On a trip such as ours, the delineation of authority and
responsibility between the master of the vessel and the owner is a fine line. No
doubt, some captains find an involved owner to be a bit of an intrusion.
Similarly, my wife viewed Alithia as her home,
and not as a five-star hotel. Much of the fun of the trip for her was to stray
through markets, occasionally take over the galley and be involved in shipboard
life. The project churned through three full-time captains, three relief
captains and an exchange of teachers and crew. As many as 20 sailors, teachers
and backups were on the payroll!
 Alithia’s broad and uncluttered decks provide
plenty of room to spread out. (Click image to enlarge)
As do all new yachts, ours went through a teething period. We
never performed extended sea trials because of construction delays. Thus, our
shakedown cruise was the immediate circumnavigation. On her first passage to
Antigua, technicians and contractors from the shipyard were still aboard to
calibrate, test and fine-tune her systems. Altogether, the vessel had three
major and three smaller maintenance layovers. Spare parts and engineers traveled
to the planet’s remotest spots to keep the boat working. That the yacht
supported her demanding program—and kept going and going—is witness to her
excellent design, experienced project management and builder’s workmanship.
 The remote Galápagos archipelago is known for its rare species,
but it is also home to more common ones, such as sea lions. (Click image to enlarge)
Alithia is an
awesome sailing machine. Despite being equipped and loaded as a world cruiser,
she thrives in light winds, delivers 320 nautical miles a day on long passages
and reaches top speeds beyond 20 knots. At the Millennium Cup in New Zealand,
she competed against the world’s best yachts, crossing the line fourth after
three pure racers. We were all delighted.Safety was a constant concern. Our heavy investments did pay
off: We always had information on weather and, for longer passages, our own
advising meteorologist. Once, we were hit by a late-season cyclone in the
Solomon Islands, which we weathered by three days’ sailing in the safe quadrant
with vast sea room. More severe was the passage around Socotra, through the Horn
of Africa, with winds exceeding 50 knots and a huge following sea. The
light-displacement Alithia withstood the
drama beautifully, surfing the rolling waves. The pirates, notorious in this
area, were out of action. Not once during the entire trip did we experience the slightest
threat or act of violence. We had taken a lot of security precautions, choosing
and updating our route with constant concern for personal safety. A security
team in London followed our progress. We even had two security officers, who
doubled as paramedics, on board. The Kevlar-reinforced engine room was equipped
as citadel in case of an attack. Defense plans had been drawn up and practiced
but, fortunately, nothing ever happened.
Local work boats in the coastal state of Sittwe in
western Myanmar stand in stark contrast to Alithia’s sleek lines, and racing pedigree. (Click images to enlarge)
The threats were elsewhere. Often the charts covering remote routes were only
approximate. Some of the soundings dated from nineteenth-century British Admiralty charts, measured with
lead line by Her Majesty’s ships. In Fiji, we struck a reef while sailing at
eight knots. Apart from shock, cuts, bruises and complete chaos, we suffered no
structural damage. In the Mergui Archipelago, we ran the rudder up a coral
slope, breaking off the lower third. After sealing it with underwater epoxy, we
continued. The most damage we suffered was when a squall in Darwin—out of the
blue—pushed the yacht mercilessly against the concrete wall of the commercial
wharf during refueling. Our biggest concern proved to be health care. We had equipped
the guest cabin as an intensive care unit with a vital signs monitor,
defibrillator, oxygen concentrator, suction unit, immobilizing stretcher,
cameras and a real-time data link and video-conferencing system with an
around-the-clock team of doctors in Johannesburg. This infrastructure was
actually used. One crewmember was treated and evacuated for severe heart
problems, a teacher for a broken leg and many locals for cuts, infections and
other ailments. The most dramatic incident happened at a remote barren cay in
the Andaman Islands. While free diving, a young teacher almost drowned,
re-surfacing unconscious. Our first mate and I reacted quickly enough to
resuscitate him. He was then given oxygen and evacuated via helicopter by the
Indian Navy.
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