The planet Jupiter takes about 12 Earth years to make one orbit around the sun and we took 12 years to sail around the world on our Lagoon 440 called Impi.

Unlike sailors who opt to sail in the company of others, we mostly sailed alone, and we mainly explored the Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia going backwards and forwards between the different islands and countries as to remain safe in cyclone season.

From the time we departed we had this vision in our heart and mind that we wanted to explore French Polynesia and New Caledonia. The magic of French Polynesia is easy to see in the photos.  Gin clear water, amazing fishing, friendly people and a blend of French and Polynesian culture that make festivities interesting and fun.  And so we spent 2 seasons there and loved the Tuamotu archipelago in particular.

The Tuamotu archipelago is composed of several atolls. An atoll is a ring-shaped reef or island made of coral with a lagoon in the middle.  One sails from several thousands of meter depth through a pass into this lagoon which was formerly a volcanic mountain that has sunk. Inside the lagoon dozens of small islands are awaiting your discovery.

 The marine life in these passes is amazing and very diverse which makes it a must do for snorkelers and divers alike.  Some of the atolls are now uninhabited and are particularly beautiful with fish so tame they eat out of your hands.

Similarly New Caledonia is French and is also a lagoon island.  Its barrier reef is the second largest in the world after Australia’s barrier reef and the lagoon is a UNESCO heritage site. It is teaming with fish, turtles, dolphins, whales and dugongs. It is here that we developed a particular fondness for an abandoned island dog called Moose, who lived all alone on a small island.  We made a movie about his life which can be seen on our YouTube channel https://youtu.be/P93qEEXcu3U?si=zaHp6nDaRC1fVJvQ .

Moose or Mousse as he is called in French was a splendid example of man’s best friend and the movie about his life reduced many a hardened person to tears.

This dog became a favorite to our YouTube followers and enabled us to raise money for the dogs on the outer islands where the indigenous people called Kanaks live.  We enabled a team of vets and assistants to sterilize female dogs on these islands so they would not get litter after litter of pups.

Due to our commitments to this cause and the fact that we love New Caledonia we sailed back and forth between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. 

During cyclone season we sailed south in Australia, all the way south, to Hobart and visited the oldest yacht club in the Southern hemisphere in Launceston. We were the last masted vessel to sail into the center of Launceston as they closed the river off with a foot bridge after our departure.  Tasmania is a stunning place full of raw nature, grand rock formations, wildlife and like South Africa has outstanding food and wine. Many Australian sailors do not sail to Hobart as the crossing of the Bass Strait is notoriously difficult as even now its tides have not been recorded yet.  It is also famous for developing low pressure systems in the wink of an eye!

2019 and 2020 saw us sail to the top of Australia and then into Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.  The northern part of Indonesia, Raja Ampat, has a beauty that is out of this world. As we were there out of season, we had the place to ourselves.

We crisscrossed the many islands of Indonesia and developed friendships with many people there.

We had planned to return that year to SA, but that was not meant to be due to Covid. When we arrived in West Sumatra we were met with animosity and suspicion by the population.We realized quickly it was not safe to stay in Indonesia and requested permission to return to Australia which was granted.

We were lucky that our Indonesian friends made sure that we had diesel and food as we were not allowed to land anywhere. The 6000 miles sail back to Australia of which 3000 upwind against the currents and trade winds are something we do not want to repeat ever again. For days we were in 70 knots plus winds, days we will never forget as friends passed away on their Lagoon 440 during that time on the opposite side of Australia. We had major help from our Gold Coast friend Darrin Field who did weather and formalities for us.

We remained safe in Queensland Australia until the borders opened again and spent the time upgrading Impi.  Queensland is probably the most generous, welcoming and warm-hearted place we have ever sailed to, and we love it very much.

We made the decision to complete our circumnavigation in Tauranga New Zealand where we welcomed our little granddaughter Zoe into the world. It is not always easy to leave family behind, but it has become easier now that there are good communication systems.

Our latest route took us to the most western part of Australia Christmas Island and Cocos Keeling where immigrated South Africans made sure we had a braai or two or three.

Then started our crossing of the Indian Ocean, which has a reputation for being a dangerous ocean.  Thanks to the improvements done on Impi and the continuous weather updates via Starlink, it was probably our best and fastest sail ever.

We arrived in Nosy Be, Madagascar after 2 weeks and enjoyed its beautiful wildlife and friendly people. We saw lemurs, whales and whale sharks in the short time we were there.

Richard’s Bay was next and just like that we were nearly there back home.

Finally returning to False Bay on 2 November this year we were struck by the outstanding beauty of the Western Cape. Our veteran sailing uncle Norman Grimbeek was the first to welcome us followed by some Australian sailing         friends and then the whole family!

Soon however, we will be off again. This time to the Ilha Grande that lie off Rio de Janeiro.  Before our dash to Fort Lauderdale in November we hope to join a small rally discovering the Amazon.  If you want to hear more about us, have a look at our media platforms and follow us.

Facebook Page:  impi@catamaranimpi

Facebook profile: cat-impi

Instagram: cat_impi

Web: http://www.catamaranimpi.com

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