Navigation #104 Navigation Castro-Otranto, birthday gift, dolphins!!

-

 The highlight of the day was definitely seeing this family of dolphins hunting and playing with us so closely. They weren't afraid of the engine and they were definitely big!

Best birthday gift!

Plus we arrived right on time for lunch in the city.


Our short stay in Otranto, we went for a hike for change! and it was beautiful check it out:





Comments

Post a Comment

Let us know what you think!

Popular posts from this blog

Navigation #2: Cap D'Agde to Sète

-
Image
  We lost all the data from this navigation!! We left Cap d'Agde this morning at 9:45. It was supposed to be 12 nautical miles from Cap d'Agde to Sète, a trip of about 3 hours and 15 minutes. In the end, it took us 5 hours and 30 minutes—probably closer to 30 nautical miles because we were tacking the whole way. I think we averaged around 4 knots, peaking at 7 knots when Nico was at the helm. Preparation I prepared myself better this time. I put on more clothes, wore my seasickness bands, ate a proper breakfast, and layered up even more. But I was still cold! I placed a bucket in the cockpit in case I needed to vomit—I don’t want to clean up a mess on the deck at the end of every trip. In the bucket, I put a bottle of water and two apples, which I ate as soon as I felt nauseous. The water was there in case I threw up again. How did it go? The weather was cloudy, but the sea was very calm, so nothing fell over in the saloon. I didn’t get too sick this time—no vomiting!...
More Old Posts »»

Our very first solo sail!

-
Image
After coming back from our wonderful weekend in Leucate, the weather was so nice that we decided to sail the boat. It was our very first solo sail, just the two of us. We took the boat out without any issues. Nico mastered maneuvering out of our marina slip. We successfully avoided the sandbank at the harbor entrance. This time, we went all manual because Nico wanted to test the sails. He’s been trying to fix the mainsail and made some adjustments to the halyard, but the bearings still need to be replaced. I was steering while he worked to hoist the sails. We started with the genoa, and everything went smoothly. I’m learning to luff and bear away for the first time. I still struggle to feel or determine where the wind is coming from. It’s tricky to luff and then hold a steady course to maintain speed. Nico shouts directions using everyday words instead of proper nautical terms, which is frustrating since I’ve started reading maritime guides to learn the right vocabulary.   Next, we...
More Old Posts »»

Boat Driving Class on the Seine river

-
Image
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 ...
More Old Posts »»