For the visit to Milagros, Iñaki and I were received by Brent, a cool Canadian yacht captain. He used Ensenada and Milagros as his headquarters for his travels and lived full-time in the marina on the ship.

A sailboat well taken care of

Brent first showed us around on deck. It was immediately clear: He had invested a lot of good work in Milagros. According to him, he had bought the ship and completely overhauled it, before taking her on a six-month voyage through the Gulf of California. All of his installations were on hand.

Down the drain

An example:
On Scorpido in Los Angeles, the deck drains were laid out in such a way that hoses led through the ship and then out through the hull. Where do you want the water on your ship to be? Definitely not in the interior. So why drain excess water through Milagros’ hull? Brent removed the whole installation without further ado. He replaced everything with hand-made outlets in the toe rail. They are much more effective and drain the water directly overboard.

Useful upgrades

And that’s how Milagros presented itself in the interior. Everything that was superfluous was removed by Brent and replaced with new installations that were as simple as possible. The electrical installations were well organized and labeled, a watermaker was installed on board and could be serviced from all sides, the engine could be completely flushed with fresh water and the entire cabin and the cockpit could only be illuminated with red light if desired. Incidentally, this small but fine point is extremely helpful. When underway at night, as the human eye remains adapted to seeing in the dark when light is red. And these are just a few examples.

The story of the water tanks continues

After the experience on Scorpido, I immediately jumped at the water tanks. Brent knew about the corrosion problems of water tanks on Kelly Peterson 44s. After his purchase, he had them completely re-welded during his major renovation. But still the same problem here: The welds of Brents tanks were corroded. He had neither known nor expected that and was accordingly irritated. There were also frowns in the aft cabin – this is where the access to the propeller’s drive shaft is located. Although Brent had also completely removed, overhauled, and reinstalled the engine, he told us that this part of the ship was relatively unknown to him and that he hadn’t really looked into it. Possible, but who knows? The entire rigging was old. Apart from a few adjustments, there was no indication of how old it actually was.

Time for a paintjob

The paint on the hull and deck also seemed to be older and was slowly cracking and crazing. That was another important item on our list. The paint on a sailboat is the barrier between the nasty salt water and the fiberglass of the hull.

Could she be our future home?

So far so good. The time on Milagros flew by. When Iñaki and I looked back on the visit over a beer, one thing was clear: I wasn’t misled my feelings. This ship was nothing like Scorpido. Milagros seemed to be in really good shape. She was equipped for our plans with exactly the simplicity that was right and important. She had a few cuts and corners that caused us concern, but name a vessel didn’t have those?

Yet another marine survey

So it was clear: The search for a surveyor to take a closer look at the ship started all over again. We found who we were looking for via George Jarvie, our trusted man from Los Angeles. Michael Weston of Atlantis Marine Surveys would come to Ensenada from San Diego to inspect Milagros. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the examination myself because I had to go home and work. Since Iñaki was staying with Blue anyway, he made himself available to witness the inspection with his own eyes. Exciting times…

Waiting for news from Mexico

When I was back in Switzerland, Pati and I could hardly wait for the examination. We were in contact with Iñaki the whole time. Until late at night we waited for sporadic news that he sent us via WhatsApp due to the time difference of 9 hours. We were incredibly excited, and sleeping was out of the question anyway.

She’s good to go!

And of course it was bound to happen: During the final phone call with Iñaki, he announced that Milagros had passed the examination with flying colors. Despite a few small bits and bobs, apart from rigging and the water tanks, there were no other big jobs or problems that we hadn’t considered. We did a good job observing during Milagros’ visit.

Are we crazy enough to buy a sailboat in Mexico?

Now it was up to us. Did we really want to go into negotiations for a 14m sailing yacht? We two landlubbers and sail laymen? Was it clever to go headlong into an adventure of this magnitude?

Guess we are…

Well, it seems like we’re crazy enough for such an undertaking. The negotiation with Brent was quick and painless. He met us at a few thousand dollars less because of the leaky water tank and the thing was over. We knew from the start that we didn’t have a lot of leeway. Brent knew exactly what a great sailboat he owned and he could have sold it without any problems anyway. So we transferred a whopping $ 71,000 to the broker in San Diego in mid-August 2019. Ouch.

We’re boat owners!

But we were suddenly owners of our own sailboat. How sick is that? It is a completely unreal idea, and will probably remain so until we have adapted to our sailing life.

Now that one of the most important conditions for our adventure – the sailboat itself – had been met, we could start planning.

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Der Beitrag Milagros is ours – We’re boat owners!! erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

One step forward, two steps back

Oh dear, what a commotion. We were sitting at Hertz at the Los Angeles airport and couldn’t get our rental car because I didn’t have my driver’s license with me. It could have been so easy. I would have driven with Iñaki across the border to Ensenada, Mexico to his ship, would have worked with him on his vessel for a few days and then would have quietly driven back to the airport and flown home.

From rental car to greyhound bus

But now another solution had to be found. We booked the Greyhound Bus to get to Ensenada. Together with Pati we drove in an Uber taxi to the bus stop from where the greyhounds in Los Angeles start their journeys. We said goodbye to her and after a short wait we sat in the bus to Mexico.

GTA: Los Angeles

Since Iñaki and I are both passionate gamers, we were particularly fascinated by how much the city reminded us of Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto V while driving south through L.A. (Neeeeeerds!). At first, we sat in our seats a little clueless and pondered how our story should go on. Since Greyhound offer free WiFi in their buses, we decided to take the opportunity and look for ships for sale in Ensenada and the surrounding area.

Will we be sailing RAN soon?

We didn’t find much useful information, apart from the fact that we knew that RAN, a great sailboat from the YouTube channel of the same name, was also for sale in Ensenada. But suddenly we came across a Kelly Peterson 44 again. I had the feeling that I had already looked at the ad. But the price for the sailboat was too high back then. But now she was ‘more affordable’, and the photos and information about her made us even more curious.

It hits like a freight train

And then it hit with a big bang. While looking through the photos, Iñaki suddenly stopped me and said I should go back a few pictures. He recognized the name of a motorboat in the background. ‘This Kelly Peterson 44 lies right next to our vessel in the same marina’, he said with an incredulous expression on his face.

What the hell??

I immediately grabbed my cell phone and promptly reached the broker. After he had contacted the owner, a rendezvous with a new candidate named “Milagros” was announced for the next day. I suddenly had an extremely good feeling. It is difficult to describe. It felt as if all the star constellations in the universe had suddenly arranged just for our visit to Mexico.

