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McGyver Mode Activated: Life on the Water, One Fix at a Time

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Life aboard a sailboat has a funny way of flipping the script. One moment you’re sipping coffee while dolphins dance alongside your bow, and the next you’re elbow-deep in the guts of your Autopilot, channeling your inner McGyver. When you live on a boat, it’s never a question of if something will break. It’s when. This time, it was the Autohelm 2000 throwing a fit—again. I’d already shared in the last episode how it failed us mid-sail, and… Read More »McGyver Mode Activated: Life on the Water, One Fix at a Time

Anchored in Costa Brava: The Last Days of Summer

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Anchored in Costa Brava, Spain, we soaked in what felt like the final days of summer. It was mid-November when we recorded this video, having just left Port Saint Louis du Rhône, escaping the heavy winds that were now approaching our side of the Bay of Lyon. We hurried to sail further southwest, eventually finding a beautiful little bay—calm, secluded, and the perfect spot to stay for a few days. The water was crystal clear… Read More »Anchored in Costa Brava: The Last Days of Summer

A Rough Start: Of course, it didn’t go as planned

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Isn’t it always a brilliant idea to kick off your first departure in months with an overnight passage? As I mentioned in my last article, I was eager to leave the Camargue and the Mistral region as quickly as possible. Getting stuck there for weeks—or worse, facing brutal weather—wasn’t exactly part of my plan. We set off in light winds, which soon faded to nothing, leaving us drifting. And then, just before sunset, the wind… Read More »A Rough Start: Of course, it didn’t go as planned

Leaving Bouches du Rhône: The Calm Before the Storm

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There are two types of wind in Bouches du Rhône: none or too much. The week I spent working on Santana in Port St. Louis du Rhône in early November 2024 was the former—no wind at all. The days were sunny, warm, and felt like a wonderful late summer. Simply perfect weather to get everything ready. It was the calm before the storms that would soon roll through. Memories of Stagnation in the South of… Read More »Leaving Bouches du Rhône: The Calm Before the Storm

Turning the Ocean into Drinking Water

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Here we go—still on the hard in Port Saint Louis du Rhône. Just in time, the package from Germany arrived with the watermaker, a reverse osmosis desalinator. This is my first project with Nike, and I want to have it installed before we splash so we can produce our own drinking water whenever we need it. Choosing the Right Watermaker Over the years, I did quite a bit of research and explored the available options.… Read More »Turning the Ocean into Drinking Water

A New Season of Untie The Lines Begins

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Hey there, The new season of Untie The Lines just started last week, and I couldn’t be happier that Nike captured so much of our journey. Watching these episodes brings back countless memories—some vivid, others I had almost forgotten. It’s fascinating how many moments slip through the cracks when you’re constantly taking in new experiences. Preparing Santana for the Journey Back in November, we kicked off our journey in Port Saint Louis du Rhône, where… Read More »A New Season of Untie The Lines Begins

15th August 2024 – Elba, Corsica, Marseille

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Hello there,I hope this message finds you well.I wanted to update you a bit sooner, but unexpected travel got in the way. Let me take you back to about a month ago. After successfully fixing the chainplates on Santana, I enjoyed some time in the south of Elba, where the crystal-clear waters were breathtaking. Up until early July, things were a bit cooler, thanks to the weekly Scirocco winds. For those unfamiliar, the Scirocco is… Read More »15th August 2024 – Elba, Corsica, Marseille

26th June 2024 – back in the Mediterranean

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Hey my friend,What a trip it has been! Mexico City, Frankfurt, Engelskirchen, Workum, Bonn, La Spezia, Elba, Capraia, and back to Elba.These were the destinations since my last post. It’s been a whirlwind of time shifts, sleepless nights, hours and hours in the car, and finally, sailing again.I haven’t started the refit of Santana’s chainplates and knees yet but plan to do that within the next 14 days. I’ll post a couple of photos or… Read More »26th June 2024 – back in the Mediterranean

connection & community

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Hello, and a warm welcome to all the new subscribers here! I’m currently in a marina on Elba with lots of office work. I plan to leave for Mexico in about one month, where I will meet a friend of mine to go sailing on her boat, and I’d like to take as little work to Mexico as possible. The last week was perfect weather to ride my bike around the island and I include… Read More »connection & community

patreon update – 26th january 2024

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Hey wonderful people, warm greetings from Elba. That means I am back at the same place I used to be 7 months ago. Only this time, it’s different because I know that I will leave again this summer, not knowing if I will ever return. So, I am making this a farewell tour, finishing up some stuff. I had the most beautiful sail from Corsica to Elba and included a short video about that sail… Read More »patreon update – 26th january 2024

patreon update – 15th january 2024

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Hey there, I not only launched my boat on my birthday last week but also took advantage of a nice weather window, making my way to Bastia in Corsica. I thought it would be a good way to celebrate completing another full circle around the sun. Over the last two years, I’ve dedicated a lot of effort to expanding my capability of sailing longer distances on my own. However, I’ve never sailed alone for longer… Read More »patreon update – 15th january 2024

