life ON board

Discovering life at the sea

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The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.

Isak Dinesen

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MEET US

THE PROJECT

PARTNERS

SAILING RIDES

To know everything about this project, click the links above.

Ask us anything you want, subscribe our newsletter, or if interested in having us on board just send us and email here! We would love to hear from you. Cheers! Carmo & Inês

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It was written after our sailing adventure of 100days on board, and it has the best tips.

Have a look at our guide to help you travel by sailboat, on a budget. It’s the perfect kit to prepare for your next sailing adventure!

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LET’S SAIL THE WORLD

Learning how to do it & getting lost. In that line between the blue of the sea and blueish of the sky.

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#day100

Finito & What’s next?

To be honest I didn’t even noticed it was already the 100th day on board! Time went by so fast.... Sailing takes away the notion of time. Since the last post, I’m currently living on board of a sailboat. Inês is in Lisbon and we are working together, at distance. This adventure was much more than a summer plan and it has affected us deeply, in the best way possible. We couldn’t be happier to have started it and to have joined that first sailboat 6 months ago in Portugal. 

Now, over 10 different sailboats and over 1000 nautical miles after, the #100daysonboard are complete!!! 

We are happy to have closure on it and we also excited about the next chapter: The sailor’s interviews! 

We hope you enjoyed following our adventures at sea, as much as we did. And we want you to stay tuned for the next part: the life ON board interviews!

Keep posted & see you soon,

Carmo & Inês

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#DAY100

So this is Greece!

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#day91

Sailing in Greece!

I left Lisbon by plane to arrive to Corfu Island. There I met again with ‘Less than ten degrees’ and joined their boat, as they sailed South from Corfu to Lefkas Island. The plan is to do a three day sailing until Lefkas marina. They will be spending the winter there, fixing the boat and preparing everything for the next season. Today I am excited to be on board again, specially to be sailing in the Ionian Sea. It feels like summer here, but we know there are some storms to come.

We leave today towards Paxos and then Lefkas.

Let’s go!

Carmo

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#day90

Inês & Carmo sailing together again!

So after nearly 3 months at sea, I decided to fly to back Lisbon. There I met again with Inês and we decided to hitchhike again, together!!! We found a skipper sailing up the west coast of Portugal and we joined him during 3 sailing days!

His name is Will and he is a mechanical engineer who used to do professional sailing too. He owns a Rival 32ft called Mangata from 1983. You can check his sailing page here. Together we sailed from Olhão to Portimão. Light wind, dolphins and shooting stars, that sums it up!

It was so good to be together again, sailing and listening to Will’s best sailing stories. Now we are both in Lisbon, and who knows what comes next??

Keep posted while we pursue the goal of finishing the 100 days on board!

Sea you soon,

Carmo and Inês

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#DAY90

Sailing in Portugal...

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#day80

Meeting Riley and Elayna from ‘Sailing La Vagabond’

Guess who we met in Menorca, by pure coincidence, only a few meters away from us in the same anchorage? Riley and Elayna, from ‘Sailing La Vagabond’, with their brand new catamaran and their patreons on board. The crew of this boat, ‘Less than ten degrees’ already knew them, so they invited us on board of their boat for some sunset drinks and good laughs. They ended up interviewing the crew I am currently sailing with and later we joined them again for drinks, but this time in the marina.

There was a huge group of patreons on board, and it was a great night. I can’t stop thinking how hard it must be to your life completely exposed online. Can imagine it brings as many good things as it brings bad.

Two days later we had the coincidence to meet them again, relaxed while walking in the marina. This time they’re alone and ‘off duty’, the talk was brief yet pleasant. And that made wander if they don’t miss being unknown?

Well, all that is left to say, best of luck on your sailing adventures Sailing La Vagabonde!

Sea you soon,

Carmo

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#day70

Sailing into a natural reserve

We got a permit, and sailed to Cabrera Island! Cabrera with its islets and well preserved nature, is nowadays one of the most important destinations for ecological seaside tourism. As in the Middle Ages, pirates looked for sanctuary in this island, the Mallorcans, in the 14th century, protected the island with this fortress. And nowadays it is considered Spanish national treasure. The harbour is sheltered, was the perfect day for end of season weather! 

Sea you soon,

Carmo

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#DAY70

Paradise

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#day60

Why I love having the night-shift

We did night sailing yesterday. It was memorable but left us exhausted! My shift was from 1.30 to 4.30 am. Alone, I was steering with everyone more less asleep ‘in the corners’. I did not use the auto-helm once. There were big, side and back, waves against us as the boat sailed downwind with 25 to 30 knots. I love the thrill of having it in my hands. What a night, what a feeling!!

Eventually it got too windy, I needed to jibe and for that I had to ask for help. The waves grew higher, the wind was blowing stronger and it was time to reef the main sail!

By the time we did so, my shift was over and body was asking me to go to sleep. When I woke up, the sun was rising and we had already arrived to Palma. That’s where we’re now. We’ll be staying here for a couple of days, enjoying the comfort of the RCNP marina and all the land distractions that come with it.

Tonight there’s a crew member birthday to celebrate so... it looks like we’re having a different kind of long night!

Sea you soon,

Carmo

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#DAY60

Reunited with the crew

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#day 50

Half is done, half to go! Who is going where?

It is hard to explain the last days, because so much has happened. We left Mahón by bus and arrived to Port de Ciutadella, the western harbour in the island of Menorca. 

There we spent the night in a Spanish boat, by pure luck! We arrived quite late to the harbour, and unexpectedly we met a group of sailors who after a few minute of small talk let us sleep on their boat for the night. The next morning we left early, to look for a French boat we already knew it would be there and got back on board! We sailed together with this French skipper during 4 days. It was amazing! The smallest and oldest boat we’ve been so far, a 30ft sailboat from 1968. We crossed from Menorca to Majorca, discovered incredible anchorages and even spent my birthday onboard with a small party – a made-up apple pie cake and candle. It was both great and sad at the same time. Because this was the last time Inês and I sailed on the same boat… (at least for now). Inês had to fly to Lisbon, due to work and university arrangements and I decided to continue at sea. In Alcúdia we finally split up after 46 days together. Inês found another sail boat to take her to the airport, by sea! And I decided to take the ferry to meet a previous boat we have already sailed with. So three days after the “breakup” here I am celebrating #day50. I have joined ‘Less than ten degrees’ sailboat and now I plan to sail with them until October. With them I’ll be doing the same route, me and Ines have already done with different boats – Ibiza – Majorca – Menorca – but I am sure it will be different this time. I am on a sailboat I already know with a crew I can’t wait to get to know better. I hope you’re enjoying. 

Keep posted as the second chapter of this adventure unfolds…

Cheers, Carmo & Inês

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#DAY50

A lot has changed!