Everything You Always Wanted To Know
Joshua Smith
Founder and Editor at Cruising Freedom
This is the definitive guide on Catamaran Impi for 2023.
Over the last 6 years, I have spent more than 37 hours watching and researching everything I could about Catamaran Impi to learn more about their story.
(Yes, I really am *that* obsessed with Brent and Ana on YouTube 😃)
If you wanted to know:
➜ How Catamaran Impi afforded their boat
➜ How they make their money today
➜ What boat do they have and its upgrades
➜ How old is Ana Hills (Brent’s beautiful wife)
➜ How you can start crossing oceans
Then you’ve definitely come to the right place.
Before we start, a quick introduction from me…
The Cruising Freedom Author
Ahoy, Matey! I’m Joshua from Australia.
I’ve built the perfect business to sail the world.
A business model which can allow me to:
➜ Own a catamaran debt-free
➜ Go for weeks without WIFI
➜ Create semi-passive income
➜ Inspire others to dream big
But more on that later… 🙂
Catamaran Impi FAQs (April 2023)
Boat Name
S/V Impi
Crew Members
Brent Grimbeek (age 55)
Ana Hill (age 52)
Yes, they are married. Brent’s son is Kent Grimbeek and works for Just Catamarans in Florida. If you’re ever in the market for a catamaran, I highly recommend reaching out to him. He does attend most of the boat shows too.
Both Brent and Ana are from South Africa but left Cape Town in November 2011 for their global voyage.
The Boat
Brent and Ana from Catamaran Impi own a Lagoon 440. While it’s built as a charter vessel, they have modified it to suit ocean crossings. This process took around 18 months.
Upgrades
Brent and Ana did a ton of upgrades, including:
➜ Replacing their 8 AGM batteries with Lithium
➜ Conducting numerous teak deck repairs
➜ Reassembling the anchor windlass➜
Location
Catamaran Impi are currently in New Zealand. This isn’t their first time in the country. They loved it so much the last time!
Past Cruising
Where have Brent and Ana explored in 10+ years? Not as much as one might expect, but they’ve been taking it quite slowly.
They have been to:
➜ The South Pacific
➜ Australia and New Zealand
➜ The British Virgin Islands
➜ Indonesia and soon SE Asia
Affording It
Brent and Ana aren’t rich…but they aren’t poor either.
They worked hard for many years and diligently saved as much as they could. Once they sold their house, they had enough money to purchase Impi from Lagoon and set sail around the world. Their catamaran at the time cost them $670,000 and this was more than 10 years ago.
Net Worth
They have as much wealth as you might imagine.
As of 2023, I estimate that Catamaran Impi has a net worth of $4,720,000.
This is based on the value of their boat and stock portfolio.
Making Loot
How does Impi continue making money while sailing?
➜ They run ads on their YouTube channel
➜ They have Amazon Associates links on their website
I estimate they only make $2,700/month on their YouTube channel. It’s way under-monetized and many other sailing channels are doing much better.
Collaborations
Catamaran Impi hasn’t collaborated with anyone on their channel directly but has been featured in other channels.
They gave a shoutout to Sailing La Vagabonde in this video:
They were also featured at this guest speaking event alongside Sailing Zatara and Gone With The Wynns:
Just Catamarans is the same company that Brent’s son works for.
Big Moments
It hasn’t quite been smooth sailing for Catamaran Impi. Some challenges include:
➜ Almost running out of diesel and asking for help from a passing container ship (was risky…but it worked!)
➜ Finding an abandoned dog on Casy Island in New Caledonia
➜ Sailing in 40-knot winds en route to Tasmania
➜ Anchoring in the heart of Brisbane City
Future Plans
Where to next? Now that international borders are mostly open, Catamaran Impi is aiming to explore Asia and slowly return back to South America.
Key Takeaways
We can learn a ton from Brent and Ana, including:
➜ You can definitely sail short-handed
➜ Catamarans offer so much more room
➜ Keep things as simple as possible
➜ Your circumnavigation could take much longer than expected (and that’s totally OK!)
Overall, aim do this for the journey AND the destination.
Conclusion
Many say that Lagoon Catamarans simply CANNOT sail around the world. Clearly, that’s been proven wrong in this instance. With some preparation work, almost every charter-ready catamaran is capable of crossing oceans and seeing the world.
Your dream might therefore be closer than you think…
Create Your Own Cruising Freedom
Hey! 😃 it’s Joshua again…
Clearly I’ve been very inspired by Catamaran Impi and their travels…
Some say I’m obsessed, but sailing the world is my childhood dream.
They’re living the dream, but that dream isn’t actually that far away.
I mentioned earlier about discovering the #1 cruising business model.
With this exciting opportunity, I’ll be able to:
➜ Generate a sustainable full-time income through learning basic skills
➜ Fund the purchase of my first sailing catamaran without any loans
➜ Do it without selling to friends and family (I found a better solution!)
➜ Share my lifetime passion for sailing, cruising and global adventures
Keen to discover more? Jump on the free training right now. 👨🏻💻
(I share more about it on the next page…🙂)