INTERVIEW WITH YOSH AND BONITA (@SAILING NANDJI)
Who are you and what is your backstory?
My name is Jarrad Laver and together with my partner Bonita Herewane and our Whippet Marley, live on board our sailboat and are sailing our home around the world.
We are an Australian couple that enjoy everything about the Ocean. We were living in the city of Adelaide, working pay check to pay check and decided we wanted more out of life.
So with our savings, we bought an old Toyota coaster bus which was converted into a motor home. We towed a small dinghy and decided to drive around Australia chasing the endless summer and finding work along the way.
After 2 years on the road and spending countless hours in our dinghy and playing in the ocean, the penny dropped. “Why don’t we live on the Ocean?” From there it was only a matter of months before we had sold the bus and dinghy and bought ourselves our first sailboat located on the other side of Australia.
We loaded up my old Holden commodore wagon that had been sitting in mums shed for the 2 years and drove across the country to move aboard Nandji. Living in the bus meant we could travel around Australia, but the boat meant we could travel further and explore more.
Never shy away from a challenge. The rewarding feeling of self accomplishment when you fix that thing that is broken or when you get to that destination you have wanted to visit, far outweighs the negatives and struggles. It is part of the journey and learning to love the hard times makes the journey just as much fun!
We learnt how to sail in the Whitsunday islands off the coast of Australia and after a few months, started to sail down the east coast. We completed some important boat works to get our vessel blue water ready and then in July 2017, we sailed from the Gold Coast to the Pacific nation of New Caledonia. We have since sailed over 10k nautical miles offshore and have visited 9 different countries by boat.
We are from South Australia and believe in having fun everyday! Life is for living and the more fun you can pack into each day, then the happier we are going to be! By downsizing our home we have grown in life and it was the best decision we have ever made.
An ideal day would involve being anchored somewhere tropical and remote with clear water and waves to surf. A quick afternoon spearfish to get dinner and then cook it on a fire on the beach as we drink a coconut and watch our dog run around in circles.
Take us to the moment you decided to begin your Sailing Life?
We had no idea about sailing but as we loved the ocean so much, we just felt that it is something we would enjoy. The whole idea of sailing off into the sunset was a real driving force behind the idea and then once we had moved aboard, the world just felt smaller and more accessible than before.
We had been saving for a house deposit for years and during our bus life days we decided to go to some house inspections. The thought of going back to work in the city or working away as I had done a lot of earlier on in my life, to pay off a house loan for the next 30 years did not sound good to us. Instead we found a boat that we could buy out right and have our own home that we could continue to travel in.
We were already used to small space living and spending a lot of our time outside so the transition from land to sea was quite smooth.
Tell us about the advantages to the Sailing lifestyle?
Sailing has allowed us to travel to far away communities where we can fully inundate ourselves into a different culture and way of life. These places are only accessible by boat and the people live from the land and the sea. By spending time in different cultures and understanding a different way of living has helped us grow as people and be more humble in our way of life. Without our sailboat, this would not have been possible.
By living on a sailboat, we go to the less touristy places and get a more rich cultural experience than you can get in a resort. We become friends with different people and learn new languages. We really grow the most when we are out of our comfort zones.
Helping Hands in a Remote Lagoon
Tell us about the biggest challenges and downsides to the Sailing lifestyle?
Sailing is challenging and what man can make, the sea will break. Therefore we have had to learn many new skills in how to fix things. Learning how to sail is the easy part, it is all the fixing and maintenance that we have had to learn to keep our boat as a solid seaworthy vessel. We need to be 100% self sufficient and the skills we have learnt from living on a boat are priceless.
A lot of planning needs to go into every offshore voyage. Weather determines so much of our life and the places we can go. As we travel by the wind, we are always looking for the safest way to arrive from point A to point B. This could mean waiting for weeks on end before a safe weather window occurs.
How do you find a sense of community when you’re always moving? How do you maintain and build relationships on the road?
Sailing has a great community and people are very friendly and willing to share their knowledge of places. Cruiser sailors all have something in common and when ever you share an anchorage with another foreign flagged vessel, you will guarantee that you will know them, become friends and enjoy each others company, even if it is for one night.
There are many forums online that yachties are a part of and we all contribute in our own ways to these. We share information, advice and experiences with each other to help guide each other.
People in remote communities are always super friendly as well and it is harder to leave than it is to stay. You will be greeted with so many friendly places and you are always welcomed into their life.
How do you support yourself financially?
We are video creators and create weekly video blogs about our journey on youtube. Check it out!
Our video are predominantly crowd funded via patreon.
What is your one piece of advice for people who want to do what you do?
If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Challenging is a good thing as if you are dedicated enough, you can achieve anything.
We were never going to know everything before we left to go sailing. We still don’t and I don't think we ever will. For us, jumping in the deep end was the best way for us to learn how to swim.
Never shy away from a challenge. The rewarding feeling of self accomplishment when you fix that thing that is broken or when you get to that destination you have wanted to visit, far outweighs the negatives and struggles. It is part of the journey and learning to love the hard times makes the journey just as much fun!
What have been the most influential and helpful books, podcasts, blogs, websites or other resources?
By seeking out cruising guides for whatever area we plan to explore. These books are a depth of knowledge from previous sailors who have been in the area and have really helped us to find safe harbour and navigate tricky passes.
What does the future look like?
Exciting! We are having a baby in the new year so currently getting our boat ready for the new crew member. Hopefully the world has healed a little and we are able to continue to travel.
We had planned to sail across the Indian Ocean to Africa this year but as our sailing plans have been on hold due to covid, we plan to sail where we can and enjoy the little things in life. Raising our new born is going to be such an amazing time and we are excited for boat life with our new baby.
Is there anything that you need that you can’t find or anything you are seeking help with?
Nandji is currently getting close to how we want our boat to be for years to come. Hopefully we can get items in the near future like a wind generator to harness the wind and turn it into power and then we plan to upgrade our navigation equipment one day. Did I mention our depth sounder doesn't really work?
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Rapid fire questions
What are the top 3 Sailing essentials that you couldn’t live without?
- Sails
- Motor
- Coffee
Top 3 favorite places you’ve visited?
- Solomon Islands
- Papua New guinea
- West Sumatra
Where are you now?
Malaysia
How long do you usually stay in one place?
As long as it takes to explore the area
When did you first start your Sailing life?
We left Australia July 2017
Are you full-time or part-time Vanlifing?
Full-time
How many weeks have you spent in the Van in the last 12 months?
All of them!
What kind of boat do you have?
Roberts 40 cutter rig sloop
Where can we go to keep up with you and your adventures?
Website - www.sailingnandji.com
Youtube - Sailing Nandji - Frothlyfe
Instagram - @sailing_nandji
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sailingnandji/