CJ Coetzee is living the proverbial dream. He sails the South Pacific as the captain of a 77-foot catamaran, hosting clients who want to enjoy anything from kiting to surfing to diving.
“Most of our clients enjoy the same things I do so in a way I get paid to share my passions with others,” he tells The Inertia. He’s described it all in the past with a simple “home is where the anchor drops” mantra. He’s also developed some skills behind the lens over the years, which adds a little bonus to that luxury package for his guests, capturing their once-in-a-lifetime holiday.
And when there aren’t guests aboard to look after? Coetzee’s still out there in the water and keeping his camera skills fresh, which he recently did during a rare bit of downtime. Recently, that downtime was used for a two-week crossing from Tahiti to Fiji. The ship did pass by some islands along the way but places like Tonga weren’t open for them, so they sailed straight through to Fiji without stopping.
“There are rumors of one or two atolls which don’t break the surface along the way. A sea mount just below the surface with no one around for hundreds of miles. I’ll leave the rest up to your imagination,” he says.
So after three years of life in French Polynesia and a two-week journey, Coetzee was greeted in Fiji by a monster swell and a crowd of A-listers in the lineup: Billy Kemper, Julian Wilson, Koa Rothman, to name a few.
Not the worst way to spend a little bit of time off the clock.
Editor’s Note: Find more from CJ Coetzee on YouTube.
