Mimmy goes sailing

27/01/2023

This time last year i was in the middle of the Atlantic ocean on a historical sailing vessel with the most wonderful eclectic crew and (mad) pirate captain. We made landfall on Carriacou, the island where i spent a lot of my childhood on and i was greeted by family and friends on the island.....since i can remember i listend in awe when sailors came into port after 20+ days at sea. "One day that's gonna be me" i thought to myself. And i did, 26 days at sea and i was suddenly the sailor with stories to tell and rum to drink. The journey was longer and wilder than my 5 yr old self could have imagined, little did i know arriving in Carriacou was just the beginning.
Now I am back on the island but as a landcrab, it feels strange to arrive here by plane, like taking a short cut into paradise....i think the atlantic ocean awoke a part of me that's always been restless. Always looking out at sea wondering what lies ahead.

21/07/2022

Finally we see land. Last night we were surrounded by big tankers as we entered the channel between France and England, which also happens to be the highway shipping lane. The ais alarm kept us allert throughout our night shifts. At 1:30 pm i was accompanied by a pod of playful dolphins, they looked almost alian as they rode the swell lit up by the green navigation light. These 13 days at sea from azores to france have felt the longer than the entire Atlantic crossing. Probably due tough upwind sailing the entire way and some days of stormy weather. I even had a short bout of seasickness for the first time after seven months at sea. I also experienced true cabin fever, an intense need to get off the boat but nothing but an endless grey ocean around me. I combated the fever with an ambitious cartoon project and counting days till I could finally say I was going home. But as any challenging experience -once you overcome it the feeling of joy is like no other.

09/07/2022

Goodbye azores. Its been a blast

30/06/2022

30/06/2022

Green sailing team, sunshine and spi sail. A sail i still hope to master, it works a bit like a big ballooon that pulls the boat forward if the wind comes from behind the boat. This sail makes me imagine flying baloon ships. How cool would that be?

29/06/2022

We arrived at another stunning island, a few days of sickness and I am back on my hiking feet. Sao Miguel has the biggest city of Azores but it's landscape is what seriously impresses me. Prehistoric mountains, lush greenery and turquoise lakes. Even though it is beautiful we are all very ready to leave. Everybody onboard has summer plans and homes that are calling for them. Unfortunately two high pressure systems prevent our imminent departure as of now. The fear is that they will conjoin and we would be forced to sail back to azores to avoid being smashed. We have almost done with preparing the boat for this most challenging part of the journey so now all we can do is sit tight and will fill the time with exploring.

24/06/2022

One of the most beautiful places on earth... definitely worth the sail to the next island here on Sao Georges, never enough time on each island. Today we sail for 17 hours to the biggest island in the island chain of the Azores before heading back to mainland Europe...another big sail of 1100 seamiles to France...

23/06/2022

Goodbye faial 💙💙💙 luckily we managed to paint our picture before sailing to the next island. Even the chicken helped with her footprint in yellow paint 😂🐔

21/06/2022

After the crossing each boat leaves their mark on the harbour. Today it's our turn. Can't wait to see the finished outcome 🤟🎨

21/06/2022

After the crossing each boat leaves their mark on the wall...now it's our turn . It's a work in progress

16/06/2022

After 20 days at sea we finally made it to the lovely land of Azores. We arrived yesterday morning on the island of faial, port of horta; As we approached the island we saw dolphins splashing ahead of us, the warm smell of earth greeted soon after and the lush green landscape was almost sparkling in the sunrise. Maybe I was a bit high on excitement and sleep deprivation but it really was one of the most breathtaking views of my life. After completing our chores and docking the boat we treated ourselves to a meal at the famous sailor bar Peter's then I slept for more than 12 hours on a blissfully non-rolling bed.
Thank you to Fiziout, crew and the captain clem for an amazing journey safely across the Atlantic ocean...

22/05/2022

https://www.facebook.com/miriam.s.mahony/posts/10227483027971654