Bluewater sailing requires patience, persistence and optimism. Buying a boat I'd never set eyes on in Portugal, equipping and sailing her across to Panama, in a pandemic, then shipping her to the US West Coast took more than a little of all of the above.
I began boatless in a US market nearly devoid of inventory. Searching online for months turned up a great boat, which happened to be in Spain: a newish 2012 50ft, roomy, quick-sailing Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 509. Her owners had abandoned their hopes of a round-the-world voyage, and left her lying in a Spanish marina, banging against a dock with black rub rails. She looked a bit bruised, but Kaholo was only lightly used.
Then the challenges began. Burdened with high Covid rates, Spain refused entry to our crew. Nearby Gibraltar didn't want us either. Finally Portugal made an exception for us as a professional delivery crew. We had the boat delivered to Vilamoura, a good place to commission with a tidy little boatyard and lift. It was a fortunate choice because, as it turned out, the standing rigging needed replacing, and rigger Pete Keeping has a shop there. Eager to set out across the Atlantic, I became the boatyard's most persistent customer, making daily rounds to cajole Pete and the many local specialists, like stainless fabricator Sergio Rilho and mechanic Mr. Conde.
Finally, after a month of polite pestering amid supply chain disruptions, we had new standing rigging and were commissioned, fully provisioned, and ready to set sail. As we made a final sea trial off the white sand beaches of the Algarve, I took a look back at the marina I'd been struggling to leave for over a month, and had the completely unexpected thought: "I'm going to miss this place."
PORTUGUESE TRADES
Denne historien er fra June 2022-utgaven av Yachting World.
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Denne historien er fra June 2022-utgaven av Yachting World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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NIKKI HENDERSON
WHERE DO YOU FIND HANDY BILLY WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
MATTHEW SHEAHAN
IS OLYMPIC SAILING ACTUALLY HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AS A SHOWCASE OF THE SPORT FOR BOTH COMPETITORS AND SPECTATORS?
Building fleet for Baltic Sea Race
The second edition of the Roschier Baltic Sea Race, a 635-mile race out of Helsinki, Norway, saw varied conditions and a new benchmark course time set.
New cruising charter 'Odyssey'
Charter company Dream Yacht has launched a new round the world supported cruising programme for yacht owners which draws on the company's extensive network of charter bases.
Mixed fortunes at Marseille
The Paris 2024 sailing regatta saw mixed fortunes for many favourites - some confirming their dominance, others crashing out as variable winds played havoc.
The yacht Bayesian
Bayesian is one of Italian yard Perini Navi's 56m series, originally named Salute.
Seven dead in superyacht sinking
Seven people are dead following the sinking of the superyacht Bayesian, a 56m/184ft British-flagged Perini Navi, off the coast of Sicily.
5 EXPERT TIPS HELENA DARVELID ON MULTIHULL CONTROL
Performance multihull racing is growing hugely in popularity. Helena Darvelid shares some key learnings with Andy Rice
PALMA'S FUN FACTOR
FUN ON AND OFF THE WATER IS AN UNBEATABLE COMBINATION AT THE SUPERYACHT CUP PALMA, WRITES PHIL RILEY
SWAN 88 DREAMCATCHER
GLOBAL LEADERS AT THE SEMI-CUSTOM END OF THE PRODUCTION SCENE, NAUTOR SWAN INVITED US FOR THE FIRST SEA TRIALS OF ITS BIG NEW 88