Beyond The Reef

The owners of the 121-foot Benetti M/Y Nomadess chase adventure on a world cruise.

The remote, icy waters of Antarctica are a favorite destination of 254-foot charter yacht M/Y Legend.

It was the last week of September and the time of the southwest monsoon in the Indian Ocean. By leaving then, we planned to encounter southeasterlies south of the Maldives and the equator, but the Indian Ocean threw itself against us in heaps. Barbara, the ship’s cook, found flying fish on the flybridge, more than 20 feet up.

As usual before lifting anchor the boat captain reviews his engine and runs a checklist of equipment essential to today’s cruise: fuel, water, mooring lines, chains, extra long ground tackle, sturdy nylon trip lines, heavy hammer and climbing spikes. If this sounds more like a rock-climbing expedition than a boat cruise, it is because this is Norway where boaters like to anchor from the country’s very granite walls.