Bus trip the Mexican way

After we had crossed the impressive US border from San Diego to Tijuana (my first time to Mexico!), we normally had to wait a while for the next bus. With Iñaki’s spanish skills however, we were able to dodge the wait. He negotiated a deal with a bus driver for a small fee. In the end, we were allowed to take a different bus than planned (for which we didn’t have a ticket) from Tijuana to Ensenada. We even arrived in the town a little earlier than planned.

A night out in Ensenada, Mexico

As it was getting late and dark, we didn’t meet much more than a few drunkards on the streets, who welcomed us two gringos in Ensenada with best wishes. Carrying our lugagge we walked through the bumpy streets towards Cruiseport Marina, where Blue and Milagros layed in their deep sleep. The marina is well guarded by security guards at the entrance. This unfortunately should prove to be a disadvantage in this case.

so close, yet so far

We arrived at the marina, and were looking forward to Blue and Milagros, a cold beer and a good night’s sleep, when we were turned back by the gentleman at the gate. Despite Iñaki’s request, the marina did not replace the names of the previous owners of Blue with those of Iñaki. Consequently, the guard wouldn’t let us enter the marina. Welcome to Mexico I guess.

Wandering through the streets

Iñaki gave up after an hour and a half of discussions with the guard (during which I regularly supplied us with beer from the nearby 7-eleven). We sat in Ensenada in the middle of the night, although our sleeping places were only a few minutes away on the dock. We had no choice but to spend the night in a hotel. Chauffeuring us through the city from hotel to hotel by various taxis, a driver finally came up with an idea. We found accommodation in a small hotel somewhere in the city. Would have been a lot of fun if I’d be stranded in Ensenada without Iñaki for sure…

Iñaki and Carmen’s Cal 2-46

In the next morning we went to the marina again. Now that the port office was open, Iñaki was able to quickly change the name of the entrance. We suddenly stood on in front of Iñaki and Carmen’s ship. A great boat that is just waiting to explore the seven seas.

The Girl next door

And next to it laid – Milagros. Another Kelly Peterson 44, another absolute beauty of a sailboat. I don’t know exactly whether it was the same or the next day, but the time had come. A tour of Milagros was due.

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Der Beitrag Our Dream Boat in Ensenada, Mexico erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

A headful of dreams

After Viribus Unitis we gave up our dream of exploring the world together on one ship and decided to do it with two ships in flotilla. And after Carmen and Iñaki quickly found, checked out and bought their dream ship – a Cal 246 called “Blue” – on the west coast of Mexico, we were all of a sudden very restricted in our search radius.

Looking beyond the Atlantic

Because, for example, sailing from the Mediterranean over the Atlantic to the Caribbean and then through the Panama Canal to the west coast of Mexico takes at least 2 years if you want to take your time. If we had found and bought a boat in Europe, we would have had to give up our dream of traveling in flotilla. So, we had no choice but to try our luck on the west coast of the US and Mexico.

Stung by a Kelly Peterson 44?

After several hours of searching for a boat on the Internet and shortly before giving up, David found one that was on our imaginary shortlist of blue water cruisers suitable for us. “Scorpido”, a 14m long Kelly Peterson 44. We had already imagined that we would simply sail on Blue and look for suitable ships directly in the ports on site. The ship was equipped for long cruises. The owners Eric and his wife Robyn had already sailed around the world. Scorpido was moored in Los Angeles and on our budget.

A thorough investigation

Since Los Angeles is not a stone’s throw away, we had to be sure that the purchase probability was high. So, we studied all the pictures and informations we had received intensively and asked Paul Fay, our trusted surveyor, what he thought about it. We phoned Eric, the owner, several times to get to know him and to ask questions about the boat. All of the information and assessments collected made us feel good. So we decided to take a closer look at the Kelly Peterson 44. Iñaki wanted to accompany us. On one hand to support us laypeople with the visit, and on the other hand to visit his ship in Mexico and to work on it.

We’re going to Los Angeles!

Three weeks later the time had come: David and Iñaki landed in Los Angeles at the end of July 2019! It was an arduous journey to get there. From Switzerland, we had to organize an inspector, a rigger (a specialist for the entirety of equipment that carries the sails and mast of a sailing ship), a mechanic and a haul out appointment. And all of that on a date on which also the owners and we could both be there. Phuhhh.

Can you trust a boat broker?

The boat broker responsible for Scorpido offered to organize all of this for us. But since a broker always represents the interests of the seller, we thankfully declined and looked for our own, hopefully independent, inspectors.

Banned from haul-out

Thanks to intensive research (thanks!), David had reduced the list of possible top inspectors to a few. Unfortunately, it turned out that due to a long-ago incident, our favourite guy was banned from entering the marina where we wanted to haul out the ship. And since Eric didn’t want to go to the other possible haul out point, we had to switch to another inspector. It was complicated.

Signing contracts again

In addition, as described with Viribus Unitis, we had to submit an offer that had to be accepted by the owner and served as a preliminary contract. Since we were dealing with American law, we were particularly cautious. And at the same time, we were glad that we were able to use a standard form. Furthermore, we had to deposit 10% of the purchase price with the broker. This would cover any damage during the inspection and which underlines the intention to buy. Again, it was not easy to get a successful bank transaction into the U.S. with the information provided. But we eventually managed to organize everything in the right place at the right time.

Narrowboat holidays

Another thing adding complexity was that I “had to” go directly from Los Angeles to London. I had planned to go on a narrowboat holiday on the English canals.

Los Angeles Tourist Attractions

So, it happened that I flew to Los Angeles a day earlier due to the flight options available. I used this day to do the Los Angeles tourist program. For this I booked an Airbnb experience: the biggest Los Angeles sights condensed in 7 hours on a minivan. It included the Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Hills and the Hollywood Sign, the Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, Venice Beach, Little Venice and the Santa Monica Pier.

Airbnb in Los Angeles

Then I picked up David and Iñaki from the airport with an Uber and brought them to our Airbnb in Long Beach. The two young hosts were totally relaxed and were not surprised about our yoga session in their living room..

Meeting a sailboat broker

Next was an appointment with the broker. He was a pleasant gentleman named Lon with many decades of experience. He kindly picked us up in front of the house and took us to the marina in San Pedro. There we could take a first look at Scorpido from the outside.

Kelly Peterson 44 – what a beauty!

In real life we liked her even more than in the pictures. According to David Kelly Peterson 44 are the most beautiful sailing ships in the world anyway (apart from Orcella of course).

