Don sold his businesses to take up adventuring full time and at 62, he is challenging any pre-conceptions about what retirement looks like. His current projects would stretch a person half his age. Don and his partner Jane are now setting up home on the beautiful tropical island of Nomuka Iki, given to them by HRH the Crown Prince of the Royal Kingdom of Tonga. Here they are not just building a home, they are also establishing a Marine Discovery Centre, a Royal Yacht Club, and a vaka (traditional Polynesian double canoe) sailing program for locals.

The ‘Perfect’ Boat

The SC Explorer, Don’s Lagoon 450, supports the island in many ways, serving as a research vessel for 1 or 2 annual marine science voyages. This year there will be week long exploration by 6 marine biologists from Australia looking at specific sites for future research projects. The boat is also used for logistics support, and diving and fishing trips.

Don and Jane’s life on Nomuka Iki would not be the same without their catamaran. Don describes SC Explorer as ‘a good one’— hull #70, built in 2012 and registered in Tonga with the home port of Nomuka. They found Explorer in Tahiti and she is their first multihull— Don describes the boat as “perfect, fantastic, incredible”— they’ll never go back to a monohull! Don has owned all sorts of boats, and sailed on many more, but he says this “is the most fun” and “living on-board is like an apartment on the water”.

They have owned SC Explorer for just under a year, but she has already weathered a cyclone season, proving to be very versatile, and perfect for their needs. Their first night out in Tuamotos Apataki to Tahiti they had “45-50 knots for about 18 hours on the beam, with 5 to 6 metre breaking seas and the boat was fine!…the hull flexed just a little but was stiffer than I expected”.

Explorer is also used to support marine archaeological and treasure hunting operations looking for Spanish galleons. These trips are undertaken with the local community, and with permits from the government of Tonga. Preliminary surveys have located some wreck sites, including a couple in Nomuka, which will form part of the future plans he has for local archeological students, but for now the expeditions are on hold while Don focuses on the logistics of setting up home on Nomuka Iki.

Join the Adventure

Don’s sense of adventure is never far off, and through McIntyre Adventure he is hoping to eventually have camps on Nomuka Iki, inviting prominent and budding adventurers to stay on the island for a week; an opportunity to listen to amazing people talk about planning, preparation and executing the perfect adventure in a relaxed environment, and be inspired to get involved themselves.

The island will also host guests looking for their own “little hideaway”, be that a quick stop off to say hello, or to build a grass hut on the beach to stay a while. There will be a sandalwood plantation, a clam farm, a pearl farm, vaka sailing, diving and fishing, as well a couple of local festivals to experience; the options will be endless and the chance to absorb the remote yet culturally rich lifestyle on Tonga, priceless. With so many projects in the pipeline, Don and Jane are not surprisingly looking for 2 or 3 new families to join them on delightful Nomuka Iki to help see their plans to fruition, and also to form a small community.