Some of you probably noticed that we have a new sailing adventure on our offer, it is a trip from Giblartar to Lanzarote. We recommend this sailing trip for travellers with previous sailing experiences because it is something different from our standard offer.
For those who wonder how it is to sail one day after another without seeing land, I have an answer; kind of boring and magical at the same time! It is for sure one of “the experiences”, you sit on the deck, look at the stars and feel the ocean. And “feel the ocean” isn't just a nonsense phrase, it is your reality on such a long sail trip. The reason is, that the waves are long and constant, and you learn to live with their rhythm. After 48 hours you stop noticing them and accept this is your reality. You cook in this rhythm, you sleep in this rhythm, you just get used to it, and it is amazing!
As a sailor in the middle of nowhere, you are outside the connected world, off the grid.
"There are three sorts of people: those who are alive, those who are dead, and those who are at sea"
But now some more practical pieces of information. This isn’t an easy trip, hopefully not because of the weather, but because we will stay in a small space for around 6-7 days straight. And if you want to join us, you need to accept that when we leave, there is no getting off until we reach Lanzarote. We will sail day and night, day after day. But it is not as scary as it sounds!
Some of you probably read about my sailing adventure on the captain page. I built the boat and sailed to canary Island single-handed (solo) from Portugal. It took me 6,5 days and it was amazing! Sunsets, stars, massive ocean waves and dolphins!
You can check my video on YT to see what it looks like (i added subtitles) and check if that is what you want to sign up for. But remember, I did it on a very small boat, and alone. You will not be alone, we will do it as a crew! (in far more luxurious conditions!)
What we do while sailing:
The passage will take around a week, and this is a time when we can catch up with every book, podcast, movie and series that we always postpone. And if you think “ok, but what about feeling free and sailing past the horizon… well, this is exactly this! Watch series, sit on the deck with a hot cup of coffee and admire the sunset or stars, and lay down in the sun. We finally have time for this!
What we cook:
for a such trip, we won't use a fridge due to high energy consumption. So before leaving we will do a crew meeting and plan our dinners at least 9 days in advance. We will buy mostly vegetables, pasta and some good quality canned food. Remember we also have an oven, so we can get very creative. But according to my experience, there will be every type of pasta ❤
What about the hygiene:
On board we have shower, but in tanks we take only 180 liters of water, and we need to really pay attention to our water consumption. A very good choice are the wet tissues, and this of you who were camping i don't even need to encourage for this. It's only a few days at the ocean, it won't be that bad ;)
How do we sleep?
Before leaving we will discuss the watch system. The most popular is 2 people, 4 hours on watch, 8 hours off. It gives a possibility to get some good sleep. We will give it a try for the first 48 hours and then we will find out if is it working or if we need to do some adjustments. We will sail mostly downwind, so sleep comfort will be really good.
Safety on board:
it’d be stupid to fall off the boat when there are at least 200 km to the nearest land, so at night, in bad weather or when I order that, we always connect ourselves to the boat using lifelines. After some time it starts to be your natural habit.
The boat is also equipped with Garmin Inreach, which allows us to communicate with the outside world and in case of an emergency call for help.
We have also a raft in the worst case.
In summary, it won't be easy, but it will be worth it! It is the best occasion to try to sail outside the tourist routes, to feel the open ocean, and to look at it from a different perspective! I will be very happy to show you everything I know and to experience this adventure with you!
Any doubts or questions?
Just ask!
And stay safe!
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