About Honiara

Honiara  is a Beneteau-built sailboat with three cabins.  All cabins include large berths, 120VAC and 12 VDC outlets, and private showers/toilets.  For a one-couple charter, our guests occupy the more spacious forward cabin while the crew occupy the starboard aft cabin.  The port aft cabin is used for storage. This is great for special occasions such as a honeymoon or an anniversary vacation.  For three and four-guest charters, the guests occupy the port aft and forward cabins while the crew use the aft starboard cabin.

Honiara fine entry and beam carried well aft produce excellent performance characteristics both upwind and down.  Thanks to her mainsail and genoa roller furling systems, she can be easily and safely handled by one crew.  Her ample stowage and sea kindliness allow you to take her anywhere in the world. Honiara is well equipped and maintained in shipshape condition by her live-aboard crew/owners.

Honiara is the capital of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean.  This Polynesian word means "The place of the south-east winds".

Your Accommodations

The inside layout is the standard 3-cabin Beneteau Oceanis.  The interior is finished in teak with bright varnished trim with numerous opening ports and large overhead opening hatches so it is both bright and well ventilated. Each cabin has its own ensuite head and shower.

Forward Cabin

Located ahead is the more spacious forward cabin, the best option for a one-couple charter.  It includes a hanging closet, a cabinet, drawers, shelving,  electric fan, 120 VAC outlet, 12VDC lighter outlet, halogen lighting, and its own ensuite toilet/shower.  A large hatch and an opening portlight provide light and ventilation.

Main Salon

Amidship, on the starboard side is the salon with a spacious dining table, bar locker, storage, navigator station and entrance to the starboard aft double cabin. On the port side is the galley.

Aft Cabins

Located aft are two cabins with standing head room, two fixed portlights, two opening ports and an opening overhead hatch. Each aft cabin includes a hanging closet, a storage cabinet, shelving, electric fan, 120 VAC outlet, 12VDC lighter outlet and halogen lighting.  The crew occupies the aft starboard cabin.

Cockpit

The spacious aft cockpit includes a folding table for these memorable sunset dinners.  The folding table is ideal for four people, but six people can share the cockpit for a meal. The stern gateway provide easy access to the swimming platform and swim ladder for swimming and boarding the dinghy. On deck, all the way forward are the anchor locker, and a sail storage hold.

Galley Equipment

The galley includes a top loading refrigerator and  freezer with an engine-driven cold plate system and an evaporation plate 12 VDC system. The range is a 3-burner propane gimballed stove with oven. The galley has a double sink with pressure hot/cold water, a ceramic filtered drinking water spout and a sea-water foot pump spout for rinsing dishes, generous storage lockers above and below the counter top. The galley includes all equipment, electric blender, toaster, dishes, pots/pans, utensils, glassware, etc. needed to prepare exotic dishes.  A propane BBQ is located on the pulpit in  near the stern.

Specifications

• Builder: Beneteau
• Designer: Bruce Farr
• LOA: 45'
• Beam: 14'
• Draft: 6'
• Displacement: 20,500 lb
• Vertical clearance: 63'
• Yanmar 50 HP (new 2011)
• Fuel: 53 US Gals (200L)
• Water: 200 US Gals (700L) in three tanks

Electronics and Navigation Equipment

• A 5" compass mounted on the cockpit table.
• Speed, distance and depth sounder.
• DSC VHF radio
• Marine DSC MF/HF SSB with amateur radio capability
• NAVTEX Receiver
• Autopilot
• Global Positioning System navigators (GPS)
• Radar
• DC/AC inverter providing 120 VAC, 15A, 1800W
• Wind Generator
• Batteries - 440A house bank, plus one Group 27 start
• AM/FM stereo radio with CD player and salon and cockpit speakers
• Flat panel color TV with DVD player
• Collection of DVDs and CDs
• iPod/mp3 connection and Universal iPod Adaptor for Sound System

Safety Equipment

 Honiara holds a British Maritime and Coast Guard Agency (MCA) Small Commercial Vessel Certificate and is annually inspected by the BVI officers.  Your Captain holds a 100-ton MCA Master License. The following list is a summary of the safety equipment carried aboard.

• Mandatory safety equipment - life jackets, life rings, flares, navigation lights, horn
• Radar reflectors
• Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB)
• Liferaft (ultimate safety)
• First aid kit
• Tools and spare parts
• Charts, cruising guides, Sailing Directions, Coast Pilot,  List of Lights
• Two electric bilge pumps, and a Whale Titan manual bilge pump mounted in the cockpit.

Sails and Rigging

• In-mast mainsail roller furling
• Boom vang
• Roller furling genoa
• Asymmetrical spinnaker with ATN dousing sock
• Winches are Lewmar, the 2 primaries are self tailing two-speed ST54, the halyards/reefs/etc. winches are self-tailing two-speed ST44.
• All sail controls are brought to the cockpit winches through stoppers port and starboard, for ease of handling.

Deck and Hull Equipment

There are two oversized anchors on the double bow roller:  a 33 lbs aluminum SPADE with 150' of  chain and 150' of rope, and a 45 lb CQR plow with 120' of chain and 120' of rope.  The anchor locker cover opens to a large chain locker and an electric windlass.  At the stern is a Fortress FX-23 anchor with 25' of chain and 200' of rope.  There is a bow pulpit with side stanchions, lifelines and safety rail at the mast. The blue tropical-size bimini and dodger cover the cockpit from the backstays to the companionway.

A built-in cockpit table with folding leafs, built-in storage box and cockpit cushions allow comfortable dining for four.  There are  lights and speakers in the cockpit.  A bimini, dodger and optional side panels provide shade and protection from the elements.  The deck is fibreglass with teak inserts in the cockpit seats.  A scoop-type swim platform and ladder allow easy access to the dinghy and the water. Two large seat lockers port and starboard hold plenty of gear for cruising plus the swim platform lockers, the stern lazarette and a forward hold make abundant additional storage. A propane locker holds two 10-lbs propane tanks. The propane BBQ mounted on the stern pulpit and a deck shower is available at the swim  platform..

Additional Equipment

 Wind generator.  Engine controls, gauges and steering wheel are mounted on the trademark Beneteau pedestal/cockpit table with engine alarm and engine stop. The Yanmar engine is fresh water cooled with raw water strainer, fuel filters, high output alternator, external regulator and fridge compressor.

Honiara's dinghy is a 12-foot rigid inflatable boat with an 25 HP outboard.  A lifting davit  mounted at the stern facilitates hoisting the outboard onboard if necessary.

Snorkel, masks and fins are provided for exploring the reefs.  Other equipment provided for the pleasure of our guests include a two-person kayak, a double Brazilian hammock, two floating mattresses and three offshore and inshore fishing rods.