Newsletter July 2006 < click on text to go back to news page

The live onboard life is for real now, Sea Otter is in the Mediterranean and so am I. Right now we are in Malta where we do a lot of local sailing, discovering the islands with all its beautiful bays. Most of the time we are based in a marina because we have to finish the interior work like the ceiling and a few other minor items. There are a few alterations, which I found out on the trip down here, those have to be done before we move on. Béa and I have decided to stay here over the winter to do all the major works in one place at one time. But let us go back to where I left you last time.

Thank God for the good English Healthcare System, it did save my life. Although I was not lucky to have suffered a heart attack, I was lucky to be on the Isle of Wight and end up at S:t Mary’s Hospital in Newport. It was a state of the art hospital, built as a showcase for the rest of the UK healthcare system. A hospital can be top modern but it will not function without top personnel. The doctors and nurses on this hospital were all, without exception, most professional, attentive and caring. There is one I will never forget, chief secretary Jane on the intensive care ward. She was helping me through all the paperwork for the healthcare system and my personal insurance company, she “went out of the way” to help me with all sorts of things. Thank you Jane!

Last time I wrote I was still in Sweden. Nordic winter eventually turned to spring, late however. It was the coldest winter for years with a lot of snow and I enjoyed it while it lasted. But spring came and the “sailing nerve” started to come alive. During my stay at S:t Mary’s hospital in Isle of Wight, Sea Otter was taken, once again, on land safely secured for the winter. A few jobs had to be done in my absence and I was in constant contact with a couple of enterprises in Cowes Yacht Haven. Cowes Yacht Haven marina was looking after Sea Otter in general, stored equipment and were responsible for the haul out and back into the water. They were also connecting me with the other enterprises when I failed to get in contact with them. Two persons whom I am specially thankful to are Colin (Chief of the marina) and “Rooky” (boatlift chief) and master of all practical things, thank you for helping out, both of you, oh, we mustn’t forget “Squirrel” at the office.

So one day early in May, I arrived in Cowes, more precisely the 4^th of May. I found out that only half the things were done on the “to do list”. Now I had to start chasing people all over. I had to have the things done before the rest of the crew arrived. The other crew members were two happy sailors from Stenungssund, north of Gothenburg. Most things were ready when Peter and Sven-Olof (called Esso) arrived at the 9^th. Sea Otter was again in the water the 11^th. We had planned to depart not later than the 14^th, because Peter had to be back in Sweden by the first days in June. Well, preparations and provisioning was ready the 12^th and the 13^th we departed Cowes.

The first 24 hours out of Cowes we could sail and then the wind died. The second day we found a diesel leak from the aft tank this time. The guest cabin, where Peter resided, had to be evacuated. Now Peter and Esso had to share bunk in the main cabin. “Great news”, what more would happen?

Anyway, we continued motor sailing westward to find promised wind. Nothing changed so we turned south towards La Coruña in Spain. Two thirds passed over the Bay of Biscay the wind picked up, however from the wrong direction. We tacked our way forward to find the southerly winds outside the Portuguese coast. Life on board became routine and amazingly all systems worked perfect onboard. We sailed well outside the coast of the Iberian Peninsula enjoying the steady northwest breeze with the long Atlantic waves. The first life at sea emerged from the deep, a flock of pilot whales gave us escort a few miles. We had daily visits of dolphins. These amazing animals were abundant all the way to Malta. The good weather (mostly) lasted to just before Gibraltar. Approaching the narrow strait of Gibraltar, it was like the nature told us to stay out and not enter the Mediterranean Sea. We made a “pitstop” in Gibraltar to refuel and provision a bit. We were on our way again within 4 hours. A few hours out of Gibraltar hell broke loose. The next week we had noting less than force 5 to 7 straight in the nose. We had to tack between the Moroccan coast and Costa del Sol, then between Algeria and the Balearic Islands. The perfect plan was one week to Gibraltar (which we kept) and six days more to Malta, this unexpected weather delayed our arrival in Malta by a week.

