Position: 41°11’39.5″N 7°48’09.0″W By morning, the winds of Viando do Castelo had dropped to nearly nothing. Slipping our mooring and heading out on the downstream tide, we nonetheless raised the main in hopes of a breath of wind. The dominant …
Position: 41°41’36.3″N 8°49’20.4″W As soon as Aleta reached the mouth of the Vigo River, and after we agreed that Baiona was too short of a sail, the wind died. Shame on the forecast! Perhaps we were too close to shore …
Position: 43°13’12.1″N 9°00’02.4″W Crossing the Bay of Biscay from La Rochelle commits you to being at sea for at least 350 nautical miles. Distance is only part of the equation. What those miles are really telling you is how many …
Position: 46°08’49.2″N 1°10’05.7″W Gliding upstream past the two imposing limestone towers guarding the entrance to La Rochelle’s harbour transports you back hundreds of years. Imagine your triumphal return from a fraught campaign against the infidels of Cypress. Roses shower down …
Position: Crusin’ and Cursin’ Here it is. Our response to last week’s video from Practical Sailor about what it’s like cruising and living on Aleta full time. If you haven’t watched the video yet, see it before you read on: …
Position: 37°38’57.1″N 9°02’02.0″W In this video Practical Sailor lists the top 5 reasons NOT to live on a sailboat. We’ve experienced, written about or alluded to everything on this list. From our perspective there’s not much we’d add that wouldn’t …
Position: LICKING THE SPOON Note: Biscuits in English are cookies in American. Biscuits in American are scones in English. This blog is written (mostly) in English. Biscuits form a crucial part of seafaring life. Hardtack, perhaps the oldest form of …
Position: 47°18’24.6″N 3°03’41.4″W Places with evocative names like Paradise Valley or Bel Air are frequently the inverse of what their name inspires. Paradise Valley in Arizona was paved and covered in parking lots back in the 1960s. Bel Air sits …
Position: 49°42’45.0″N 2°11’42.8″W Hitching a ride on the current from St. Vaast we crossed the top of the Contentin Peninsula as far as Cherbourg. For the second time in our lives, we decided we didn’t want to explore Cherbourg. From …
