I say “just like that” but that’s not entirely true. Deciding to change your entire life, swapping the big city smog for the endless blue ocean, is not an easy thing to do at the best of times. But trying to do it all during a pandemic is definitely adds another few levels of complications.

Choosing our boat

Like any good newbie yachties, we asked our sailing friends & family for their advice and then completely ignored them. While gaining more experience on a smaller more traditional monohull is absolutely sound advice, we’ve never been the kind of couple to take the sensible, we like to jump in at the deep-end.

While we did briefly entertained the idea of buying something that we had actually sailed. We quickly decided that we wanted to start our adventure on something that gave us the social space that we’d become used to in our land life. Most of all we wanted to truly experience life on the ocean, above deck where we can see it all. Our heart was set on a catamaran.

For a large part of 2021, we weren’t allowed to leave our homes, boat shows (make that all shows) were cancelled & travel was actually illegal. Not the best condition for boat shopping, so with a lack of physical boats to explore we turned our attention to YouTube, where we honed our list & set our sights on a Nautitech. Lucky for us there was a break in lockdowns & we able to actual view & test sail the Open40. Our minds were made & our hearts set, this was the boat for us. Sure, it was the only catamaran that we’d actually seen, but it felt right. Time to start hunting for one of our own.

While available boats are few & far between, we actually managed to find one in Aruba of all places. Armed with our Covid test results & confirmation off all the tests we were due to have when we got back, we jet set our way across the world. Aruba was amazing but unfortunately the boat purchase didn’t work out & we returned home a little dismayed. We were however more sure than ever that the Nautitech Open40 was the boat for us.

The boat hunting started again & this time we found one closer to home, in Malta. With our offer accepted & our flights booked, Malta unfortunately changed their Covid entry requirements. You now needed to be double vacated at least 14 days before entering the country, neither of us met the requirements. Lucky the broker & seller were understanding & Caspar managed to get his second shot & onto a plane to view & test sail our ‘new home’. He love every minute of his time aboard her, I’ve not see him so happy in ages. I unfortunately couldn’t get my shots in time & as I write this I am yet to see her in all her fibreglass glory.

Though the paper work is all signed, the money has left our account & is currently floating through the ether of 0s & 1s. It hasn’t quite sunken in just yet.

But just like that we bought boat