Early September 2018.
The waves are constantly rocking the boat and my sleep is deep. I wake up from the rising sunlight shining through the open hatch. Still in the marina, I can hear fishing boats coming back after a long night at sea. I stretch my body and hop out of bed, no shoes, no socks. I have been barefoot for a while now and my feet like it. Freedom. My only pair of jeans is somewhere deep down in a box underneath my bunk. The air is warm and a wear shorts and t-shirts.
The first task in the morning is observing the strength and direction of the wind, the element that is going to guide us on our journey. I check the direction and put out one of the most practical gadgets on board: our breeze booster. Mounted around the big front hatch, it catches the air from outside and blows it through the boat. A fresh and welcome breeze all day long in the heat of Italy’s late summer days.
I have a look at the “things-to-do-before-leaving” list. Installing solar panels. Mounting the liferaft on deck. Finding a good place for the dinghi. Trying out my new SUP board. Fixing the autopilot. Answering emails. Keeping an overview which item I packed in which box. We don’t have much space for storage available but we need so many things which makes it essential to sort out and optimize all the time. We will be on travel for some time and our journey might possibly lead us to remote places so we have to take care of ourselves and prepare for a lot of different situations. We have a wide range of spare parts and tools on board, three big boxes for medical care, emergency equipment and items we hope we will never need. But safety is important to us and I’d rather take a spare VHF antenna with me than another favorite dress. But I do have a mat and pillow for doing yoga! Physical and mental strength will be both important on our journey so that was a good reason to take it with me. And there is my piano…. but more about this topic next time 🙂
Even if there is a lot to do and prepare – never fotget: take a deep breath and try to relax.
