Once again, as always, your videos hit the mark. While others damage their videos with the wrong music at the wrong time you have a talent for picking music which adds to the experience, always in a positive way. I think you missed your calling. You should be a movie producer. Thank you for great entertainment that everyone can enjoy at a price that all can afford !
Deane B - you are too kind but thank you. let me just say that Mike Tidwell is the champion here - he is a professional singer, song writer and sells his music professionally so we were hugely grateful to him when he said we could use it. Mike has a similar concept to us in that he enjoys caring for animals on the planet and also for other human beings who find life a bit of a slog ... I really have grown close to the man after exchanging emails back n forth - wish we had more human beings like him. I must admit that music is very difficult for 'us You Tubers' to get - we spend hours and hours looking for it and trying to get the 'right to use it' is difficult / limited. Very few song writers / owners actually write back to us, and we realise from making movies how much work must go into making music, so we try to be 'correct' about it. Even then, it is sometimes an issue! But yes, I would have loved to be a movie producer - I love that the end product can bring so much joy to people and that is what I love most about it - being able to do something in life that makes so many people happy - awesome :) An awesome comment here Deane - we do not earn through our movies - it costs us to produce them - it's our labour of love from us for everyone who enjoys, dreams, finds encouragement - so thank you for recognising it and being so complimentary. Cheers for now Brent
Thank you phillip - lol re- the steak. To be honest we had not had such a taste steak in a long time !!! When we sae those ones at the butcher we just could not walk on by :) Cheers my friend
Thank you Bill - we share it as best we experience it ... always nice to consider those who were in these destinations long before our generation and to ponder at how fantastic they were to be navigating these waters with limited charts - well, sometimes no charts at all ! Always a pleasure for us - cheers for now - Brent
Thank you Scarlet Begonias - I will try get another one out soon. We are currently hauled in a Boat Yard doing maintenance work and it is busy, busy, busy since I do most of the work on the boat myself. It should not be long and thanks for your interest in keeping em rolling :)
Thank you Frizzle1964 - awesome to have comments like this and we should be pushing out more of them. Unfortunately we had to haul the boat and it has been a very busy time for us, but I aim to work hard on the next one tomorrow ... cheers for now ... Brent
It's fantastic to see you made the trip up the river to the city. Sure the first part of the river is not the most welcoming, but past the gateway bridge it only gets better! Well researched also! Well done
Hey Pluto Dave - we actually enjoyed the contrast of scenery up the river including the first part - very different and interesting all at the same time. Thanks for the comment - there is so much more we wanted to share but just not enough space and time I'm afraid - Brisbane is packed with interesting sites and history - loved it !!! Cheers
Thank you Martin - the music was amazing thanks tot he kindness of Mike Tidwell - not quite sure how I am going to keep that quality up as good music is hard to find without breaching copyright ... the photography part I can keep working at :) Cheers for now brent
Thank you for saying so - I really think these awesome musicians were terrific to allow us to use their music. They usually sell their songs commercially but were very kind to the friendly catamaran - IMPI ! Pleased you enjoyed this Brent
Another great video Brent! Loved the intro! I feel bad for you guys sometimes I wish I could be there to help with watches or helmsman! Also thanks for the history of Australia and Brisbane! Love the backyard view! Y'all take care and be careful!
Hey Al - thank you for the comment - much appreciated! Sailing has its moments - lol - right now still keeping watch and seeing winds up to 58 knots and a lot of surge creeping around the 'point here' so a bit of rock n roll going on. Always a pleasure to share what we see and experience with you ... especially our backyard in Brisbane :) Cheers for now Brent
Thank you Steve - much appreciated my friend! I love the songs, the music and the people behind it :) Always our pleasure to share the things we see and experience ... Cheers for now Brent
Thank you again Moz ... always a great comment for you and appreciate it. Hope all is going well and you are fit, healthy and wealthy ... best wishes ... Brent
Thanks for the great history lesson on all the old buildings and such, loved it. We will be in Brizzy the last week of May before flying home to Canada. If you are still there, beers on me.
Hey Mike - sorry we missed you in Brizzy - we actually hauled out in The Boat Works here in Southport after hitting something in the water. Fortunately only a small crack in the gel but we had to haul Impi to make sure ... otherwise we would have been back in Brizzy for sure ... hold those beers on ice - would be awesome to meet you
Yeah, this time I felt the vibe of our captain and all his shots of the city. It felt as if you were getting away with it, as an in your face Brisbane. Look at my backyard!!! SUHWEEEET!!
Ahh that;s great Alfredo ... its more than sailing / boating - its a life experience going up that river .. and hey, would love to make Brisbane City my backyard again some day ... cheers
Yeah! You really rocked that anchor spot. On another note, and maybe this is not the right forum for that, what does Impi mean? Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial? :)
Hey Steve - thanks for the message my friend! My health is all good - we have hauled at The Boat Works and doing some upgrades / maintenance before leaving Australia so it's been incredibly busy for us. We should splash next week and when we are on the water again I will certainly push out a number of videos to make up! I had to smile - today one of our followers tracked me down in the Boat Yard, rolled down his window and yelled at me for not putting out another video - LOL - he realised why when he saw me covered in dirt from head to toe ... I have not stopped with the vids and will post again ... actually need a camera man to join us on Impi so we can share all the tech stuff too. Thank you for caring ... Brent
Cat Impi you continue to do Australia proud guys. As you know the Down Under Rally genuinely believes that Cruising Australia - East Coast & Tasmania is a must do for all those who are enjoying the Nautical Nomad Life. Thank your for what you are doing to help us spread the word. We are working closely with our Down Under Rally partners such as Bundaberg Port Marina, Scarborough Marina Queensland Australia & The Boat Works Gold Coast to provide great incentives to visiting international cruising yachts who venture down under. All of these savings more than offset the cost of entering the country and the 2017 Down Under Rally - GO WEST is about to announce even more great incentives for those who join us this year. So from all of us who love our country and what others to come and see why we say a BIG thanks for providing those in your wake with a objective insight into cruising & experiencing Australia.
Hey thanks John ... No need to thank us for spreading the word - it's not hard to do mate - you have a beautiful country, beautiful people and you and Leanne are doing GREAT things for Australia mate. I don't think we would have come had it not been for your presentation in New Caledonia - so we should thank you! John - we really appreciate the people sponsoring you guys - they have been awesome marinas to visit, vendors, contractors and so on - you choose great people to be part of your team mate - I hope the authorities in Australia are recognising what your rally does for the country ... I hope by us sharing more sailors will visit Australia - should see New Zealand and Oz while in this region. Cheers mate
Hey buddy - thank you - it was really a cool thing to do - every sailor sailing past Brisbane should get the experience of this city. Cheers my friend ... Brent
This is awesome - wow - your name say's it all :) I must say we enjoyed that entire region - you guys can really be proud of what you have achieved here ...
...The rain storm and the lights of the tall bldgs .. in Brisbane make for a picturesque and beautiful sight...;--)... ...I bet those steaks were great...LoL.....
Hey Tom - so nice to hear from you again! Everytime I see your name pop up it reminds me to get busy with the next one - lol. Anyway my friend, we hope you are having a lovely weekend and will catch up soon :) Brent
I always thoroughly enjoy your productions Brent & Anna. The beginning of this one really hit home and brought back memories as it was just before we departed for a 8 day offshore passage from the Bahama's to the BVI's that another cruiser gave me a mixed tape of Sea Shanties and Jigs. I listened to that tape (yes a cassette tape) on a walkman for every watch at night. Cheers
Thanks - such a pleasure to share with you! I remember those 'walkmans' which took the cassette tapes - lol - showing our age here, but those were fun days too! It must have been awesome sailing to the Bahamas in those years ... great memories for you I expect :)
Just Finished the whole Vid. Please let Me say It's the BEST sailing vid. I've ever watched !!! We stay in "The Stamford" Hotel directly across from where You moored. Tomorrow My wife and I are venturing away for a few days in our Manta 29 We are only beginners .. I've been longing to do exactly what You've just done !!! Thank You for such a Great Vid and for showing appreciation for the Brisbane River so genuinely.
Hey thank you Bud - you guys live in an awesome country ... Australians are awesome people! We are so happy to hear you are sailing up the coast in your Manta 29 - terrific to be beginners at this life with so many new challenges ahead but the rewards are so sweet for those who break through that initial 2 year mark. We hope to see you out here on the deep blue and perhaps off the Whitsundays toward the end of the year? Cheers for now Brent
Absolutely beautiful Brisbane. The trip across Moreton Bay portion of the video was getting me a bit sea sick, what with the rapid scene changes and twirling from port to starboard/aft to bow! Loved the music Brent! We have a friend whose son is a professor at the university there. He is American and married to a lovely Australian girl. They have a precious daughter who only gets to see her grandparents by way of Skype! Thank goodness for that bit of technology.
