Sailing the Med.

Bonjour!

So after a short flight to Marseille, and a somewhat confusing search through a 3000 yacht marina looking for ‘Painkiller’, I found Simo and spent my first night of many sipping a beer on the deck and enjoying life at sea. Currently we are anchored in Bormes-les-Mimosas, a beautiful little town in the French Riviera.

The last few days sailing have been somewhat strenuous. For example, this morning I woke up to crystal clear waters, anchored just off a deserted beach, and had take a swim in the waters around other yachts that were packed with depressingly beautiful females. Then while I was sunbaking, the wind changed slightly, forcing me to move from the shade to the port side of the boat. Then I fell asleep in the sun, coffee in hand, and when I woke up my coffee had cooled slightly. These kinds of frustrations occur on a daily basis…. life is tough!

But in all seriousness, the past few days have exceeded all my expectations of sailing in the Med. Around every headland is another white sandy beach, another picturesque cove, another quaint little town. We wake up every morning to the sound of the sea lapping against the boat, and soon enjoy a croissant and coffee while relaxing on the bow. Then we hit a consistent 5 knots cruising down the coast, chilling on the deck, enjoying the cool spray of the ocean, and arrive in the afternoon at another beautiful and unique place. I am even getting the hang of hoisting sails, tacking, and my favourite – pulling up the 40 metre anchor. This is seriously the life!

Tomorrow we head for Saint Tropez for a bit of nightlife, and hopefully to meet a few lovely French ladies, who appear to be lacking on our boat at the moment. Anyway I must go - I have to finish my beer, take a swim, and enjoy another Mediterranean sunset while strolling through another little town, followed by a few more beverages in a seaside bar. I don’t know how I’m going to endure another month of this…

Matt.