Exclusive: The Story of Pendana, Part 2

This is part two of an exclusive five part series spread out over the next four months about M/Y Pendana, her passionate owners James and his wife Claire and the planned expedition that James and his family are planning, which is to cross the notorious Tasman Sea at the end of the year.

The excitement in the Pendana camp is most certainly building since I last spoke with them and James mentioned that while Pendana had plenty of spares aboard there was a lot still to do. James is certainly approaching this trip with meticulous detail and is leaving nothing to chance. With a little over four weeks until they cross the Tasman Sea he commented that he was pleased he started the preparation phase as early as he did. James said, "I strongly believe that bravado and sticking to plans in the face of a bad weather or common sense is for those whom clearly have yet to experience the real power of the ocean and what can potentially go wrong. There will be no heroics aboard Pendana as the reality of being stuck in heavy seas and strong winds is not wasted on me."

In preparation for the crossing, James purchased a number of items, some of these being a new ParaTech Sea Anchor in case he lost the use of his main engine and also his hydraulically driven Duncan Drive. With the use of the Sea Anchor he could at least keep the bow of Pendana into on-coming seas making the investigation of whatever went wrong not only safer but more comfortable. He also bought a handheld satellite phone as a back-up to his KVH V7 Satellite system and updated his two ditch bags so that survival in the life raft for a period of seventy days for three adults and two children was achievable. Two medical kits were also updated to include all manner of things from Class A medical injectable drugs through to airway breathing tubes. James mentioned that just about the only thing he didn’t have was the operating table. New dive gear was also bought in case the main shaft became entangled in something that needed to be cut away.

James mentioned that he was surprised that there were simply so many things one needs to do to plan for a trip like this. As Pendana will be responsible for our safety at sea she will need to be in tip-top shape for the crossing. Pendana’s main engine, a Cummins N14, her two Onan 21.5KVA generators, her air-conditioning and heating units, her hydraulic Duncan ("Get Home") Drive, water filters, Offshore Marine Water Maker, her bilge pumps and emergency hydraulic bilge pumps, her water maker, her fire suppression system, electronics, ABT stabilizers and satellite communications will all need to be tested and re-tested prior to departure to ensure they are in good working order and that any spares required are sourced and securely stowed prior to departure. In short, everything from head to toe will need to be checked thoroughly as there are no second chances when one is 500nm offshore.

Nordhavns are famous for being built from the ground up to cross oceans and, as such, James is confident that Pendana will carry them across what is a fairly notorious piece of water in safety and comfort but James made it clear that to over-estimate his confidence and under-estimate the preparation could spell disaster for everyone aboard, hence all of the above work will be carried out and planned for carefully during the last few weeks in November.

Mega Yacht Global will bring you part three in early December as we re-join James and his family just prior to departure for New Zealand. For more information on Pendana visit www.pendana.net