Life On Sail

  Today was a big day—the mast has officially been removed! Early this morning, the technician maneuvered the boat over to the dry docking area, just a short hundred meters from our spot. The process of dismasting, however, didn’t go quite as smoothly as planned. Despite all the prep work the team had done yesterday, some parts of the standing rigging stubbornly refused to budge. It was a bit of a headache, but Nico stepped up, diving in to remove the stuck components himself from below deck. His hands-on approach saved the day, and we were back on track. In the end, the job was wrapped up surprisingly quickly, much to our relief. With the mast safely down, we shifted gears and headed out to run some errands. First stop: picking up a few Amazon parcels we’d been waiting on—always exciting to see what boat gear or gadgets we’d ordered this time! Then, we swung by the grocery store to grab a few essentials, restocking the pantry with fresh supplies for the days ahead.   4 days l...

We’ve reached our final destination, but not without some challenges. As a reminder, we’re returning to Hyères to repair our standing rigging before heading to Corsica. We also took the opportunity to meet up with friends on the mainland while we’re still close by. After visiting the stunning medieval village of Bormes-les-Mimosas, with its colorful, flower-lined streets perched 154 meters up a hill, we made the 4km trip from the harbor on our e-scooters. Back at the boat, we had lunch and set sail. However, there was no wind at all, forcing us to rely on the engine for two hours. The wind eventually picked up, but only briefly. It was an on-and-off struggle, making for a slow and frustrating journey—covering just 17 nautical miles in nearly five hours at an average speed of 3.1 knots, thanks largely to the engine.     Our troubles didn’t end there. We managed to reach Hyères on time to meet up with Nico’s friends, and we had a great time together.  However, when we retur...

This morning, we bid farewell to Cap Taillat, setting our sights on Bormes-les-Mimosas to seek shelter from forecasted wind gusts that promised a restless night if we stayed put. My heart was set on leaving early—not just to beat the weather but to give us plenty of time to explore the charming port and the medieval village of Bormes-les-Mimosas, with its cobblestone streets and flower-draped houses. The plan was a four-hour sail, but by casting off at dawn, we hoped to make the most of the day. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas: the wind was nowhere to be found. Gliding across the glassy Mediterranean was serene, almost meditative, with the boat cutting gently through the still water. But serene doesn’t always mean speedy, and without a breath of wind, our progress was painfully slow. It was like sailing in slow motion, the coastline creeping by at a snail’s pace. With no wind to propel us, we decided to moor temporarily after a couple of hours, dropping anchor to wait for ...

  Our journey back to Hyères is progressing at a leisurely pace, one nautical mile at a time. Today, we covered 20 nautical miles, battling light winds that made our progress feel like a crawl. What should’ve been a straightforward sail stretched into a nearly seven-hour marathon to reach Cap Taillat.  The Mediterranean was calm—almost too calm—with barely a breeze to fill our sails, leaving us at the mercy of the engine and a lot of patience. I started the day at the helm, full of confidence and ready to steer us toward our destination. Let’s just say it didn’t go as planned. My attempt at helming was, in a word, disastrous—think zigzagging like a novice in a bumper car. After a few cringe-worthy moments and some good-natured ribbing from the crew, I wisely handed over the wheel and stayed clear of it for the remaining five hours of navigation. 😅 Lesson learned: sometimes it’s best to leave the steering to the pros and enjoy the view instead. On a brighter note, the day wasn...

 We have just come back from Paris, after a long week away, and we are already on the road the following day.  Today was one of those days on the water where Murphy’s Law ruled supreme—everything that could go wrong went spectacularly wrong! Our plan was to moor at the glamorous St. Tropez after a short, breezy one-hour sail from our starting point. The sail itself was smooth, with the Mediterranean sparkling under the morning sun, and we were all buzzing with excitement to drop anchor in such an iconic spot. But, as fate would have it, our perfect plan hit a snag. We moored in what we thought was a prime spot, only to discover it was a forbidden area! To make matters worse, we were right in the middle of it, sticking out like a sore thumb. In our defense, we’d followed the lead of another yacht moored nearby, assuming they knew what they were doing. Spoiler alert: they didn’t. Two wrongs don’t make a right, and we were both in hot water—figuratively and, as we’d later find ou...