2018 Season Three : Final Thoughts

This had been our best season of the last three for many reasons. It was the first season where we actually cruised outside of France, (although the Corsican’s would say otherwise). We enjoyed some great sailing and loved how the boat handled.  We got to spend more time with the terrific people who make up this mobile cruising community, both old friends and new ones.

We learned that while things were going well we best enjoy it and not stress overmuch about what might happen later, and we did enjoy the good stuff a lot more. (Dodgy anchoring, vigorous weather, clearing in/out procedures, etc would frequently be anxiety provoking, but didn’t need to over shadow the whole experience). Traveling to Tunisia was a good reminder that you need to keep an open mind and heart, and seek out your own first-hand experiences. (That’s not to say we would travel somewhere on purpose if the state department was warning otherwise, and Tunisia was at the same concern level as Italy for those who were wondering).

The big challenges continued to be the insufficient charging / electrical system, the inefficient (and now dead) water maker, and the tumultuous weather from mid August on. There were so many thunder storms and lightening strikes on boats this season, that it seemed inevitable that we would get hit..fingers crossed on that front! We got over the anchoring anxiety with other boats anchored too close, and the fridge and freezer ran the whole time for once! Traveling to the Balearic, Egadi, Aeolian Islands, visiting southern Sardinia, almost circumnavigating Sicily, the unplanned (but good) trip to Tunisia, and the last minute boat delivery with Scotty and his new family, were all highlights for us.

Over the winter we will continue to work on laying out the new electrical system, (including ordering the new alternators), get our back-up Spectra water-maker operational (hopefully or we need a new one), learning more about blogging and how to clean up the posts and site a bit, (we need quite a bit of education on this front and a new camera!!!), catching up with family and friends, and planning next years cruising itinerary.

Thanks for following and have a splendid holiday season!

Cheers, Todd and Virginia