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Alternative travel for the East Coast of Australia: By boat!

Most are familiar with the “East Coast trail” of Australia, taking a 4×4 off the beaten track or the road trip along the notorious Great Ocean Road. But there are even better ways to discover the beautiful nature and coast of Australia. Exploring the Whitsunday Islands by boat, will give you an unforgettable experience of your Australian East Coast holiday. Sailing experience is required, but the conditions and services in this region make it very accessible for the less experienced sailors.

You may think that sailing at sea requires you to take many sailing courses up front and that skipper licensing is required, but this is not always the case. Some regions, like the Whitsunday Islands, are easy regions to sail due to the line of sight navigation, moderate and predictable wind conditions and easy anchoring. The region itself offers access to very diverse wildlife, big game fishing and diving and snorkeling in the most beautiful waters and reefs.

Lizard on Hook Island

Are you convinced? Than join the happy few that have discovered this way of exploring a part of Australia and start off with the preparations.

Continue reading “Alternative travel for the East Coast of Australia: By boat!”
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What every sailor must know about sailing and sustainability

The impact of sailing on nature

Probably this does not come as a surprise to you: The impact you have on the places you visit is simply huge. Especially when you travel in a way that is not as nicely facilitated as staying in a holiday resort. Like sailing. Some call it environmental impact, some call it a footprint. Whatever it is called, if you are the one causing it, you can also be the one to avoid it.

We at Moorspots are very happy that this topic gets more and more attention around the world. It is a topic close to our hearts and we know for many of you as well. However, even though there are a lot great initiatives going on to raise awareness and to give advice, we noticed that it is difficult to find what you can actually do from day to day. The simple and actionable things.

That is why I wrote this blog. Because everyone who reads this also leaves a footprint on the world, whether you are cruising around the globe or chartering a boat for a sailing holiday. I hope you enjoy reading it.

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Interview with SY Skadi, Moorspots users from the start

As you know, Moorspots is made possible for and by the community. This large community of nautical enthusiasts can be found across the globe and therefore we run into them once in a while. Last year we were cruising along the Turkish coast when we suddenly found one of the most active users, Dedanann, when we were mooring in a harbour. It was great to meet him in person, hear his experiences and enjoyed the feedback we got on Moorspots. This year during our sailing trip in the Lefkas area we ran into another very active Moorspots user, Skadi. We know Skadi a little, but you might not and therefore we decided to throw a few questions at them:

Skadi
Peter and Annelies

Who are the cruisers on sailing yacht Skadi?

Peter Tilburgs, Dutch nationality, is 69 years and on September 1st, 2009 he started early retirement. He started to work as a freelancer later but stopped working permanently on the 15th of May 2015. Peter has been sailing for over 30 years, the main areas of operation the Ijsselmeer & the Wadden Sea (Netherlands), the North Sea – the east coast of England, the South Coast of England and the French coast to the English Channel Islands. He also made a tour around Scotland, the Irish Sea and back down the south of England. For a long time it has been his dream to make a multi-year sailing trip with his own ship. He has purchased Skadi specifically for this purpose in 2007. At first he wanted to skip the Mediterranean and sail to the Caribbean and perhaps even further. Because Annelies likes the Med they started sailing there during the first years of the trip but the Med ties you down . . .

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Highlights of sailing in the Lefkas area

Anchorage bay in Greece

Have you enjoyed a journey on the water already this season? The Moorspots team spend quite some time on the water and we saw and learned a lot. The trip that gave us the most insights was a tour in the Lefkas area in Greece. We spoke with many sailors and marina owners during our trip and we wrote down the highlights of this area for you.

Lefkas – Sivota

On the first day the winds were in our favor and we set course south. The original plan was to stay overnight in a bay but the weather forecast showed rapidly changing windspeeds and directions. We decided to head for Sivota. A place known for its lively atmosphere in the many restaurants at the quay. Most have their own piers where you can stay for free if you dine in the restaurant. Continue reading

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For people who aspire a bareboat holiday – This is what you need to charter a boat

 

 

Explore the best anchorages with a bareboat yacht

Freedom of sailing

If you are looking for freedom to decide where to sail to, renting a bareboat is the way to go. It will let you explore those great anchorages and marinas. And will give you the possibility to choose yourself where to moor or drop anchor. I have booked bareboats myself in a number of different countries and regions. And I had to dig into the rules and regulations around renting a boat. The tricky part is that the requirements in terms of skipper-classifications differ per country. They can even differ per charter-company. To give you guidance I have created an overview that will help you to understand what is needed for a safe and wonderful holiday. 

The principle

It is quite simple: What qualifications you need to charter a yacht, comes from the individual operator or owner of the yacht. He or she always makes the final decision. This means that in practice these owners will base their decision on the requirements of their insurance company. And they will ask for proof of your sailing skills and capabilities.

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To connect or disconnect at sea

You are either going to love this blog or hate it. There are two distinctive types of sailors out there. Those who go sailing to take a digital detox and just disconnect from social media, reality shows and other digital media, that can cause stress. And those that start shaking once their cellphone loses connection with the cellular masts on the shore. Stop reading this blog if you are the latter of those sailors, using VHF to communicate home, paper charts and paper pilot books to navigate and who listens to CD’s. If not, sit back and enjoy this blog.

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Cooking great food on a sailing boat? The tips for during sailing, in marinas and anchorages.

Boat cooking is different from cooking ashore. Any  sailor can tell you that the space is smaller, you have fewer appliances, and food storage is much different.

Wrap with seasoned chicken

But whether you are going for your 5th ocean crossing or for your first yacht charter in the Mediterranean, we all need to eat properly. And most important: we tend to be hungrier at sea than at home. Cooking your favorite food will make live on board so much more enjoyable. Also, the cooking can be made more efficient, easy and pleasant when you think up front about what is at hand in the galley of your boat. Continue reading “Cooking great food on a sailing boat? The tips for during sailing, in marinas and anchorages.”

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The best sailing routes ever !

One week every year, we as five friends, are “dismissed” from our wife’s to go sailing. This started back in college, via a student organization who organized a sailing week somewhere in Croatia or Greece with around 20 to 25 sailing boats. After college we continued doing this by renting a “bare-boat” somewhere in the Mediterranean. This year it will be the 15th year in a row.

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