The Circa Experience
Thierry Verstraete got in touch with Circa Marine from his 18m yacht in Tahiti, the outbreak of Covid had essentially ended his world tour. This prompted rethinking of his immediate and future plans, and a glimpse of a Circa constructed vessel was all Thierry needed to get in touch. After only two weeks of extensive emails and Skype calls, the contract was signed without him ever setting foot in New Zealand!
Thierry is a visionary and a quick decision-maker, and the team at Circa set out to match this pace. His inspired vision led him to engage Interior Designer Kurt Wallaeys to develop this vision for "Deo Juvante". This interior was the most bespoke Circa had completed, working with both Thierry in Tahiti, and Kurt in Belgium brought passion and excitement to New Zealand to create a truly superb interior that reflected Thierry’s inspiration.
‘Thierry has been a fantastic client, bringing a tonne of passion and innovation to Circa’. Penny Lincoln – Project Manager
Thierry is an experienced sailor and owner of various vessels, so he clearly understood what suited his needs and what needed to be done. He was able to communicate this very well, utilising all the modern means of communication available until he could relocate to New Zealand with his family in the final months of the build. ‘Deo Juvante” also needed to comply with CE European Standards. Even so, two years from signature to the water, the adventures were beckoning Deo Juvante.
In a three-week tour of New Zealand’s Northeast Coast, Deo Juvante travelled almost 2000 nautical miles. After saying fond farewells to new friends, they headed to Australia, and in Thierry’s own words, Deo Juvante ran ‘like a Swiss watch’. Next was another 1000 nautical miles in Southeast Asia, then 1650NM in 7 days to Okinawa Japan. Deo Juvante, Skipper, Family and Crew are now on the final (for now) 500NM journey to their destination of Fukuoka Japan, where they will enjoy Japanese life.
Are you ready for the Adventure of a lifetime?
Click on the video to hear from Thierry about the Circa Experience!