This Grand Adventure of Sailing the Mediterranean Sea

Sailing Life

Sailing, such a wonderful thing! So far on this grand adventure we’ve had very successful sailing. So far the winds have allowed for more sailing than motoring. Sailing is so much better than motoring because it’s not as loud, the sails stabilize the boat so we don’t rock back and forth as much which helps me not feel as seasick. My favorite way to sail is called wing on wing. It’s when the two front sails are both out on either side of the boat using poles. This type of sail setup is used when we sail downwind and catches a whole lot of wind. We only need about 10 knots of true wind speed and we can usually travel at about half that speed. It’s very stable and comfortable. We don’t heel much at all and it’s an easy way to travel. We have even eaten dinner while under sail wing on wing.

Boat Life

Cats: The cats are doing a good job of not getting seasick. They are even coming into the cockpit to snuggle with us while we are under sail. During the day they sleep a lot in little cupboards hidden from the heat. Once it cools down at night they come out above decks to look around. They like to watch for fish, sniff the fresh ocean air, and hang their paws over the toe rail watching the water. At night they mostly sleep in the cockpit on either side of the companionway in their beds, or Tiger comes into my room to snuggle and wakes me up his loud purring. The cats are very independents so it’s easy on us humans!

Humans: My family and I aren’t getting seasick much anymore because my mom found out some tricks like having an earbud in only one ear, I like to use that one earbud to listen to music. Sitting forward and looking into the horizon helps, and also just taking a nap which I do most of the time! I think we are just getting used to the constant rocking and motion of the boat. We are getting used to spending most of our time together as a family and sometimes we go a while without socializing, so it’s nice when we can hook up with the friends that we have met on this trip, or meet new people. Another thing thats fun to have is a dingy instead of a car because me and my sister get to drive!