders like to refer to the Marovo lagoon as the 8th wonder of the world and we can see why. This stunning lagoon is a combination of 5 lagoons and over 800 islands! So much exploring could be done in just this part of the world! We spend some time with a local chief and his family and collect some water together in the local fresh water spring. We head to market with the chief and discover a beautiful little lodge called Rockocaseena. Ralph and Raynald have a small little picturesque bar where they play the music that Raynald creates. He is a music producer and he explains a custom story that he turned into a song that we use in the video. If you like his music hit him up at reynald_tenapiko@yahoo.com
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Ep 69In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we sail an overnight passage from the Florida islands to the Russell Group in the Solomon Islands. Arriving to Lologhan island, we raft up with our friends Fara on the small shoal. Wasting no time, we set out exploring below the surface and are amazed how clear the water was. Yoshi shoots a big Barracuda and enough to feed the group so Bonita cooks up a storm in the fire on the beach, under the stars. Bliss. We head in different directions to Fara and spend some quality solotude time away from any other people on our own private islands. The islands are open to the Coral sea and have little waves for surfing. We both have a play and would love to return to these places one day when the swell is up! Because the waves were small, Yoshi got creative with his naming of the waves! Yew!
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Ep 68In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we decided to put the Captain and crew of Fara behind the lens and hear their very inspirational story. We first met these guys in Honiara over Christmas. We then cruised through the Florida islands, Russel islands and into the Western PRovince of the Solomon Islands together. The German Captain Manual share his story of first purchasing Fara, the costs involved to get the vessel Blue water ready and then sail across an ocean with a Mexican lady Raquel. She then tells her side of the story from not having any experience to now living on board Fara for 8 months. Then meet the French man who has joined the journey to finish off this epic adventure from mainland Mexico to South East Asia. A beautiful story of culture and travel with all the challenges of living on a small boat in a big ocean.
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Ep 67In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we explore the beautiful Tokyo bay where we were rafted up with two other vessels, Sand Pebble and Fara. Taking La diva the tender through the mangroves in search of Crocodiles, we check out the ship wreck of Kikuzuko, a Japanese destroyer that was sunk in the corner of Tokyo Bay. We then boat convoy North through the Mboli passage in the Florida islands. The skinny passage cuts its way through dense jungle, weaving its way to the north coast.
Ep 64In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we are re-united with our pet Whippet Marley. After months of organisation from the pet travel agent Jetpets and lots of help from family and friends, the day finally comes when we are re-united once again. We briefly explain the process we went through in organising the import of Marley.
Ep 61In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we leave the waters of Vanuatu and sail north for 3 nights and four days, arriving to the small town of Lata on Nendo island in the Santa Cruz group. The 350nm sail was slow at first, then we had some amazing sailing for a couple of days before we needed to have a chat to King Neptune to see what he was thinking. On passage, Yosh hooks a monster and endures an epic battle for the ages.
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Ep 66In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we head to Sesape boat yard in Tulagi, Florida Islands. Without hauling out Nandji, we removed the drive shaft in water and replaced the bearing behind the stuffing box. With a healthy Nandji once again, we quickly return to Honiara to get some food and then head back across Iron Bottom Sound to the Florida Islands to convoy with two other vessels we met along the way. Rafting up in the stunning Tokoyo Bay, we enjoy a dinner with friends on the vessel Sand Pebble.
Ep 63In this episode of Sailing Nandji, with our 54 extra litres of diesel we got from selling rum to the police of Nendo island, we depart the Santa Cruz group of islands and head to Honiara where we are due to collect our dog Marley. With little wind for days and limited fuel, we jump from squall to squall, utilising the wind from each weather system.
Ep 60In this episode of Sailing Nandji, the time has finally come to prepare Nandji to sail and depart Port Vila, Vanuatu. Loading up with supplies and filling the tanks, we have a rougher sail then expected and sail 150nm to Malakula island and spend the night anchored at our own private beach. Next day we tracks to Santo island where we try to check out of the country. Customs officers all have different ideas about rules and length of lunch breaks!
