Testimonial
Paul Badenhorst
Professional Skipper
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Paul from Pro Yacht Deliveries has logged over 230 000 nautical
miles (425 000 km) of sailing, which is more than the distance to the
moon. He has sailed around the world eight times and specializes in
delivering cruising catamarans, especially with private owners.
These are comments taken from his Blog while delivering Maverick
440, Island Home, from Cape Town to Australia sailing east past
Mauritius. On this delivery, Paul sailed the Maverick 440 Island Home
in all kinds of conditions, sea states and wind angles.
Since the first Maverick Catlyn was built, I have always wanted to sail one. I got to know the owners, Johan and Marlene van Niekerk of Catlyn well and we became good friends. They sailed the world for four years and by chance we crossed paths in St.Helena and a few years later again in Tortola. Their blog was and still is a huge source of inspiration for anyone who wants to sail with their family. Colourful and excellently written and well worth checking out. Down the line I have met a few other owners of Maverick catamarans. Catarina owned by long time friend Paul Rackstraw from Cape Town and Our Rose, Rich and Jennifer from New Zealand who I met briefly in Langebaan. Island Home, owned by Geoff and Marina Jansen from Australia is hull nr 12. Mavericks are built in Cape Town by Master Boat Builder Rudi Pretorius, not mass produced, but custom built to the owners specifications. It is truly a catamaran in a class of its own, the use of space unlike anything I have ever seen .All the space creating and space saving ideas on the Maverick is something to marvel at. Aptly named the Space Craft, they stand out in any marina or boatshow. Check Maverick Yachts out on google and you will see what I mean. Was wondering last night about boat nr 13 :) This morning it was confirmed that there will be hull nr 14A and 14B. No hull no 13.
Making magic on a Maverick named Island Home
Saturday, September 6, 2014
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Before I could really comment on how the Maverick performs under sail, we first had to experience different types of weather. And that we had. From strong winds from behind all the way round to strong winds from ahead, she felt steady as a rock. For 36 hours we had rising seas as we were beating into the wind. Up to 40 kts of north
easterlies and waves of up to 5 meters, we made steady progress. On the beam she was also much faster than I anticipated. And vibration from the motors when we are motoring is really minimal. On board we have Geoff and Marina Jansen, two kids, Phil and Scott, a fourth crewmember Jasmijn who flew in from the Netherlands a few days before departure and myself.
We departed from Cape Town on 26 August and on advice we took shelter in Struisbaai. The inner harbour had a few mooring bouys and we tied up to one that was recommended by the locals. Geoff was in the engine room and I was busy doing some dishes when we heard someone whistling at us, just in time to see that the mooring bouy has become undone and we were drifting quite fast towards a rocky shore. Just in time we managed to start the motors and get out of harms way. Found another mooring bouy and this time we stayed secure.
The expected headwinds came through earlier and we had to run into Mosselbay for shelter. The marina manager Schalk, went out of his way to create some space for us in the marina. We shifted another boat, tied our stern onto the dock, and ran long lines which we attached to strongholds on the shore. We could have been out at anchor, but were quite comfortably nested in the marina. Mosselbay and PE is known for sometimes big swell running into the
harbour, but all in all, we were properly secured. We also plugged in shore power and had access to fresh water as well. Johan and Marlene from Catlyn invited us for a braai, and we accepted gratefully. Also a bit of nostalgia for Johan and Marlene who sold there yacht a while ago to step aboard the newest Maverick and
also meet the newest members of the Maverick family. We had a most awesome time with the van Niekerk family on their farm and many tales of their adventures were shared. We also met some oftheir friends.
A lifelong wish I had also came true for me during this period. Since I could remember, I always wanted to see Paris and Knysna. Now I have been to places all over the globe and sailed most of the oceans and seas as well. More than eight times around the globe I've sailed if I count my nautical miles. And until a few days ago, I have never been to Knysna. The van Niekerk family went way out of their way to fetch me the next day again and showed me a bit of
Knysna. We also had lunch with 1st Mate Malcolm who have done 5 long distance deliveries with me before. He has been living in Knysna for many years, and after lunch he took me to some of his favorite spots. Knysna, I will be back, and soon :). Malcolm drove me back to Mosselbay that afternoon as we were ready to depart for Mauritius the next day. The weather predicted was light north easterlies turning north which was perfect for us to cross the mighty Benguala current. The South African coast is considered the most dangerous in the world, and at the wrong time, waves of up to 40 meters will swallow you alive.
These are just words, the reality is unimaginable. Once again, google it and you will see even big ships flounder if they get caught out in these waters. So timing your crossing is essential. At first the north easterlies was pushing us down south into the Southern Ocean. We went over 36 degress south before the wind turned north and we could start figting our way east. Winds of over 40 knots made it difficult for us and we were slowly getting pushed further down south, but at least also making good progress east. Big swells and strong seas came through at about 10pm, some waves crashing right over us. I decided to stay on watch from 11pm till 6am the next morning to make sure that we are safe. It was a rough night for everybody, but once again I realized that it will change, eventually. Staying calm but super alert is quite taxing on these long night watches. You see the white foam of a breaking wave ahead of you. The boat climbs and climbs up the wave, and drops down the other side. The trick is set your sails and control your speed to try for a soft landing on the other side. Having a third reef in the mainsail is a huge blessing under these conditions. Most boats only have a second reef and very difficult to balance the boat properly under such extreme conditions. I can unequivocally say that the Maverick is a blue water sail boat through and through.
Interesting how the seastate changes as the wind starts backing. Weather predicted is westerlies from behind, and swell too. Fair winds and following seas, at last. The north easterly winds starting backing to north, then north west, and finally the westerlies started coming through. The cirrus clouds were messengers warning us of strong weather coming in with the front moving over. Slowly the swell changed direction. A bit lumpy as sea is still not settled, but soon she will be, and we will be surfing down the waves. We are eating exceedingly well on board, and I love the coffee machine with little pods of coffee that fits in the coffee machine. It warms the water, warms and froths the milk, and in under a minute you have coffee of the first order.
Good to be out here on the big blue again, and good to be on a Maverick.
Till next time, cheers
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Paul Badenhorst
Professional Skipper