Hello and Welcome to Sea Goddess Adventures.
We are Peter and Sandra, a husband and wife team from Adelaide South Australia, both in our 60’s with a passion for travel. We were planning a relatively traditional retirement – downsize to an apartment or small house, spend time with family and friends, and travel overseas via air or a cruise ship to a new destination each year. That was three years ago, and since then our plans changed course significantly. So, what happened? Really there was no one particular event or reason that caused our plans to change. The decision to buy and live aboard a catamaran was a more gradual process.
It all really began back in March 2017, when we were living in Mooloolaba Queensland, and visited the Gold Coast International Boat Show and Marine Expo at Coomera. Peter was keen to rekindle his passion for sailing which had been on the back burner for several years. (While windsurfing and surfing were great, sailing was what he really wanted to do going forward). We spent two days checking out the displays and numerous boats but were disappointed by the lack of sailboats at the expo. There was a small collection of mono hulls and catamarans on the hard a short drive from the main expo. All were up for sale but were also fairly old and needed considerable work, so Peter wasn’t impressed or interested.
Following Coomera, Peter continued to research yachts for sale both in Australia and overseas, getting a feel for pricing and availability. (Insert researching a lot here, Peter is tenacious when he is onto something). What also drew his attention was the number of people, of all ages and experience, who were combining sailing with living aboard full time. He happened to mention one day, over a glass of wine (of course), that it would be awesome to do something totally different – to sail to local and international destinations while living aboard a catamaran. So, the seed was planted, though having zero sailing experience and a tendency for seasickness Sandra was not convinced. In the meantime, Peter kept madly researching – contacting manufacturers, getting brochures, watching YouTube videos, checking out local and overseas broker websites to see what was on offer. As we gained more information the more attractive the sail-live abroad concept became. Sandra remained concerned about the livability aspect of a catamaran and was keen to have a foot in each camp – a land base and a catamaran. She wasn’t going to commit based on brochures and watching YouTube videos. So, the timing of the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in May 2018 was perfect.
Over the course of the three days, we spent hours thoroughly checking and re-checking catamarans – Bali, Fontaine Pajot, Lagoon, Leopard and Seawind. We chatted to representatives from all manufacturers, confirming prices and availability. Unfortunately, none of the catamaran models we were interested in were at the show – the Fontaine Pajot Saona 47, Lagoon 450S or Leopard 45 (though we were invited to view a privately owned Lagoon 450S docked at the Mirage Marina, Southport). We won’t get into what we liked or didn’t like, as everyone has different needs and preferences. Suffice to say that by the end of the show we had narrowed our choice of manufacturer to Fontaine Pajot, Lagoon and Leopard which in itself was useful.
Returning home, we decided it was essential to physically inspect the catamaran models we were specifically interested in, a test sail would be even better. First up were a couple of red eye flights to and from Perth in May 2018 to inspect a Leopard 45. Many thanks to Rose and Paul for the opportunity to check out their catamaran and for all the tips passed our way. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go for a test sail, but the cat was an owner’s version so we were able to get a great appreciation of the layout, and Peter checked out the technical aspects. We had a follow up meeting with Leopard representatives to discuss options, availability, delivery and pricing.
Following the Perth trip, we remained in contact with representatives from Fontaine Pajot, Lagoon and Leopard and indicated to them that we would be attending the Sydney International Boat Show in August 2018, and would be making a decision to move forward with a purchase or not at all.
The Sydney International Boat Show could not have come at a worse time for us as it backed onto our return from a packed overseas holiday. We flew overnight from Singapore to Sydney arriving on Saturday, the second day of the boat show, at 0700 hrs – exhausted, disheveled and hungry. We headed to our hotel, checked in and were looking at catamarans by 1000 hrs.
We wandered through the myriad of power boats at the boat show until we spotted the Fontaine Pajot team who were showing the Lucia 40 and Astrea 42. One of the drawbacks for us with this manufacturer was the extended delivery timeframes for all catamarans, late 2020 – 2021, which from our personal perspective was just too long to wait. Next was a stop at a Leopard 40 (a Leopard 50 was also there though we had viewed this model at the Sanctuary Cove show). Our preference in the Leopard range was the Leopard 45 with availability early 2020. While were impressed by the look and design of the Leopard range and in particular the Leopard 45, the configuration did not meet our requirements and would need some after market re-work.
Time was a ticking, we were tiring, and we had a pre-arranged meeting with a Lagoon representative the next day, so we intended to just wander passed the Lagoon display on our way out. That’s when we saw the Lagoon 42 for the first time. She was docked stern to pontoon, we both looked at each other and went Wow! And we had to double check that she was indeed a 42! She was definitely a topic of discussion that night and Peter madly did some research and preparation for the upcoming meeting with the Lagoon representative.
The next day we took the opportunity to thoroughly inspect the Lagoon 42 – Peter focusing on the technical aspects, Sandra the live-ability aspects (galley, berths, heads, storage etc). This was the only catamaran at any show where we spent more than two hours checking it out and discussing the boat with at least five different Lagoon representatives. I guess they could tell we were interested, and they weren’t wrong (though we tried to keep a lid on it!). We organised a quote on a Lagoon 42 with selected options but were still equally keen on the Lagoon 450S. So we went back home to do a lot of thinking, to discuss the what ifs, the pros and cons – but also with a renewed sense of excitement, that something really special was within our reach.
Lagoon representatives also knew we were still keen on the 450S and invited us to a trial day sail off the Gold Coast, Queensland. Wayne our host was knowledgeable, informative and happy to chat about the boat and technical stuff with Peter. The day was also perfect for sailing, Sandra even spent some time at the helm, and if anything the day sail made the decision harder. The following Friday we flew to Sydney, then on to Pittwater to test sail a Lagoon 42, which was absolutely brilliant. With the help of an excellent sail coach, Sandra got a real buzz tacking up the channel near Scotland Island. At the end of the day we felt that the Lagoon 42 was the best size for us from a handling point of view i.e. short hand sailing, for living aboard as a couple, and was the closest match to our requirements – overall a good fit for us. We also appreciated the assistance and effort given by the Australian based Lagoon (The Multihull Group) team during our decision making process.
Back on land we discussed options, delivery and pricing, and signed on the dotted line to purchase an ‘almost’ fully optioned Lagoon 42 with pickup from Europe in August 2019. We decided on a European pickup because delivery to Australia added significantly to the purchase price of the catamaran, and there were GST and duty implications to consider as well. More importantly, picking up Sea Goddess in Europe is all part of the adventure, the first of many adventures for us.
From this point on, this adventure became all consuming – we thought about it, talked about it, read about it, and yes even dreamed about it. The anticipation of picking up Sea Goddess can only be compared to an over-excited child waiting on Christmas Eve for Santa to arrive. In the meantime there were heaps of things to do – training, purchasing stuff, getting rid of stuff (from our five bedroom home) and all the rest!
In December 2019, after 5 months at sea traversing the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Pacific Ocean and Coral Sea, we returned to Brisbane Australia and settled into life aboard Sea Goddess. Life was chugging along nicely, then in early 2020 the COVID pandemic exploded into our lives, and with the accompanying uncertainty and ever changing travel restrictions we made the decision to relocate ourselves and Sea Goddess from Brisbane to Adelaide to be with our family.
Our story thus far unfolds and continues throughout the pages of this website, and in particular our blog. In this way we hope to inform you and inspire you to start your own adventure whatever it may be. In the meantime, if you want to get in touch please email us http://seagoddessadventures.com/contact-us/
Till next time take care,
Sandra and Peter