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Ep 65In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we prepare Nandji for some Christmas fun in the Florida Islands amongst the Honiara christmas rush. We set off on a 30nm sail across to the Florida Islands for some Christmas fun. Anchoring near a small village, we head ashore and check out the village. We then head to another little island paradise and spend sometime diving and playing with the local kids. We trade with the many passing canoes for some fresh produce and explain a little about trading in the Solomon Islands.
Ep 62In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we are at the beautiful Nendo island in the Santa Cruz group in the Solomon islands. We try to check in with customs and of course meet a few troubles. We have engine issues and then have no money and no fuel. Another day in the life of Nandji... The only way out is to get our hustle on.
Ep 59In this episode of Sailing Nandji, Christmas comes early as we receive and install our new Hydrovane. A few months ago on our first overseas passage, our autopilot gave away and we had to hand steer our way across the Coral sea. After hand steering for over 1300 nautical miles our followers decided that enough was enough and a little idea sparked in Traceies mind... How about everyone contributes small amounts and gets these guys a windvane!!!!
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Ep 58With engine issues plaguing our progress on departing Port Vila and leaving the cyclone prone area, we are pushed to breaking point, how much more can we take?! The experts come on board and we are delivered some news that will ultimately impact our futures. With everything invested into this journey, only time will tell if the correct decisions are made...
Ep 55In this episode of Sailing Nandji, We leave Tanna island around lunch time and sail 130 nautical miles to Port Villa, Efate island, Vanuatu. We leave in a good breeze at our backs and have some exciting fishing on the way. Three Marlin take the bait and give Yosh some challenging and emotional fishing. We head into the night with a 25 knots on our backs, then two hours later have none. The wind disappeared for hours and we lay ahull bobbing around aimlessly in the middle of the ocean...
Ep 52In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we check out of New Caledonia and set sails to a new country. We leave Noumea with some challenging trade wind conditions. Strong winds force us to hide away for the afternoon and night sail to reach anchorages to wait for tidal currents to allow us to exit reef passes. We need all the elements in our favour to move in the right direction! We sail across the deep Hebrides trench. This trench is over 6000m deep in places! We finally arrive to our destination of Tanna Island, Vanuatu. It was a 3 day and 2 long night journey, hand steering 250 nautical miles with just the two of us.
Ep 49In this episode of Sailing Nandji, We sail around to the North Western tip of Isle of Pines to an area called Gadgi. This piece of earth is one of the most pristine wonderlands we have ever adventured too. We have magnificent weather with no wind and are forced to kick back, relax and enjoy our environment. With plenty of Coconuts on offer, we create a few rum nuts!
Ep 46In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we start to enjoy the cruising life and head off exploring the Southern Lagoon of New Caledonia. Then setting sails south and into the southern lagoon. We experience strong winds and spend a sleepless night on anchor watch. Yosh celebrates his birthday, so we find our own private island and cook some fish that we speared in a fire on the beach. Heaven.
Ep 43In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we arrive safely into Noumea, New Caledonia, after a mammoth week of hand steering and things going wrong at sea. We nearly reach harbour but have quite the scare on arrival. Our engine room started to puff out smoke and upon inspection a serious fire was smouldering. With quick thinking from Bonita, we isolated the energy source and controlled a very serious situation from turning even worse. We decide to relax for a day and enjoy the fact we had arrived after 9 days at sea before tackling the issues on Nandji.
Ep 40In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we have motor issues and are rescue towed to the boatworks on the gold coast. We had previously arranged for a haulout to re-antifoul Nandji and replace the cutlass bearing so had her hauled out as planned. The mechanic couldn't work on the motor until she was back in the water so we carried out the work as planned. We antifouled the yacht, re-fibreglassed sections and replaced the yachts cutlass bearing. Nandji was put back into the water where a mechanic was able to assess the motor. We find out the fate of the motor and weather we will be able to continue to sail or not...