The Brouwerij West in San Pedro

Afterwards Lon showed us the “Brouwerij West”. The Brouwerij is a super cool local brewery with street food, which should become our home pub. We chilled out in the best weather and explored the harbour area with a fun free ride. Also, we were mentally preparing for the upcoming meeting with the owners and the intensive two days packed with inspections.

Sleepover party invitation

Robyn and Eric had previously invited us to spend the few days with them on the ship. We thankfully accepted the offer. It allowed us to try out life on board the Kelly Peterson 44 and also saved us the not-so-cheap accommodation costs in Los Angeles.

Rigging inspection

The next day, while we were settling in, looking at the whole ship from front to back with the owners, having everything explained to us and listening to their stories, the inspection of the rigging (mast and its fastenings) took place. The result was not a cause for concern, but it was still time to replace the entire rigging.

Wet bilge on an old boat

During our first inspection, we noticed that the bilge was anything but dry. But it should be. You could also perceive a rather penetrative, musty fragrance, which also indicated moisture in the ship. When asked about this, Eric said that it had always been this way and that it was normal for an older ship.

Since we had dealt with the weaknesses of the Kelly Peterson 44 in advance, we quickly suspected that this could be due to leaky fresh water tanks. But first we wanted to wait for the inspection, which might confirm our suspicions.

Marine Survey in Los Angeles – Day 2

On day two of the inspections, we got our things out of the way, took out a notebook and pen. We were ready to follow the inspector and mechanic like shadows. Because one had to benefit from the experience of these people. Unfortunately, I found that the inspectors only shared their findings with David and Iñaki; they probably assumed that I was ‘only the woman’ aboard.

Problems with the diesel engine

The mechanic diagnosed that the engine hour meter was not working properly, the engine was overheating fairly quickly, and was not properly attached. The latter point in particular was quite serious, since the engine could have been blown out of its suspension at any time due to its own vibrations. If the engine in the ship suddenly starts to wander, it is not the greatest thing since sliced bread.

In the meantime, the mechanic put the ship through its paces: first moored at the dock in the marina, then during the passage to the crane for the haul out and then also the underwater ship. We were pretty excited when we got the ship ready to sail the few nautical miles for the haul out.

Our first sail on a Kelly Peterson 44

And we were not disappointed: the ship ploughed steadily and comfortably through the water. We sailed past huge ships from all over the world that headed for the port of Long Beach. Sea lions basked on the signal bins. And we felt it. We could imagine how we would sail the seven seas with Scorpido. Even during the haul out, everything went great. We were nervous as if it were our own ship being pulled out of the water on a trailer.

A minimum maintenance sailboat

Unfortunately, we did not feel the final assessment of the inspector as much as sailing. The Kelly Peterson 44 was only in a satisfactory condition, as evidenced by a long list of recommendations on what to do and the finding that the current price was around 30% too high. Since the owners returned from their circumnavigation in 2011, only minimal maintenance had been carried out. In their eyes, everything was new and had just been serviced.

checking water tanks again

The wet bilge was still a concern and we wanted to do a test to find out where the water came from. So, we dried the bilge completely, filled the water tanks to the stop and went to bed. The following morning the bilge was wet again and it turned out, as suspected, that the weld seams at the top of the tanks had rusted through and a repair or replacement was an extremely arduous task.

Stepping back from a Kelly Peterson 44

With all this information and unknowns, we were not convinced that this ship would become our new home. Although this trip to Los Angeles had cost us a fortune, we stepped back from the buying process. This decision was really not easy for us, because Scorpido was nevertheless a great ship …

Changing plans made easy

Since everything had somehow gone faster than expected and we should have spent another night on Scorpido, but didn’t want it anymore, we had to find another solution. I decided to look for a place to stay on Venice Beach and to enjoy the Los Angeles flair a bit before I went to England. Unfortunately, the only affordable and short-term sleeping option was a bed in a bedroom of 6 in a youth hostel. For lack of alternatives, I had to bite the bullet.

You never know what’s around the corner

Since David did not return to Switzerland until three days later, he decided to accompany Iñaki to Mexico to his ship. Best decision ever (as it turned out later). They actually wanted to rent a car, but since Iñaki did not have a credit card and David did not have his driving license with him, they could not take the car that had already been reserved and had to switch to the Greyhound bus. What initially led to moderate depression should turn out to be a stroke of luck.

But: more about that, next week.
(This is the ending of every YouTube video made by the very inspiring White Spot Pirates.)

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Der Beitrag The Kelly Peterson 44 – Stung by a Scorpion erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

Looking for marine experts

We were in good spirits after our first visit to Viribus Unitis – for the first time visiting a boat, we had discovered no major defects. With this in mind, we started looking for experts for the various components of Viribus Unitis, especially for a marine survey, which is executed by an expert which takes and overall look at the state of the vessel.

Who were we looking for?

A Mechanic

While we had Sylfia on our search radar, we attended to a marine diesel engine course with Heinz Dirnberger from MT Marine Technik on Lake Zurich. With his competence and directness, he was our first choice for the inspection of the two engines from Viribus Unitis. The two-day inspection would have been around Easter, unfortunately, whereupon Heinz had to reject our offer, because he himself had too much work to do.

A Rigger

The search for a specialist in rigging was also unsuccessful. We made calls all across Italy and used contact after contact, but unfortunately, we couldn’t find anyone suitable.

A marine surveyor

On the other hand, we were successful in looking for the man for the rough job of a general marine survey and the subsequent assessment of Viribus Unitis. I found what I was looking for on a nightly search – Paul Fay seemed to be our man. On his homepage it is written:

“Having spent many years involved with building, designing and repairing Steel and Aluminium yachts and motor boats, I offer a specialised marine survey on vessels constructed of these materials.“

“I am a truly independent surveyor, I am not affiliated to any broker, repairer or boat yard. I work only for you the person using my services. Advice you receive will be given in your best interests for both financial and quality reasons.“

Is Paul Fay our man?

Music to my eyes ears. I immediately emailed him, including a couple of questions about some weird indentations on the aluminium hull of Viribus. What I got was not just a generic answer – Paul took the time to comment on each of my pictures in detail. After a few phonecalls the case was clear – we would fly him in from England to do the Viribus Unitis inspection. His investigations would take two days – on day one he’d look into the hull and the deck, on day two he would work his way through the interior.

Planning a trip to Italy (again)

After the weekend for the inspection was fixed, the planning began. Pati’s father Urs also wanted to join us on our trip and so he, Carmen and Iñaki went on the trip together by car. Unfortunately, Pati was unable to take part in the second and most exciting part of the inspection due to quarterly closing and therefore a lot of work in the office. I would also only follow by bus via Milan to Udine a day later because of work.

