Kokachin

Despite having the most wonderful time with so many friends in the UK and Croatia, there was something about land that is corrupt. “Boats and people rot in the harbours.” Being away from it all, escaping into an unknown blue universe was an elixir fix I needed the most. I said to Neptune: “Get me […]

Linda decided to fly to Europe instead of sailing across the Atlantic as it was her perfect opportunity to spend some time with family and friends. Linda wasn’t happy about me sailing single handed across the Atlantic in Kokachin on my own, but I was. The answer seemed to be to find out if my […]

It is nearly 6 months since my last update with many miles under Kokachin’s wake. Our 3 months sejour in Florida could not have been more different from Newfoundland wilderness, a kingdom of nature, where isolation and peace reigned. The only spot to anchor in Stuart was under the private jets flight path where a […]

Our last anchorage in Canada was a small desolate island (Cape Negro Island) at the very Southern tip of Nova Scotia, the big lighthouse offshore was shining its light on us. Not a soul in sight, just some scattered remnants of a dilapidated cottage buried under thorny bushes, traces of past life. With a deep […]

To my mind a good cruise should have an objective, a destination, but much of the pleasure is in the journey towards it. My step daughter lives in Newfoundland so that was a good reason to go there, quite apart from it being an interesting cruising ground. There is no cruise without a boat and […]

It has been nearly four months since my last update from Lunenburg – our port of arrival in Canada, Nova Scotia late in May. My challenge now is how to summarise it well,and not to bore you with the details. There is a lot I wish to tell, and consequently, I did not manage to […]

Thank you to many of you who responded to my vivid description of our episode across the Atlantic. Here is our next instalment. We arrived in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada just a few days ago. It is cold but magically beautiful and peaceful. If you wonder why North (and not South), our sailing route is […]

As always there is something to tell! We enjoyed Las Palmas, its busy port, accessible anchorage and an interesting old and new town. Despite its attractions we set off pretty soon. Nine hundred miles south lie the Cape Verde islands, which provided a refreshing difference with its African feel. Palmeira, on Sal, was fun. It’s […]

I hope that your Summer / Winter has been good and you are looking forward to a new season. You might have been wondering where we were during this time of absence and how it is going with Kokachin. Here is our well overdue update. It was not easy to summarise 6 months of a […]

At anchor, in balmy evening sunshine, with calm seas and her sweet lulling, red sunset while dining – with nothing on our mind but to enjoy it. The sense of blissful existence was indescribable. The three years of (hard) toil seemed to be forgotten already and definitely worth it! In preparation for a little party […]

Your heartfelt messages that poured into my inbox from all over the world each minute were like fireworks, creating magic to which the universe responded to by regaling us with the most glorious day we could have hoped for. Kokachin was launched without a glitch in the scorching sunshine and a gentle breeze on Wednesday […]

Looks like we are going to make it, despite last month’s trials and tribulations with insurance, which caused a last minute delay. A story better not to be told, at least for now. Preparations are in earnest for the ship shape ship. We are excited and so should Kokachin be. She is ready, looking splendid, […]

Over optimistically, I thought we could finish Kokachin in about a year, it took us three years with the two of us working full time (weekends included).  Very soon, as we started working on her, we realised that Le Forestiere’s Jonque de Plaisance are complicated boats! Also if she was to meet our needs and […]
⚓ Kokachin — Boat Building

Kokachin, originally named Matahina, started her life on a farm in Bussieres, a little village 70km NE from Paris. Her hull and deck and some of the interior were built by Mr Jossete, a professional carpenter. He started building her in 2009 and spent two years building the hull alone plus many more on the […]
⚓ Kokachin — The Boat

We had the following requirements when looking for a boat: We were aware that not all of the requirements could be met as it is obvious that the ideal boat does not exist. We were looking for a live aboard home that could take us where we wanted to go. We wanted a shallow draught boat because it gives us wider access to […]