Sailing The Dream | Life Aboard

LIFE ABOARD
The day-to-day of living full time on a boat with a dog, the life at sea and at anchor.

Where have we been?

Check in Cayenne, French Guiana - a wild goose chase

Sailing The Dream

Nov 27, 2023

Check in Cayenne, French Guiana - a wild goose chase

We walked the commercial harbour perimeter to reach the entrance road, lined with different businesses, shipping agents -not the authorities

Navigating the South Equatorial Current: Sailing from Brazil to French Guiana

Ana

Nov 18, 2023

Navigating the South Equatorial Current: Sailing from Brazil to French Guiana

Due to the light breeze, our SOW had dropped drastically to just 4.5 knots, whilst the SOG remained at 7 knots, sometimes more!

Ilha dos Lençóis - The island of sand dunes

Ana

May 27, 2023

Ilha dos Lençóis - The island of sand dunes

When going to the village for our daily internet fix we really needed to wait for the high tide to avoid sinking in the soft mud and sand.

Brazil, São Luís - a difficult check-out

Sailing The Dream

May 20, 2023

Brazil, São Luís - a difficult check-out

With the flop of our previous day with the anchorage in Alcântara and now in São Luis with waves breaking violently on our stern

Camocim to Tutóia, or give it a second and third thought to Alcântara

Ana

May 13, 2023

Camocim to Tutóia, or give it a second and third thought to Alcântara

Our SOG getting lower and lower, as we were just past the middle of the bay we were doing only 2 knots and shortly after our speed was betwe

Brazil, Camocim - arrival and departure pass and visit by the Navy

Sailing The Dream

May 10, 2023

Brazil, Camocim - arrival and departure pass and visit by the Navy

We were inside but noticed the jet ski looked like it had Coast Guard signs, so I came to the cockpit to see what it was all about.

Camocim - the village of dunes and freshwater pools

Ana

May 7, 2023

Camocim - the village of dunes and freshwater pools

the view was incredible, we could see the mangrove forest and river extending to our right and several dunes with fresh water pools

Sailing the north coast of Brazil - Cabedelo to Camocim

Ana

Apr 30, 2023

Sailing the north coast of Brazil - Cabedelo to Camocim

A very nervous 1h as we made our way through the narrow passage, but we did cross it without any hiccups.

Brazil, Cabedelo & João Pessoa - arrival and departure we pass with a Customs stressful moment

Sailing The Dream

Apr 25, 2023

Brazil, Cabedelo & João Pessoa - arrival and departure we pass with a Customs stressful moment

But no, they had not mentioned this small detail of the use period matching our original visas, and now we had 3 days to avoid having to pay

Sailing north, up the Brazilian coast - Maceió to Cabedelo

Ana

Apr 23, 2023

Sailing north, up the Brazilian coast - Maceió to Cabedelo

We powered up the radar that was on standby since morning and saw it, the big pink stain indicating that we were right, a Pirajá

Sailing north, up the Brazilian coast - Salvador to Maceió

Ana

Apr 16, 2023

Sailing north, up the Brazilian coast - Salvador to Maceió

For hours that day, the wind would blow nearly nothing (up to 4 knots) or it would be 15-18 knots whenever we got hit by squalls

Brazil, Salvador - arrival and departure pass or maybe it’s not needed - it’s the flavour of the day

Sailing The Dream

Apr 13, 2023

Brazil, Salvador - arrival and departure pass or maybe it’s not needed - it’s the flavour of the day

They called the supervisor that came in and gave us a big lecture that Camamu was part of the Salvador harbourmaster territory…

Transat - Repairs off the beaten track and another lesson learned - part 3

Ana

Apr 8, 2023

Transat - Repairs off the beaten track and another lesson learned - part 3

Between the suitcase and the new autopilot, I was already close to my weight allowance leaving only room for some clothes I could use to pad

Transat - Repairs off the beaten track and another lesson learned - part 2

Ana

Apr 2, 2023

Transat - Repairs off the beaten track and another lesson learned - part 2

After having our spirits crushed again when the autopilot blew the fuse after a couple of hours of use, we decided, we had nothing to loose

Sailing to Camamu, the waterfalls and back to Salvador

Ana

Mar 25, 2023

Sailing to Camamu, the waterfalls and back to Salvador

There were a few narrow passages where we would be way closer to shore than comfortable, at the lowest point of our navigation we found 3.4m

Ana

Mar 18, 2023

The Bay of Todos os Santos, Bahia

big Araras (Macaws) visit the boats on the mooring field looking for snacks and are quite friendly, resting on people’s heads, on the boats