Visiting Stadio San Siro

The bus trip was fun and during the few hours I had to wait for connection in Milan I took the opportunity to visit the venerable San Siro. As a complete and utter football freak, I couldn’t miss this, of course – it was a great experience to stand alone in front of this legendary stadium in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, I’ve never been inside.

There’s a hole in the boat!

Paul’s marine survey of the vessel with Iñaki in tow was already in full swing when I was picked up by Carmen and Urs in Udine. We stayed at the same hotel in San Giorgio di Nogaro again. When I got to the ship, bad news already – Paul had already discovered A HOLE in the ship that was only covered by a bubble in the layer of paint. He suspected it was pitting corrosion because there was an indefinable white powder all around the hole.

A marine survey in full swing

We worked our way forward all day. Paul was obsessed with detail and found things everywhere that would never have caught a mortal’s eye. It quickly became clear to us that we had selected the perfect candidate for this inspection.

Pitting repair with Fiberglass?

An extremely important point that Paul discovered on day one (apart from the hole, of course):

On the outside of the hull between the bilge keel and thus directly under the engine compartment, a large area had been patched up with fiberglass and epoxy resin. This, according to the owners, to repair a larger area with pitting corrosion. Unfortunately, this did not solve the problem of corrosion in any way. There was also controversy about the adhesion of fiberglass mats to aluminum. Optimally, the defective area would have been cut out and a new aluminum plate welded in.

Why you should do your own research

Prior to our trip to Italy, in the manner of a private investigator, I was able to establish contact with the shipyard that had carried out the work, so a phone call from Paul to the person responsible for the “repair” was possible. Urs distracted the two owners in the deck saloon, while Paul, Iñaki and I spoke on the phone in the engine room. Tehehehe…

Beer-o-clock!

Larger and smaller jobs came together over the course of the day, which should have been tackled before our long journey. The day was over quickly and to quote Paul it was about “beer-o-clock” anyway.

Inspecting the inside

The next day it was the turn of Viribus’ interior to be dismantled by Paul. Same picture there – Paul found a number of shortcomings, two of which were massive:

We were sitting on a floating bomb!

Apart from the fact that the entire gas system ran inside the ship, this includes the gas bottles, the outlet for the gas bottle locker was placed too high. In the event of a gas leak, we would have been sitting on a floating bomb. Even if the outlet would have been in the right position, the gas would have leaked into the vessel…

Water tanks were corroded!

A huge fresh water tank was built directly into the ship’s bilge, so its bottom was part of the hull. The owners had never opened the tank since their purchase of Viribus Unitis because the lid was attached to the tank with around 40 bolts (Fig. 1). Nevertheless, we tackled the opening of the tank and promptly found bad pitting. The corrosion had partially eaten the hull down to a thickness of only 2mm. “You would have noticed that at the latest if the drinking water suddenly tasted salty.”, said Paul.

This guy was a marine surveyor at it’s best. We could not ask for more.

The anatomy of boat water tanks

Also, with a capacity of 1500 liters, no baffle plates were installed in the tank. With baffle plates installed, the water in the tank can still move freely, but not the entire amount of water in its entirety (Fig. 2). Since liquids move in a certain direction when accelerated, in Viribus’ case more than a ton of water would have been set in motion in rough seas, which could have led to structural problems. No problem with quiet trips in coastal waters, a big problem on the high seas.

A steep learning curve

We were brought back to earth by cold facts, while the two days with Paul relentlessly showed where the problems with Viribus were. The learning curve was as steep for the two owners and they discovered with Paul, just like us, that there was a lot to do on board. The corroded water tank in particular shocked them so much that they agreed to pay half of Paul’s fee for the marine survey.

What good seamanship looks like

In general, the two owners were extremely helpful and readily and honestly provided information on all questions. They also wanted to repair the shortcomings in the tank before the ship was even listed to be for sale again. Thanks for that!

Need a good marine surveyor?

Book Mr. Paul Fay today!

At this point, a big thank you to Mr. Paul Fay. He was worth every penny of his fee and we highly recommend him for whatever marine survey there might be.

Turning down an offer

Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that although Viribus Unitis was a great sailboat, there were too many contingencies and uncertainties. We couldn’t really estimate how much hidden work she would have in store for us. So, with a heavy heart, we sent the owners a rejection and had to start the search again.

Until we meet again

As fate would have it, we also met Viribus Unitis a second time – again on Youtube. On the channel “BootsProfis” (a great channel, unfortunately only available in German), a sailor was looking for a live-aboard sailboat. It happened that the group also visited Viribus, with a good general knowledge of the vessel, since they received Paul’s survey report from the owners. Long story short, Viribus found a new, happy owner, which we too are very happy about.

Who knows, maybe we’ll meet Sylfia AND Viribus Unitis in an anchor bay somewhere in the world.

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Der Beitrag Our first Marine Survey: United Forces Part 2 erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

Looking for the perfect match

Our trip to Norway was great but unfortunately not successful, so our search continued. We looked through hundreds of ships in daily research, sometimes until deep in the night, and were able to narrow down the search further and further.

Ships come in many shapes, colours and materials. The most important component of a ship is of course its hull, which can consist of fiberglass, wood, aluminium, plastic or steel, for example. Some materials are more suitable for long journeys, others less so.

Aluminium as a hull material

Aluminium is an interesting material for blue water cruises, since It is an extremely robust and light metal. It can withstand a lot and is relatively easy to repair (assuming knowledge of the art of welding).

Advantages of Aluminium

One of the greatest advantages of aluminium is that in the event of a collision it can absorb a large part of the kinetic energy introduced. It will simply deform before it breaks.

In addition, it does not need any paint. Unlike steel, it does not rust when exposed to oxygen and moisture. On the contrary – an aluminium surface forms a layer impermeable to air and water over time. This process is called ‘passivation’.

These and other properties make aluminium a highly attractive hull material for sailors who want to go on the big trip. Well-known manufacturers of aluminium sailboats are Alubat, Reinke or Garcia Yachts.

Disadvantages of Aluminium

However, one has to consider that aluminium as a metal is relatively non-noble and a good electrical conductor. Therefore, it is quite susceptible to bimetal corrosion, the “pitting corrosion”, with water as the electrical conductor (electrolyte).

For example: In case of improperly carried out electrical installations or damaged cables, electricity can flow from the less noble aluminum to a more noble metal in the newly installed components. This results in degradation of the aluminum, leading to this dangerous corrosion. Holes in your Aluminium sailboat are logically the last thing you want in your ship.

