“As we shared our adventures with friends and family, it became apparent we would enjoy the added space and stability of a modern catamaran.”
– Glenn Lewman
Our purchase of SY MOON SHADOW was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream. Like many fellow yacht buyers, we began the purchase process by educating ourselves online so we could understand what was on offer. We had previously
owned a yacht – having purchased a Catalina 22 years ago, cutting our yachting teeth on the lakes of Oregon, USA – so we had some confidence in knowing what we were after and purchased a half share in a Beneteau 390 called FAR FETCHED.
When we bought her FAR FETCHED was berthed in Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia, and we had the wonderful opportunity of cruising the Whitsunday Islands before sailing her to the Philippines. That voyage to the Philippines reinforced our love of cruising and we were truly bitten by the live aboard bug. As we shared our adventures with friends and family, it became apparent we would enjoy the added space and stability of a modern catamaran. We checked our finances and possibilities with our banker and got the green light to go shopping. That was where the fun began!
After what felt like endless hours of internet searches, YouTube videos and boat inspections we found our dream boat, a low hour owner’s version Lagoon 440. We had no idea of the good fortune we had stumbled on as the boat was listed by Paul Whelan at Simpson Marine. Paul was very helpful and walked us through the process and his professionalism and thoughtfulness was a comforting relief when making such a large purchase from half way across the world. We knew we were in good hands and the service before and after the sale from Simpson Marine was an added bonus.
We took possession of MOON SHADOW on my birthday at Rebak Marina, Langkawai, Malaysia. Now that is a birthday present! After some minor maintenance and additions we set sail around Langkawi across to Koh Lipe, Thailand as we cruised toward Phuket, Thailand. We were like kids on Christmas morning… it was all we dreamed of and more! Beautiful anchorages, fantastic diving, white powder sand beaches, great food and fascinating cultures, what is not to love?
After arriving in Phuket we ended up in Ao Po Marina. We needed to do some additional service and to our continued good fortune, Simpson Marine had a service office at the Marina. We met with Philip Benson who came to our boat to listen to our needs and was incredibly thorough and very patient. He arranged the appropriate technicians and had them visit us the next day. We were very impressed with the promptness and professionalism of all the services provided. I cannot recommend their service too highly.
We left Phuket confident for the adventures to come. Our plan is to bring our beloved MOON SHADOW back across Asia to the Philippines and the islands of Micronesia. At the time of writing MOON SHADOW is currently on the hard at Kudat Malaysia with plans to enter the Philippines this October. Our journey took us from Phuket down the west coast of Malaysia to Singapore. From Singapore we sailed south to Nongsa Point Marina on to Paula Batam Indonesia. The staff at Nongsa Point were very helpful in arranging our documentation to visit the Anambas and Nantuna Island Groups. These islands were the jewels of our journey; seldom visited and remarkably untouched, I highly recommend all cruiser put them on their bucket list. Be sure to apply for the 60-day visa so you can explore at your leisure.
Spending time on the yacht is an amazing experience. We cannot wait to get back to our new home and forget what day it is.
Words: Glenn Lewman with Rubylyn Lewman, John Paul Lewman, Bruce Albert
20th November 2017