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  • Doteyboaty
    Day 465

    The End

    October 19, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We have had 15 months of ‘livin the dream’ and now we are at the end.
    We have finished our trip in Port Napoleon because we hear that it is a good place to sell a boat.
    Régal is now on the market with an agent here and we have a busy ten days getting her ship shape and ready for sale.
    Port Napoleon is the perfect place to get stuck into jobs as there is nothing else to do here. It is a giant boatyard with lots of warehouses, boat services and a small restaurant with a few hotel rooms. There is a town two kilometres away but it is only worth the walk when we need some shopping. The whole area is infested with mosquitos and they are vicious, biting at any hour of the day and sometimes even through our clothing.
    We are happy to spend most of our time onboard Régal getting through the list of jobs. We winterise the boat and take care of little repairs here and there but the biggest task by far is packing up to move out. We pack 6 big boxes and ship them home and yet we still have piles of stuff. Luckily we are able to give some of it to several nice people around the boatyard who are renovating boats on shoestring budgets.
    When we haul out we move into the on-site accommodation but spend most of our time on Régal. We clean her hull and paint on anti-foul so she is pretty as a picture.
    When we hire a car Colm and I escape the packing and cleaning for a while and go on an overnight trip down memory lane. We travel to Saint Marie de la Mer, a town I worked in for a summer when I was seventeen. We stay in the hotel where I worked which is nicer than I expected. It is so lovely to go back there even though the people I had known are long gone. We have a walk through the Camargue and see the famous flamingos, horses, bulls and also some river rodents called coypu.
    Once we are back to the boatyard we are flat out getting all our stuff off the boat and into our 12 check-in bags! When the car is full to the brim we take a deep breath and have one last walk through Régal.
    She is a beauty and we have loved her.
    We are so grateful to her for keeping us safe and bringing us to so many wonderful places. Thank you Régal for all the happy memories.
    And thank you everyone for following our journey.

    This is Régal crew over and out.    Read more

  • Doteyboaty
    Day 452

    Last days of anchoring

    October 6, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We stop at three different islands as we make our way to our final destination, Port Napoleon, at the mouth of the river Rhône.
    A short passage from Antibes brings us to our first night’s anchorage. It’s a gorgeous spot between two islands just off Cannes. We swim and sleep and the next morning we start into a full day’s passage. We arrive in Porquerolles island, near Toulon in the late afternoon. We set up a Tarzan swing with the dinghy halyard and have a great time jumping from the boat and holding on for as long as we can. We have (another) delicious bean-based dinner as we try to run down the store cupboards.

    We start the next day with a big swim and then sail on to ile Riou, which is part of the Calanques national park near Marseille. The landscape is beautiful and the water is crystal clear. While Ruby is snorkelling to check the anchor she makes an unpleasant discovery. The water is infested with jellyfish which luckily she manages to avoid.
    When night falls a beautiful moon rises. We are surrounded by the national park so the only lights we see are boats moving between here and the mainland. A brave late-comer in an electric catamaran arrives at 11pm and drops anchor right in by the rocky shore.
    In the morning the water is still full of Mauve Stingers so we reluctantly skip a final swim in the Mediterranean.
    The beautiful shores we have sailed past in the last few days deserve much more time than we have given them. We hope to come back and explore them properly some day.    Read more

  • Doteyboaty
    Day 448

    Nana and Grandads visit

    October 2, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    This blog is written by Colm.

    During their stay we celebrate Nana’s birthday with a Tunisian orange cake that I made and a dinner out in a lovely restaurant.
    While they are with us we also enjoy a ride on the feris wheel and a walk around the headland of Cap d’Antibes , during which we stop for a swim at a beach with pristine water. We go swimming every day at the local beach. I really enjoy their final visit out to us on Régal.Read more

  • Doteyboaty
    Day 446

    Turning Fourteen

    September 30, 2022 in France ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We spend my fourteenth birthday in a very different place to my thirteenth, in Antibes instead of Fuengirola. Our planned festivities also differ greatly from last year.

    The days highlight is afternoon tea à la français with scones, caramel squares and boulangerie goodies. There is plenty of unwrapping to do and I receive a new jumper, a book, souvenirs, sweets and a lovely white Swiss knife as well as some beautiful cards.

    Colm and I go for a rollerblade at dusk, whilst Mom and Dad walk together. Bangers n’ mash with a game of chess is the evenings menu and we set up to play cards, but sleepiness overtakes us and we go to bed instead. Birthdays are tiring work!    Read more

  • Doteyboaty
    Day 444

    Day trips

    September 28, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Our first week in Antibes flies by between boat jobs, home schooling and skip-diving. Now Colm and Ruby know all the best places in town to scavage for cardboard boxes which we need for shipping things home. Our glamourous yachting lifestyle is ending soon.