Enough with the theory

(Which is important for the next chapter of our story):
It so happened that Carmen came across exactly such an aluminium sailboat. It was a Reinke Hydra of 46 feet (14m), “Viribus Unitis” (eng. United forces) was her name. She was stationed on dry dock in San Giorgio di Nogaro in the north of Italy, south of Udine – a stone’s throw from Switzerland.

A self-made sailboat

Although she was at the lower end of our size conception, she still seemed to be extremely spacious. A feature of Reinke is that the ships are usually delivered to the buyer as a shell, and are then completed in-house. In Viribus’ case, however, the interior was indistinguishable from a series ship. All the woodwork in the interior had been made in a highly professional manner.

Our first impression

3 cabins were on board, a large aft-, a front-, and a small but very nice side cabin. And most importantly: A spacious deck saloon combined with a second saloon next to the galley in the lower ship were available and ensured great spatial separation. The engine room was huge because the ship was equipped with two engines. If one engine should fail, you still had a second backup, but also twice as much maintenance work.

On top, the Reinke impressed with her spacious deck. There was plenty of freedom of movement and her deep and therefore well-protected center cockpit.

On the road again

We got in direct contact with the two Austrian owners which was also very positive. We just had to make the trip to Italy! An appointment was made with the owners, packed our belongings and drove the long way to San Giorgio di Nogaro. Once arrived, we checked into an extremely average hotel.

The visit to our first Aluminium sailboat

The next morning it was time and we could visit Viribus Unitis. First we showed up in the wrong marina and had a coffee there. Soon after we finally met one of the two owners at the gate to the correct marina. Viribus was on dry dock, an impressive appearance.

She had a bilge keel!

With a bilge keel, where there is normally only one keel fin, there are two shorter keel fins. Reinke is a shipyard from northern Germany, where the wadden sea and tidal range are big. If a ship is equipped with a bilge keel, in addition to smaller draft, this also has the advantage that you can basically let the surrounding area dry out around you. Your boat then stands on the two keel fins on the sea floor. If the water rises again, you can easily ‘water your boat with the tide’.

Is there collision damage?

As could be seen in the photos we received in advance, the hull seemed to have suffered from a collision. Some parts of the hull were carelessly painted over, and no one knew exactly what was underneath. Iñaki had a thickness measuring device with him, with which he first examined the entire hull for its thickness. The thickness of the aluminum shell was around 8mm, which is absolutely fine.

A spacious deck

As expected, Viribus was easily accessible on the deck. Without any obstacles, the cockpit was spacious, very deep and thus protected against waves. All the important lines could be operated with just a few hand movements. The current owners have also built a beautiful helm by hand.

Leaking windows

The only drawback (of which we were immediately made aware of) were the leaky and damaged windows of the beautiful Aluminium sailboat, especially the ones of the deck saloon. These had to be replaced.

Looking good…

As expected, the interior of Viribus made a great impression. The three cabins were very cozy and spacious. Everywhere in the ship there was plenty of storage space, which is extremely important on long sailing journeys. Everything was in good condition and the owners had put a lot of good work into the ship.

A galley renovation is due

Only the galley needed a major renovation. It was rather designed for quiet day trips instead of large, irregular waves on the world’s oceans. If the ship moved unexpectedly, you could fly in all directions through the salon. The galley was installed in a corner and there was no way to support yourself in the back.

Refrigerators and/or freezers?

In addition, a classic refrigerator was installed instead of (a) freezer(s). This is more a waste of energy than anything else. The cold air ‘falls’ out of the refrigerator each time it is opened.

Gimbaled ovens – a must on offshore boats!

The gas cooker also had to be upgraded. Instead of being mounted on a gimbal, it was fixed into a countertop. When considering hot water, oil and other ingredients being used in a kitchen on a sailboat the same as anywhere else, a gimbaled oven installed aftwartships only has advantages. The owner of the ship can use the oven safely, because it can compensate for the heel of the ship in this suspension. In our opinion, having a cooker in a fixed position is not only impractical, but even potentially dangerous, regardless of where you navigate. We have often observed this on sailboats situated in the Mediterranean.

Comparing (the) different galley layouts

Compare the galley of our Milagros with the one on Viribus Unitis, and you’ll know what we mean when we say that we would have to rebuilt the galley:

Have we found a bargain Aluminium sailboat?

Long story short: except for the galley, we were very impressed with Viribus Unitis and saw a lot more positives than negatives. It quickly became clear that we would go into price negotiations. Should we agree with the owners, a second visit would be forthcoming. Together with a marine surveyor we could once again thoroughly check Viribus Unitis.

The days in Italy were long but still passed quickly – presumably because of the great Italian cuisine, among other things. We were already on the long drive back to Switzerland. During the journey, we were busy making plans for what we would do with Viribus Unitis, should she one day belong to us.

Sailboat purchase procedures

The preliminary contract

With our buying motivation started the usual procedures for purchasing a boat:
The first step was to set up a preliminary contract as an offer, which the owners of Viribus Unitis had to accept in advance so that as a second step, a survey of the vessel could be carried out. All findings from the inspection would be assessed and used in the price negotiation. Defects could either lead to a price reduction or the owners could fix them before the sale.

Looking for a marine surveyor

As soon as the owners had accepted the offer, we received the rights of advanced sale and an inspection date could be set. This required a lot of coordination, since not only an inspector with free capacities had to be found, but also the owners of Viribus as well as we wanted to be present. With such an inspection, which often takes 1-2 days, you get to know a ship very well. Since “normal” marine surveyors are often generalists, you may also want to call in an expert for the rigging and a mechanic for the engine as well, both of which, of course, ideally have to be available on the same day.

No sooner said than done. As soon as we arrived at home we started preparations for the second visit.

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Der Beitrag Aluminium Sailboat: United Forces Part 1 erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

Nordavind:

A 1978 Mikado 56; 17m long with center cockpit and 4 cabins. We especially liked the cozy rear salon with oven. She had already beent to the Caribbean and the Arctic – we thought perfect for us.

Sheba Queen:

A 1989 Royal Dynamique 62, 19.5m long with 4 cabins and a pirate ship salon. Appartently named after cat food.

Norvegian cottage luxury

We stayed in a sleepy town called Svarstad, which is a former ski area. Our home was a wonderful cottage with sauna in southern Norway. A little relaxation could not hurt, since the visit of our first Norvegian sailboat was due the next day.

Inspection 1:
North wind meets the sea

After a good nights sleep and a short drive, we met Sven Eddie. At the time, he was the owner of Nordavind in Sandefjord on Norway’s south coast. The vessel made a good impression: great lines and great deck layout, thoroughly protected cockpit. Sven was enthusiastic about us. A group of young people with big plans was exactly what he had imagined as new owners for his Nordavind.

