Names of Owners (and crew): – Brent Crack (owner) and Mary Bevan – me – the crew!

Nationality:  Canadian

Boat Name:  Knot Safety

Boat Type/Model and Size:  Lagoon 400, 40 ft

Your Home Port:  Prince Rupert, BC, Canada
 
Blog/website/facebook pages: Marynercruising.Wordpress.com

How did you start cruising? 

I found myself with both the time and the opportunity to sail across the South Pacific Ocean – and I said “yes!”.

I had met Brent only three months beforehand on a fishing charter in northern British Columbia, Canada. Brent and I exchanged phone numbers and starting talking and he soon told me about his plan to sail across the South Pacific Ocean and invited me to join him for as long as I wanted to – or was able to.

I own a business and had a full time job as well. However, only days after Brent had invited me to join him in Panama, I was laid off, opening up my schedule — amazing luck! I took three months to prepare my business to be managed by a friend – who would also take care of my house, and I met Brent in Panama on November 14th, 2022. Rather than only sailing with him in Panama, I was now able to cross the South Pacific Ocean with him and take as much time as I wanted.

We spent the first two weeks in Panama exploring Las Perlas to see how I did with the boat and then it was off to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) for a 26-day sail!

Describe what sort of cruiser are you:

Newbie liveaboard sailor.

What type of cruising are you doing currently?

Long-distance across the South Pacific Ocean from Panama to New Zealand.

What do you like about your current boat?

It’s Brent’s boat, but I’ve become a huge fan of catamarans. While monohulls have their advantages, living aboard a catamaran has been far more comfortable than I had imagined.

What other boats have you sailed?

My past experiences with sailing have been exclusively on monohulls. As a child I would go on short day trips with my family on a friend’s monohull. Since then, I’ve only been on a couple of monohulls — all for day trips, never overnight or on any passages. This was my first time really learning how to sail.

What equipment on board has been most useful for you as crew?

Brent has a Raymarine hydraulic autopilot fitted on the boat. It has worked flawlessly for over 5000nm across the Pacific so far. I can’t imagine not having it and being required to hand-steer that distance, taking shifts between two people throughout all hours of the night for such long passages!

My second favourite piece of equipment is the Rainman – 140 litre per hour – watermaker. It’s great to have it work so quickly and the water tastes amazing. In Rapa Nui and Pitcairn, most people collect rainwater for drinking water. While in Rapa Nui we had many visitors to the boat and we demonstrated how the Rainman works, filling some bottles for them to take back to their houses. They were amazed at how good the water tasted, how easy it was to make,and how quickly it all happened. A few locals spoke about purchasing one of their own. Go Rainman!

What equipment would you like fitted to the boat?

The boat has all electric winches, except for one — the dinghy -lifting winch. It’s the winch that is used most often and it requires hand cranking. It would make that process so much easier if it was an electric winch.

List the countries you have cruised:

Panama, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Pitcairn Island, French Polynesia (Gambier Islands, Marquesas, Tuamotus and Tahiti so far).

Future cruising plans:

Cook Islands, New Zealand and Australia.

List the oceans/seas you have crossed:

I volunteered as a line-handler on the Panama Canal and I am now crossing the South Pacific Ocean.

Brent and I had just finished exploring Las Perlas when we came back to Panama City where some other sailors had a last-minute cancellation for a line handler. They asked for my help and I said yes. Brent had a few boat chores and a meeting set up for that day and he didn’t need my help, so the timing worked out perfectly. Brent stayed behind and I crossed the Panama Canal, which he had done earlier in the year.

Days afterward, we set sail for Rapa Nui and soon crossed the equator.

Approximate sea miles:

So far, more than 5,000NM.

Scariest day on the water:

While I’m not sure about a full day, but my least favourite moment was sailing through a lightning storm. We had seen many far off in the distance, but they were all so far away we couldn’t hear the thunder. That was not the case for this one. This one had us starting both engines to get out of there as quickly as possible with high and fast changing winds, reefed sails, and some choppy waves. I started using our radar far more often after that, any time I felt the wind shift or saw a cloud that looked ominous.

Best cruising moment:

My favourite cruising moment was sailing up to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) after 26 days on the Pacific ocean — my first crossing. I pulled out the binoculars to look at the moais (stone heads), watched the sun rise over the island, took a few pictures and eagerly awaited to drop anchor. Once we had, officials came by and shortly after we had visitor after visitor swimming, paddling and motoring to us to welcome us to the island. It was incredible!

Favourite cruising area and why:

Rapa Nui was the most amazing experience with such welcoming locals. We had people every day tell us to stop by their houses for coffee or would invite us over for dinner.

My second favourite was sailing through Las Perlas in Panama. I enjoyed how each island was so close to the next, that they were easy to anchor in and that there were very few other boats nearby. Fish and stingray were curious about us and unafraid. There were shells everywhere you looked because nobody stepped on them or picked them up. The downside was that a few islands had a lot of garbage.

Favourite anchorage:

Contadora Island in Panama (Las Perlas). There are jellyfish to be aware of and tons of fire coral, but amazing snorkelling and the village made for a nice walk around the island.

Favourite cruising apps:

We use Windy all the time and Navionics.

Favourite cruising websites:

Noonsite has been our go-to for each stopover, to learn as much as we can ahead of our journey.

Favourite cruising books:

I haven’t read many cruising books, other than looking through a few of Brent’s. I’ve spent most of my time listening to audiobooks over night watches and reading other books during the day.

What advice or message would you want to pass on to anyone new to cruising or thinking about casting off the dock lines?

Why not? You won’t know what you’re missing out on until you’re experiencing it. Take less-travelled routes. Visit islands that don’t get many boats. Embrace long passages.

I was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I spent a lot of my childhood watching the ocean and occasionally spending a day on a monohull. My parents have talked about moving onto a boat for a few years now, and so family vacations usually involve some sailing — though I spent the time watching while they learned.

I have always wanted to travel more and I very much enjoy learning new things and being on the ocean. What better way to combine those than to learn how to sail and to do so for a long distance?

When I met Brent and he invited me, I knew I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I didn’t go. It didn’t take me long to decide and then for my schedule to allow me to go all-in. Say yes and see where life takes you.

As a newbie liveaboard sailor, what did you find was the hardest thing to adapt to on board?

There were a few learning curves in understanding each sail’s capabilities and what to be careful and watch out for. What I found the most difficult was the sleeping schedule — four hours on, four hours off. I eventually adjusted to the noise of the wind and waves and fell asleep faster.

Waking up for a 4am shift was far easier once we got to warmer waters and didn’t need to put so many layers of clothing on!

Why cruise? In a few sentences, what is it that inspires you to keep cruising?

I never get tired of watching the world go by and looking out at the ocean. Each day has a new sunrise and sunset.  See where life takes you when you’re open to it. Live while you’re alive!

Any other comments or information you would like to pass on?

The more places you go that fewer people see, the more unique experiences you’ll have and the more welcomed you’ll be. My only advice for those places is to make sure you don’t need to rely on the internet or re-supply snacks!

Mary Bevan (and Brent Crack)
SV Knot Safety

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Brent and Mary have been sharing their journey westward across the South Pacific with Noonsite:

• Rapa Nui (Easter Island) – Nothing Short of Amazing
• Pitcairn Island – Well Worth the Journey
• French Polynesia – A Warm Welcome to the Gambiers
• French Polynesia, Tuamotus: Coral Bombies, Snorkelling and Sharks

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