7. September 2023 – Santana in Bandol and me in the mountains

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Hey, I wanted to drop you a quick update. The rest of August I stayed in Bandol, Provence, including heavy rain and strong winds at the end of the month. On September 1st, I decided to seek shelter in the harbor and extended my stay for the entire month, to be able to travel to Switzerland. When I left my house in Switzerland back in May, we had chilly and damp weather, which prevented me… Read More »7. September 2023 – Santana in Bandol and me in the mountains

24. August 2023 – Sailing To Provence Update

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Hey there, Hope you’re enjoying the summer vibes. Since my last update, summer hit Elba with a blast. It’s super hot, and it is much busier with everyone on vacation. And not just Elba, also Tanzania is in vacation mode. Funny how summertime turns into the high season, not so much because of the local weather, but because the rich countries are on holiday. Like the whole world has to celebrate the summer vacation. At… Read More »24. August 2023 – Sailing To Provence Update

13. July 2023 – Setting Sail

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Hey there! I’m back in the sailing mood and loving every minute of it. I’ve been anchored for over a month, cruising around the island twice, having friends on board, sailing through some crazy winds, and even getting into a running and cycling routine. Plus, I’ve started writing again, hosted an awesome masterclass, signed up new clients, and got the new Django Tours website up and running. Man, it feels so good when I put… Read More »13. July 2023 – Setting Sail

October Update 2022 and 2023 preview

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In contrast to September, October has blessed us with beautiful weather, and I’m still out here anchored, enjoying every bit of it. I’m sharing some photos and impressions from the past month, and I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I’ve enjoyed capturing them. Later this week, I may head into the port at Marciana Marina, where I’ve spent the last few winters. During November, a friend of mine will be staying on the… Read More »October Update 2022 and 2023 preview

summer of sailing

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Hey Patron, I‘m back on Elba and Santana for a bit over a month now and I enjoyed late summer sailing and 🥾 hiking as it not that hot anymore. I often enjoy late summer/early fall and remember that I had a couple of wonderful late summers in Berlin over the years. The last years I was mainly in the Swiss mountains for October and often the summer thunderstorms had already passed through. The nights… Read More »summer of sailing

Update on Boat & Office work

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Good morning everyone, I’m slowly pulling my head out of “installation and repair” mode and wanted to give you a quick update on the past few weeks. At the end of last month, I cleared and closed up our mountain chalet “Heidi.” Then, in early May, I traveled to Elba to take over Santana. After that, I started my journey back north, spending a few days in Liguria, some time in Switzerland, and then headed to… Read More »Update on Boat & Office work

Elba impressions

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Good morning Patron,I’m back in Switzerland and finally back on track! For some reason, I was sick for a week when I arrived in Elba, and again when I returned to Switzerland. Though I know what happened the second time—I had baby twins visiting, and they brought some baby germs along as a gift!Unfortunately, both weeks hit me with heavy headaches, so I had to limit my screen time as much as possible.Today, I want… Read More »Elba impressions

Update from the islands…

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Hey Patron, Thank you for still being here with me. It’s been a busy summer so far, and I haven’t managed to write to you in the last few weeks, but you’ve been on my mind all the time 😉 I’ve been catching up on a lot of things that piled up over the past year, especially when it comes to my boat, which has definitely felt the lack of attention. ElbaAh, the joys and… Read More »Update from the islands…

getting the boat in shape

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Hey there, My tiny boat didn’t take well to my Corona-forced absence. It was leaking both top and bottom, and some of the wood was at risk of damage. The mast, in particular, lost most of its varnish, and a few cracks have appeared. I spent most of June and early July on Elba, keeping myself incredibly busy. Between working on Santana—Boris’ 35-foot Hallberg Rassy, which we’re getting ready to take guests sailing—and getting Simplicity back into shape,… Read More »getting the boat in shape

patron update – 5th november 2019 (last months update)

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Hey there, I’m writing to you from our mountain house, Heidi, here in Switzerland 🇨🇭. We’re enjoying the last week before the snow arrives and making the final preparations for winter. The first snow is expected this weekend, and soon the road to the house will be closed until April. Since we’re also getting our new apartment near Interlaken next weekend, we’re making the most of the access we still have to move things while… Read More »patron update – 5th november 2019 (last months update)

patreon update – 24th august 2019 (slow sailing)

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Hey there, The sails are still up, and we’re moving along—just much slower than we ever expected. Since leaving Sainte-Maxime, we’ve had almost no wind, and when it does show up, it tends to vanish halfway through the journey. At least we’ve managed to avoid any major thunderstorms… well, except for one yesterday. But we reached our anchorage just in time with all sails down, and it was nowhere near as intense as the one… Read More »patreon update – 24th august 2019 (slow sailing)