Ep 37In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we are preparing our boat for off shore blue water cruising. We get a delivery of technology gadgets from Digital Yacht and we bring Nandji up to the 21st century. Installing a long range wifi antenna and router, a new wind sense on top of the mast and an AIS system. Bonita has been studying and completed the long distance marine radio certificate.
After nearly ten long years with Grandpa, our car, we give him a clean and put him on the market. It is sad to say good bye to such a reliable old vessel but we do not need wheels where we are going! Ep 34In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we are preparing our yacht for blue water cruising. We prepare the deck for a fresh coat of non-skid using KiwiGrip. Bonita sands the deck and then cleans it using water and then acetone. We primer around the outside of the deck and get stuck into applying the kiwi grip. The product is a yoghurt like consistancy, we are a little nervous at first to use it but after a practice run on cardboard, soon find our rhythm. We roll out the KiwiGrip and wait 3 days for it to dry hard. We take off the dodger and Bonita sews on a new zip.
Ep 31In this episode of Sailing nandji we are preparing the boat for our first overseas voyage. Some of the jobs are taking the bimini down, installing a new salt water pump, installing the Iridium Go and re-inforcing the back davits. We announce the winner of our Patreon competition where a Lucky Patreon gets the chance to sail from Mooloolaba to The Gold Coast!! Yeww!!
Ep 28In this episode of Sailing Nandji, our work on preparing Nandji for our big voyage is interupted by a little storm called Cyclone Debbie. Luckily we were 1500km South from where Debbie made landfall, but we still managed to get the aftermath of Debbies wrath. We had winds predicted of 40 knots and it peaked at 55 knots! We are very happy with our decision to head into the marina and lucky to get the last berth! With Nandji safe, we head over to Koresails to continue with our sail bag construction. We have a birds eye view of Nandji whilst she copes it sweet from Debbie. Hope you enjoy!
Ep 25In this episode of Sailing Nandji, We sail into Mooloolaba as Yosh has been offered a job working on a local boat. We show you around Mooloolaba and give a tour of the area. Yosh dosnt hear back from the job and decides to pull out the tools and start working on Nandji. We are preparing for our first overseas voyage and take part in an Offshore cruising course run by The Island Cruising Association. We sit down with John and Lynn from the ICA and they answer a few of our questions.
Ep 22In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we continue our 3 day and night sail from Bundaberg to Brisbane. We enter the Brisbane river and are hit by a server weather warning. We find shelter at an unused jetty and wait out the weather. Luckily it blows over quickly and we are able to continue sailing up the river to our new home at the pile-ons. Its a massive change for us moving to the city. We show you around and also put on our new anchor.
Ep 19In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we enjoy life living in the coral cay that is Lady Musgrave Island. This place has been one of the favourite places we have visited along the coast and definitely the coolest island. We explore what Lady Musgrave island has to offer, walking around the beaches, frolicking in the forrest and swimming in the shallows.
Music Credits: Mitch King - www.mitchkingmusic.com.au Cesare - www.facebok.com/cesaremusic Ep 16In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we reach massive milestone for us and adventure out to Fitzroy Reef. Fitzroy Reef makes up part of the Souther Great Barrier Reef. The lagoon oasis is roughly 40 nautical miles from land, in the middle of the ocean. There is a skinny natural entrance into the lagoon, via a tiny channel in the coral. Once inside Fitzroy Reef, the lagoon is calm and protected from the open ocean swell and wind.
Ep 13In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we arrive to the stunning Percy Isles. Since sailing down the coast, we have been looking forward to this stop off. The Percy group of islands are remote and alone, along way from the nearest main land town.
One week before our arrival, a fellow yachtie had done himself a mischief and ran aground on the rocks. Losing everything. His sailing boat wreck is prominent in the distance from the anchorage. We go check it out and see what can happen when things go horribly wrong. Ep 10In this episode of sailing Nandji, we leave the beautiful Gloucester Island and return to Airlie beach. The forecast of Northerly winds encourages us for a quick turn around. We load up Nandji, ready to begin our journey south. We have a time with no wind and get creative to entertain ourselves. We attempt our first night sail and head south to Thomas Island. Living the dream in the Whitsundays!