Hey Edward - sorry about making you a little sea sick there - was trying out some new moves !! The music is great - such amazing people - Mike Tidwell and the 5 Second Rule Band - Kyleigh Brisson - nice people! It is interesting to observe the relationships between America and countries in the Pacific - the roles each played and the influence in Australia too! I remember seeing this in New Caledonia - the folks have built a place to remember what the Americans dd for them during the war years and I believe America played such a role in Australia and by extension there is a closeness to this day. Thank goodness for Skype and social media - it is awesome to be able to keep in touch with loved ones so far away :) Thank you for writing to us Edward .. Cheers for now Brent
I used to live on the cliff above where you anchored, suburb called Kangaroo Point. Bravo for anchoring on the Brisbane reach - you couldn't have gone much further due to the Captain Cook bridge and freeway. Did you have a look in town? Lovely city, Botanic Gardens, downtown is pedestrian only etc etc. Blessings to you both!
Hi Jim - such an awesome place to live mate! We certainly did look around town - Ana could hardly wait to explore Brisbane again ... the city is so well designed, so clean and 'new feeling' .. the botanical gardens are awesome (dinghy dock nearby which is great) ... love Brisbane !!! Thank you for engaging with us ... Cheers for now Brent
Thanks JC - Thanks Mike Tidwell and his band 5 Second Rule ... and also to Kyleigh Brisson who so kindly allowed me to use her music. I hope I have not created a problem for myself going forward - the music is hard to match ...
Welcome to Brissie guys, and top marks on the commentary coming up the river to the city heart. That old building is the original Customs House. Hope you enjoy your stay.
Thank you very much for the welcome - awesome city, awesome people ... Yes, we went to see the Customs House - amazing how you guys have preserved your history .. Cheers for now Brent
Hi Guys, As you know we have been following you for many a year now and we always chuckle when we see that big yellow canoe that never gets used. We have only one request can you please film your selfs using the canoe just for us two. Fantastic film good to see you in the rain we are used to sailing in the rain back here in the UK.
How goes it in the isle of UK :) Lol - I must say the yellow canoe should go! We do not use it that much anymore - I was saying to Ana the other day that we may as well bolt it down to the deck. We tend to use the dinghy now for everything, but in certain places like Fiji is was fun to use! I can see you wanting me to change our habits a bit here - wondering if you and Ana have been chatting behind the scenes - lol - a ploy to get me fit again :D Cheers guys
Hi Guys.. Just watched again as we are in The Stamford Hotel for the night...across the river from where you anchored. We almost sailed up from Southport today but we turned back... Next,time !!!
Hey Sea Journey - thank you so much ! Music is really cool - such awesome people - Mike Tidwell and his band 5 Second Rule and also to Kyleigh Brisson - amazing people
Thank you peter ! We dropped down to Sydney and are running up north again - decided to hang back in Port Stephens for a while as we could see the weather patterns turning. Thank goodness we did - the weather has been fairly mild down here until tonight. We took Impi to a little cove where it we would be well sheltered (Fame Cove) but so many bats are crammed in there we thought that in itself was a hazard so opted for North Arm Cove which is more exposed to the elements but less exposed to other boats ... well, we see one the boat in our vicinity. The wind is screaming through the rigging right now - some 58 knots a short while ago, a lot of surge and driving rain - well - it's exciting to be alive !!! Let's hope we keep it this way - lol. Thank you for caring Peter - much appreciated
Brett, I was just watching this video when my wife asked if I wanted a drink, just then you shouted at your wife, coincidence, and my drink is a Shiraz from the Cape.Great video shots coming up the river.
LOL - that is too funny ! Ana knows me well - if I were serious about the way I demanded a wine from her I think she would throw me overboard - still, she allows me to be 'the man' now and then - lol Thanks for the comment John
Hey Ian - thank you. We should stop over if time permits on our northbound journey - so who knows? Your City has a lot to be proud about - truly - an amazing place very sailor should EXPERIENCE ... Another thing we liked was how available the dinghy dock is - we really struggle in some cities as sailors to find a spot to tie up the dinghy - Brisbane does it with style :)
Hi Ana and Brent, it was great to meet you today in Nelson Bay while you were watering Impi. You guys are even nicer in real life than you are on youtube :-) There's a chandlers at the marina where you were watering and another one at Soldiers Point marina. Please let me know if I can help you in any way while you're here.
Hi roadie3124 - So sorry we forgot your name - I want to call you 'Pretoria' :) Thank you for the nice compliment and of course it takes one nice person to recognise another ... sorry we interrupted the fishing on the dock ! We actually saw the ferry approaching as we left so we left just in time :) Thanks for the info regarding the chandlers - I think we need to make a turn there on Monday. Thank you for offering to help out - really appreciate that !
You beat me to it Larry, I was about to suggest the very same idea. He is a clever fella so I know he can do it. I think a lot of followers would like to see a video of the top of the mast in relation to the bottom of the bridge. Is it as close as it appears from the deck ? ? ? ?
Hi Larry and Jc - Yeah a Go Pro up the mast could be cool. Not sure how I would keep power on that sucker JC so not so cleaver ;) but perhaps I should get my 'thinking cap on'. The mast had plenty of clearance - it's just very difficult to judge it as one approaches. I remember seeing a yacht approaching a bridge in Nassau Bahamas ... he came along ever so slowly looking at the top of his mast and the bridge. I could see he was not going to make it - we tried to hail him on VHF without success since we had sailed around the island to avoid the bridge and could see it from the other side. He slowed the boat right down but had not considered the speed of the current. By the time he realised - it was too late - a massive amount of damage as the mast came down and luckily no one was hurt. So, we are careful of bridges ... Cheers guys and thanks for the comments here - awesome!
Here's a thought starter. For my son I recently purchased a LED Anchor Light that contained a photo eye that turned the light on at dusk and off at dawn. For it to work the Anchor Light breaker in the cabin is kept in the ON position day and night. Since the light is LED it draws minimal current and the wire supporting the light may have ample capacity to support a GO-Pro. JerryK
JC - interesting thinking there - a light sensor - they are great! Will have to look at that - have not looked at the chargers - usually charge through the laptop so not sure they would be 12v - more like half that ... Hmmm - you guys are getting me on track for a new project ... hmmm :D
Yes the computer would charge at something like 5 volts. But think along the lines of a car charger for GoPros, they must make them and they would be 12 volts input. JerryK
Nice one Brent as always and somewhat a nostalgic videography from whence my life began. You're getting pretty slick with the camera I must say. It seems these day's with some of the latest models in technology(ie cameras drones phones etc), that they need to be returned with issues....sometimes. I remember the day's when you could almost set your watch by the afternoon storms.Wild man!! You'd be getting another drenching if you were up there at present more wet and wild weather about and still heading south. Anyway, hope you are both keeping well and enjoying the new power bank.
Hey thanks Don - appreciate the comment and yes, we actually thought of you when we made the movie - wondered if you would see it and if it would make you miss home again :) We mentioned the camera issue because there is a story that develops around this incident - it all ends well fortunately and we now have a GO Pro 5 Hero Black. The storms have hit .. Port Stevens and tucked as best we can into North Arm Bay (could not fit into Fame Cove as totally picked with boats ducking the storm). I am sure you know what it feels like to ride these things out ... little sleep, lots of getting wet and clinging to the deck checking the lines ... All good on our side thanks Don - can move on to PART 2 of the Lithium install now that we have this one done - thought to mix it a little - one travel, one technical sort of things. The Lithiums are performing incredibly well - so nice to have on anchor watch - boiling the kettle, running two lap tops, turned the heater boiler on tonight, watched some tv earlier - we don't even think about the power anymore - these batteries just hold their voltage for the longest time! Cheers mate ...
Hi Impi. Anna and Brent. Thank You for showing My Home in such a beautiful way. Also thank You for the updated info on Moreton Bay and the info on our beautiful city. It seems that Impi has many many friends here by the comments on here. The thunderstorm was just typical of what us Brisbanites live with and love about our little town. So proud of how you a foreigner [ with love ] showed her. Did you go a little upstream and see the Captain Cook Bridges which form the river crossing part of the South East Freeway. Also I hope Anna took you to South Bank if it were there when she was last here. The old smaller [ now ] building which Anna noted across from your anchorage is the Customs House and its`original use is obvious, ship plying their trade across the oceans would have to call in there and pay customs on any goods being offloaded. It is now in the care of one of our Universities and is use for many formal fund raising functions, Black Tie nosh ups. Your use of the Lagoon 44 doing what ships have always done is a great tribute to the builders and designers of your beautiful yacht. I hope Lagoon looks after you. The entire coast of Australia especially the East Coast [ biased ] is a think of wonderment and beauty in bite sized pieces, enjoy your time in our great friendly country. Smooth seas and following winds guys. Be safe.