Cabin Fever

Unfortunately, we couldn’t get used to the cabin arrangement. There were four cabins, but only in one a couple could comfortably live. Even with a lot of imagination, we did not come up with a clever idea for a conversion to design at least two equivalent double cabins. After all, we didn’t want to take turns using certain cabins.

A hefty sum

The price was also not in proportion to the work still required on and in the ship: it was all a bit used up. Sven Eddie hoped until the end that we would be the future owners. Sven told us that two other parties were interested in the ship, one of them capable to pay the ship from the postage account without any problems. But we just couldn’t imagine ourselves on this ship… We still had candidate number two.

Driving through beautiful norway

But: Norway is not exactly a small country. Sheba Queen was located in Florö near Bergen on the west coast of central Norway – an 8 hours drive by car was a little over the top for a day trip. So, we had to organize an overnight stay on site, which was easy with Airbnb. The next morning after visiting Nordavind we left at 04:00 in the morning because we wanted to meet the owner of Sheba Queen in Florö at 14:00. The ride was uneventful and took us through the stunning landscapes of Norway, but suddenly the whole road trip came to an abrupt end.

Our rental car accident

We wrecked the rental car ONE HOUR before arriving in Florö. In a turn between two tunnels there were large chunks of ice on the road and we couldn’t avoid to hit them because another car came towards us in the opposite direction. So, we drove over the ice chunks and tore open the whole underbody. As a result, we lost oil and diesel. Great. In the middle of nowhere, we called the breakdown service, which picked us up relatively quickly. The only problem was that due to a rally race in Sweden near the Norwegian border, all rental cars were fully booked. Fortunately, the rental car company managed to organise a Volvo anyway – we immediately agreed to take the uncleaned car. So, we exchanged our cool 4×4 hybrid car for an even cooler Volvo. With a few hours late we finally reached our destination.

Inspection 2:
Cat Scratch Fever

The owner of the Dynamique 62 greeted us with a pillow print on his face. He must have just gotten up. Sheba Queen was an impressive sailboat with her almost 20 meters, but also in great need of care Even from the outside, you could make out places that could use a little love. We quickly saw that the price-performance ratio was also wrong. When we stepped inside the ship, we were overwhelmed: on the one hand by the insanely great salon, on the other hand by the smell of diesel. Ouch.

Leaking diesel tanks

Apparently one of the diesel tanks had a leak a few years ago, which was now patched up. Only nobody had bothered to clean the bilge afterwards. In general, the entire ship looked very grubby – until recently it was used for a project in which young people collected plastic on the coast of Norway.

Weird discoveries

Unfortunately, the project lost funding and had to be stopped. That’s why the ship was up for sale. The pillow marks on the face and hordes of teenagers kind of explained the condition of the ship. The visit also brought some bizarre things to light: for example, we found a tennis ball in the bilge together with a cordless screwdriver and expired biscuits. None of us wanted to touch the sweets offered to us by the owner, especially since we had already examined the kitchen and the refrigerators. We also gratefully declined the offer to spend the night on the ship.

Poor Sheba Queen

When the owner showed us the sales documentation from 2 years ago when he bought the ship, we almost started crying. Incredible what could be done to such a beauty in such a short period of time… The ship would have been a dream and perfect for our plans. It kind of was the same feeling as we had on our sailboat inspections in Spain. There’s a lot of poor, neglected boats out there for sure.

Disappointed and full of incomprehension, we drove home the next day. At least the weather was great and the landscapes were beautiful. Only our clothes smelling of diesel kept reminding us of the tragedy.

Norway you beauty

Back in the house we enjoyed the last days of our stay with darts, sauna, good food and walks in the beautiful landscape, before it was time to return home empty handed but with great memories of one of the most beautiful parts of our planet.

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Der Beitrag A Road Trip through Norway erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

That’s what the intro of a video blog called Expedition Drenched sounds like, that was suddenly suggested to Iñaki on Youtube. Hardly by coincidence, but because of a very special sailboat called “Sylfia” that we came across.

Expedition Sailboat search

Our trip to inspect 3 sailboats in Spain was unfortunately not successful, so we had to look elsewhere. Of course, we tried to take advantage of all the impressions and experiences we were able to collect in La Manga and included them in our search. We continued digging through the vastness of the internet and exchanged information about our latest discoveries at regular meetings. It was interesting to see that we encountered many ships multiple times. Some of the pictures and information on the respective websites differed from each other.

Dealing with boat brokers

When we identified a potential candidate, many of our inquiries went through brokers first, who had the ships listed in their company’s portfolio. Dealing with them took a little practice. Brokers of course want to sell their ships at the highest possible price, therefore we had to be tough and read between the lines. For example, we were pretty relentless until we got current pictures of certain parts of a vessel from the brokers and tried to get direct contact with the owners. We had learned this once and for all during the visit to Gran Atalaya.

Narrowing down the pool of boats

We got really good at getting an overview of which ships were worth shortlisting. Of course, the location where the vessels were moored was also important. Our main focus was on Europe, but when we saw a really great candidate, we also considered trips to more distant areas.

Seeing Sylfia’s potential

It so happened that Iñaki selected a really special ship. We crossed paths with her a couple of times, but she was not considered for various reasons. We’re talking of a 24-meter long steel ketch (a ketch has two masts, a large main mast and a smaller mast behind it) called “Sylfia”. She was at anchor in Kerikeri in New Zealand back then.

Would we convert a hippie boat?

We had seen Sylfia on the internet a few times, but she only had bunks for up to 16 people in a large cabin in the ship’s hull and had a relatively rudimentary interior. This always deterred us. But Iñaki realized the potential in her. What if we could convert the entire interior? There would be room for several double cabins, bathrooms and a salon, furthermore we would also be completely free in the interior design of the ships huge hull. Sylfia had an entire workshop, where you have to scramble around in the engine room in normal sailboats. There was a ton of space everywhere on the ship.

Sylfia’s impressive story

Sylfia’s story is well documented and is the stuff of legends. She was planned and built by a polish mechanical engineer named Bernard Kuczera, as the last of several steel vessels. Kuczera, born near Katowice (far from the Polish coast), has sailed all over the world with all these ships. He has experienced the craziest stories. Bernard ended up staying in New Zealand with his family and building Sylfia practically on his own. Like most of his ships, she impresses with her sheer size, the large wheelhouse, and her steel lattice masts. Unfortunately, Bernard Kuczera disappeared on an excursion with his dinghy. He could not be found despite an intensive search. The whole story can be listened to in a great podcast by Expedition Drenched. It’s worth it!