Transat - Repairs off the beaten track and another lesson learned - part 1

Ana

Mar 11, 2023

Transat - Repairs off the beaten track and another lesson learned - part 1

The dark cloud had rolled back over our heads, and we knew we had an urgent problem to be solved before we could start exploring the country

Sailing South, down the Brazilian coast Recife to Salvador

Ana

Mar 5, 2023

Sailing South, down the Brazilian coast Recife to Salvador

We were just doing a huge circle around the boat when we saw a day tripper boat approach our boat a bit without care grabbing the stanchions

Transat - the Hydrovane and the jury rig

Ana

Feb 25, 2023

Transat - the Hydrovane and the jury rig

Despite being back at steering with the Hydrovane quite successfully, the failure of the autopilot presented a huge problem.

Ana

Feb 18, 2023

A taste of Recife and Olinda

Distractedly we followed Google directions, and all of a sudden, we found ourselves in a favela (slum).

Sailing The Dream

Feb 14, 2023

Brazil , Recife - checking in again??

The officers look at John slightly disapproving, and immediately I said I had a pair of trousers for him in the backpack, it was so hot...

Atlantic Crossing - Last leg - Fernando de Noronha to Recife

Ana

Feb 11, 2023

Atlantic Crossing - Last leg - Fernando de Noronha to Recife

I explained we couldn’t go much more to the shallows and that we were just waiting for the night tide to come in although we were having tro

Ana

Feb 5, 2023

Transat - Breakages and risk mitigation

When we set about on this passage we knew that this was not just yet another long passage. This was a challenging route driven by three mome

Brazil, Fernando de Noronha - checking in

Sailing The Dream

Jan 31, 2023

Brazil, Fernando de Noronha - checking in

Everyone already knew we had arrived before we dropped anchor, not because of our AIS or some fancy monitoring system.

Transat Diary - Day 10 + 5 hours and 40 minutes - Land Oh Brazil!

Ana

Jan 29, 2023

Transat Diary - Day 10 + 5 hours and 40 minutes - Land Oh Brazil!

It’s quite an interesting experience to hand steer a 50ft through a mooring field of 30+ft boats after spending more than 10 days at sea

Transat Diary - Day 10 - We caught a fish!

Ana

Jan 29, 2023

Transat Diary - Day 10 - We caught a fish!

We look at our beast! It is gorgeous and will keep us fed for really long time, nothing will go to waste.

Transat Diary - Day 9 - Bye bye Northern Hemisphere!

Ana

Jan 28, 2023

Transat Diary - Day 9 - Bye bye Northern Hemisphere!

A lot of discussion of our track and decisions and we still think our planning was the best bet that involved minimal time in the doldrums

Ana

Jan 27, 2023

Transat Diary - Day 8 - The Doldrums

After a near sleepless night going through what it felt like the deluge of a lifetime we needed to complete the installation of the tiller

Transat Diary - Day 7 - Could it be that we are free?

Ana

Jan 26, 2023

Transat Diary - Day 7 - Could it be that we are free?

After a few hours rest we start working on John’s plan to sort out a structure to mount the tiller Pilot we bought specifically for this

Ana

Jan 25, 2023

Transat Diary - Day 6 - Acceptance

We did a quick test of the autopilot now that it had cooled off but it seems it’s dead. It was just too much pressure from the sea weed

Transat Diary - Day 5 - The butter has melted and maybe also did the autopilot

Ana

Jan 24, 2023

Transat Diary - Day 5 - The butter has melted and maybe also did the autopilot

No matter how we trim the sails we seem to be doing less speed than before, can only imagine how much of this seaweed we are trailing

Transat Diary - Day 4 - Caught in the evil golden claws of Sargassum sea weed

Ana

Jan 23, 2023

Transat Diary - Day 4 - Caught in the evil golden claws of Sargassum sea weed

Since we lost the 240v on the first day the menu consisted of room temperature seafood paella twice, room temperature

Ana

Jan 22, 2023

Transat Diary - Day 3 - Loom and gloom

For some reason I’m not being able to settle the hydrovane on an angle of 110AWA but I can 120-130 and even 80-90AWA but not what we need. (

Transat Diary - Day 2 - No 240v, no hot meals or drinks…

Ana

Jan 21, 2023

Transat Diary - Day 2 - No 240v, no hot meals or drinks…

We spent the entire first half of the day trying to catch up on our sleep but not very effectively, too many things going through our minds.