Ahh thank you David. Actually, I felt bad about having missed out sharing a lot of the information around Moreton Island and Tangalooma. You made a very valid point about missing out on some of the essential information - I sometimes get a little lazy and just want to share the sailing, so in many respects I will admit that your comment made me pay more attention to detail here. I appreciate you writing back on this one David. I was thinking if we get the chance maybe on our northbound trip we could re-visit Tangalooma and brush up on that video, but not sure we will get there again. No, we did not go upstream .. we went as far as the Botanical Gardens by river .. so I am sorry we missed that. Ana and I walked the city flat - she so loves Brisbane and yes, we did a brief visit to the south bank - they had a big tent structure up there and were playing music - really nice. We also walked under the Story Bridge and see there is a development happening there - would love to have one of those apartments :) Yes, the old building is the original Customs House - fantastic to see it all these years later. You guys have really preserved some of the history so well in Brisbane - we can see why people would be proud to live here. Thank you for the comment on our cat, our home on the sea - I must admit the boat has been amazing to us - it really has proved to have so many features to it which make it ideal for we do. Right now we are riding out some severe weather and doing anchor watch ... we saw 58 knots wind over the boat a short while ago and currently pushing around 48 Knots ... Impi feels happy and steadily rides it out. I don't think we have engaged with Lagoon in years ... we met the Lagoon agent in Australia the other day - awesome guy who interviewed us and wrote a little story around Impi. tmglagoon.com/doggone-days-on-catamaran-impi/ Australia is amazing us in many ways ... not only is it beautiful and interesting but the people are too ... I think some of the most welcoming people in the world live right here - we will share some of that in our videos to follow ... Thanks for commenting here David - really appreciate it Cheers for now Brent
Hi Brent and Ana. Please do not think that I was having a go you but we are so proud of where we live and what we have to offer the fraternity. You are doing what I can not so am so very pleased to share through you your efforts to bring sailing to others who are land locked. Your instructional vids on Batts and Navigation are great please continue these. Having started out watching Trio on youtube and wondering why they motor so much up wind, perhaps they should watch you guys and learn that a Cat can go anywhere under sail. lol Again thanks. Fair Winds and Following Seas to you both.
Hey David - no certainly you inspired us so no worries at all !!! We love that you are proud of your home - we understand why you would be too :) As for sailing up wind - yes, cats generally do struggle on a close hauled point of sail - we are actually quite fortunate in that a few things on the build of the 440 make her a great cat for close hauled sailing. 1. There are two shorter spreaders on the mast opposed to some with either two longer or one very long spreader - well this restricts how far one can sheet in on the genoa since the leech of the genoa is restricted by the length of the spreader tip. 2. The position of the genoa tracks sits on-top of the coach roof at a position allowing the genoa to be sheeted in on tighter angles and this further assists in bringing the leech in closer. Together these features make for a great close hauled point of sail ability on the Lagoon 440. The problem comes in 'off the wind'. The 440 is not as fast with a standard configuration once the wind is aft of midships beam position, so to get around this we rig a barber hauler off the outer horns cleat which then allows us to position the genoa clew anywhere in-between. This requires two sheets attached t the clew on each side i.e. 4 sheets all in all. With this configuration we have a cat that gets great performance on all points of sail. Are you sure they are motor sailing 'close hauled', or do they just have their throttle in forward position without the motors running? Yanmar are recommending these days that we leave the throttles in forward gear whilst sailing to protect the gearbox / sail drive packs. Cheers for now Brent
Hi Brent. No they say they motoring because the winds are head on so they can`t sail. They could always tack but perhaps they don`t like having that much work to do. Or perhaps the Lagoon just goes upwind better than a F P. Again Thanks to you both.
Too funny. Loved the intro music with the mouth-harp. Look at some of the GoPro alternatives. You probably have, but we've bought one for around $84 US and I have now ordered another that boasts 4K video at 30 FPS, and has had great reviews. Only $115 US, so if you lose it overboard it doesn't break the bank. I'll review it when I get my hands on it. Yea, I think our musical tastes are close. We have our "martini music" that we have to listen to on Friday evenings when we're on the boat and the sun is going down. First Mate thinks she's still a teenager, so she then has to put on something contemporary. Love the format that you did here. More like a mini-documentary. Really entertaining.
That music is so cool hey - awesome people ! How interesting - a Go Pro alternative costing $115 US - I need to look out for these - would be nice to have a few of them :) LOL with the first mate feeling 'teenager ish' - I love feeling young and silly sometimes - got live for the moment - right! Ana and I enjoy similar music but also very different music to each other a lot of the time. We have had to learn to take it in turns, but when it comes to Mike Tidwell music - well, we both love playing it out loud! Thank you for commenting on the video - means a lot to us and we enjoy seeing your channel growing too! Cheers for now Brent
Hey, Brent. Stay tuned. The recent action cam I bought was $84 US, but it doesn't do 4K very well (25 FPS). I'm keeping it around because it does 1080P at 60 FPS, and for that price it is good. As soon as I receive the other cam that boasts 4K at 30 FPS I'll let you know. My goal is not necessarily to be able to do 4K, but to do 1080P at 60 FPS in good quality.
Hey Guy's, another great vid, just so you fella's get to enjoy a true Aussie cultural experience make sure you come through port phillip heads and pay Melbourne a visit. Then a stop over at King Island on your way to Tasmania should do it for you. Oh yeah make sure you find the time to anchor up in wineglass bay on Tasmania's east coast, its the best:)
Thanks David - awesome 'top tip' from you there mate! We hopefully will do Tasmania as a full season next year if things pan out the way we hope. So - will keep this one in mind for that trip ... thank you !
Hey Richard - yes, small world! I remember sailing on Arthurs boat Antares for the first time - awesome experience, and then of course Uncle Norman with Good News - terrific and exciting times :) Cheers for now Brent
Used. to fix quarrying barges up the river 34 years ago for Pioneer concrete. Bet place has changed somewhat back here in UK now. BTW Bee Gees lived in Redcliffe, place was desilate when we lived in Brisbane
Very interesting ... 34 years .. a lot must have changed. I hope you are enjoying the isle of UK :) Yes, the stroll along the promenade has a section dedicated to the Bee Gee's - never knew that until we visited there .. thanks
Hi Moz - thank you kindly - we are fine thank you but incredibly busy getting things organised for our trip to New Cal. We are doing a number of new upgrades and lots of preventative maintenance so we can enjoy the islands without working on the boat. I will make up for the lack of movies ... cheers my friend
Wow, just Wow! The city view in your "backyard" is/was incredibly beautiful. I unconsciously was holding my breath as you went under that bridge. I sure hope the rain doesn't swell the river and trap you on that side of the bridge! :-) How is anchoring on a river (assuming there is current) different than anchoring in your usual places? Is there a difference in the number of anchors or types of anchor you use? How do you know whether it is allowed/legal to anchor where you are? Great Video!
Hi Tony - thanks mate :) Anchoring within the belly of a 'mother city' like that is incredible - it's difficult to capture how spectacular it feels to be right there with these touring buildings and the lights at night ... just an incredible experience for us, and very different to any other we have seen / felt before. We can't believe how neatly kept that city is - 'clean' would not describe it well enough. Anchoring in rivers is somewhat different mostly because where there is a huge tidal difference the current plays a role in how the boat will behave relative to the chain off the bow. We have never really bothered with a 2nd anchor (Bahamian style) but one could consider it. We usually pay attention to boat movement through a complete 24 hr period spent on the boat before leaving for shore. The 'danger' comes in on rivers with very strong tidal stream and an opposing wind - in Brazil we had a strong enough wind to set Impi stern to the stream such that the water started climbing up the back steps reaching the top before we had turned on the engines to counter it ... big lessons learned there. In that instance we would actually set a stern anchor, lift and set it with each turn of the tide always facing the bows into the stream flow. We have not had the same level of difficulty since and that river did have a 6 - 7m tidal influence in narrow confines. After some observation (we were not accustomed to rivers at that time) we realised we should be anchored as close to the shore as possible which we intact did - the river had steep sand dunes on the side and we pulled Impi almost alongside which made a huge difference. One needs to find curvatures in the river and lay anchor on the inside. As for type of anchor - well we use a spade type anchor - the Rocna 33Kg - we would not be without it. Legality of anchoring in rivers ... hmmm ... generally we just don't know and if the chart does not display anything to the contrary then we simply anchor. Of course we never anchor in the middle of the river or channel - we generally anchor to the side and we always consult the charts for underground cables and other obstructions. We know one thing very well about Australia - if we were not allowed to do it, the authority would be present immediately ... no one bothered us here so it must be legal :) Cheers my friend Brent
Hey nzbeeker - thanks ! We have so much material to share with you guys and just in a bit of a groove - was not well recently and now hauled in a boat yard in Australia doing maintenance work as we prepare to leave Australia soon ... so ... with most of the work being done with my own hands it is taking time. I will share again soon ... cheers for now Brent
Thanks for another interesting and informative video Brett. I have learned more about QLD in the last 5 episodes than I every did at school, sad to say. Then again, I am a Southerner....lol. All I know is the buggers can play a mean game of rugby league. Which of course is disappointing (for me). Cya.
LOL - thats very funny ! It usually goes that way - I know back in South Africa I would speak to tourists who knew more about our 'situation' than I did :) Cheers mate
Hi PJD - Sorry for the delay. We struck an object in the water off Yamba and have been hauled for a while. Luckily no serious damage with the Lagoon showing us its strong side. Anyway - I managed to get the next vid out :) Cheers my friend
Well that is no good, but glad the damage wasn't too bad, and happy to know you are both okay too! Will be looking forward to you next video, take care that way! An Impi fan!
