Friday, July 22, 2011

Imperia Maurizio to Alassio

Kurt Cobain used to scream "I'm on a plane, I can't complain." That's how it feels when the boat starts going fast. When Guizmo stops displacing water and starts skipping on the surface, it leaves behind a completely different kind of wake. Flat and without much froth, it's reminiscent of what a skipping stone leaves behind. It gets quieter on the boat, the dual rudders slice through the water very precisely, and the boat becomes even more responsive than normal.

Guizmo's wake, complicated backstay with three separate attachment points, and the retainer clip for the fishing rod

Cruising on a mini is actually not that easy. One of the biggest challenges is to organize the stuff down in the cabin. In particular, taking things out of the waterproof bags (even though the inside of the boat has been quite dry so far) has been a constant struggle. In Italy, I gave up all pretense and just started going around in undershirts. I felt like Kurtz in the Heart of Darkness, when he went native.

The horror! The horror!
If you ever sent or received flowers in Europe, chances are that the flowers were grown in this region. The hills are full of greenhouses and the extensive rail network enables the flowers to be shipped easily throughout Europe.

Ended up moored at the end of a dock in Port Alassio, a very secluded marina.
Two spinnakers are out on the deck to dry

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