EPISODE #11: Sailing the Red Sea to the Greek Islands | Scott & Sandy on Seawind 1160 Light
December 12, 2025
From Sydney to Greece: Cruising the World on a Seawind 1160 Light
Scott and Sandy have accomplished what few sailors attempt: sailing from Sydney, Australia to the Greek islands aboard their Seawind 1160 Light, Seamoon. Their journey—spanning the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Suez Canal, and Mediterranean—offers compelling insights for anyone considering extended offshore cruising, particularly on a catamaran equipped with outboard motors.
The Journey North
When we last caught up with Scott and Sandy, they were halfway up the Red Sea. From there, they continued north into Egyptian waters, stopping at Summer Bay for refueling before transiting the Suez Canal. After spending two weeks in Suez and exploring Ismalia by land, they departed for Cyprus in mid-April, eventually spending five months cruising the Greek islands.
The passage proved challenging at times. Scott recalls a particularly rough night in the Red Sea when waves broke over the bow and swept across the entire boat. “I thought, I’m pretty sure our rig’s going to come off,” he admits. But when dawn arrived, the boat had powered through without issue. That same night, they lost 120 liters of fuel from jerry cans in the violent seas—yet Seamoon handled the conditions admirably.
Sandy offers pragmatic advice for aspiring circumnavigators: “There’s going to be days that you think this is horrendous. Get me off this boat. But if you can just get through that little bit, the rest of it is so amazing.”
Outboards for Ocean Crossings
One of the most common concerns about offshore cruising on catamarans involves outboard motors. Can they really handle extended ocean passages? After approximately 2,500 hours of engine time—using only one motor at a time—Scott and Sandy have become strong advocates.
“Once you’re sailing, which is what you’re trying to do 90 percent of the time, once you lift those motors out of the water, it’s just the most blissful sailing experience,” Scott explains. The high-tech EFI motors have performed flawlessly throughout their journey, and any reliability concerns are outweighed by the freedom and performance gain when sailing.
As preventative maintenance after their Indian Ocean and Red Sea passages, they plan to swap out the motors for a fresh set—a process Scott notes is considerably easier compared to diesel engine replacement. Conveniently, Seawind’s Turkish facility has motors ready for them, allowing for maintenance work during their April stopover.
Discovering the Greek Islands
The Greek islands provided a welcome contrast after months in developing countries. Sandy particularly appreciated returning to well-stocked provisioning options, while both sailors praised the consistent winds—though they learned to watch for the Meltemi and find shelter when needed.
Mediterranean mooring presented new challenges. Their first attempt at stern-to mooring in Kastellorizo, Greece’s southernmost island near Turkey, proved educational. “How hard can it be?” they wondered. “As long as you got help on the shore, it’s all good,” Sandy laughs. They’ve since mastered the technique and fallen in love with the classic Greek aesthetic of whitewashed houses and blue-domed churches.
Sailing as a Couple
Scott and Sandy maintain a six-hour-on, six-hour-off watch schedule during passages, with their longest stretch lasting eleven days. Despite Sandy’s limited sailing experience before this journey—just four years on their old 40-year-old catamaran and Seamoon—she confidently handles solo watches thanks to the Seawind’s ease of handling.
“The philosophy of the Seawind boats themselves is that you can shorthand them, single-hand them very easily,” Scott notes. While they welcome family and friends for coastal cruising in destinations like Indonesia, Thailand, and Greece, they prefer tackling ocean passages as a couple, finding rhythm and satisfaction in managing the boat together.
Looking Ahead
Their adventure continues with plans to cruise Albania, Montenegro, and Croatia next summer, spending time between Split and Dubrovnik before returning to Rhodes for another Greek winter. After that, they’re committed to completing the circumnavigation, with the Atlantic crossing representing their next major challenge—a roughly 20-day passage that will test everything they’ve learned on their remarkable journey from Sydney.
Other News
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AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…
Sydney, Australia – 3 October 2025
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Selling a catamaran is a major decision, and getting it right can make all the difference. Success comes down to the 4 P’s — Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. Present your boat like an open home with repairs, cleaning, and styling done upfront to avoid objections. Set the right price based on actual sold-boat data, not just online listings, to capture serious buyers during the crucial first weeks. Location matters too — marinas with easy access, services, and strong buyer demand (like Sydney, Gold Coast, or Opua) can speed up sales. Finally, a strong marketing mix is essential: professional photos, online listings, social media, YouTube, eDMs, and boat shows ensure your catamaran reaches the right global audience.
AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…
Sydney, Australia – 26 August 2025
Seawind Catamarans Unveils All-New 1160 XL: The Evolution of a Legend
Complete redesign of proven offshore performer features over 30 major improvements.
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From New Zealand to France: A Professional Sailor’s Journey Home in an Outremer 51
When veteran ocean racer Mike Golding decided to transition from competitive sailing to family cruising, he knew exactly what he was looking for. The former Vendée Globe competitor, who had completed six around-the-world races in his illustrious career, needed a vessel capable of serious ocean passages while providing the comfort and space his family deserved. His choice? A late-model Outremer 51 purchased through Multihull Central’s New Zealand operation.
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A new sailing podcast has been launched called ‘2 Hulls 1 Life’ hosted by Brent Vaughan, Managing Director of Multihull Central, who interviews inspirational sailors about their adventures cruising the world onboard their catamarans.
The show is designed to help educate, inform and inspire anyone who has considered the cruising lifestyle and explores subjects such as the Pacific rally, Sail Malaysia Rally, professional delivery crews, charter boat ownership, Seakeepers research and major passages crossing the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It will also delve into the design attributes of various cruising catamarans.
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slipping costs and the like. Drop the rig, raise the centreboard, fold the floats to reduce beam to 2.5m, then haul the little tri onto a dual-axle alloy trailer.
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Paul Hooge and his wife transitioned from life in Colorado to full-time cruising after retiring. With little sailing experience, they purchased a Seawind 1370 and decided to commission it in Thailand instead of shipping it home. With support from local expert Phil Harper, they prepared the boat and joined the Sail Malaysia Rally—a multi-month cruising event from Langkawi through Malaysia, Indonesia, and Borneo.
The rally offered a mix of structured events and independent sailing, giving them access to stunning, less-traveled places like the Anambas and Natuna Islands. Along the way, they connected with local communities, joined parades, and received warm welcomes from various ports.
Despite initial inexperience, they successfully navigated the rally with help from fellow cruisers and the Seawind 1370’s performance. Paul praised the boat’s comfort, handling, and visibility, calling the journey both challenging and unforgettable.
AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…
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AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…
Sydney, Australia – 25 September 2024
Seawind Catamarans returns to the Melbourne Boat Show with Australian distributor Multihull Central, showing a brand new Seawind 1160 Lite catamaran now available to bareboat charter with Riviera Nautic on the Gippsland Lakes.
Maritime shepherd the fleet away from a visiting whale.
It’s certainly been a different winter on Sydney Harbour than usual, while there’s been plenty of sunshine, the breeze has not been so forthcoming. Normally winter consists of light sou-easters and the occasional fresh westerly, this time we’ve had gloriously sunny days with westerlies around five knots or lower, week after week, with a number of races abandoned as a result.
AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…
Sydney, Australia – 5th September 2024
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Cruz Club is a 12 month program designed to help equip would-be cruisers who are inspired to set off exploring the world by sea but don’t yet have the skills, experience or a boat to do it on and want to get prepared and do it right and avoid making costly mistakes along the way.
AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…
The HH44 was met with enthusiasm and rave reviews at the Cannes Yachting Festival, when it made its international debut last month. Throngs of visitors came out to see the HH44, declaring it “spectacular”, “stunning”, “the future” and “the best boat in the show”.
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Multihull Central announced the new Corsair 880 is on its way to Australia to be showcased at the upcoming Sydney International Boat Show.
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Tips for Delivery by Sea – Asia to Australia / New Zealand
The Summer of 2022 / 2023 has been and interesting journey for many of our customers taking delivery of boats over this period. With country borders being opened up in earnest, this saw new boat owners taking delivery of their cruising catamarans on mass, as we helped coordinate deliveries of 4 x Seawinds and 1 x HH50 from Asia back to Australia and New Zealand. We have gained some new and valuable insights for those considering taking delivery in Asia.
So here are some key points to consider…
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