An Exclusive Mid-Atlantic Update

What's new for Sailing Nahoa?

This newsletter is being fired off from the middle of the Atlantic. We're racking up the nautical miles as we zip downwind towards the shores of Brazil. It's a rough, blistering pace and things are heating up pretty quickly as we inch closer to the equator. The fishing? Absolutely unmatched - it's the best we've had on our entire circumnavigation! But enough of the preamble, let's dive right into the newsletter. Here’s what you’ll find:

1. Ridiculous Side Note

2. Life Update

3. Nahoa 55 Update

4. Our Opinion - New Section!

5. How to Stay in Touch

Ridiculous Side Note

Did we mention we're roaring downwind? That means the winds are huffing and puffing right up the cockpit, into the saloon and out the forward hatches. Offshore, all our compostable waste takes a daring plunge overboard to save us precious real estate in the garbage can. Fish sticks, all dressed up in flour and panko crumbs, have become our go-to cuisine on this voyage.

Now, it's a universal man-law, drilled into boys from a tender age: never, under any circumstances, pee upwind. Why, you ask? Because that golden stream swiftly does a U-turn and comes hurtling back at you, leading to an impromptu, unwanted shower.

Picture Ashley, our resident galley maestro, with her cutting board brimming with panko crumbs and flour. With one swift, breezy swing overboard to dispose of the excess, suddenly it's snowing in July. Cue Ben, caught in this unexpected flour storm, turning into a ghostly, powder-dusted figure. We’re still finding snow in crevices…

Life Update

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty. The fishing tally stands like this: 2 Marlin eluded us (one had the audacity to bend a hook, the other cheeky one nearly emptied our rod & reel spool). But we had our revenge with 4 Marlin that we brought to the boat (and released). It appears the Marlin community is having a bit of a boom - we'd never nabbed a single one before! Add a sailfish to the boat (and released), 7 yellowfin Tuna each the size of a football, and 10+ dazzling Mahi Mahi. Our routine revolves around the sea's bounty: we put out the lures, keep the kids amused with the fine art of lure rigging, go fishing, fillet, cook, sleep, and repeat. Fishing is OFF THE HOOK in the Atlantic! Never ever expected this.

One of the smallest ones

One of the bigger ones. Very nerve racking with that bill between the legs!

In other news, we left the baby gates behind in Saint Helena. The treacherous death pits on either side of the Saloon has been conquered by our intrepid little explorers.

Speaking of Saint Helena, it was a gem of an experience. A quirky, utterly unique stopover. This island floats in splendid isolation, thousands of miles from any other land mass. Home to roughly 4,000 residents who all speak with a distinctive 'Saint' accent. It harks back to the old-world small town vibes, where people don't just toss out a 'hi' and move on. Instead, they ask, "You OK?" and pause to hear your response.

Yes….we pack our children up mountains and across oceans. Incredible hiking in Saint Helena!

Nahoa 55 Update

The very first low-resolution 3D renders of the Nahoa 55 – we literally just received them!

We’re super excited about the forward cockpit and the safety factor this brings to the equation. No more walking on side decks offshore. What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments below!

To pull back the curtain a little: we now have over 150 people demonstrating serious interest in the Nahoa 55. Even if only a fraction of these enthusiasts commit, we're sailing towards a remarkable success. Several boatyards are already expressing interest, including a promising find in Vietnam that offers a compelling balance of cost and craftsmanship.

As a side note: if you're interested in having a Nahoa 55 built, it's not too late to sign up on our website and you'll receive more detailed updates as things progress.

But let’s take a moment to talk about the enormity of this project. It’s possibly more daunting than when we first relinquished our steady jobs, liquidated everything we owned, and set sail on this first lap. Our income from YouTube is humble, and yes, at times, the colossal scale of the Nahoa 55 project sends shivers of anxiety rippling through us.

Yet, with our public announcement came two formidable responses. First, the supportive wave from our community has been simply astonishing - countless individuals rallying to our cause, armed with valuable advice, tips, and offers to help. THANK YOU. Secondly, and perhaps most potently, we have thrown our hat over the wall - our commitment is now public, and we find ourselves charged with an unyielding determination to see this dream come to fruition. Each one of you reading this, tuning into our videos, sparking up conversations, and forming the backbone of our unflinching crew. It's this communal fortitude that turns the seemingly unattainable into shared victories.

This risk we're taking, has never felt more alive. It's a high stakes game, but it's ours to play.

Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don't. - Steve Maraboli

Our Opinion

Welcome to a new section of our newsletter. You know what they say about opinions? Everyone’s got one. Here is ours…

Last week's news featured a Gunboat 66 capsizing during the Isle of Wight race. Gunboats are among the highest-performing catamarans available, but this incident sparked a conversation amongst us.

Every sailor is going to have different priorities, skill levels and tolerances. For us we rank safety as #1. Comfort is #2. And finally speed as #3. This is not to say we don’t go fast. Quite the opposite. We thrive on speed. We push our boats to their limits. We’ll run our massive Spinnaker up to 25 knots. It’s a hell of a lot of fun!

But the reality out here differs substantially from what most glossy YouTube boat videos suggest. We battle confused, chaotic seas coming from all directions, with squall after squall sweeping over us during the graveyard shift. The boat's jolting, violent movements leave us bruised and battered as we attempt to move about.

We posed a question to a pair of seasoned sailors who are currently on their second circumnavigation aboard an Outremer 5x (a 60' performance catamaran). We asked, "What is the maximum boat speed before things become uncomfortable on board? Assume typical trade wind conditions (15-25 knots. 1-3 meter seas. 6-10 second period)."

Their response? Around 13 knots of boat speed off-the-wind and roughly 11 knots boat speed upwind.

It seems that a boat speed of 11-13 knots is the sweet spot for an offshore blue water cruising catamaran. Design anything faster and you'll have to make enormous compromises on comfort (i.e. space) and safety. Design anything much slower, and you'll find yourself bobbing along for far longer than desired in the constantly shifting and unpredictable open ocean.

Just our opinion….

How to Stay in Touch

Crossing an ocean is quite a time-intensive endeavour, so we may occasionally skip our usual public YouTube posts. However, we're consistently uploading new content on Patreon. If you're eager to follow our journey in real time, we invite you to join our Patreon community.

Remember, your support truly fuels our journey and helps us share our experience with all of you. Thank you.

With Love,

Ben, Ashley, Willa, Bodhi

Brazil