The day before a big passage (big is relative here – big for us at least) is always a bit funky. We can’t really relax, nor can we start any bigger projects. It’s a bit what a friend calls “taxi time”...
Today started off ridiculously early. We’ve been looking into alternatives to the traditional pyrotechnic flares (the type which killed Billy Zane in Dead Calm), mainly because having explosives on boats is increasingly...
On Friday morning we set off at 11am towards Roses (northern Barcelona, near the French boarder) for the wedding. We had contemplated sailing the boat up on Thursday but with very little wind we were faced with a 15...
One of the nice things about having a basecamp is that we have a postal address, which allows us to have things delivered. It’s both a blessing and a curse though as it becomes all too easy to buy stuff, our favourite...
Another day in the marina, another day of fixing the boat! As you might remember, we installed a new pump yesterday that should in theory be able to pump whatever is in the waste water tank over board. Well, after...
People say “Cruising is just fixing boats in exotic places”, and I can definitely see why. This was our first day in the marina, and we spend most of the day plowing through our todo list. The biggest thing for today...
On the cards today was some serious boat cleaning (there are layers of salt everywhere) plus a few repairs. The day started with trying to understand what was causing the jib not to furl away. We thought we’d lower it...
On Saturday we sailed back to Barcelona from Andraxt, which is on the south west corner of Mallorca. We’d had a lovely calm night on our mooring ball but I didn’t sleep too well, I’m always a bit restless before a long...
After having delayed our departure by a day to avoid the rain, we woke up to…rain. We gave up on the idea of doing a workout on the beach (I was majorly disappointed, as you can imagine 😉 ) and instead we lay in...
Today started far too early with a massive rain shower that woke us up at 4 am. It was one of those torrential downpours that you only get in warmer climates, and the sound it makes as it hits the boat is – well...
Today was supposed to be our last in Barcelona before heading to Mallorca tomorrow. We’ve been tracking the forecast all day though and it looks less than ideal. Thunderstorms (which means it’ll be gusty), rain for...
This morning we got up reasonably early and went for a run. Well, we tried to go for a run. All the cycling I’ve done over the past few months has caught up with my knees, and my right one is really playing up. Defeated...
Today was the first time in ages that we haven’t left the boat – the rain in Spain falls mainly in the marina apparently. 🙁 It’s been cold, wet and windy all day so we stayed inside and used the time...
There are many things to be considered when moving onto a boat, and perhaps the most blindingly obvious is the fact that the contents of your two bedroom apartment won’t all fit. One night we set about making an...
At the end of 2016 I I started sending a weekly newsletter about sailing. You can find it here. Surprisingly I’ve actually stuck to it and I’ve got 650 subscribers now which is pretty cool. They’re chatty too and...
