The first couple of days we had dense fog most of the days. Very interesting sailing with a visibility down to only 30-50 metres (100-150 feet) where anything can pop out of the fog any minute (and you can't hear it because of the motor). Fortunately we didn't encounter big container ships or the like but once a speed boat passed close in front of Rumbera creating a bit of anxiety. One of the few upsides with the fog was a number of fogbows - a phenomenon I had never experienced before… Both days the weather improved late afternoon. Most of the remaining days we had good weather meaning a 50/50 split between sun and overcast and never rain during the day (only one night). When overcast it was around 10-15C (50-60F) and when sunny around pleasant 10C (18F) more….

I didn't have high expectations but still the lack of wind came as a surprise. During the 8 days we only sailed around 2 hours accumulated - incredible that a great body of water can be so calm for so many days.

As a kid I sailed a number of times with some neighbours but if was always so cold that I lost interest. Later - while traveling especially the Caribbean and South Pacific islands - I've gained an interest in sailing often going to the marinas to hang out with sailors. It seems to be a community of easy-going and interesting people and the opportunity of going where few people (can) go fascinates me. Consequently, I've long been toying with the idea of sailing around the world at some point. Of course it's very different being close to shore and even going ashore daily but still this trip was a good chance to get a feeling of life on a sailboat.  

 

Besides the experience of being on a boat I got a feeling of the dynamics of sailing; what to bring and how to store it, what to consider when there is a destinations (contrary to a day trip out of the harbour) and especially all the ongoing planning based on tides, wind, etc.

 

For a trip like this I could not have asked for better company. As expected I had a great time with skipper Mark and despite the many hours we never ran out of topics to talk about. I didn't know Scott and Terry before but they turned out to be equally interesting both with a great sense of humour. What surprised me a little was the limited interaction with other sailors when we docked for the night in a harbour - not that there were many other people at this time of year but most interaction were greetings and pleasantries. I guess one reason was arriving late and leaving early but more importantly it was rare opportunity for the 3 friends to hang out together. For me it was great because it meant time to get to know Scott and Terry and for everybody to get to know me.