“Not on your life!” That is what either of us would have said if, a year ago, anyone had said to John or me, “The first time you ever set sail on your new boat, you will do a 130-mile overnight crossing, on a schedule” But that is indeed how it happened. A number of factors aligned to make it so we had three days to purchase and provision the boat, orient to it and to a new country, and leave Barcelona. Those days are a blur of crazy hours, jet lag, and preparation, but indeed we left Barcelona harbor the afternoon of the 30th of September, when our slip became unavailable and there was no room in the inn due to the America’s Cup. Happily, we had perfect weather, wind and sea state.
Sailing Boot Camp continued as we went to sea, with us continuing to absorb as much as possible about this boat regarding fueling, maneuvering, the sails, the standing and running rigging, the engine & generator, the water systems, the electrical system, the dinghy & motor, mooring, anchoring, and more. We stopped at a calm inlet to practice sternline ashore mooring and to send Kate up the mast the bosun’s chair. Our port of call is Mahon, Menorca, where after completing our docking tasks we treated ourselved to dinner at an oyster bar in town with Bob, the previous owner of the boat who has so patiently oriented and mentored us (and took our picture).
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