The alarm went off at 5:30. I was already awake. There’s a particular kind of excitement that comes before departure day. You’ve checked the weather twelve times. The route is planned. Water tanks are full. Food’s onboard. The marina bill has been paid. All that’s left is leaving. The forecast looked decent. Light easterlies early, […]
We Were Ready to Leave at Dawn. The Boat Had Other Ideas. Read More »
Ryan We left the boat in the marina in Cádiz and spent the day exploring the old city on foot after arriving by sea.It was the first proper break from the boat, the kind of slow day where you walk without a plan and let the place unfold around you. The marina sits right beside
Exploring Cádiz on Foot After Sailing In (A Slow Day Away from the Boat) Read More »
Ryan We arrived in Cádiz by boat after a few days at sea and ended up taking a full harbour day to sort the boat out and reset.It started with oversleeping in the marina, the first proper rest after the crossing, and that strange feeling when everything finally stops moving. First thing I noticed when
Arriving in Cádiz by Boat (Our First Harbour Day After Sailing In) Read More »
The first thing we noticed wasn’t Cádiz itself, it was the boat. She stopped leaning.Not dramatically. Just enough that a mug stayed where you put it. After the Strait, everything still felt switched on. The engine noise lingered in your head. The radio crackle. The sense that something very large and very uninterested in you
First Night in Cádiz: When the Boat Finally Stops Bracing Read More »
Ryan woke up before the alarm. That already told me what kind of day it was going to be. The Strait had been sitting there in our heads for weeks. Not fear exactly. More like a low, constant awareness. You don’t “arrive” at the Strait of Gibraltar the way you arrive at a marina. You
The Strait Day: Tankers, Tides, and the Moment the Atlantic Lets Go Read More »
Ryan We came into Portimão just after sunrise. The sea was flat for the first time in days, so quiet it almost felt wrong. The engine had been coughing, low oil smell drifting through the cabin, but we made it in. The marina looked half empty. Rows of clean charter boats on one side, us
The Harbour Day That Fixed More Than the Engine Read More »
Ryan The morning looked innocent. Flat light, gulls acting like they owned the place, chain lying like a good dog. That’s when you do the work—the boring stuff you only notice when it fails. I started at the bow because that’s where the night talks back. Snubber off, fingers on the splice, no heat, no
Small Jobs After a Big Night (Ryan vs. Liam) Read More »
Liam’s Take Didn’t move. Wind was nothing. Anchored holding fine. Swell wrapped around a bit, but I’ve slept worse in a car park in La Coruña. Tightened the topping lift, cleaned the scuppers. Solar’s working again. One of the stern lines smells off. I’ll bleach it later. Mam rang. Asked if we were back on
Liam’s Take Left early. I wanted distance before the wind backed. Forecast showed 15 knots NW with gusts to 20 around the cape. PredictWind said 25. Navtex said 12. I trust none of them. The truth is always somewhere between the numbers and your stomach. We were motor sailing for the first few hours. Swell
The Storm Off Cape St. Vincent Read More »
Liam’s Take Stayed another day. The forecast’s clean but I wanted a proper check before rounding Cape St. Vincent. It’s not a tricky headland, but it’s known for making easy things hard when you’re not paying attention. Started the morning with gear checks. Winch oil. Reefing lines. The lazy jacks were catching again — I