Ana

Jan 21, 2023

Transat Diary - Day 1 - A rough start

More discussion, after all there was no fat chance to get it fixed in the Cape Verdes so we decided to proceed and shut the raw water intake

Transat - the last day, the last preparations

Ana

Jan 16, 2023

Transat - the last day, the last preparations

With all that done it was time to relax in the cockpit. My mind however had different plans and was constantly going through lists

Cape Verde, Mindelo - checking in, out and about

Sailing The Dream

Jan 6, 2023

Cape Verde, Mindelo - checking in, out and about

He explains he will keep our boat registration documents and that before moving on to another island we need to come here to get a clearance

Mindelo, São Vicente Island, Cape Verde - the wrong turn

Ana

Jan 1, 2023

Mindelo, São Vicente Island, Cape Verde - the wrong turn

That’s when we came to full realisation of our mistake. We should have made landfall on the most Eastern island of the archipelago, Sal.

2022-12-17>23 Passito Blanco, Gran Canaria, Canaries, Spain > Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde

Sailing The Dream

Dec 29, 2022

2022-12-17>23 Passito Blanco, Gran Canaria, Canaries, Spain > Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde

Logbook extract for the sailing trip from Canary Islands, Spain to Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde 849 nautical miles in 152 hours

First trade winds of many - Gran Canaria to Mindelo, Cape Verde’s

Ana

Dec 26, 2022

First trade winds of many - Gran Canaria to Mindelo, Cape Verde’s

We kept the two sails poled for a short while and until after sunset when the wind decided to pick up more than we felt comfortable with

Sailing The Dream

Nov 27, 2022

The Dream - LiFePo4

A total of 600Ah capacity would give us up to 480Ah of usable power (at 80% discharge) of usable capacity with a total weight of 60kg

Galley mini-refit - Gimballed induction cooktop and convection oven

Sailing The Dream

Nov 20, 2022

Galley mini-refit - Gimballed induction cooktop and convection oven

Since the beginning of our boat travels we did not like the idea of LPG on the boat.

An upwind sail from Madeira to La Graciosa, Canaries

Ana

Nov 13, 2022

An upwind sail from Madeira to La Graciosa, Canaries

This was it we were going to sail upwind to the Canaries when most people sail downwid to get there!

Coppercoat antifoul treatment - preparation & application (part 2)

Sailing The Dream

Nov 6, 2022

Coppercoat antifoul treatment - preparation & application (part 2)

This stage of the preparation of the hull was not only backbreaking but also psychologically challenging.

2022-10-25>27 Machico, Madeira, Portugal > Playa Francesca, La Graciosa, Canaries, Spain

Sailing The Dream

Oct 30, 2022

2022-10-25>27 Machico, Madeira, Portugal > Playa Francesca, La Graciosa, Canaries, Spain

Logbook extract for the sailing trip from Madeira, Portugal to La Graciosa, Canary Islands, Spain 272 nautical miles in 46 hours

Coppercoat antifoul treatment - considerations and costs (part 1)

Sailing The Dream

Oct 24, 2022

Coppercoat antifoul treatment - considerations and costs (part 1)

A pure cost analysis not factoring inflation over a period of 10 years puts normal antifoul paint at 4500€ against the 4200€ of Coppercoat

Building a hardtop - costs, other numbers and conclusions (part 6)

Sailing The Dream

Oct 13, 2022

Building a hardtop - costs, other numbers and conclusions (part 6)

To our surprise the weight difference between the old set-up with the original Bimini and the new hardtop was negligible.

Half-day sail from Porto Santo island to Madeira Island

Ana

Oct 12, 2022

Half-day sail from Porto Santo island to Madeira Island

We start getting closer to Madeira, the winds start pressing blowing close to 20 knots true wind, and we pick up a bit more speed 7/8 knots

2022-09-17>20 Cascais, Portugal > Porto Santo, Madeira, Portugal

Sailing The Dream

Sep 25, 2022

2022-09-17>20 Cascais, Portugal > Porto Santo, Madeira, Portugal

Extract of the Logbook for the sailing trip from Cascais, Portugal to Porto Santo, Madeira, Portugal 486 nautical miles in 79 hours

A fast run from Cascais to the Madeira Archipelago

Ana

Sep 21, 2022

A fast run from Cascais to the Madeira Archipelago

The PredictWind routing weather forecast did tell us the previous days that we should have tracked north to try and keep with the winds

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LIFE ABOARD The day-to-day of living full time on a boat with a dog, the life at sea and at anchor.

Where have we been?

LIFE ABOARD
The day-to-day of living full time on a boat with a dog, the life at sea and at anchor.