Ep 7In this episode, Bonita helps clean up the ocean with Ecobarge. We sail around Whitsunday island stopping off for Lunch at Whitehaven Beach and run into trouble crossing the Whitsunday Passage. We ran over a mooring and though we damaged the prop! We start taking on water as we were sailing across the passage then to discover a fire onboard. We are still learning the ropes of sailing and experiencing things for the first time.
Ep 4In this episode we make a make=shift halyard and sail back from the great barrier reef to Airlie beach. We were blessed with some beautiful calm seas and clear skies. Once back on land we fixed our problems and set sail for the spectacular Whitehaven beach and Hills inlet. This is the greatest distance south we have sailed and we are starting to really enjoy the long distance sailing and are becoming more comfortable with blue water sailing.
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Ep 57Our motor is broken and we are stuck in Port Vila, Vanuatu. We are waiting on parts to arrive in the post which can take weeks! Rather then letting these tough times get us down, we head out and play tourist, conquering some fears. Bonita is terrified of heights and I have never ridden a horse and are quite intimidated by there presence. What better way to take our mind of the boat problems then to go and scare ourselves!
Ep 54In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we rise at 2am to climb one of the world's most active volcanoes. Mt Yasur on Tanna island, Vanuatu. We climb to the top of the crater in the pitch dark and look down into the depths of the earth. The volcano spits lava, volcanic ash and sulphur into the sky. This level 2 activity that we witness means there could be an explosion at anytime and the volcano could spit lava as high as the crest of the crater. Exactly where we were standing...
Ep 51In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we try to sail south east from the greatest surf spot in New Caledonia. We finally have a plan for our future and this involves heading to the city of Noumea to check out of the country. We have some challenging trade winds to negotiate whilst day sailing for 3 days to return to Noumea. Once back in the big smoke it is time to prepare Nandji for our future adventures. We plan to sail north and to more remote areas, therefore we have to make sure Nandji is ready to do this. We fix any minor issues and try to eliminate any problem for the future...
Ep 48In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we explore the beautiful Ilse of Pines, New Caledonia. This island is the most southern island of New Caledonia and it is something straight out of Jurassic park. We trek around the island, climb the tallest peak, go swimming in the most pristine natural swimming hole that resembles an aquarium and go sailing on a traditional outrigger boat through Baei D'Upi.
Ep 45In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we had to return to Noumea for yet more repairs to Nandji, hopefully they will be the last ones for quite some time!! Whilst at the marina, we were lucky enough to cross paths with the greatest of all time solo sailor, Jon Sanders. This man is an absolute legend. He is currently on the last legs of completing his 10th circumnavigation at the young age of 78.
Ep 42In this episode of Sailing Nandji, We take on our greatest challenge yet and attempt to cross the Coral sea. This is our first offshore blue water sail and the longest sail we would have attempted yet. The 800nm sail we expected to take roughly 8 days at sea. The journey was full of challenges from dealing with 50 KNOTS! broken halyards and broken starter motors. We had rough weather and we had calm winds. The adventure was filled with all things good and bad. An adventure really begins when things dont go to plan.
Ep 39In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we depart on our shakedown sail from Mooloolaba to the Goldcoast and take our patron winner, Ben along for the ride. We had starter motor issues before departing and were able to solve the problem and sail away. We sailed into the afternoon and as the winds were dropping out, decided to anchor for the night at Moreton Island. We rose early the next morning to continue on the journey only to realise that the starter engine issues had now become motor issues. We attempted to leave the island sailing but with light winds were unable to sail past the headland.
Ep 36In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we install our new Harken furler. To do this we had to spend some time on a marina. Assembling all the pieces on the deck and then hoisting them up with a little bit of help from Marleys friends. Yosh was pretty nervous about the length of the forestay being correct and Bonita was just generally nervous that Yosh wouldn't make any mistakes! Our old furler, we think was home made. It was a night mare to furl the sail and to attempt to sail with a reefed sail was impossible. Therefore we thought it to be a nessacity to replace the old girl.