Learning by doing

We got creative, and started to gather information and plan the expansion so that we knew roughly what we were looking at in case of a purchase. We were particularly inspired by the traditional Kona shipbuilders from Sulawesi. These seamen and seawomen build up to 30 meters long wooden ships, which are called “Pinisi” or “Palari”. These boats are built on the beaches of Bina and Tanah Beru without any drawings. The finished barges are used for trade, fishing or as floating hotels for diving tourism. In particular the latter mostly captivate with breathtaking wooden cabins. Knowledge for the construction of the ships is passed on orally, every single plank on the ship has its own name.

Negotiations for Sylfia failed

In the meantime, we were also in contact with Sylvan, Bernard Kuczera’s son. The ship is named after him and his sister Sophia. He helped his father build Sylfia and was now looking for worthy successors. We had some cool phone calls to the other end of the world with Sylvan and talked to him about our plans. Unfortunately, negotiations ultimately failed due to the price. We just couldn’t come to equal terms, although mentally we were practically on the plane to visit Sylvan and Sylfia. Too bad, because so our search started all over again.

How we discovered Expedition Drenched

A few months later, suddenly a video appears in Iñaki’s suggestions from Youtube, in which a young couple called Nate and Jordan announce that they have recently become the proud owners of a giant steel sailboat in New Zealand. The two sail with a young crew from all over the world from New Zealand and share their adventures in beautiful video blogs. Expedition Drenched is discovered and Sylfia has found her way back into our lives.

Binge-watching like it’s Netflix

Of course, it was clear that we had to follow the adventures of the two immediately. Pati and I have watched every episode since then, and we are glad that Sylfia has found the perfect owners and that we can follow their adventures from afar.

Who knows, maybe one day our paths will cross again.

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Der Beitrag The Legend of Sylfia erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

After the dream of Orcella (read about our humble beginnings here) had unfortunately vanished, we didn’t give up. In order to find our dream ship in the mass of yachts offered worldwide, we first had to narrow down the search criteria.

Our 4 sailboat criteria:

Budget

A maximum of 200’000 Swiss Francs / 190’000€ / 206’000$

The Pilothouse

A pilothouse was needed. This structure brings the luxury of being protected from nasty weather and swell and still having an eye on the surrounding area and the ship itself. We have never heard of a owner of a sailing boat with a pilothouse who would ever forego the roof over his head.

We’d need a Bluewater Cruiser

Based on his experience, Iñaki knows very well which kinds of ships are suitable for long blue water sailing trips and which are not. Bad tongues would say, for example, that our Cape Verdean Whisky was more of an expensive sunbed than a sturdy long-distance yacht. Thanks to his input, we knew relatively quickly what to look for.

With these guidelines we rummaged through the many homepages on which ships are offered for sale. We quickly realized that the task would not be easy. In our financial framework, the supply of ships that met our expectations was very scarce. But last but not least, I have to say that we were very strict with our opinions of which boats would be worth considering for a sailboat inspection.

Travelling to Spain

After a few weeks of in- and extensive search, we were able to agree on a first trip to Spain. Near Alicante, three promising sailboats were moored in the same port. So we booked viewing appointments, our flights, and a nice Airbnb in La Manga del Mar Menor near the Marina Tomàs Maestre.

Our Arrival in La Manga

The arrival was easy; With flights directly from Basel to Alicante and rental cars, we quickly arrived at the Airbnb. There, we felt like we were in a post-apocalyptic film. The apartment was great, but the surroundings (as expected) were less. We were situated in a great location on a promontory that protrudes into the sea, but built up with unsightly little houses and towers in which holiday apartments were stacked on top of each other. La Manga was also completely extinct since it was November and therefore low season.

French Fries – the Spanish Way

The next day it was time – the tour of a first candidate who was supposed to take us out into the big blue. “Gran Atalaya” was her name – she was a 65 foot (20 meter) steel sailboat. Our research had brought to light that she was apparently often used as a charter boat for day trips. We did not meet the owners of the ship, but a friend of theirs. Gaspar picked us up at a small restaurant in the marina where we ate our brunch – “Spanish Fries”. French fries baked with cheese sauce with chorizo and fried egg. Sounds disgusting, but is in fact a real treat. Back in Switzerland, we immediately had a go cooking our new discovery for the debriefing of the trip.

Sailboat Inspection 1:
The Devil is in the Details

Then Gaspar took us to the ship, which was moored on a remote dock of the marina. Gran Atalaya must have been an absolute dream yacht back in the days. Her lines were breathtaking, the deck tidy and generous, her cabins very comfortable to luxurious in the stern, the galley felt like at home, the salon in the pilothouse was beautiful.

But.

We hardly arrived, as disillusionment spread. Apparently, only pictures from good times were uploaded online that did not correspond to reality. Instagram for ships, so to speak. She was completely run down. We cannot understand how on earth you can do this to a sailboat. The engine room was a nightmare of dirt and cables, the hull seemed to have cracks and rust problems that had just been painted over carelessly, the teak deck was in questionable condition. Various ceiling covers sagged completely. Dirt and rust everywhere. As soon as we took a closer look somewhere, a problem appeared. We immediately saw that the entire offer was a joke, last but not least also because of the owner’s asking price.

Hidden Corrosion Problems

So we left Gran Atalaya to her sad fate. During the subsequent walk through the marina, we could see Atalaya’s port side for the first time: Rust dripped from cracks in the hull. She was moored exactly with her other, visible side to the dock. Shamed be he who thinks evil of it.

The first thing we learned: Don’t trust the pictures you see on the internet, since everything looks different while you’re on a sailboat inspection in person.

Sailboat Inspection 2:
Better too early than too late

We continued our stroll through the marina and suddenly spotted candidate two. A Lubbe & Voss steel yacht, also around 65 foot (20 meters) long. A mighty barge with beautiful wooden deck structures. Unfortunately, I can’t remember her name. Of course, we had to look at her immediately, even if the appointment for the inspection was only the next day. It turned out to be a good idea.

How not to treat your Engine Room

When we got to the ship, work was going on. With Iñaki’s knowledge of Spanish, we found out that the workers were in the process of treating the engine room with a new paint job. That would be fine; the only problem was that the two men sprayed the entire engine compartment from top to bottom with a paint gun. Walls, ceilings, wiring, pumps, the engine itself – everything was covered with a thin white layer of paint. What madness. Now we already knew what to expect from the rest of the vessel.

