Lightning Sailing

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Cruise: Darwin via the Kimberley to Port Hedland

on October 11, 2026

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Welcome to Lightning Sailing

Welcome aboard the sailing blog of Lightning , my new cruising trimaran. Here, I’ll be sharing our journeys, the technical details of the boat, and everything we learn along the way. To kick things off, here are two essential tidbits: Lightning is a Rapido 40. Lightning is all-electric , powered by twin ePropulsion motors. Why the name Lightning ? Because lightning is fast, striking, and powered by electricity! OVER

The Delivery Voyage Part 1: Saigon to Lombok

Taking delivery of a new boat in a foreign country is an exciting privilege. Rapido’s manufacturing base is in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest city. Having never visited Vietnam, it was a perfect opportunity for Merri and me to explore that country. The day after we arrived, we went to the factory to inspect the near-finished boat. We then spent two weeks touring the length of the country, taking the train all the way from Saigon to Hanoi in three legs. Vietnam is a fascinating country, with natural beauty, interesting culture, exquisite cuisine, and friendly people; we could easily have spent more time there. There had been a slight chance that Lightning would be ready to launch before the end of that trip. That turned out not to be the case, so we both flew home, and nine days later I returned alone to Ho Chi Minh City. Exciting as it is, taking delivery of a boat in Vietnam is not without its difficulties. First, there is the task of provisioning the boat in an unfamiliar p...

The Delivery Voyage Part 2: Lombok to Kupang

The first part of our trip, from Saigon to Lombok, had been a typical delivery voyage that involved non-stop sailing (or motoring), except to replenish fuel or food. For the third and final stage, we would take it easy and anchor at night whenever it was feasible to do so. On the evening of April 15th, we were joined by my friend Paul—of Great Australian Bight crossing fame . Once again, the Marina del Ray restaurant with its sunset view over the water, proved to be the top choice for our pre-departure dinner. Marina del Ray, Lombok The following morning the friendly marina staff finalized exit formalities, which involved notifying the authorities of our crew rotation and our destination. We got underway at 09:28. Conditions continued to be light, necessitating frequent motor sailing. The quiet hum of an electric motor is bliss compared to the noise and smell of a diesel engine; you hardly notice it. That said, Honda-San (the name for our Honda EU32i genset) was running a great deal o...

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Cruise: Darwin via the Kimberley to Port Hedland

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