Year in review

If last year was the year that the virus hit me back, this would be the year that things started for good. 

First, I was back on the water! Two genuinely nice weeks, one in Brittany, one in Corsica. 

Brittany is where my passion grew as a young man and where I spent countless summers in the past. It has not changed much, or only for the good. The sea is still as salvage as always, the changing lights keep giving new shades of blue and pancakes are a constant tribute to my inner Proust. Oh, and Lorient is such a vibrant place: rarely, in any discipline, can one feel to be at the heart of the “place to be.” 

Corsica was a big discovery. It is so easy to fall in love with it: the landscape is astonishing, the conditions are great (bathing closer to winter solstice than to autumn equinox, anyone?), and anchoring is so charmful. 

After some 20 years, sailing has changed a lot, and for the (very) good too. The most striking part is comfort on board: hot water is commonplace, lights everywhere and fridges are a game changer when passage planning. Twin rudders are nice, steering from the wheel feels more realistic, GPS are everywhere. Oh, and weather forecasts are so much better: we, for example, surgically stopped for lunch during a wind shift that implied a calm zone of a few hours, something too unpredictable in the past. And social network apps that inform about the details of a stopover: a complete blast! 

There is truly little that I missed: front sail hoisting or cleaning dishes in a bucket come to mind but this is nostalgia speaking 😊 Oh, and motor manoeuvring is a completely new skill set that I still need to master.  

I managed to visit two boatyards: Outremer/Gunboat and Allure/Garcia, both worth the trip. They give a true sense of the work that goes into producing boats. The welcome in both places was very warm and attentive despite me saying upfront that my projects were not imminent and their order books being very full. As I mentioned a year ago, my heart is shifting towards catamarans and the visits confirmed that. BUT it is not that simple. First, I remain a major fan of Aluminium. Then, draught, a major plus of catamarans, is not such a big problem with a swing keel (e.g., Allures 45.9). An Outremer 45 is beautiful, of course, but the compromise towards speed implies some missing equipment and narrow hulls which goes against the implied benefits of catamarans. So, the new Outremer 52 is what makes my heart (and reason) melt but then, do I seriously have what it takes to do passages at 12-15kn? Oh, yes, and then the price 😊 😊 😊  

I managed to attend the Paris boat show, the Nautic. It was a pleasant experience altogether, but it is fair to say that it is not what it used to be, nor something I will return to every year. It was though good to understand from leasers what it implies to own/lease a boat, to understand alternatives to owning and renting a boat (spoiler: the options are disappointing). Boat-wise, the choice was limited but I left with no regrets since I visited them all. Aside from the amazing Allures 45.9, I was conquered by the RM 1380 (for holiday rentals) and saw plenty of smart ideas from other models on display. I look forward to attending Dusseldorf in a couple of weeks. 

Which brings me to the plans for 2023. A nice rental is planned for Easter, a regatta in the Channel, may be a separate more sportive rental, a training specialized on motor manoeuvring (boring but necessary), further boat shows, etc. Oh, and more exercise (2022 was not that bad) and be mindful of the weight scale. 

A final word on this blog. It is fair to say that I did more sailing than blogging this year (as it should be!). I removed most of the social engagement aspects and brought the (limited) posts upfront. I am more active on twitter, but I rather follow things that deal with the (amazing) offshore racing scene and I do not find the niche community that suits me. YouTube is still a prime source of information where I keep enjoying boat tours and (professional) construction builds. 

Sail on, 

Joe 

As 2021 comes to an end, it is time to wrap up what has been the rebirth of a lifelong passion.

The year has altogether been a blast. The “flame”, the “vice”, the “passion”: it’s back and possibly for good. A cynical observer would say that I did not sail for a minute, but the other half of the glass looks nicer.

First, there’s this web and a twitter account. It doesn’t get me closer from sailing but it’s a way for me to put thoughts together, engage with like-minded #twailors, stay informed.

Then, teased by the possibility of winning a ride on their crazy machines (Ultimes, etc), I engaged in a few races on Virtual Regatta, with the sub-idea of working on my weather skills. I am not (yet?) hooked but haven’t resigned. Routing is of course an art to master, but I am not clear if this is closer to e-gaming (the web is full of tutorials on how to take advantage of tweaks) than to serious passage planning (e.g. the clubs growing around Virtual Regatta seem to be anchored in egaming clubs as opposed to sailing ones). In any case, playing with the full tool set requires too regular attention for my busy life.

Reading, podcasting and YouTubing have been quite intense too. Journey tales, races’ reports, boats’ guided tours: I spent a fair amount of energy on these. Looking forward, I should probably focus more on cruising and less on racing, but racers tell so nice stories, and 2021 was full of them.

As part of these readings, a copernican revolution has happened: while I was raised to believe that only monohulls were proper boats, picking a catamaran is now probably ahead in my heart. I won’t re-open here such endless debate and there’s so many things to factor in, but should I take the sea tomorrow, with a lower latitude programme and no budget constraints, then a catamaran it would be. Is it age? Is it a changing/maturing industry? Is it fascinating advocates? In a nutshell, the one who sparked such thought are the Nieutin. A thought I parked until I bumped into La Vagabonde making a big plea and I read the book they advised, followed by inspiring discussions such as those by Ruby Rose or the O’Kelly’s. This is not a final say, just my current mood.

Another thing that has grabbed my attention is energy management on board. I am just done with some winter reading (Voiles et Voiliers, Oceanvolt’s 2021 advent calendar) and while the theory is now clear (I never owned a boat so my knowledge was limited to making sure the batteries don’t go too down), I am fascinated by the speed at which things are evolving. I am in particular very eager to understand the 5-10 years outlook: will (strict) no-diesel become the norm, and what are the missing breakthroughs to really get there. Any forward looking content to read/watch?

This is not to say that all is rosy. To start with, this web page hasn’t attracted much interest. Not too surprising: it’s unclear whether there’s a community out there for this niche discussion, many of the sub-topics (e.g. picking a boat) are amply covered in other places, and a blog has a fraction of the natural traffic other media have (e.g. facebook). I might get rid of the community part (and keep it to a « simple » blog), or give it a second chance with adding analytics, setup a facebook page/group, etc.

Then, there’s health. The idea of sailing late in life presupposes a neat condition fairly late in life. No biggie in 2021, but somehow little injuries take longer to heal, extra kilos are harder to lose and Covid is of course looming all around.

Speaking about Covid, attending fairs is probably the biggest fail of 2021 despite keen tentatives. Cannes felt at the wrong moment for me, La Rochelle is quite distant, Paris ended up too small in size to justify the trip. Looking forward, Düsseldorf is heading the same path as Paris, and la Grande Motte falls during Easter, which might prove difficult. I should probably explore other locations (I am simply not aware of other large fairs in Europe) and I also have in mind to visit some shipyards directly.

As for 2022, the first full year in this renewed passion, a few things are already on the horizon. Easter might give room to a real back-to-the-helm moment, and a week of sailing is safely booked in the Spring. I am scratching my head for the summer: Ocean Challenge? Purchase a dinghy? Tour the shipyards? A week at sea with friends?

As well, I am considering some distance classes, not in sailing but in mechanics, radio, weather or medical. Not sure which to prioritize but that is certainly an asset now that I have time on land 🙂

This is it for this season, safe passage to all!

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