We had taken into account the possibility of weather delay, but not this in the “Med” at this time of the year. The good thing is that I have tried every possible sail combination on Sea Otter, so I know how she behaves in different weather situations except full storm. Eventually we reached as far as south of Mallorca, here the wind died. We motored for two days towards Sardinia. On this calm part of the trip we saw quite a few sea turtles basking at the surface. When we came closer to them they lifted their heads to check if we were any threat to them. Apparently we were not and they soon relaxed again. Closer to Sardinia the wind picked up again. Now we had the same wind force but from astern. On this leg we made the speed record of 14.1 knot early one morning, not bad for a heavy non-racing boat. OK, it was surfing down an enormous wave, the full main Genoa out and three reefs in the mainsail, still it was very fast for a hull shape like Sea Otter. Day and night we were fighting our way towards Malta, trying to avoid collision with fishing vessels all over the sea, they occurred specially at night. I have to add that all the way we had to hand steer as the main autopilot was not coupled, the little “emergency” pilot barely make it up to 10 knots wind, but not from behind. A few times when Sea Otter took a “stomach splash” and the whole boat shuddered violently, especially the rig, I was a bit nervous, to say the least. However, everything kept together, nothing broke and all systems worked very well all the trip. Finally the night between the 1^st and 2^nd of June we entered the Grand Harbour of Valletta. The sea and wind stayed at the same force until we passed the breakwater to the harbour. Then, silence, nothing moved, except us. It was a strange feeling after all those windy days at sea. For a Nordic sailor, I was in for a surprise as I entered the marina. Of course, in the Mediterranean you always moor up stern to quay. In the middle of the night I had to practise this new thing, with a Sea Otter who is not at all willing to steer the course I want in reverse. With her semi-long keel and a rudder well behind the propeller she needs speed to steer in the desired direction and speed is the least you want in a crowded marina 2 o’clock at night. Well, we docked without any incident, calmed down with a whiskey and went to sleep. We had made it to the “Med”.

A few days later Peter, who had been the most wonderful cook for the whole trip, had to go back to Sweden and “Esso” gave him company home. Not one day at sea we were without at least one hot meal, I still don’t know how Peter did it. The stove at 45 degrees angle, he was preparing all sorts of goodies. I mean preparing goodies, not just heating up tin food. No matter how bad the sea was, he was always smiling in the galley, even when the occasional piece of food took a jump to the floor.

As I said in an earlier letter, Béa is still working September out and then she will join me full time here. She visits me every month for 5 days, but it is empty in between. It became even emptier early this month when our companion since 15 years, our beloved Labrador dog, died. I had her with me all winter in Sweden as usual, but we decided not to have her onboard for the long non-stop trip o Malta. She stayed with friends in May and then as soon as I was down in Malta Béa came down with Air Malta, bringing the dog. Pharis, the dog’s name, had a crisis with her heart in May, but recovered well and was fit for the flight down. After a month here, she had another heart crisis and decided not to live anymore. She died in my lap just before the vet arrived. The same evening my wonderful ever helping boat neighbour helped me with a nice burial at sea.

Back to the beginning of this letter, when not working on the boat I go sailing and diving round the islands. When Béa is here we are discovering a new life together living on a boat. I cannot wait until she is here for “real”, I also need her to organise things better than I manage onboard. I promised pictures from the new interior and a few from the trip down to Malta. It will come, as soon as I can get an internet connection with some speed. Further, I will continue to insert pictures from our life here and the surrounding sea. I have seldom seen so clean waters in the Mediterranean as here, the harbours excepted. The latter is a tragedy, people are not educated to take care of the nature of their land. Luckily the sea and the bays are clean so the visibility for diving is among the better, including the Red Sea.

Next, what happens after the winter? Of course we have plans, but things can change. A Scandinavian summer coming up via the European canals would not be bad.

Until next time, have a good summer.

Chris and Béa.