    Once DHL have collected the boxes we take the twenty minute train ride to Nice. We hop on a tram and head straight to the old town. We wander down through the lovely streets until we reach to the water front. There is a fine breeze blowing and we have a great time watching the azure water break into white waves and crash onto the stony beach. Ruby observes how funny it is that even when we are not on the boat we always find our way to the sea, its our favourite place to be.

    On another afternoon the skipper stays on board while we three hire bikes and cycle to Cap d’Antibes and Juan Les Pins. Over the phone Mum sings me ‘Where do you go to my lovely’ and I realise why ‘Juan Les Pins’ is so familiar. We stop for an ice cream and a swim at a pretty beach on Cap d’Antibes and decide to bring Donal and Margaret here when they come to visit in a few days time.    Read more

  • Doteyboaty
    Day 441

    Antibes

    September 25, 2022 in France ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We have booked two nights at the beautiful Port Vauban in Antibes. It is full of super yachts with their uniformed crews busily shining acres of chrome. The marina office is a fancy circular glass building flanked by big boats at the end of the pier and yet there are no airs and graces here. The marina welcomes small boats like us too; the staff are helpful, there are showers and laundry facilities and the price is surprisingly reasonable at 55 euros a night.
    Antibes is a gorgeous town and the marina is its heart. The old town is just across the road and there is a lovely little beach nearby. Both beach and town are accessed through the old fortified walls. Ruby and Colm get their scooter and Rollerblades out as soon as they spot the big open square in front of the walls.
    The next three days are set to be overcast and rainy and then the Mistral wind is due to blow for nearly a week.
    We would be mad to leave such a perfect place so we call to the office and book in for the next two weeks.    Read more

  • Doteyboaty
    Day 437

    Monaco

    September 21, 2022 in Monaco ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    On the 20 hour passage to Monaco we never lose sight of land. Corsica is out to port for most of the day and when darkness falls Italy’s twinkling lights keep us company. As dawn breaks we see France and raise the French courtesy flag. It is quickly dropped again when we learn that it is discourteous to fly the French flag when entering the sovereign state of Monaco. My phone beeps with a welcome message and a new roaming tariff, a reminder that Monaco is not in the E.U. We take for granted how seamlessly we can move between countries and it comes as a bit of a surprise when we encounter some red tape on our arrival.
    We are about to tie up at the reception berth when the marina manager checks for our reservation. No reservation means no docking and he refuses to take a line from us. In fairness he is very nice about it and he starts to make a few phone calls while we hover just off the berth. Since our decision to travel to Monaco was last minute we didn’t fill out the online reservation forms. We discover these are meant to be submitted for approval by to the port authorities 48 hours before entering Monaco. The manager comes back to us to say that we can tie up but that we must go to the port police office right away. There is no time for our usual night passage recovery routine (sleep) so with a quick splash of water to the face and a change of clothes we walk across town with our bag of documents and present ourselves for inspection.
    We pass muster and are now free to enjoy Monaco which turns out to be practically perfect in every way.
    It is so pleasant that it is feels surreal. There are esculators at the foot of every hill, pristine public toilets everywhere and koi and turtles in the ponds of the public parks. There are no beggars, street hawkers or pickpockets and every building looks freshly painted. There are work crews out repairing and replacing things and a jetski that goes around picking up litter from the water. And everyone is so friendly, it feels like ‘The Truman Show’.
    A Monacan lady in the park puts chat on us and tells us how she loves living here. She explains how safe it is and that locals are well looked after. They have access to great facilities and schools and are provided with accommodation so they don’t have to compete with foreigners for the multi-million euro apartments we have seen advertised in the estate agent windows. It is a wonderful place to live, she says but there are more rules than most countries. We get the feeling that if you left a plant on your balcony die, the authorities would be around soon enough.
    Later Colm and I meet another resident who is in the middle of rescuing a little turtle from the road. As we walk along the road together I struggle through a long conversation in French only to discover she is an ex-pat from England .
    The final friendly Monacan we meet helps us catch the bus to Monte Carlo casino. We meet her again on the night bus home when we are loaded down with our winnings from roulette. She sits next to me and tells me her life story, including how the man sitting there had once found her missing dog. I feel like I’m on the last bus home from Cork.    Read more

  • Doteyboaty
    Day 433

    Elba and beyond

    September 17, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We are walking back to Régal in the midday sun, weighed down with our luggage from Rome as well as shopping bags full of fresh food. I won’t miss these moments when we are back home.
    The taxi drivers had all gone on their lunch break when we emerged from the supermarket in Ostia, laden down. This long hot trudge was our only option.
    Back on board Régal the sweating continues as we prepare for a speedy departure. There is strong wind forecast for the coming four days and we have decided to leave now and get to the island of Elba before it arrives. With bags of wet clothes collected from the laundry we drop our lines and head out to sea for an overnight passage. We can hang the washing out tomorrow in Elba.
    We motor in the beautifully moonlit sea and when a light breeze comes up we roll out the headsail. The wind drops later and we roll it in again. The headsail is in and out several times during the journey. It increases our speed and also steadies the boat in the gentle swell. Régal is always happier and more comfortable when she can carry a sail.

