Intro

The most versatile RV in Australia

My 5 star mobile accommodation

She has all the comforts of home (almost)

 

SAILING

 

There is little that I enjoy more in life than starting the engine, untying the mooring ropes from the jetty cleats and then slowly powering the yacht forward to leave the anchorage towards the open sea. With the speakers playing romantic French songs in the background, the gentle whistling breeze and the bow cutting the waves foaming around the hull is ultimate freedom.

Facing head wind in the no-go zone, pulling the halyard lifts the mainsail flopping to the tune of the wind. The sail starts luffing and eventually sets in. Adjusting the mainsheet and beating to reach port close-hauled give a sense of Mother Nature helping me to appreciate the beauty of life.

Heeling starboard, the wind engulfs the main and that’s when I realise that I’m at the mercy of the wind. With the tell-tales on the leech telling me to trim the sail, I realise that the wind and I are in harmony and we trust each other.

Time to reef the staysail from the furling and get the wind to catch the Genoa which increases the heeling. Adjusting the angle of attack to the apparent wind for maximum performance is what freedom on the water is all about.

I’m in full sails and life is beautiful.

 

CAMPING

 

I have travelled around Australia from home in Melbourne across the Nullabor to Albany, the most southern town in Australia. From there, through Margaret River, I ended up in Perth. Launching the boat at Coode Street Jetty on the Swan River, I moored at the Port of Perth for lunch and wine before visiting the Bell Tower and the city center.

Heading North towards Broome, I stopped along the most spectacular places imaginable.

The Kimberley's is my favourite part of Australia. After a thrilling ride through the horizontal falls, I sailed on Lake Argyle for a couple of days.

Darwin was a stop over before heading south to Uluru and Port Augusta to eventually reach home sweet home.

The outback is my second home.

 

 

A trip to the tip taught me how precious time is. The journey to Laura was amazing and from Laura, through the Jardine River National Park, I felt so proud to be standing at the most Northern point of the Australian continent.

When I set off on an adventure, the joy of spending years building my floating RV comes to fruition. Living on my mobile accommodation and travelling on the highways discovering new country towns and meeting the locals makes my day. I prefer to stop at free camp sites rather than caravan parks, not because of the cost, but the pleasure of having a cold beer with the greatest people in Australian, the grey nomads.

Not always available along the long winding road for my senior's "pee" is the most iconic structure seen in the outback, the Australian Bush Toilet. Alternatively, cautious not to venture too far from my RV, I use an off-road clearance for watering the native weeds. The sound of the Australian bush, the unique Kookaburra song, is nature's way of saying to me, you're welcome here.

 

 

Australia is a big country. Sometimes, I have travelled on roads where there is nothing to see as far as the horizon, just vast empty land. Other times, the road winds though thick forests with many trees showing dark bark spots of past fires.

 

 

I love Australia.

Introduction

My first yacht was a Binks 25 purchased in 2001. After weeks of enjoyable sailing, I decided to rename it "Jorjia". The god of the sea Neptune objected because I had not performed a proper naming ceremony. After launching Jorjia at Paterson lakes sailing towards Mordialloc, the yacht had major problems and flooded. I managed to get back to shore, but weeks of research failed to find the leak. I eventually sold it to a new owner who after many trial runs could not find any fault. It remains a technical mystery to humans but Nepture knows.

The boat is named after my grand daughter Jorjia

First M26

I purchased my first MacGregor M26 in 2003. I shipped it from the USA in a 40ft container. I sold it in 2007.

Second M26

My new M26 was also purchased directly from the USA. It arrived in Port Melbourne in 2011 also in a 40ft container.

The yacht came with all the sails, the 60HP engine but only had a panel of 4 switches as electronics.

I added all the other gadgets to make it useful on land as a mobile caravan as well as on water as a sailing yacht.

 

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Copyright © 2021, Louis Sylvio Belcourt