Richard led you astray :) super maxi yacht can fit under the story bridge, Its the next bridge, the Captain cook bridge, that none of our yachts can fit under. Anyway, don't you check your charts when you passage plan?
Hi Terry - lol :) Yes, we always thought the Story Bridge was easy for us to pass under - this is why I was surprised when Ana mentioned Rich had said we could not. Of course we always plan passages - I had planned the route and obviously Ana had had the discussion with Richard which she raised just before we got to the bridge. I am one of those guys who irrespective of passage planning takes comments seriously - in the heat of the moment one does sometimes 'question oneself', especially when there is so much beauty all around and clearly distracting. That is one beautiful river :) Cheers for now Brent
LOL - you got that one huh! I always love seeing what 'subtleties' folks pick up on .. you were the first to jump on this one - must have a similar humour :D
Well, I have been around the world and seen a lot of people, but it strikes me that Dutch, white South Africans and Jews have the same direct approach and humor. :-)
LOL = pleased you found it. We do have a video playlist on the channel incase folks miss anything. Very interesting about the US ARMY buying the beef here - and yes, they have awesome beef steaks too!
Hey, great videos, but are you two ever leaving Australia? You left South Africa and kept moving along, but now seems you can't get away from there. Just wondering.
Thanks Hoss - lol - we are the type of sailors who are never rush countries - I think we spent 8 months in the British Virgin Islands for example, 2 seasons in the Societies and did the Tuamotu Archipelago a second time ... and yeah ... we can't leave Australia until cyclone season to the north of us is done and dusted. Our insurance premiums literally triple as we head north of here again so we as sailors usually drop into other territories to avoid these cyclones. However, we did spend coo to a year in Fiji and there we went through cyclone season ... had one descending on us called PAM which then ducked and headed instead for Vanuatu. As you probably know, last cyclone season in Fiji saw WINSTON pass through it - we knew a number of folks who lost their yachts in that one. So yeah - apart from this being an awesome cruising ground, it is great to be able to remain safe over the season. Of course Australia is also getting its fair share of weather now - man - we were hanging in there with winds at 58 knots last night and the direction was off so we were in the 'throat of it' - not nice - and just north of us a lot of devastation by DEBBIE! We think we will hold our position here and move north after this all settles again. But please do keep an eye on this - we will sail back to New Caledonia to get our animal care mission in gear before sailing west again. So - regions are 'weather dependant' - sailing seasons should adjust for this! Last year we ducked in New Zealand and this year - Australia - possibly as we prepare our west bound journey following New Caledonia we will drop to Tasmania and then head on over the northern territory at speed for Indo and all those countries :) Thanks for commenting here - good observation and an interesting topic Cheers for now Brent
+Catamaran Impi Hey, thanks for the quick reply. Safety first.. on your travels north and west. Are you traveling toward Philippines, Thailand and west to India after looping Australia? lol I hear the people of Thailand's islands are super.. Good Luck and Stay Safe.. Hoss from Charlotte NC.
Hey Hoss - not sure yet! In sailing terms 'PLAN' is a 4 letter word :) But yeah - not sure about the Philippines just yet ... but yes, definitely Maldives, Thailand if we survive until the of course :) I have been to Charlotte North Carolina - in my young days when I started doing business in America, I flew there to check out the opportunities - in the late 80's the place was 'cooking' with opportunity! Cheers my friend ...
Hi, i am interested in how much it is costing you to sail the world pr months, food, harbor, boat cost exc. Me and my girlfriend are planing to take 2-3 years sail trip around the world. And we are lucking on a Lagoon 44 like yours, and how much sailing experience did you have before you tog off? My experience is from motorboats so have no clue about sail.. :) and if you could choose now is Impi still the one you would choose? Second choice is a SUN ODYSSEY 54 DS (JEANNEAU). PS awesome places you are sailing... good wind and safe trip to you. Best regards from us in Denmark.
Hi Per Thomsen - the cost of sailing around the world is a MASSIVE VARIABLE - to name but a few reasons this is a variable is that it depends largely on your own technical skills and maintenance skills around a boat. We see many people loose their dream because they are not technically able to keep their boat in shape - here the seas and weather demand constant upkeep, and we see sailors getting loaded with massive repair bills on the islands because the technicians know they have nowhere to go. So I would certainly say that being able to look after your basic maintenance is a minimum requirement and the more knowledge you have around this the less your sailing costs will be. As a rule of thumb, 10% of the boat value per annum is a good figure to work on over a long term period. Whilst the boat is relatively new it may not require constant upkeep, but it will demand attention as it gets older. On impi we replace stuff regularly as a 'preventative maintenance schedule' - this allows us to plan repairs and timing / countries where we will do repairs as opposed to waiting for a major break resulting in other failures compounding the cost. We spend the money on maintenance but we know it has saved s in the long run and also made the experience more pleasurable for us. The Lagoon 440 has been a terrific boat for what we do. There are many great models of boats out there and each having it's niche - but as a home on the ocean goes, with comfort, safety and enough speed, the 440 has amazed us in every respect. You would be hard pressed to find ANY OTHER cat this length with this amount of living space. Previously we owned a different brand of cat which was great for different reasons, however for cruising around the world I think the 440 has been awesome. All the best from here in Australia .. cheers for now IMPI PS. as a figure for general reference purposes, I recommend working on US$ 5 - 7K per month, but this can go up or down depending on your skill set and of course your living style.
Thank you Neil A - yes, Irish music and quite relevant since I have a lot of Irish history in my veins :) Born in South Africa but generations of family from Ireland ... Cheers mate
Hi LIX 59 - TOTAL was $75, but with a special discount came in cheaper ... not sure I should mention the figure as we may have had a favour ! The guys are simply awesome at that marina. If one looks at the Down Under Rally Group - I sometimes wonder why local folks don't just sign up for the discounts ...
its just me #200 wonderful as normal my weekly soul settler ill be here with you to the end as long as you always do it impi style never sellout to the corprit world as so many other channels have just be brent and anna doing your thing ill be here just remember im just #200 it for your safety and mine and our families my service of god and country has caused my tru name to be a name of want so I CANT give my name love you both #200
Hey Brian - how awesome is that - #200 - such a cool number :) We are a little slower than most in putting out videos so we really appreciate the folks who hang in there with us, but yeah - we are not chasing he corporate world - we are just living life day by day! The only fund raising we look at is when we see a need for it ... and recently we helped a vet couple in Fiji to get a channel going and asked folks to help fund them back into business (looking after animals on the islands after they lost their mast) and the good folks followed through. Now jeff and Jose are treating animals again and man, just so awesome to have lots of people rallying around to help good people on the water. Thanks for keeping in touch ... Brent
Yes Roger - I wish we met you before we visited. There was a lot of confusion over that one and one can never be too careful :) Cheers and thanks for the info
The city looked like it had a little special fresh glow in the light after being showered clean. wonderful job Brent
Yes, that city sparkles ...
Thanks for the comment ... will try keep em rolling
Cheers for now
Brent
Thank you so much for sharing, Great vid
Terry
Hey Terry - always our pleasure :)
Once again, as always, your videos hit the mark. While others damage their videos with the wrong music at the wrong time you have a talent for picking music which adds to the experience, always in a positive way. I think you missed your calling. You should be a movie producer. Thank you for great entertainment that everyone can enjoy at a price that all can afford !
Yep more Great stuff. Really liked the Sailing part with the tour by camera at the begining too. Liked the Steak part at 25.25 Cheers
Deane B - you are too kind but thank you. let me just say that Mike Tidwell is the champion here - he is a professional singer, song writer and sells his music professionally so we were hugely grateful to him when he said we could use it. Mike has a similar concept to us in that he enjoys caring for animals on the planet and also for other human beings who find life a bit of a slog ... I really have grown close to the man after exchanging emails back n forth - wish we had more human beings like him.
I must admit that music is very difficult for 'us You Tubers' to get - we spend hours and hours looking for it and trying to get the 'right to use it' is difficult / limited. Very few song writers / owners actually write back to us, and we realise from making movies how much work must go into making music, so we try to be 'correct' about it.
Even then, it is sometimes an issue! But yes, I would have loved to be a movie producer - I love that the end product can bring so much joy to people and that is what I love most about it - being able to do something in life that makes so many people happy - awesome :)
An awesome comment here Deane - we do not earn through our movies - it costs us to produce them - it's our labour of love from us for everyone who enjoys, dreams, finds encouragement - so thank you for recognising it and being so complimentary.
Cheers for now
Brent
Thank you phillip - lol re- the steak. To be honest we had not had such a taste steak in a long time !!! When we sae those ones at the butcher we just could not walk on by :) Cheers my friend
Thanks for sharing! I also feel you always hit the mark. Thanks again! 😍. 👍👍👍👍 ⛵⛵
Thank you Bill - we share it as best we experience it ... always nice to consider those who were in these destinations long before our generation and to ponder at how fantastic they were to be navigating these waters with limited charts - well, sometimes no charts at all ! Always a pleasure for us - cheers for now - Brent
Thanx again, guys, another informative video. Keep em comin, I'm a fan.