    After an absolutely grand twenty hour passage we arrive in Elba and anchor in a bay that is like Glandore.
    The next morning the wind gets up earlier than expected and we make a dash into the marina. It is in the lovely holiday town of Porto Azzurro which has several little beaches and lots of pedestrian streets dotted with interesting shops and cafes. We walk along the scenic cliff path to Barbarossa beach and have a great time in the big waves. There is also a lovely sheltered little beach just over the wall from the marina and we make great use of it, swimming, picnicking and just hanging out.
    On Saturday when the wind is at its strongest we take the bus to the main town of Portoferraio where Napoleon spent his exile.
    We discover that he lived very comfortably in a fine house overlooking the sea. He had a ballroom installed upstairs for all his parties. This isn’t quite what we had imagined when we learned about his exile in school. After only a year and a half in Elba, he sneaked back to Paris and took back power as Emperor again.
    From Napoleon’s garden we watch all the white horses in the bay that have come up in the strong wind. The weather is becoming autumnal and today the temperature has dropped dramatically. When we return to Régal we have to open up storage boxes and pull out duvets, jumpers and long pants.
    On Sunday we sail to the island of Capraia and anchor under the watch tower as two bottlenose dolphins swim around the harbour. In the morning after a swim we are planning to go into the marina. We have a quick look at the weather and make a dramatic change of plan - ‘let’s sail to Monaco’.
    It is the last overnight passage in front of us and conditions are favourable- Ruby and Colm stow their school books and off we go.    Read more

  • Doteyboaty
    Day 428

    The Vactican Museums

    September 12, 2022 in Vatican City ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    By Ruby

    Everywhere is decorated with beautiful things. Mosaics cover the floors, the walls are painted with extraordinary works of art and more often than not, so are the ceilings. Sculptures stand in every corner. The Vatican Museums house the biggest collection of art that any of us have every seen and we are delighted to join a guided tour.

    There is an overwhelming amount of statues, mostly Roman. There is a labyrinth of rooms just full to the brim with them, and it’s hard to believe what we’re seeing. I always thought that an intact ancient statue was extremely rare, but now I know where all the long-lost ones are kept!

    We walk through an extremely long hall next. The floor is mosaic and the ceiling is beautifully designed and divided into hundreds of individual works of art. We are in the hall of maps and there are over forty giant frescos on the walls, each one depicting a different part of Italy. The room radiate wealth and power and in my opinion is one of the most stunning rooms in the Vatican, and that’s saying a lot.

    Another impressive room is the hall of tapestries, each one ginormous. They depict the story of Christ and we follow his life walking the length of the hall. One in particular is very striking, and our tour guide stops to explain that it is ‘The massacre of the innocents’ . This scene is rarely portrayed in the story of Christ because of its brutality. The tapestry is very detailed and took years to make. All of the tapestries once lined the walls of the Sistene Chapel, but were removed during Covid.

    We continue on through a maze of rooms covered in paintings by Raphael. We get to see the famous ‘School of Athens’ and learn a bit about it. It features the face of Leonardo da Vinci painted as Plato, pointing his finger at the sky. Michelangelo’s and Raphael’s faces are also to be found in the painting.

    Now it’s time for the highlight of our tour (You may be able to guess it) . . . . The Sistene Chapel! We are herded into the crowded chapel by security guards. Everyone is standing and staring up at the marvel on the ceiling. It seems almost surreal that I am actually seeing ‘The creation of Adam’ by Michelangelo. I take a few photos forgetting the no photo rule — don’t tell anyone. We also see ‘The Last Judgment’, which takes up one entire wall!

    And so ends our trip around the Vatican Museums. The tour guide said that if we spent a minute at every piece of art here, we would be here for twelve years. We’re not that dedicated and amazing as it is we’re already quite hungry.    Read more

  • Doteyboaty
    1
    Day 427

    Ancient Rome

    September 11, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Rome, The Romans’ Home
    In it's day,
    Enemies could seige it, nay,
    The armies were strong,
    And it was quite a throng,
    The gladiators fought,
    For the freedom they sought,
    The Colosseum stood tall,
    As did the magnificent Pantheon hall,
    Up the Tiber their ships came,
    And two thousand years later it still is the same,

     By Colm    Read more

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