Ep 33In this episode of Sailing Nandji, Bonita gets sick of the ongoing boat work and decides she needs a little nature to help her relax. She takes a hike up the Glass House Mountains and watches a beautiful sunset. I return from working away and are greeted with the best gifts, chocolate cake and beer. What a woman! With no time to spare, it is heads down, bum up and into the boat work. It has felt like we have been living in a constant constuction site and it is a good feeling to think we can see the end of boat work.
Ep 30In this episode of Sailing Nandji, Captain Yosh goes away for work and and Bonita and Marley work on small jobs to get Nandji ready for their first offshore cruising voyage. We receive a huge package of rigging from the most generous people, Billy and Brittany in Floria to replace our standing rigging. I show you some of the purchases made to complete our first aid kits and our grab bag.
Ep 27In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we are busy little bees in getting Nandji ready for our first overseas crossing. Some people think this stuff just happens... Really it is alot of hardwork and dedication towards the goals we set, that really make this lifestyle possible. In this episode we get lots of little jobs done, sort the important paperwork for us to sail overseas, paint the cockpit of our vessel, check out the donk and then we are forced to prepare for extreme weather. Cyclone Debbie hit the North Queensland coast and we got the remnants of the storm. We put Nandji back together and prepare for what is to come.
Ep 24In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we pack up our lives and leave Brisbane. We say goodbye to river life and sail north up the coast to Mooloolaba. Chasing an opportunity for work, we head out in rough stormy weather and have a great sail north. Battling a gusty breeze because of the rain squalls, we rolled in the swell and sailed at max speed to our new home. Entering into the seaway in the dark, Nandji did her job well.
Ep 21In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we depart Bundaberg and sail south, almost non stop to Brisbane. We are sailing to a schedule to catch flights home to visit family. First rule about sailing, do not sail to a schedule! Lucky the weather was on our side as we left thinking our flights were a day earlier then we expected. It was full sail and full steam ahead. We cross the notorious Wide Bay Bar, With full sail and the waves rolling, Nandji powered through the swell un phased and powered on into the night.
Ep 18In this episode of Sailing Nandji, We were faced with weeks of strong wind from the wrong direction. After spending some time in 1770, it was time to leave and head out to Lady Musgrave Island. After two previous attempts of trying to cross the bar and rounding the headland of Roundhill creek, only to head back into the safety of the anchorage. The third time we managed to get through the waves and had a good wind that allowed us to set our course out to Lady Musgrave Island.
Ep 15In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we explore a bit more, around Great Keppel island. We have a fire on our own beach, with not another soul in sight. We watch the storm roll in from the distance and hurry back to Nandji for shelter. The wind swings over night and we set our sails and fly down the coast. This is where our sailing became a bit complacent... We Chinese gybe and spin 180 degrees...
Ep 12In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we continue on our journey south towards the Percy Isles. We were blessed with lots of good sailing weather, so we made the most of it and sailed over 100nm. Stopping off at Brampton Island, then to St Bees Island, then to Scawfell Island, then to Digby Island. Lots of little day sails were done and we managed to squeeze in some diving. When we sailed into Digby Island, there were fish jumping every where so the Captain through out a lure and caught a big Queenfish. We then sail away from Digby Island and set course to the Percy Isles.
Ep 9In this episode we are waiting for northerly winds to blow us down the coral coast. We are greeted with strong trade winds and decide to take it on and sail up the coast instead! We stop at Maureens cove on Hook island for a night and downwind cruise to Gloucester Island. We find an amazing restaurant with a bar called Montes which was perfect after a long day of Sailing.
Ep 6In this episode, we spend 5 nights anchored out on the Great Barrier Reef. We explored over 10 nautical miles of reef and were granted some of the finest weather one could ask for. We had a day when the ocean didn't break a ripple all day. Mirror like. It was amazing. We spent at least 6 six hours a day in the water either spearfishing, free diving or just generally exploring this magnificent reef.