Thank you Scarlet Begonias - I will try get another one out soon. We are currently hauled in a Boat Yard doing maintenance work and it is busy, busy, busy since I do most of the work on the boat myself. It should not be long and thanks for your interest in keeping em rolling :)
Another cracking video guys. My favourite youtubers.
Very informative & entertaining
Thank you Frizzle1964 - awesome to have comments like this and we should be pushing out more of them. Unfortunately we had to haul the boat and it has been a very busy time for us, but I aim to work hard on the next one tomorrow ... cheers for now ... Brent
love the intro song. brings the 'drive on' spirit. I also like graphic with the globe and all the ports you voyaged to. fair winds
Thank you Ariel - nice comment as usual my friend ...
It's fantastic to see you made the trip up the river to the city. Sure the first part of the river is not the most welcoming, but past the gateway bridge it only gets better!
Well researched also! Well done
Hey Pluto Dave - we actually enjoyed the contrast of scenery up the river including the first part - very different and interesting all at the same time. Thanks for the comment - there is so much more we wanted to share but just not enough space and time I'm afraid - Brisbane is packed with interesting sites and history - loved it !!! Cheers
Loved your intro. Great photography and great music.
Thank you Martin - the music was amazing thanks tot he kindness of Mike Tidwell - not quite sure how I am going to keep that quality up as good music is hard to find without breaching copyright ... the photography part I can keep working at :)
Cheers for now
brent
the musical accompaniment on this video was truly superb! tres enjoyable, thanks!!
Thank you for saying so - I really think these awesome musicians were terrific to allow us to use their music. They usually sell their songs commercially but were very kind to the friendly catamaran - IMPI !
Pleased you enjoyed this
Brent
The Brisbane footage was incredible, that had to be quite the experience to anchor amongst the high risers.
hey Wakewhodat - nice to hear from you again and definitely an experience we will remember forever :)
Another great video Brent! Loved the intro! I feel bad for you guys sometimes I wish I could be there to help with watches or helmsman!
Also thanks for the history of Australia and Brisbane! Love the backyard view!
Y'all take care and be careful!
Hey Al - thank you for the comment - much appreciated!
Sailing has its moments - lol - right now still keeping watch and seeing winds up to 58 knots and a lot of surge creeping around the 'point here' so a bit of rock n roll going on.
Always a pleasure to share what we see and experience with you ... especially our backyard in Brisbane :)
Cheers for now
Brent
hey Brent
the music and interactions on this video was top notch!!
great video. thanks for sharing
Thank you Steve - much appreciated my friend! I love the songs, the music and the people behind it :)
Always our pleasure to share the things we see and experience ...
Cheers for now
Brent
always a real treat viewing your vlogs, best as ever to you both
Thank you again Moz ... always a great comment for you and appreciate it. Hope all is going well and you are fit, healthy and wealthy ... best wishes ... Brent
Thanks for the great history lesson on all the old buildings and such, loved it. We will be in Brizzy the last week of May before flying home to Canada. If you are still there, beers on me.
Hey Mike - sorry we missed you in Brizzy - we actually hauled out in The Boat Works here in Southport after hitting something in the water. Fortunately only a small crack in the gel but we had to haul Impi to make sure ... otherwise we would have been back in Brizzy for sure ... hold those beers on ice - would be awesome to meet you
Yeah, this time I felt the vibe of our captain and all his shots of the city. It felt as if you were getting away with it, as an in your face Brisbane. Look at my backyard!!! SUHWEEEET!!
Ahh that;s great Alfredo ... its more than sailing / boating - its a life experience going up that river .. and hey, would love to make Brisbane City my backyard again some day ... cheers
Yeah! You really rocked that anchor spot. On another note, and maybe this is not the right forum for that, what does Impi mean? Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial? :)
hey Brent. we haven't heard from you in a while. I hope you are well and not having any more health hiccups.
cheers from Canada my friend
steve
Hey Steve - thanks for the message my friend! My health is all good - we have hauled at The Boat Works and doing some upgrades / maintenance before leaving Australia so it's been incredibly busy for us. We should splash next week and when we are on the water again I will certainly push out a number of videos to make up! I had to smile - today one of our followers tracked me down in the Boat Yard, rolled down his window and yelled at me for not putting out another video - LOL - he realised why when he saw me covered in dirt from head to toe ...
I have not stopped with the vids and will post again ... actually need a camera man to join us on Impi so we can share all the tech stuff too. Thank you for caring ... Brent
Cat Impi you continue to do Australia proud guys. As you know the Down Under Rally genuinely believes that Cruising Australia - East Coast & Tasmania is a must do for all those who are enjoying the Nautical Nomad Life. Thank your for what you are doing to help us spread the word. We are working closely with our Down Under Rally partners such as Bundaberg Port Marina, Scarborough Marina Queensland Australia & The Boat Works Gold Coast to provide great incentives to visiting international cruising yachts who venture down under. All of these savings more than offset the cost of entering the country and the 2017 Down Under Rally - GO WEST is about to announce even more great incentives for those who join us this year. So from all of us who love our country and what others to come and see why we say a BIG thanks for providing those in your wake with a objective insight into cruising & experiencing Australia.
Hey thanks John ...
No need to thank us for spreading the word - it's not hard to do mate - you have a beautiful country, beautiful people and you and Leanne are doing GREAT things for Australia mate. I don't think we would have come had it not been for your presentation in New Caledonia - so we should thank you!
John - we really appreciate the people sponsoring you guys - they have been awesome marinas to visit, vendors, contractors and so on - you choose great people to be part of your team mate - I hope the authorities in Australia are recognising what your rally does for the country ... I hope by us sharing more sailors will visit Australia - should see New Zealand and Oz while in this region.
Cheers mate
amazing Brisbane footage. Must have been pretty cool. Well done, bro
Hey buddy - thank you - it was really a cool thing to do - every sailor sailing past Brisbane should get the experience of this city. Cheers my friend ... Brent
Good to see you enjoying our home town. We lived in Scarborough for many years. It is an awesome place......
This is awesome - wow - your name say's it all :)
I must say we enjoyed that entire region - you guys can really be proud of what you have achieved here ...
...The rain storm and the lights of the tall bldgs
.. in Brisbane make for a picturesque and beautiful sight...;--)...
...I bet those steaks were great...LoL.....
JUST BRILLANT MUSIC AND VIDEO YOU ROCK SIR......just catching up with you guys and you never let us down, thank youtom
Hey Tom - so nice to hear from you again! Everytime I see your name pop up it reminds me to get busy with the next one - lol. Anyway my friend, we hope you are having a lovely weekend and will catch up soon :) Brent
I always thoroughly enjoy your productions Brent & Anna. The beginning of this one really hit home and brought back memories as it was just before we departed for a 8 day offshore passage from the Bahama's to the BVI's that another cruiser gave me a mixed tape of Sea Shanties and Jigs. I listened to that tape (yes a cassette tape) on a walkman for every watch at night.
Cheers
Thanks - such a pleasure to share with you! I remember those 'walkmans' which took the cassette tapes - lol - showing our age here, but those were fun days too!
It must have been awesome sailing to the Bahamas in those years ... great memories for you I expect :)
Just Finished the whole Vid. Please let Me say It's the BEST sailing vid. I've ever watched !!! We stay in "The Stamford" Hotel directly across from where You moored. Tomorrow My wife and I are venturing away for a few days in our Manta 29 We are only beginners .. I've been longing to do exactly what You've just done !!! Thank You for such a Great Vid and for showing appreciation for the Brisbane River so genuinely.
Hey thank you Bud - you guys live in an awesome country ... Australians are awesome people!
We are so happy to hear you are sailing up the coast in your Manta 29 - terrific to be beginners at this life with so many new challenges ahead but the rewards are so sweet for those who break through that initial 2 year mark.
We hope to see you out here on the deep blue and perhaps off the Whitsundays toward the end of the year?
Cheers for now
Brent
Absolutely beautiful Brisbane. The trip across Moreton Bay portion of the video was getting me a bit sea sick, what with the rapid scene changes and twirling from port to starboard/aft to bow! Loved the music Brent! We have a friend whose son is a professor at the university there. He is American and married to a lovely Australian girl. They have a precious daughter who only gets to see her grandparents by way of Skype! Thank goodness for that bit of technology.
Hey Edward - sorry about making you a little sea sick there - was trying out some new moves !!
The music is great - such amazing people - Mike Tidwell and the 5 Second Rule Band - Kyleigh Brisson - nice people!
It is interesting to observe the relationships between America and countries in the Pacific - the roles each played and the influence in Australia too! I remember seeing this in New Caledonia - the folks have built a place to remember what the Americans dd for them during the war years and I believe America played such a role in Australia and by extension there is a closeness to this day.
Thank goodness for Skype and social media - it is awesome to be able to keep in touch with loved ones so far away :)
Thank you for writing to us Edward ..
Cheers for now
Brent
What an adventure, thank you for sharing.
Thanks John and always a pleasure for us
Cheers for now
Brent
Sensacional !!!
beautiful steak, hehehe
LOL - thanks Fernando - some folks seeing the quality of that great Ozzie steak :)
hehehe, we are together!!
