Life On Sail

December 2024 We have barely started our sailing journey. We don't have a boat yet, but we are preparing for that by taking all sailing-related classes. So our spendings are pretty low, and they're all education-related. December overview: September to December 2024 in details: December 2024 vs our overall Budget: The education related spendings are not over yet.  So stay tuned for the January report, so that we make a final overview on how much we spent on educating ourselves on boating.  

Once again, we are slowly progressing into our sabbatical. We now have our boat driving license (although we haven’t received the physical copy yet). However, we still lack our VHF permit, which is essential for navigating international waters. Unfortunately, Nico made an error while booking the exam. As a result, we won’t be taking the exam until next year in southern France (Toulouse). Any tips for the VHF permit? For those registering for the ANFR CRR permit, remember that registering and receiving a confirmation email is just the beginning. Booking the actual date and location of the exam is a separate task! After registering, make sure to follow up online or by phone to secure your exam invitation. That said, we’ve left France to spend our Christmas holidays in India, exploring Rajasthan and visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal. Our son joined us for this adventure! Here is the Rajasthan itinerary on Polarsteps . We rented a car and driver for this jou...

We're taking the theory exam for the boat driving license this morning. I have to admit I was feeling a bit anxious. Nico was reviewing the lessons right up until the last minute. You just need to book an exam center close to you. For this session, there were only three of us: the two of us for the boat test and one person for the road test. How does it work? There are 40 questions, and you can only make up to 5 mistakes. Unlike the road theory test, they don't inform you if there are multiple correct answers (a maximum of 2). It also lasts longer than the road exam. You sit in front of an iPad with headphones. Then you get started. You'll have about 2 questions to test the sound and the answering process. You find out if you've passed or not 40 minutes after finishing. You'll receive an email detailing the number of mistakes you made. And yes, I passed! I only made 1 mistake. I expected to make more, but I nailed it. Nico made 3 mistakes. After receiving the...

We're approaching things a bit backwards, as we took our boat driving course before even passing the theory exam! And we did this practical course the very next day after our theory class... It’s quite unconventional. The usual process is to first attend the theory class, then take and the theory exam. Once you pass, you proceed to the driving practical class. After completing and passing the driving course, the instructor automatically submits your documents to the administration to process your final boat driving license. The reason for our approach was simply that there was only one available slot at that time.  We booked last minute, so we couldn’t be picky with the dates. Since we’re on a sabbatical, timing isn’t a concern for us. So, here we are on a chilly Friday morning in December 2024, standing on the banks of the Seine River, ready to learn how to pilot a boat. Naturally, we arrived somewhat unprepared. Any tips? Bring your candidate book for the instructor to fill ...

We traveled a bit before returning to France after our bittersweet yet motivated departure from Hong Kong at the end of October 2024. Just a few days after arriving in France (I got there a bit earlier, in mid-November), we were already on our way to our boat permit class in Lagny! Which company we went with? We decided to sign up with  Paris Nautique for this adventure.  One of the advantages is that they have various classrooms throughout Paris, making it easy to find available slots for our last-minute registration.  Plus, they are among the most affordable options.  The real highlight is that you get to take your practical class on the iconic Seine River! But that’s a topic for another post. The instructor appears to be very knowledgeable and is well-regarded in the industry, having had his nautical adventures documented by the press. You receive several online resources to help you prepare before the actual class, including: Online Courses Online Tests B...