Ep 3In this episode we set sail on our first adventure out to the Whitsunday islands. We were graced with beautiful weather so over a couple of wines decided that we should head out to sea and check out the great barrier reef. We are so happy we decided to take on this daunting step as we were gifted with the best of mother natures beauty. Of course we had some problems but we are quickly learning how to overcome and conquer unfortunate situations.
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Ep 56In this episode we have been having motor issues and get the experts around to inspect Nandjis motor. We initially thought we had a majour rebuild on our hands but with a closer look it may not be as bad as what we first though. We order new parts to eliminate the problem. Rather than sitting on our hands we decide to go on adventure with our new friends Corey, Jess and Chris to the Cascades waterfall, Efate Island.
Ep 53In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we check ourselves into Vanuatu at a small village on the west coast of Tanna island, Vanuatu. We have a little explore and head out to drink some kava. With a rolling anchorage, we get frustrated and sail into the strong trade wind for 13 hours to the other side of the island where we find a beautiful anchorage. We then go for a crazy island car ride across the island returning to Lenakel to visit the local markets. We drive past the furious volcano and get our first glimpse of this beast...
Ep 50In this episode of Sailing Nandji, We travel back from Isle of Pines and sail to an island off of the southern point of New Caledonia and hide from strong winds for the afternoon. We adventure to land to the small village and are greeted with the whole community out and about as we discovered we had arrived at the end of a wedding! Yosh some how scored some bread, before setting off on a night sail back to Noumea. We loaded up for another adventure, this time heading north up the West coast in search of some overdue waves. We stop at two different passes and Yosh gets some of the best waves of his life.
Ep 47In this episode of Sailing Nandji, We adventure further south into the worlds largest lagoon. Island hopping through this paradise from Ilot Uatio to Ilot Kouare. Then hoisting some sails once more, we leave the lagoon and sail 50nm to Ilse de Pins. Whales breaching close by and we were greeted with the biggest pod of dolphins we have ever seen. Dolphins are the king of froth!
Ep 44In this episode of Sailing Nandji, after fixing our engine issues it was time to explore. We head out into the lagoon and out to Dumbea Passe to have a surf. We go diving and shoot our first fish and find a really cool ship wreck to dive on. It is Bonitas bday so find our selves a little sand island to drink Pina Colodas! Its party time!
Ep 41In this episode of Sailing Nandji, our boat work is completed. We finalise everything that we thought Nandji required to complete our first overseas passage. With Nandji ready, Bonita took her old man food shopping and completed the provisioning. Loading up on as much food as she could and filling 3 shopping trollies.
We explain to you the reasons why unfortunately Marley can not join us on this part of the journey. With strict quarantine laws, it is essential that he is ready to be able to travel with us. Ep 38In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we tell the story of our friend Ginny. She is an amazing women with a great story of inspiration. Bonita spent a lot of time hanging and learning from her wisdom and Ginny is too kind to share her brains with us.
We get a new headsail fitted from the legendary Ben from Quantum sails. Then it is time to get our lucky winning Patron to come on an adventure and come sailing with us! It was great to meet Ben and take him on our first sail with Nandji for months! It was exciting to load the boat up ready for adventure times again. Ep 35In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we are preparing our yacht for blue water cruising. Nandjis rigging is old and rusty, we broke a shroud a few months ago sailing so for blue water cruising it needed replacing. We decide to do it ourselves to save coin and also learn more about our boat. We are extremely lucky to have Billy and Brittany as followers as they sent us over all the turnbuckles we need to do this job, making it an affordable job for us. Thanks guys! We take down a few wires at a time and take it to a rigger along with the turnbuckles.
Ep 32In this episode, Bonita heads on over to Kore Sails with a box of solar panles and the bimini off of Nandji. With a little help from Aaron, she positions and sews our new panels in place. Returning to Nandji, we install the bimini and then I take you through the wiring and installation process, also giving some information about our new flexible solar panels.