I used to live on the cliff above where you anchored, suburb called Kangaroo Point. Bravo for anchoring on the Brisbane reach - you couldn't have gone much further due to the Captain Cook bridge and freeway. Did you have a look in town? Lovely city, Botanic Gardens, downtown is pedestrian only etc etc. Blessings to you both!
Hi Jim - such an awesome place to live mate!
We certainly did look around town - Ana could hardly wait to explore Brisbane again ... the city is so well designed, so clean and 'new feeling' .. the botanical gardens are awesome (dinghy dock nearby which is great) ... love Brisbane !!!
Thank you for engaging with us ...
Cheers for now
Brent
I agree, the music on this video is out-standing. . . . Well done.
Thanks JC - Thanks Mike Tidwell and his band 5 Second Rule ... and also to Kyleigh Brisson who so kindly allowed me to use her music. I hope I have not created a problem for myself going forward - the music is hard to match ...
Welcome to Brissie guys, and top marks on the commentary coming up the river to the city heart. That old building is the original Customs House. Hope you enjoy your stay.
Thank you very much for the welcome - awesome city, awesome people ...
Yes, we went to see the Customs House - amazing how you guys have preserved your history ..
Cheers for now
Brent
Hi Guys,
As you know we have been following you for many a year now and we always chuckle when we see that big yellow canoe that never gets used. We have only one request can you please film your selfs using the canoe just for us two.
Fantastic film good to see you in the rain we are used to sailing in the rain back here in the UK.
How goes it in the isle of UK :)
Lol - I must say the yellow canoe should go! We do not use it that much anymore - I was saying to Ana the other day that we may as well bolt it down to the deck. We tend to use the dinghy now for everything, but in certain places like Fiji is was fun to use!
I can see you wanting me to change our habits a bit here - wondering if you and Ana have been chatting behind the scenes - lol - a ploy to get me fit again :D
Cheers guys
Hi Guys.. Just watched again as we are in The Stamford Hotel for the night...across the river from where you anchored. We almost sailed up from Southport today but we turned back... Next,time !!!
Bud Manthey enjoy Bud! Brisbane is an amazing city 👍
excellent video, excellent narration and history, excellent music!
Hey Sea Journey - thank you so much ! Music is really cool - such awesome people - Mike Tidwell and his band 5 Second Rule and also to Kyleigh Brisson - amazing people
Hi guys so cool to see my local area through your eyes! Thanks
Hey Graeme - you have a very cool 'Local Area' mate :) Cheers
Been thinking of you the last few days,how have you coped with cyclone Debbie...hope all is well for you and Anna
Thank you peter ! We dropped down to Sydney and are running up north again - decided to hang back in Port Stephens for a while as we could see the weather patterns turning. Thank goodness we did - the weather has been fairly mild down here until tonight. We took Impi to a little cove where it we would be well sheltered (Fame Cove) but so many bats are crammed in there we thought that in itself was a hazard so opted for North Arm Cove which is more exposed to the elements but less exposed to other boats ... well, we see one the boat in our vicinity. The wind is screaming through the rigging right now - some 58 knots a short while ago, a lot of surge and driving rain - well - it's exciting to be alive !!! Let's hope we keep it this way - lol.
Thank you for caring Peter - much appreciated
Sweet , Brisbane has just been added to my bucket list Thank You
Hey Cptn - you will love it !
Brilliant spot to park up unforgettable.
Hey James - truly is mate - Brilliant anchoring spot and unforgettable ! It is a life experience :)
Well done, well done! That's how I like my steaks too. Ha. Thanks for another great video!
LOL - well said, well said - food without bread :)
Always a pleasure Arthur ... thanks for commenting
Brent
Great Video guys, finally got time to sit and take it in. Good history lesson as well 🤘🏼
Hey Bugger - sorry for the delay in reply - been craaazzzzyyyy on our side. Cheers my friend
Brent
Brett, I was just watching this video when my wife asked if I wanted a drink, just then you shouted at your wife, coincidence, and my drink is a Shiraz from the Cape.Great video shots coming up the river.
LOL - that is too funny !
Ana knows me well - if I were serious about the way I demanded a wine from her I think she would throw me overboard - still, she allows me to be 'the man' now and then - lol
Thanks for the comment John
fantastic Video Brent & Anna. You have done our home City proud. Sorry we missed out on meeting you both.
Hey Ian - thank you. We should stop over if time permits on our northbound journey - so who knows?
Your City has a lot to be proud about - truly - an amazing place very sailor should EXPERIENCE ...
Another thing we liked was how available the dinghy dock is - we really struggle in some cities as sailors to find a spot to tie up the dinghy - Brisbane does it with style :)
Hi Ana and Brent, it was great to meet you today in Nelson Bay while you were watering Impi. You guys are even nicer in real life than you are on youtube :-) There's a chandlers at the marina where you were watering and another one at Soldiers Point marina. Please let me know if I can help you in any way while you're here.
Hi roadie3124 - So sorry we forgot your name - I want to call you 'Pretoria' :) Thank you for the nice compliment and of course it takes one nice person to recognise another ... sorry we interrupted the fishing on the dock ! We actually saw the ferry approaching as we left so we left just in time :)
Thanks for the info regarding the chandlers - I think we need to make a turn there on Monday.
Thank you for offering to help out - really appreciate that !
Was very nice to see Brisbane after almost 20 yaers, tnxs
Arnold Hildebrandt 34 for me
Arnold and Flatcap
Awesome - I wish we could have brought you more - so much footage but limited time and computer memory for the movie.
It would be good to be able to run a GoPro up the mast right before approaching a bridge. Safe journeys.
You beat me to it Larry, I was about to suggest the very same idea. He is a clever fella so I know he can do it. I think a lot of followers would like to see a video of the top of the mast in relation to the bottom of the bridge. Is it as close as it appears from the deck ? ? ? ?
Hi Larry and Jc - Yeah a Go Pro up the mast could be cool. Not sure how I would keep power on that sucker JC so not so cleaver ;) but perhaps I should get my 'thinking cap on'.
The mast had plenty of clearance - it's just very difficult to judge it as one approaches. I remember seeing a yacht approaching a bridge in Nassau Bahamas ... he came along ever so slowly looking at the top of his mast and the bridge. I could see he was not going to make it - we tried to hail him on VHF without success since we had sailed around the island to avoid the bridge and could see it from the other side.
He slowed the boat right down but had not considered the speed of the current. By the time he realised - it was too late - a massive amount of damage as the mast came down and luckily no one was hurt.
So, we are careful of bridges ...
Cheers guys and thanks for the comments here - awesome!
Here's a thought starter. For my son I recently purchased a LED Anchor Light that contained a photo eye that turned the light on at dusk and off at dawn. For it to work the Anchor Light breaker in the cabin is kept in the ON position day and night. Since the light is LED it draws minimal current and the wire supporting the light may have ample capacity to support a GO-Pro.
JerryK
JC - interesting thinking there - a light sensor - they are great!
Will have to look at that - have not looked at the chargers - usually charge through the laptop so not sure they would be 12v - more like half that ...
Hmmm - you guys are getting me on track for a new project ... hmmm :D
Yes the computer would charge at something like 5 volts. But think along the lines of a car charger for GoPros, they must make them and they would be 12 volts input.
JerryK
Nice one Brent as always and somewhat a nostalgic videography from whence my life began. You're getting pretty slick with the camera I must say. It seems these day's with some of the latest models in technology(ie cameras drones phones etc), that they need to be returned with issues....sometimes. I remember the day's when you could almost set your watch by the afternoon storms.Wild man!! You'd be getting another drenching if you were up there at present more wet and wild weather about and still heading south. Anyway, hope you are both keeping well and enjoying the new power bank.
Hey thanks Don - appreciate the comment and yes, we actually thought of you when we made the movie - wondered if you would see it and if it would make you miss home again :)
We mentioned the camera issue because there is a story that develops around this incident - it all ends well fortunately and we now have a GO Pro 5 Hero Black.
The storms have hit .. Port Stevens and tucked as best we can into North Arm Bay (could not fit into Fame Cove as totally picked with boats ducking the storm). I am sure you know what it feels like to ride these things out ... little sleep, lots of getting wet and clinging to the deck checking the lines ...
All good on our side thanks Don - can move on to PART 2 of the Lithium install now that we have this one done - thought to mix it a little - one travel, one technical sort of things. The Lithiums are performing incredibly well - so nice to have on anchor watch - boiling the kettle, running two lap tops, turned the heater boiler on tonight, watched some tv earlier - we don't even think about the power anymore - these batteries just hold their voltage for the longest time! Cheers mate ...
Hi Impi. Anna and Brent. Thank You for showing My Home in such a beautiful way. Also thank You for the updated info on Moreton Bay and the info on our beautiful city.
It seems that Impi has many many friends here by the comments on here.
The thunderstorm was just typical of what us Brisbanites live with and love about our little town. So proud of how you a foreigner [ with love ] showed her.
Did you go a little upstream and see the Captain Cook Bridges which form the river crossing part of the South East Freeway. Also I hope Anna took you to South Bank if it were there when she was last here.
The old smaller [ now ] building which Anna noted across from your anchorage is the Customs House and its`original use is obvious, ship plying their trade across the oceans would have to call in there and pay customs on any goods being offloaded. It is now in the care of one of our Universities and is use for many formal fund raising functions, Black Tie nosh ups.
