Sailing

We’re actually here to sail, but in the first week, we’re hit by the Bora. This gives us, and especially Charly, the chance to just settle in.

The Bora is a typical downslope wind for the Croatian coast. It thunders down to the coast from altitudes of up to 2000 meters during certain weather conditions. These winds are ice-cold and can reach hurricane strength in parts of Croatia. Despite professional support from Ed, we stay in the harbor for now and thank Poseidon for the invention of the diesel heater, without which Alexandra’s whining would probably be unbearable.

At least there’s entertainment at the harbor: The sailing school on the neighboring pier is seriously practicing docking and undocking in this wind, which is really very challenging.

Alexandra met Ed during her ASA course in Rijeka. Ed, who is freshly moved to Pula with his Croatian wife from the States, is an ASA instructor himself and essentially inspected the sailing school in Rijeka, where he is likely to be employed. However, he would probably do some things differently in the classes. Since he likes us and finds our plans interesting, and fortunately, he is a bit bored as he is still waiting for his work permit, he offers to join us and show us a few tricks. Of course, we gratefully accept.

On our first outing, we still have strong winds and can really whip the 410 through the waves, Charly and Alexandra are less thrilled than I am. Docking afterward is a big challenge for me, and I end up providing entertainment for the harbor. Miraculously, I manage to get into our way too small slot without ramming other boats, but it was close and half the harbor helped by shouting and waving.

For Charly, Alexandra, and my back, it was all a bit too much. So, we take it easier the next few days, just like the wind. We putter around a bit with the motor, practice docking and undocking, practice anchoring, and sail a few maneuvers under Ed’s guidance in light wind. We enjoy the beautiful spring days and let our souls dangle. Charly also gets used to the new environment and slowly takes over the ship. Saying he enjoys sailing would be an exaggeration, but he seems not too stressed and not seasick either.

*This blog post has been automatically translated by a Large Language Model.