A Sailboat as an Investment

The next morning, we met with the owner, a businessman with sunglasses and Maserati, for the sailboat inspection. At first glance, the Lubbe made a much better impression than the rust pile from the previous day. But you could also see that she was more of an investment property than a lovingly maintained sailboat.

A good example of this was the anchor chain, which was rusted on the hull and could not be removed from it. At least on deck, the ship made a solid impression. Everything was where it had to be, the equipment was alright, and especially the cockpit was spacious with a lot of room to sit in all different directions and positions. And what a deck for parties it would be!

Buuuuut.

The whole thing looked a little different below deck. Although the Lubbe was actually a large barge, everything felt relatively cramped. The saloon in the stern with its huge semicircular sofa (10 people would have had enough space at the table) took up a large part of the interior, while the cabins in the bow of the ship felt very tiny. We simply couldn’t overlook this flaw.

During our sailboat inspection, we also found evidence of moisture problems and leaks. The paint spraying action in the engine compartment, which probably should have taken place unnoticed, also left no better gut feeling.

She’s still for sale!

There were no enthusiasts at work here, but people who simply wanted to get rid of a ship for as much money as possible. After all, we were able to fill our experience pack a little more, thanked everyone for their time and left the Lubbe to its owners again. Hopefully this awesome ship will find someone to give her the love she deserves.

Sailboat Inspection 3:
A loving liveaboard owner

Disillusionment spread again, but a third yacht waited to be inspected that same afternoon. We chose her because we found out at the last moment that she was also located in Marina Tomàs Maestre. This time the tour was at least personally accompanied by the owner. Charly was a kind elderly gentleman, owner and resident of his sailing ship, a 20m Wauquiez, which made a good overall impression.

Wear and tear

One saw that Charly took care of the boat and equipped her with many upgrades. The interior was also cozy with 4 cabins and spacious salon in the middle of the ship. There was no pilothouse, but she did have a large dog house (a roof structure with windows) for protection from spray and shitty weather. The ship was worn and torn, but still in an acceptable condition.

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut.

There was one huge problem. The headroom was a big drawback for Iñaki, the giant of our crew. When moving through the ship he had to keep his head drawn inat all times. It is simply not possible to constantly bend yourself and hit your head everywhere in the smallest swell. The effects over a long time were certainly not positive. So we sat a little bit with Charly on his ship and chatted about everything and anything before we returned to our Airbnb in defeat. Also our third sailboat inspection had not been a success.

Exploring Torrevieja

The next day we went on a little trip to Torrevieja, a pretty town a bit north with almost 80,000 inhabitants. The weather was fine,  so we explored the alleys and huge harbor walls, enjoyed chorizo, wine and jamón since there’s plenty of nice little restaurants and did not miss the opportunity to look for ships for sale in the pretty marina in the middle of the city.

Unfortunately, the search in Spain was not successful. While having a beer in the bar in the marina bar in Torrevieja, I looked around. Residents of ships and visitors sat with snacks and drinks or were on the way to and from their ships during the evening and the seagulls screeched. I thought to myself:

I guess, such a sailing life should be quite nice.

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Der Beitrag Sailboat Inspections and Spanish Fries erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

How does one become a sailor?

I think for many people it is relatively ‘straight forward’ – you spend your childhood near a larger body of water. Therefore, life along or on the water is practically cradled. Maybe you even grow up on a ship. Others find their way into sailing life via detours or by accident, as was the case with us. But let’s start from the humble beginnings.

Travelling as a couple

Patricia and I have known each other for more than 10 years now. We spent most of this long time as a couple and we have traveled a lot and far. By train, mobile home or plane – privately or for work. Be it the busy streets of New York and Hong Kong, a road trip in a motorhome in New Zealand, football trips to Bulgaria, or business trips all over Europe – we have seen and experienced a lot. But still, we never got enough. We have always been drawn to the near and far, since the world is big and wants to be discovered. But sailing on the Cape Verde islands? That had never been on our bucket list to be honest.

Of course we didn’t hesitate for a second when Patricia’s sister Carmen and her boyfriend Iñaki (we’ve never heard his Basque name either) asked us if we would accompany them on a two-week sailing trip to the Cape Verde Islands. Both of them are experienced sailors with many miles of experience. Above all Iñaki, who has worked for a long time as a sailing instructor and skipper for the Neuhaus sailing school on Lake Thun. Thun lies in Switzerland, which is our stunning home country.

Sailing Cape Verde

After a turbulent trip to the Cape Verde islands (including a cancelled flight from Zürich followed by an unscheduled overnight stay in Lisbon), all of a sudden we were residents of a Beneteau Cyclades 43.3 called “Whisky” for two weeks. It is difficult to tell what we were experiencing in these two weeks in a short blog text without writing an entire book in an excessive manner. Maybe we will do that later tough? From calm winds up to 4m high waves, from complete calm to catastrophic seasickness, over silver waves in the moonlight with phosphorescent swarms of jellyfish – the list is endless. Everything about the trip totally blew us away. It was clear that this had to be repeated. As soon as we got home, we were practically planning the next sailing trip.

Want see more impressions from our Cape Verde sailing trip? Head over to our gallery!

Project boat for sale – but will it be ours?

Suddenly, in August 2018 there she was – Iñaki discovered her on the Internet. Her name was Orcella. She was/is a monstrous 75 foot (22 meter) long Frans Maas expedition sailing yacht, which was berthed in the Carribean. Our Milagros is already a beautiful sailing ship, but Orcella was simply an absolute gem. We could immediately imagine our everyday life on the ship, and therefore started dreaming and planning the conversion from land to sea in our heads. Without a doubt, the discovery of Orcella turned our lives upside down.

We started to investigate and quickly, thanks to the marvels of the internet, found out a lot about the ship. After an incredibly expensive phone call with an inspector from the Carribean, who had checked the ship several times, we were suddenly in possession of up to date and detailed photos of Orcella. Although she had to be an absolutely sick vessel in many respects, we came to the conclusion that Orcella might not be the big love story.

It quickly became clear that Orcella had been neglected for a long time. She had big problems with leaks and moisture, and thus would have been a huge and expensive project. There was water damage and rust spots everywhere. The boat broker responsible for her turned down a completely crazy offer from Iñaki, as a result we decided against her with a heavy heart. Personally, I still think we made the right decision to ignore Orcella, because in many ways it would have been too great a risk.

No turning back now

But from that moment on, the idea of giving up our existence as landlubbers and instead becoming sea doggos didn’t let go of us…

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Der Beitrag Sailing Cape Verde – How it all started erschien zuerst auf Milagros.