Your use of the Lagoon 44 doing what ships have always done is a great tribute to the builders and designers of your beautiful yacht. I hope Lagoon looks after you.
The entire coast of Australia especially the East Coast [ biased ] is a think of wonderment and beauty in bite sized pieces, enjoy your time in our great friendly country.
Smooth seas and following winds guys.
Be safe.
Ahh thank you David.
Actually, I felt bad about having missed out sharing a lot of the information around Moreton Island and Tangalooma. You made a very valid point about missing out on some of the essential information - I sometimes get a little lazy and just want to share the sailing, so in many respects I will admit that your comment made me pay more attention to detail here. I appreciate you writing back on this one David. I was thinking if we get the chance maybe on our northbound trip we could re-visit Tangalooma and brush up on that video, but not sure we will get there again.
No, we did not go upstream .. we went as far as the Botanical Gardens by river .. so I am sorry we missed that. Ana and I walked the city flat - she so loves Brisbane and yes, we did a brief visit to the south bank - they had a big tent structure up there and were playing music - really nice.
We also walked under the Story Bridge and see there is a development happening there - would love to have one of those apartments :)
Yes, the old building is the original Customs House - fantastic to see it all these years later. You guys have really preserved some of the history so well in Brisbane - we can see why people would be proud to live here.
Thank you for the comment on our cat, our home on the sea - I must admit the boat has been amazing to us - it really has proved to have so many features to it which make it ideal for we do. Right now we are riding out some severe weather and doing anchor watch ... we saw 58 knots wind over the boat a short while ago and currently pushing around 48 Knots ... Impi feels happy and steadily rides it out. I don't think we have engaged with Lagoon in years ... we met the Lagoon agent in Australia the other day - awesome guy who interviewed us and wrote a little story around Impi. tmglagoon.com/doggone-days-on-catamaran-impi/
Australia is amazing us in many ways ... not only is it beautiful and interesting but the people are too ... I think some of the most welcoming people in the world live right here - we will share some of that in our videos to follow ...
Thanks for commenting here David - really appreciate it
Cheers for now
Brent
Hi Brent and Ana. Please do not think that I was having a go you but we are so proud of where we live and what we have to offer the fraternity. You are doing what I can not so am so very pleased to share through you your efforts to bring sailing to others who are land locked.
Your instructional vids on Batts and Navigation are great please continue these.
Having started out watching Trio on youtube and wondering why they motor so much up wind, perhaps they should watch you guys and learn that a Cat can go anywhere under sail. lol
Again thanks.
Fair Winds and Following Seas to you both.
Hey David - no certainly you inspired us so no worries at all !!! We love that you are proud of your home - we understand why you would be too :)
As for sailing up wind - yes, cats generally do struggle on a close hauled point of sail - we are actually quite fortunate in that a few things on the build of the 440 make her a great cat for close hauled sailing. 1. There are two shorter spreaders on the mast opposed to some with either two longer or one very long spreader - well this restricts how far one can sheet in on the genoa since the leech of the genoa is restricted by the length of the spreader tip. 2. The position of the genoa tracks sits on-top of the coach roof at a position allowing the genoa to be sheeted in on tighter angles and this further assists in bringing the leech in closer.
Together these features make for a great close hauled point of sail ability on the Lagoon 440.
The problem comes in 'off the wind'. The 440 is not as fast with a standard configuration once the wind is aft of midships beam position, so to get around this we rig a barber hauler off the outer horns cleat which then allows us to position the genoa clew anywhere in-between. This requires two sheets attached t the clew on each side i.e. 4 sheets all in all. With this configuration we have a cat that gets great performance on all points of sail.
Are you sure they are motor sailing 'close hauled', or do they just have their throttle in forward position without the motors running? Yanmar are recommending these days that we leave the throttles in forward gear whilst sailing to protect the gearbox / sail drive packs.
Cheers for now
Brent
Hi Brent. No they say they motoring because the winds are head on so they can`t sail. They could always tack but perhaps they don`t like having that much work to do. Or perhaps the Lagoon just goes upwind better than a F P.
Again Thanks to you both.
Too funny. Loved the intro music with the mouth-harp.
Look at some of the GoPro alternatives. You probably have, but we've bought one for around $84 US and I have now ordered another that boasts 4K video at 30 FPS, and has had great reviews. Only $115 US, so if you lose it overboard it doesn't break the bank. I'll review it when I get my hands on it.
Yea, I think our musical tastes are close. We have our "martini music" that we have to listen to on Friday evenings when we're on the boat and the sun is going down. First Mate thinks she's still a teenager, so she then has to put on something contemporary.
Love the format that you did here. More like a mini-documentary. Really entertaining.
That music is so cool hey - awesome people !
How interesting - a Go Pro alternative costing $115 US - I need to look out for these - would be nice to have a few of them :)
LOL with the first mate feeling 'teenager ish' - I love feeling young and silly sometimes - got live for the moment - right!
Ana and I enjoy similar music but also very different music to each other a lot of the time. We have had to learn to take it in turns, but when it comes to Mike Tidwell music - well, we both love playing it out loud!
Thank you for commenting on the video - means a lot to us and we enjoy seeing your channel growing too!
Cheers for now
Brent
Hey, Brent. Stay tuned. The recent action cam I bought was $84 US, but it doesn't do 4K very well (25 FPS). I'm keeping it around because it does 1080P at 60 FPS, and for that price it is good.
As soon as I receive the other cam that boasts 4K at 30 FPS I'll let you know. My goal is not necessarily to be able to do 4K, but to do 1080P at 60 FPS in good quality.
Hey Guy's, another great vid, just so you fella's get to enjoy a true Aussie cultural experience make sure you come through port phillip heads and pay Melbourne a visit. Then a stop over at King Island on your way to Tasmania should do it for you. Oh yeah make sure you find the time to anchor up in wineglass bay on Tasmania's east coast, its the best:)
Thanks David - awesome 'top tip' from you there mate!
We hopefully will do Tasmania as a full season next year if things pan out the way we hope. So - will keep this one in mind for that trip ... thank you !
I guys I am living in the U K but from Durbanville 12 years ago . And knew Arther Holgate and your Uncle Norman, Small world.
Hey Richard - yes, small world! I remember sailing on Arthurs boat Antares for the first time - awesome experience, and then of course Uncle Norman with Good News - terrific and exciting times :)
Cheers for now
Brent
Used. to fix quarrying barges up the river 34 years ago for Pioneer concrete. Bet place has changed somewhat back here in UK now. BTW Bee Gees lived in Redcliffe, place was desilate when we lived in Brisbane
Very interesting ... 34 years .. a lot must have changed. I hope you are enjoying the isle of UK :)
Yes, the stroll along the promenade has a section dedicated to the Bee Gee's - never knew that until we visited there .. thanks
Lovely city
hope you are both safe and well, best as always, moz
Hi Moz - thank you kindly - we are fine thank you but incredibly busy getting things organised for our trip to New Cal. We are doing a number of new upgrades and lots of preventative maintenance so we can enjoy the islands without working on the boat. I will make up for the lack of movies ... cheers my friend
thanks brent, happy to know you're both OK, safe passage and stay well
Wow, just Wow! The city view in your "backyard" is/was incredibly beautiful. I unconsciously was holding my breath as you went under that bridge. I sure hope the rain doesn't swell the river and trap you on that side of the bridge! :-) How is anchoring on a river (assuming there is current) different than anchoring in your usual places? Is there a difference in the number of anchors or types of anchor you use? How do you know whether it is allowed/legal to anchor where you are? Great Video!
Hi Tony - thanks mate :)
Anchoring within the belly of a 'mother city' like that is incredible - it's difficult to capture how spectacular it feels to be right there with these touring buildings and the lights at night ... just an incredible experience for us, and very different to any other we have seen / felt before. We can't believe how neatly kept that city is - 'clean' would not describe it well enough.
Anchoring in rivers is somewhat different mostly because where there is a huge tidal difference the current plays a role in how the boat will behave relative to the chain off the bow. We have never really bothered with a 2nd anchor (Bahamian style) but one could consider it. We usually pay attention to boat movement through a complete 24 hr period spent on the boat before leaving for shore. The 'danger' comes in on rivers with very strong tidal stream and an opposing wind - in Brazil we had a strong enough wind to set Impi stern to the stream such that the water started climbing up the back steps reaching the top before we had turned on the engines to counter it ... big lessons learned there. In that instance we would actually set a stern anchor, lift and set it with each turn of the tide always facing the bows into the stream flow. We have not had the same level of difficulty since and that river did have a 6 - 7m tidal influence in narrow confines. After some observation (we were not accustomed to rivers at that time) we realised we should be anchored as close to the shore as possible which we intact did - the river had steep sand dunes on the side and we pulled Impi almost alongside which made a huge difference. One needs to find curvatures in the river and lay anchor on the inside.
As for type of anchor - well we use a spade type anchor - the Rocna 33Kg - we would not be without it.
