1 Day to go – Departure Eve

“Tomorrow It Begins…”

Well…

This is it

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The Journey So Far

From:

• River sailing on the Thames
  to
• Preparing for a week in Croatia

It’s been:
Quite a journey already

I have been to Croatia before in the summer. I remember getting on the plane in England in the cool rain and then arriving in the heat of Croatia. Perhaps not this time.

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How Do I Feel?

• Excited ✔
• Slightly nervous ✔
• Wondering what I’ve forgotten ✔

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What Comes Next

• New skills
• New experiences
• New mistakes

A few days in Croatia before our trip on the yacht, and then three days of exploring after the trip. before we return on Monday night.

Final Thought

This isn’t just about sailing.

It’s about:
Trying something new
Stepping outside our comfort zones
Enjoying the journey and knowing I'm taking thousands of photographs and hours of video, hopefully all backed up.

 

2 Days to go – Final Checks

“Last Minute Panic – What Have I Forgotten?”

This is the stage where:
You realise you’ve probably forgotten something

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Documents

• Passport ✔
• Insurance ✔
• Booking ✔
• Course details ✔
• All documents in one Folder ✔

(Check again… just in case)

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Money

• Cash ✔
• Credit Card ✔

Because:
Boats don’t accept IOUs

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Charging Chaos

• Phones
• Cameras
• Batteries
• Cables

There are:
A lot of cables

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Wifes Clothes

Sorted. Enough stuff for a few months. I will pack around this.

Hopefully:
 3 T-shirts / shorts packed and a pair of trousers to go out to a restaurant in.

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Salopettes?

I looked at the weather forecast

Packed

Final Thought

Everything is:
Probably fine

But I’ll still:
Check again

 

3 Days to go – The Unknowns

“What Am I Most Worried About?”

It’s not the sailing.

It’s everything else.

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Seasickness?

I don’t normally get seasick.

But:
 I’ve never really tested that properly

This could be:
A discovery

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Night Sailing?

In the dark:

• Everything changes
• Everything looks different

And:
I like seeing where I’m going

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Embarrassing Mistakes?

Almost guaranteed.

Examples may include:

• Wrong rope
• Wrong direction
• Wrong moment

---

Final Thought

Worrying is:
Part of the process

So is: Getting over it

 

4 Days to go – Catamaran vs Monohull

“Two Hulls or One – Which is Better?”

This is a debate as old as sailing itself.

And now:
I get to see both

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The Monohull (my home)

• Heels over
• Feels alive
• Lets you know what’s happening

Also:
Occasionally feels like it’s trying to throw you off

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The Catamaran

• Flat
• Stable
• Spacious

Also:
Slightly less dramatic Steve and Judy and their guests will be on this boat sailing with us for some of the way.

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The Twist

Judy and Steve are:
Learning to move from monohull → catamaran

While I:
Am just trying to stay upright

---

So which is better?

Answer:

It depends

(Helpful, I know)

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Final Thought

I suspect I’ll enjoy:
The stability of the cat

But love:
The feel of the monohull

5 Days to go– From River to Sea

 

Day 5 – From River to Sea

“River Sailing vs Sea Sailing – Am I Ready?”

I’ve done quite a bit of sailing on the Thames.

But this…

This is the sea. It has waves.

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The River Thames vs the Adriatic Sea

Space

• Thames: narrow, bendy, busy
• Adriatic: open, wide, slightly intimidating

---

Current vs Tides

Open Sea Map

• Thames: strong current
• Sea: tides, wind, and waves

Different challenges:
Same opportunity to get it wrong

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Navigation

• Thames: follow the river
• Sea: actually navigate

This feels like:
A significant upgrade

---

Am I Ready?

Honestly:

Not entirely

But that’s the point.

---

Final Thought

You don’t learn by:
Staying where it’s easy

So here we go…

 

6 Days to go – Weather & Conditions

 “What Will Croatia Be Like in April?”

The big unknown:

What will the weather actually do?

Because sailing is:
Entirely dependent on it

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Wind (the important bit)

In the Adriatic Sea, April can bring:

• Light winds (lovely)
• Moderate winds (ideal)
• Strong winds (character building)

Local winds like:

• Bora – cold, strong, and not your friend
• Jugo – warmer, but can build waves

So:
It could be anything

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Temperature

Typically:

• 15–20°C

Which sounds pleasant…

Until you add:
Wind + spray

Then it feels:
Much colder

---

Sea State

From:

• Flat calm
  to
• “Why am I doing this?”

Depends entirely on:
Wind + fetch + timing

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Final Thought

The weather will:
Do what it wants

My job is to:
Dress for it and deal with it

 

7 Days to Go – Living on a Yacht

“How Do You Actually Live on a Boat for a Week?”

Up until now, I’ve been focusing on sailing.

But there’s a small detail I may have overlooked:

You also have to live on the boat

For a whole week.

With other people.

In a space smaller than my kitchen. Now I have done this lots of times before. We have taken holidays on the canal, we have cruised up and down the Canal du Midi, but we have never done this at sea with swell.

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Sleeping (or attempting to)

Sleeping on a yacht involves:

• Small bunks
• Odd angles
• No guarantee of silence

And possibly:
Falling out if the boat moves suddenly

I suspect:
Earplugs may become my best friend

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Toilets (The bit everyone worries about)

Ah yes… the marine toilet.

From what I understand:

• It involves pumping
• There are rules
• Breaking those rules is… memorable

I have been warned:

“Nothing goes down there unless it’s passed through your body first”

This feels like important advice.

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Cooking (at an angle)

Cooking onboard means:

• Things slide
• Liquids move
• Balance is everything

So meals may range from:
“Surprisingly good”
to
 “Why is this on the floor?”

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Space (or lack of it)

There isn’t much.

Everything has:

• A place
• A very small place

And if you leave something out:
It will be in everyone’s way

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Final Thought

Living on a yacht is less about comfort…

And more about:
Adaptation

Let’s see how adaptable I really am.