The Adventures of Vakasa and Crew: About Vakasa

We purchased Vakasa in May, 2008…..two years sooner than planned. However, fate stepped in and placed our dream boat in the relatively local waters of Olympia, Washington (all the other boats we had looked at were in the Carribbean…..an expensive proposition to get them to BC). If that wasn’t enough, this boat was built in the US which meant no duty; it had lived in BC already, which meant no GST or PST; and for the first time in our memory, the Canadian dollar was at par with the US dollar. Who could resist?

She started out as “Anais”, named after Anais Ninn, whose claim to fame was in being one of the first females to dabble in erotica fiction and poetry. Believe it or not, someone else in Canada had already claimed this name, so we underwent the appropriate rituals (something to do with rum and sacrifices to Neptune) and renamed her “Vakasa”, which in an African dialect means “to roam, wander or meander”. Perfect for what we had in mind.

We moved onboard in October, 2009 and have spent the past few years honing our skills as sailors and getting Vakasa ready for offshore trips. We plan to spend the next 15 years or so cruising in Mexico, the Carribbean, South America, the South Seas, and any where else that the wind takes us. We will return to our condo in Victoria each year for 5—7 months to keep an eye on our friends and family. We really hope that many of them will come and visit us in the beautiful sunny places we sail to. There……consider the invitation made……

Vakasa details:

1994 Lagoon TPI Catamaran--1 of 51 made

Overall length--42 ft

Beam--22.5 ft
Beds--2 queens, 1 double

Engines--2 30 hp Yan Mars
Fuel--2 x 150 l (40 gal) aluminium tanks, approx range - 500 nm
Sail plan--furling jib, main, assymetrical spinnaker, storm jib
Navigation--Garmin chartplotter and Radar, Vesper AIS (transmit and receive)
Communication--VHF (plus portable), SSB with Pactor
Power--2 x 200 amp/hr battery banks, 2 x 70 amp alternators, 410 W solar panels, 1500 W inverter, 1000 W Honda generator
Water--110 gals water storage, 10 gph watermaker
Anchor--100 ft 5/16 ht chain with 150 ft rode, 25 kg Rocna anchor, 45 lb CQR