From just a dream, the sailing life of Joey and Gary Angove became a reality after selling their business in South Africa, and taking their boating adventure to Australia.
Like so many people, we fell in love with all things boating even before we had set foot on a sailboat. We were having lunch overlooking a marina and taking in the ambience, and we started talking about how lovely it would be to own a boat. We were living in South Africa at the time. After selling Gary’s road-surfacing business, we decided to make that dream a reality and sail the world.
Following extensive research, we opted for a sailing catamaran and commissioned Rayvin Yachts to build a 30-foot catamaran for us, which we took delivery of in 2007. After sailing the Rayvin to Australia, we lived in Adelaide for two years, before relocating to the Gold Coast, where we decided to upgrade to a larger catamaran, which had more room for living aboard.
Present boat
We found our new dreamboat, a Fusion 40 built in 2008, at Multihull Solutions, after scouring the internet for a long time. We renamed her Jamesby after the island where we became engaged on the voyage over from South Africa.
Our new home on the water was built to survey and had hardly been used with only 350 hours on the motors and 100 hours on the generator. The Fusions are very stable and have lots of space on board, boasting a 7.2-metre beam. This model also has a galley down, which allows an extra-large saloon area. Other features include a large enclosed stand-up shower, two air air-conditioning units, a 5kva generator, a fully automatic washing machine, and all the required equipment aboard for long-term cruising. They are also fast; they can achieve more than 20 knots in ideal conditions, which is exhilarating.
We live aboard Jamesby at the Hope Harbour Marina on the Gold Coast. But we go out most weekends anchoring at the local anchorages and sometimes further north in Moreton Bay when time allows.
Favourite destinations
Our favourite local destination is Tangalooma, a place we love to visit at least once a year. But due to work constraints we mainly anchor at Tipplers. We love boating on the Gold Coast. We also visit other anchorages like Paradise Point and Wave Break, depending on the weather. The protected Broadwater allows us to go out most weekends because there are so many places to anchor in the lee. There are also so many restaurants and shops to stop off along the way, which help make the Gold Coast an even more enjoyable boating destination. However, safety-wise, there is a need to keep a sharp lookout because there are so many boats and jet-skis out every weekend.
We rate the facilities here on the Gold Coast as good, although a few extra mooring buoys at Tipplers would not go amiss. Additional Water Police would also be great to make sure everyone does the right thing.
Most of the time we go out by ourselves, but occasionally we invite friends and their overseas visitors. Last year we had the privilege of taking out the Springbok rugby team, which was a fun experience – check out the pic!
Cruising plans
Long-term, we plan to cruise New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji, and then head west into Southeast Asia, and onto the Mediterranean and back to the Caribbean.
We are in the process of adding more solar panels and will buy a water-maker and upgrade the navigational equipment before we leave. In terms of gadgets we love right now, top of the list is our Poly Cool ice-making machine, which makes ice in only 12 minutes, and the seasick-preventing Relief Band, which Joey discovered after trying many other seasickness remedies without success.
Special moments
The stand-out scary moment for us in our sailing to date was undoubtedly on the way to Cape Town when we hit a low just north of Port Elizabeth, and had waves coming at us taller than our mast. But it did not last long, and experiences like that make the good times seem even more special by comparison.
When we are anchored, and sitting back looking at a beautiful sunset, there is nowhere we would rather be. Probably our only regret about the boating lifestyle is that it took us so long to discover it.
Interview by Caroline Strainig
(May-Aug2017)
