“The engine stalls and a huge cargo can already be seen arriving in the distance”: 6 weeks on board a sailboat, time to take stock

After almost 6 weeks on board, I see the end of my stay coming with serenity. I had a lot of fun, but the last “conflict” (jokingly renamed the pussy gate) made me feel, once again, out of place. The reactions of our skipper, Hannah, sometimes overwhelm me, so I thank Léonie, always kind and benevolent, for having forced the discussion that same evening to soothe this cold. However we have no choice, we must continue to work as a team!

The next day, everything seems forgotten. We are ready for the sequel, and what a sequel…

The Curse of the Anchor Continues…

We decide one evening to drop anchor in a small Galician cove. The place is as always in this beautiful and uncrowded region.

But less than 20 minutes after we arrived, we see big black clouds approaching. The wind increases until it roars at us. We take it lightly at first, we even take a photo and find the light created by this magnificent weather. It’s only when the alarm goes off, signaling that our anchor has dropped, that we realize we’re in trouble. : we start the engine but it is not powerful enough to go up the wind which slowly pushes us towards the rocks.

Hannah decides to make a Pan-Pan, i.e. a radio call for help, she is told that the Spanish coastguard cannot intervene for 45 minutes…

It lasts like this for long minutes, the engine allows the force of the wind on Triton to slow down, until time saves us: less than 10 minutes after our request for help, the wind suddenly stops and we turn to take refuge in the nearest door . It’s hard to realize what just happened. Everything feels so intense sometimes on Triton.

La Coruña, my last destination

The next day we head to A Coruña, the largest port in the region. Everything is going well, we even see dolphins. Yesterday’s storm seems far away.

But at the last moment, in the channel that leads to the port, when we have just set sail, Our engine decides to stall and not fire at all. The wind has also stopped, so there is no way to hoist the sails again to get to the port… And of course, because otherwise it wouldn’t be fun, we can’t stay there because we already see a huge cargo ship coming in the distance.

For lack of solution, I burst into nervous laughter, I can’t stop, it’s too much. Every day for a month and a half, I had the impression of having experienced unimaginable things on this boat. I think it’s one time too many. Léonie, always positive, signals a passing boat and the captain agrees to tow us to the port (not without photographing us, even hilarious with the situation).

Six weeks aboard Triton, my assessment

It is in A Coruña that I spend my last days on Triton, there too I take stock of these 6 weeks of adventure. So many things have happened that it’s hard for me to realize. As much as I grumble (Hannah likes to say it’s my French side), I’ve grown attached to this boat, to Hannah, with whom I’ve been living with for a month and a half, as well as to Léonie and Lilas, with whom I’ve spent my best moments on board.

For this series of articles, I’ve mostly talked about the highlights, but daily life was mostly made up of good discussions and shared laughter.

I come away from this experience with many new skills in both navigation and DIY. I also learned lessons from it: I don’t want to travel so far on such an old boat, with such a wayward engine and so little privacy.

That said, I still find the project excellent and would recommend it to anyone who wants to sail but doesn’t have €600 to spend on a week’s sailing course. Here the month and a half on board cost me €900, all inclusive (transport, lodging, meals, etc.).

The rest… On another sailboat!

Let’s get the truth straight: I write these lines as I left Triton almost a month ago. And yes, I’m way behind in these articles because life on board isn’t easy… And I’m back after Triton aboard a new 100% female boat, Styx !

This time everything is different: the boat is bigger (I also have my own cabin), better equipped, newer. We communicate very well and after 3 weeks on board I have not detected the slightest voltage… Now I realize how difficult the conditions were on Tritonand how much it has complicated our daily lives.

At the moment, we are getting to know each other and mastering sailing well by sailing for 3 weeks in Brittany, but the idea is to go to the Azores in August, then Madeira at the beginning of the school year, then the Canary Islandsbefore arriving in November Cape Verde and make an ocean liner to the West Indies then… For the rest we will improvise!

And if you want to follow these new adventures, I have launched a logbook podcast, Les Océanides, available on all listening platforms, as well as on an Instagram page! Kisses and good wind!

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