Your Tour Guides

Hi Olga, where are you moored right now?
We have been staying in Glossa [island of Skopelos, archipelago of the northern Sporades] for a little over a week. At the moment I am on a boat alone because Christian had to return for work. What then are never alone, given all the legs that are on board.

We are trying to lengthen the time. We started with the classic weekends, then the holidays. Last year we made two 40-day trips and this year we decided to live by boat from May to September. We don’t spend the whole year sailing yet, but we’re looking for ways to get there. We have a home and a shop: every 30 days, Christian comes back for a week and takes care of managing everything that still needs presence.

Can you tell me where your passion for sailing comes from?
I have always loved the sea, but I had never gone by boat before meeting Christian. Water is my element: I have always swam, all my life, I stopped because of an injury but I need to be in the water.

Christian is from Milan, but his father is originally from Rodi Garganico. He spent all summers there as a child. So he began to love the sea from a very young age: first with surfing and windsurfing and then with sailing. When we got engaged, he had a 33 foot in Goro. We went out on free days for the classic day out with sandwiches or pasta cooked on board. So I too started having fun with the boat.

One summer I lived on board for three months while working as a waitress for the summer season in Porto Garibaldi. I graduated in mechanical engineering but the job search in that field did not go far.

Here is another engineer with a crisis of conscience, like me. I’m always happy to find colleagues for course change. Keep on…
We were looking for a boat to live on. We were willing to sell the house just to go around the world. But the research was not paying off.

That summer Christian visited me on the weekend in Porto Garibaldi. On the day of August, we were having a barbecue at the port and we started eating in the shade of the dry boats in front of our mooring. At one point Christian looks up and has a love at first sight: he sees a beautiful boat, follows the line of the hull and reaches the bow with the figurehead. There was no escape, he had fallen in love.

So we started asking for information: whose boat is it? why isn’t it in the water? It seemed disused and it seemed impossible to us that someone wouldn’t want to use that wonder. We discovered that the boat was owned by the shipyard where we were moored and it was easy to get permission to see the interior. It was a real disaster.

What is useful to know before leaving?
As soon as you look for some information on sailing, you are submerged by a flood of sites and detailed articles, full of technical words. If you also get the bad idea of ​​reading the posts of some group of sailors on social networks, you start to tremble: the teases towards newbies abound.

I replied to them in rhymes. Instead, I leave you some practical information that will make you feel more aware before leaving, knowing however that the best information on the boat and on the trip you are about to do, will be given by your captain.

The water
Boat water is a precious asset, especially if you want to experience the thrill of not touching the port for a few days. Use it sparingly : turn off the tap as soon as you can, take short showers, one is enough at the end of the day (and not every time you swim). Also in the kitchen you can try to save money, for example by recycling the water that you drain from the pasta – excellent for degreasing dishes – or by using pressure cooker.

The electricity
When you are sailing the energy is supplied by the batteries that power all the appliances on the boat, including navigation instruments, pumps, radio. If needed, the engine is started to recharge them, but it is important not to waste. The rule that also applies at home is worth even more, turning off everything you don’t need . It does not mean that you will be without a phone, but bring a 12 volt car charger with you and be prepared for very long charging times. In the port, however, the system is connected to the 220 volt column, and you can relax.

Respect for the sea
Boat waste management presents some obstacles. It is difficult to find space for separate collection (and, I must say, it is also difficult to find ports with bins that enhance the effort of the division of waste), but one thing is certain: only organic waste goes to sea and, even those, better if away from ports and beaches. All the rest must be kept by boat until the next port. When you do galley better throw the unnecessary wraps before leaving.

I still have a question pending on the glass … There are those who consider it harmless, because inert. I am not convinced, I will go deeper and I will be able to tell you.

If you don’t understand, ask
When the captain explains something, even if he knows he has neophytes in the boat and is animated by the best intentions, he can miss technical terms. He is so used to it that he does not notice and probably in his head that thing cannot be said otherwise. But you and I are not required to know, so we ask. I often realized that the questions I asked, or who had the courage to ask the rest of the crew, were useful for everyone.