"Each crew member has a unique and powerful moment. For the captain it's a feeling of "at last", as he can finally concentrate on the route, get to know all the idiosyncrasies of his boat and to motivate as well as he can the rest of the inexperienced crew, as they all find their own space! It's tough for the teenagers, as it seems like a huge change, and they struggle and express their perfectly understandable concerns. Letting go of, although not losing, their grandparents, friends, pastimes, their "area", dancing, skate parks and all the everyday things that we take for granted. For me it's more of a "thank goodness" moment: relief after all the preparation, and all the time and energy that has been put in. Will we be happy with the slower pace of life on the water, the chance meetings and the home-schooling lessons? The trepidation of the departure can be felt in our bodies: butterflies in our tummies, a little nervous trembling and lots of hugs and kisses. The whole family recognizes that this is one of the most important times of our lives! We feel a togetherness. We wonder whether we'll be able to withstand everything together? Then there are decisions which will be made which will help us along with everything else: just imagining "W-alter" as our home, being curious wherever we stopover, laughing at ourselves and among ourselves and never forgetting to be proud of ourselves each day when we make progress or find a reason for personal satisfaction. And then we set off, becoming real voyagers a little bit more every day. Menorca was programmed as our first stopover. In Menorcan when they talk about going around the world, they mean going from one end of the island to another... that means going from the white sand of the south of the island to the red sand of the north, or daring to leave Mahon for Ciutadella, rival cities separated by 45km. Both cities have a restrained charm, with architectural gems here and there along the promenades: ancient doors, modernist influences or chic galleries and great big churches usually hiding a huge organ. In Mahon we had our first chance encounter, with Elisa and her family, and we shared our first meal with them..."
Sandrine, Olivier, Inès and Henri onboard W-alter
www.ventsdanges.org
