Here we go, here we go, here we go!  The new season, long awaited is finally upon us and we are only hours away from casting off from the Dartmouth Town Quay and heading for the Mediterranean.  Such a lot has happened since the Autumn of last year, when Ryan and I took guests to La Rochelle for a final and wonderful sail before the winter set in – and what a winter it has been!  Snow, ice, cold and more of the same for months.  But all now has changed.  Spring, in all its colourful glory has sprung.  Oboe has benefitted from several months in the hands of the outstanding Dufour factory and looks spectacular with her polish, her new canvas and newly re-cut sails.

A season chartering in the Med beckons and with new crew, new uniforms and guests already on board we are about to sit down to a first meal courtesy of our chef Josef, late of the Royal Castle hotel, who is chef first mate this season.  He is accompanied by his fiancée Tereza, who’s hospitality credentials are unquestionably the “best in town”.  Given that they both are RYA Yachtmasters too, you might ask what is left for me to do?  I’ll leave that unanswered!

Guests Paul and Paul (umm ... need some nicknames – any suggestions?) have settled in well.  Paul is asleep and Paul is cursing his iPhone.  Or is it the other way round?

Tonight we plan to head along the Devon and Cornwall coast in light airs, slowly.  Time is on our side at least for the time being, which is good, as the weather forecast suggests that the winds we need to cross Biscay will not develop till Monday.  So Falmouth and St. Mary’s, Scilly Isles, here we come.

It’s really exciting to be at the beginning of another adventure.  Friends, old and new will join us as the season progresses and as we become more familiar with the western Med, especially Corsica, Sardinia and the coastline of Italy. 

Enough for a first entry and simply to say to our avid readers – welcome back!  Hope you missed us and hope you enjoy sharing our adventures from the comfort of your armchairs.  Perhaps you will be encouraged to fly out and join us for a week or two.

Follow our progress here:

http://blog.mailasail.com/oboe, where you can see our daily progress on Google Earth.  Email us at: oboe {CHANGE TO AT} mailasail {DOT} com any time you like.  Phone us on +881 631 669 194 and we’ll pick up via Iridium satellite.

Fair winds to you all.

Nigel

Paul

Paul

Tereza

Josef