Legality of anchoring in rivers ... hmmm ... generally we just don't know and if the chart does not display anything to the contrary then we simply anchor. Of course we never anchor in the middle of the river or channel - we generally anchor to the side and we always consult the charts for underground cables and other obstructions.
We know one thing very well about Australia - if we were not allowed to do it, the authority would be present immediately ... no one bothered us here so it must be legal :)
Cheers my friend
Brent
Awesome, keep going.
Hey nzbeeker - thanks ! We have so much material to share with you guys and just in a bit of a groove - was not well recently and now hauled in a boat yard in Australia doing maintenance work as we prepare to leave Australia soon ... so ... with most of the work being done with my own hands it is taking time. I will share again soon ... cheers for now
Brent
Great video guys
Thank you Richard - much appreciated
Thanks for another interesting and informative video Brett. I have learned more about QLD in the last 5 episodes than I every did at school, sad to say. Then again, I am a Southerner....lol. All I know is the buggers can play a mean game of rugby league. Which of course is disappointing (for me).
Cya.
LOL - thats very funny ! It usually goes that way - I know back in South Africa I would speak to tourists who knew more about our 'situation' than I did :)
Cheers mate
love Catamaran :)
Love Boat - gotcha - LOL
Cheers mate
Brent
Haven't seen any video's from you guys? Hope all is well, and looking for more vid's when you get time, blessings!
Hi PJD - Sorry for the delay. We struck an object in the water off Yamba and have been hauled for a while. Luckily no serious damage with the Lagoon showing us its strong side. Anyway - I managed to get the next vid out :)
Cheers my friend
Well that is no good, but glad the damage wasn't too bad, and happy to know you are both okay too!
Will be looking forward to you next video, take care that way! An Impi fan!
Richard led you astray :) super maxi yacht can fit under the story bridge, Its the next bridge, the Captain cook bridge, that none of our yachts can fit under. Anyway, don't you check your charts when you passage plan?
Hi Terry - lol :)
Yes, we always thought the Story Bridge was easy for us to pass under - this is why I was surprised when Ana mentioned Rich had said we could not. Of course we always plan passages - I had planned the route and obviously Ana had had the discussion with Richard which she raised just before we got to the bridge. I am one of those guys who irrespective of passage planning takes comments seriously - in the heat of the moment one does sometimes 'question oneself', especially when there is so much beauty all around and clearly distracting. That is one beautiful river :)
Cheers for now
Brent
Hi, How heavy is your Rocna anchor? Thank you for sharing.
Hi guys 👋 - 33kg
Impi - no conflict with the locals ... yet. Hahahaha! :D
LOL - you got that one huh! I always love seeing what 'subtleties' folks pick up on .. you were the first to jump on this one - must have a similar humour :D
Well, I have been around the world and seen a lot of people, but it strikes me that Dutch, white South Africans and Jews have the same direct approach and humor. :-)
Don't know how I missed this one. US ARMY used to by beef out of Australia. Good beef.
LOL = pleased you found it. We do have a video playlist on the channel incase folks miss anything. Very interesting about the US ARMY buying the beef here - and yes, they have awesome beef steaks too!
Hey, great videos, but are you two ever leaving Australia? You left South Africa and kept moving along, but now seems you can't get away from there. Just wondering.
Thanks Hoss - lol - we are the type of sailors who are never rush countries - I think we spent 8 months in the British Virgin Islands for example, 2 seasons in the Societies and did the Tuamotu Archipelago a second time ... and yeah ... we can't leave Australia until cyclone season to the north of us is done and dusted. Our insurance premiums literally triple as we head north of here again so we as sailors usually drop into other territories to avoid these cyclones. However, we did spend coo to a year in Fiji and there we went through cyclone season ... had one descending on us called PAM which then ducked and headed instead for Vanuatu. As you probably know, last cyclone season in Fiji saw WINSTON pass through it - we knew a number of folks who lost their yachts in that one. So yeah - apart from this being an awesome cruising ground, it is great to be able to remain safe over the season. Of course Australia is also getting its fair share of weather now - man - we were hanging in there with winds at 58 knots last night and the direction was off so we were in the 'throat of it' - not nice - and just north of us a lot of devastation by DEBBIE! We think we will hold our position here and move north after this all settles again. But please do keep an eye on this - we will sail back to New Caledonia to get our animal care mission in gear before sailing west again.
So - regions are 'weather dependant' - sailing seasons should adjust for this! Last year we ducked in New Zealand and this year - Australia - possibly as we prepare our west bound journey following New Caledonia we will drop to Tasmania and then head on over the northern territory at speed for Indo and all those countries :)
Thanks for commenting here - good observation and an interesting topic
Cheers for now
Brent
+Catamaran Impi Hey, thanks for the quick reply. Safety first.. on your travels north and west. Are you traveling toward Philippines, Thailand and west to India after looping Australia? lol
I hear the people of Thailand's islands are super.. Good Luck and Stay Safe.. Hoss from Charlotte NC.
Hey Hoss - not sure yet! In sailing terms 'PLAN' is a 4 letter word :)
But yeah - not sure about the Philippines just yet ... but yes, definitely Maldives, Thailand if we survive until the of course :)
I have been to Charlotte North Carolina - in my young days when I started doing business in America, I flew there to check out the opportunities - in the late 80's the place was 'cooking' with opportunity!
Cheers my friend ...
Hi, i am interested in how much it is costing you to sail the world pr months, food, harbor, boat cost exc. Me and my girlfriend are planing to take 2-3 years sail trip around the world. And we are lucking on a Lagoon 44 like yours, and how much sailing experience did you have before you tog off? My experience is from motorboats so have no clue about sail.. :) and if you could choose now is Impi still the one you would choose? Second choice is a SUN ODYSSEY 54 DS (JEANNEAU). PS awesome places you are sailing... good wind and safe trip to you. Best regards from us in Denmark.
Hi Per Thomsen - the cost of sailing around the world is a MASSIVE VARIABLE - to name but a few reasons this is a variable is that it depends largely on your own technical skills and maintenance skills around a boat. We see many people loose their dream because they are not technically able to keep their boat in shape - here the seas and weather demand constant upkeep, and we see sailors getting loaded with massive repair bills on the islands because the technicians know they have nowhere to go. So I would certainly say that being able to look after your basic maintenance is a minimum requirement and the more knowledge you have around this the less your sailing costs will be. As a rule of thumb, 10% of the boat value per annum is a good figure to work on over a long term period. Whilst the boat is relatively new it may not require constant upkeep, but it will demand attention as it gets older. On impi we replace stuff regularly as a 'preventative maintenance schedule' - this allows us to plan repairs and timing / countries where we will do repairs as opposed to waiting for a major break resulting in other failures compounding the cost. We spend the money on maintenance but we know it has saved s in the long run and also made the experience more pleasurable for us.
The Lagoon 440 has been a terrific boat for what we do. There are many great models of boats out there and each having it's niche - but as a home on the ocean goes, with comfort, safety and enough speed, the 440 has amazed us in every respect. You would be hard pressed to find ANY OTHER cat this length with this amount of living space.
Previously we owned a different brand of cat which was great for different reasons, however for cruising around the world I think the 440 has been awesome.
All the best from here in Australia .. cheers for now
IMPI
PS. as a figure for general reference purposes, I recommend working on US$ 5 - 7K per month, but this can go up or down depending on your skill set and of course your living style.
Thanks a lot.
Let me guess: When you went back down the river the water was few feet higher and you smashed you mast into that bridge :O
LOL - that is so funny !!! I think that would have been one way to be on the news in Brisbane :D
Little bit of Irish music at the start well it sounded Irish cool vid as norm
Thank you Neil A - yes, Irish music and quite relevant since I have a lot of Irish history in my veins :) Born in South Africa but generations of family from Ireland ... Cheers mate
Was it $75/day for the marina or 50+75 for $125 ??
Hi LIX 59 - TOTAL was $75, but with a special discount came in cheaper ... not sure I should mention the figure as we may have had a favour ! The guys are simply awesome at that marina.
If one looks at the Down Under Rally Group - I sometimes wonder why local folks don't just sign up for the discounts ...
What is the Impi's mast height?
21 meters - so we had more than enough room
its just me #200 wonderful as normal my weekly soul settler ill be here with you to the end as long as you always do it impi style never sellout to the corprit world as so many other channels have just be brent and anna doing your thing ill be here just remember im just #200 it for your safety and mine and our families my service of god and country has caused my tru name to be a name of want so I CANT give my name love you both #200
Hey Brian - how awesome is that - #200 - such a cool number :)
We are a little slower than most in putting out videos so we really appreciate the folks who hang in there with us, but yeah - we are not chasing he corporate world - we are just living life day by day! The only fund raising we look at is when we see a need for it ... and recently we helped a vet couple in Fiji to get a channel going and asked folks to help fund them back into business (looking after animals on the islands after they lost their mast) and the good folks followed through. Now jeff and Jose are treating animals again and man, just so awesome to have lots of people rallying around to help good people on the water. Thanks for keeping in touch ... Brent
Storey Bridge clearance 30m
Yes Roger - I wish we met you before we visited. There was a lot of confusion over that one and one can never be too careful :) Cheers and thanks for the info