about us

I have used my nickname JOEFLOKI since many years in the internet and I will keep it for my website. I am Austrian from origin, 60 years old when starting this website in Ferbruary 2007.

Sailing has been my dream since childhood. Only late, in the late seventies of last century, I made my first sailing course and a little later I had my first boat that was given the name HAPPY, it was a HOBIE-CAT. I have sailed this boat for some years on the Austrian lakes. I have sold it because of many reasons, the main was lack of time as I was concentrating on other things. Offshore sailing I have been only once in a while with some friends who have invited me for a couple of days.

A coincidental consulting order in the international shipyard industry some years ago made me excited for sailing again at the same time when I started to think about to drop out from business at all and to do just other things in life that give challenge and enjoiment. I have started to consider to build my own seaworthy sailing ship and to continue my life with sailing, realizing that I have now the right wife to join me in both, enjoying life and sailing.

I have evaluated various yacht designs for quite some time, it was only my age that made up my mind to look for a suitable and reasonable priced second hand offshore-sailing boat instead of building on my own. I have found a boat that could fulfill almost all of my requirements on a website of a Dutch broker in mid of August 2006 and it was one of those designs that I had considered already to build. When seeing the boat I fell in love with it and have bought it immediately.

The boat´s name ”HAPPY II” fits perfect into our new life: We are two happy people, it is my ”second happiness”, it is my second boat.

From 2007 onwards I have spent every possible time on the boat and now, after my official retirement, we would like to live on the boat more or less. Hopefully it will be possible. Our original plans were to stay in the north of Europe, even to sail to Finland, but then we felt uncomfortable with the cold weather, we had a wourld crusing in mind for a moment, or to sail to India/Thailand/Malaysia, but finally we have decided to stay in the MED. I cannot yet predict where the journey is going to as well as the journey of life is not predictable. But when you read this website, you will learn about our journey.

My name VANI is the abbreviation of my actual first name. I am Hindu and South-Indian from ethnic origin, however borne and grown up in Malaysia. I have been 45 years old (in 2007) and have been married to my husband since May 2002.

First when my husband told about sailing I just liked but I had no idea about it. I have realized when I was in the boat to be very scared in the first moment. The same feeling I had when I saw first time in my life a mountain or hill, but I have to overcome it and I enjoy it meanwhile the same way as sailing. It is only that I have to know more about it now and to learn to do certain things on the boat on my own.

It is very beautiful to sail the same way as to be on top of a mountain, one is so far away from everything, sorrow, pains, wishes, one is only attached to the nature and my heart feels a lot of passion towards nature.

Whenever I have been sailing with my husband in this short time I think that God takes care of everything for us. We Hindu believe the sea itself is a Goddess for us and when we respect it, we receive protection from her itself.