Every month, owners from around the world tell us what they have been up to, where they have been cruising and what is next on the itinerary for their beloved vessels...
Owner of Asteria
Length: 49.5m
Year: 1969
Location: Grenadines
You swapped the frozen north for Caribbean sun. How has your journey been?
We’ve had a wonderful trip. It’s our first time in the southern Caribbean, and it definitely makes a change from the Arctic! Like most owners, we’ve mainly been taking in the views from the upper deck, which has great inside and outside space
Any wildlife encounters?
The highlight was definitely snorkelling with sperm whales in Dominica. They are the largest toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. Dominica is the only country in the world where they reside all year long. Males travel all the way from the Azores to mate and they can grow to 20 metres long. You can swim with them just a few nautical miles from the coast. We were very close – maybe only a few metres away. It was incredible
How did you find Dominica?
The island is very beautiful. It is volcanic with high mountains and tropical weather. There’s lots of rain and waterfalls and a very green landscape
Where did the adventure start, and where next?
We started in Guadeloupe and cruised down to the Grenadines. As you cruise down the chain, the islands become less volcanic and older and you get more beaches and all the related activities. There are more hotels, too. We stopped briefly in Mustique to visit friends, and we are now cruising back north towards Saint Martin. We’re not sure where we’re going next. That’s the joy of a yacht, and especially one like Asteria – you can literally go anywhere. Maybe we’ll head back to Europe and go through the Suez into the Indian Ocean. Maybe we’ll head back to Svalbard or maybe we’ll even go through the Panama Canal and cross to French Polynesia. All options are on the table at the moment
Anil Thadani
Yacht: Latitude
Length: 45m
Year: 2008
Location: Bali
Has cruising in Asia completely opened up?
It has indeed. There are no restrictions that I am aware of. We have cruised both in Thailand and Indonesia since the opening up after Covid-19 and have not experienced any hurdles
How much time have you spent on board recently?
We spent just over a week on board in the waters around Bali – mostly the Gili Islands and Lombok. The weather was not ideal so we did not venture further. However, I do have a trip planned to take some friends to Raja Ampat, the Banda Sea and perhaps the Forgotten Islands, starting at the end of January. We will board Latitude in Manado and go straight to the area around the Widi Reserve and Wayag
Where is left to explore?
We have been cruising Thai and Indonesian waters extensively after the first four years of Arctic and South Pacific cruising. There is not much new to discover, but this time we are planning a visit to the Widi Reserve, which, by all accounts, is an incredibly rich cruising and diving area. It is also on the migratory path of many sea creatures, including the blue whale, hammerhead shark and others. I’ll report back after I’ve been there
Have you seen any other wildlife recently?
Our last trip in the Indonesian archipelago was filled with close encounters with whale sharks and oceanic mantas
This being our tenders and toys issue, can you tell us what’s in your toy box? |
Latitude does not carry too much in the way of toys. In addition to the usual jet skis (which we almost never use!) and Seabobs, we carry a large selection of drones – the Mavic 2, the Mavic 3 Pro and the Inspire 2. We also have a few of those underwater propelled “wings”, which are handy when diving in the strong currents found in Indonesian waters. We also tow a large tender that is useful for exploring. We recently acquired a new one – an Australian-made Protector, which is also used by the Aussie police and coast guard. They are fast, stable and extremely manoeuvrable
We also have a feature on satcoms in this issue. What service do you use?
We use Marine VSAT, which we discovered in the US. It provides a great internet solution: unlimited bandwidth at a relatively reasonable cost with sufficient speed to stream Netflix
Any ambitions to head back to colder climes?
I think there are very few ways in which one can use a superyacht that would outdo a cruise to the Arctic Circle. It is an extraordinarily beautiful part of this planet and one that very few people will ever have the privilege to experience. I could not get enough of it and went back for a total of three trips. Don’t be surprised if you find me doing it once again in the not too distant future