After spending the months of European winter enjoying summer in Australia we are finally back at The Dream with a reasonable amount of tasks to be done before being able to set sails again, this time towards the Mediterranean Sea.
Despite a major cleaning, restocking and reorganisation of some cupboards and bilges we were pending to get canvas works completed. These should have been completed by the time of our arrival with only minor adjustments to be done but truth be said that’s not what happened, a lot is still to be completed and honestly speaking I don’t think all will be finished on time. As usual, when things are not done by us or with very tight supervision they tend not to get done correctly, etc, etc, despite the fact that we are paying the premium price for all works and using a world-renowned company.
North Sails (Cascais branch), a total rip, off.
It is what it is, and we will have to swallow this big elephant because we just can’t stay longer in Portugal to deal with it through the Consumer Protection Bureau or whatever is called here. Note to self never use North Sails again, or pay them more than 10% deposit for any job.
We’ve waited enough for a weather window and after maybe 3 big North Atlantic storms that grounded us in the marina for way too long with spectacular waves crashing over the walls, the opportunity to leave it’s here.
It’s time to leave and focus on the bigger picture, our first big destination is the Balearic Islands but to get there we will be doing some stopovers along the way to reduce the sail to mostly day sails (or one night). First stops are like a Dejá vù, Vilamoura and Gibraltar once again.
We debated stopping in Faro and Ayamonte also but we need to clear The Dream from the EU VAT zone so we will leave it for next time we are in the area.
Off course besides the dramas with the canvas work until the very last minute before our departure, the Bowthruster decide it had enough and is not powering up (it was working fine two days ago when we tested everything), had to ask the Marinero to be on standby on their dinghy to help us manoeuvring out of our berth. The spot doesn’t have enough room to allow us to get steering and turn without the Bowthruster help.
Despite all these problems it’s good to be back on the water and feel the freedom on our faces.
***In the spirit of sharing our dreams and experiences we have shared this blog post in the NOFOREIGNLAND.COM website sailors community.