Another job complete and a step closer to having Nandji ready to cross oceans. Exciting times ahead! Ep 29In this episode of Sailing nandji we are preparing the boat for our first overseas voyage. Bonita makes a new sail cover for Nandji. We take off our sails and visit Aaron at Kore sails where he teaches Bonita how to repair sun-damaged stitches. Bonita repairs the mainsail and we put it back on the boat, along with the new sail cover!
Ep 26In this episode of Sailing Nandji, We are preparing our sailboat for her first ocean crossing. With the list continually growing, Yosh is back from work and we get busy on crossing off items on the list! We send Bonita up the mast for the first time to measure for a new headsail. We follow on from our last episode as Yosh fibreglasses and paints over the huge hole in Nandji where rot had been cut out of the deck. We do not have a water maker on board, but with the heavy Queensland rains, Yosh gets inventive and fills our tanks the old fashioned way.The sun returns and we measure up for a new main sail bag.
Ep 23In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we take the Brisbane city bikes for a test run. We leave the river past the port and have an encounter with a ship that was a little to close for comfort. We meet with friends and plan our sailing adventure get away over the festive season. We secretly race everywhere of course. We check out the Tangalooma wrecks at Moreton Island and sail to North Stradbroke island where we dive for Razorfish.
Ep 20In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we meet some fellow yachties who happen to have scuba gear on board. They generously offer the chance to go scuba diving with them. We extended our stay by two days! We make tracks and leave the stunning Lady Musgrave and set our sails on a 55nm trip to Bundaberg. No more hand steering as our new head unit for the auto pilot was there and our friends at Manson Anchors had a present waiting for us to.
Ep 17In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we are challenged with some heavy weather. Buckets of rain, hectic lightning storms and strong winds. This treacherous weather caused Nandji to drag anchor more than once, keeping us on our toes and with weary eyes. Walking through the magical Paperbark forrests on the out skirts of Agnes Water. After all the rain, the trees and foliage were thriving. The Captain sorted out our toilet issue. Installing a new macerator pump. Not a nice job to do, but now we wont be stuck up the creek without a paddle!
Ep 14In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we leave the white sand and palm trees of West bay. Sailing to the other side of Middle Percy island to the more rugged and untouched Whites Bay. With a good wind one morning, added to the fact we had no food left, we decide to set some sails south and complete our first overnight sail to Yeppoon and Great Keppel islands.
Ep 11In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we prepare for our grand departure of Airlie Beach. We begin sailing south, island hopping our way along. With some strong winds from the South East, we hid behind Thomas island for a bit and installed our new fridge/freezer. Once the weather cleared we started sailing south again, stopping in at Brampton island. We saw whales jumping, Yosh caught our first fish trawling, which turned out to be a shark. Our island hopping adventure has begun and we are loving all the sailing and the new places discovered.
Ep 8In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we take you on a tour of our vessel Nandji. We show you her interior and explain everything about our new home! She is a little old, needs some work here and there but we love her and are excited about our new life choice of sailing. Now we just need to learn how to sail!!
Nandji is a Roberts 40 cutter rig sloop built in 1996. Ep 5In this episode, we set sail across the Whitsunday passage to Hook island to check out some inlets. We hide away from some bad weather in a beautiful little anchorage called Nara inlet. We take the tender out to explore the inlet a little deeper and seek out a waterfall. The weather passes and we set sail out to the Great Barrier Reef. We had some terrible weather followed by some beautiful sunny skys, making for some interesting and boring times on board!
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Where it all begun... Episode 1
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This is our first episode of Sailing Nandji. Nandji is our Roberts 40 yacht we bought two months ago in Airlie Beach. We are from South Australia and are learning how to sail. We love to try new things and adventure. This episode is about our journey leaving Adelaide, travelling across the country and moving onto our new vessel. We had a few surprises when we arrived but managed to take her out for our first sail.
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