Having some dreams

Have a look at my new article published on line. Thanks Women and Cruising for your support!

Le voyage de Merlin and Merlin's Voyage: the books

I wanted to write something which would last a little longer than a post on this blog.

I wanted to write something which could simply reveal the wonders of Nature, the discoveries and experiences that we had on board during our cruising time.

I wanted to write something which could show that Merlin was not just a boat but a real traveling companion.

I wanted to write something which could inspire kids to have dreams. Dreams can be small but it is nice to have big dreams too. I started dreaming of sailing offshore when I was a teenager, reading  Bernard Moitessier’s and Joshua Slocum’s books. I wanted to live this dream and with Greg we made that dream a reality (the fact that he had the same dream was just perfect).

I wanted to write something because I had all these words in my mind and I wanted to share them.

Writing the story in French about 2 years ago was relatively easy and words flowed out. It seems the story was just meant to be told. Once “Le Voyage de Merlin” was written, I send the project to few French editors/publishers. One was keen to jump on board but retracted when he had his new budget which was much tighter than he intended.  The others, most of the time, didn’t even bother answering my letter, emails or calls.

I then decided to self publish the story and started some research on the subject. There is a lot of information out there so it takes a lot of time to learn and digest the right one.

I also wanted the story to be available in English. Unfortunately, my translation was harder to accomplish as I couldn’t express the feelings with the same shades. My friend Jenny and her mum helped me to have something more fluent so “Merlin’s Voyage” started living in English too.

I was hoping to have some illustrations which were more kids friendly. So Sarah, another friend, started working on the book incorporating a little seagull in some photos. However, she got too busy, embark on her own adventure and the project didn’t materialised.

I don’t have the right software to work on such a book. So I started thinking of outsourcing and asked around for some help (Internet is amazing for that). I had quotes which all seemed too expensive.

Then my friend Desire offered to help with her designing skills (in exchange of a sailing week-end on Merlin). We worked for few weeks together whenever we could find free hours in our busy schedule.

I was getting closer and closer to have the story ready.

Having exactly the right files for Amazon can be a tricky step too. So I ask a professional company to help me. The different files had to go back and forth few times between them and myself, chewing drastically our Internet data. Frustrations came fast. I also had to deal with copyright issues with the charts: more frustrations. My ISBN numbers were also a source of small problems. Self-publishing (mainly working after hours) is not a clear and easy path. However, I am very happy today to have the story live, ready to be shared and read. The books are available in English and French.

I will now be learning about marketing...

Thanks to Greg, Victor, Felix and Clea who really supported me along the way and thanks to my very helpful friends. So enjoy the book(s)!

PS: you are welcome to leave feedback comments in Amazon.

Why Merlin is different?

Merlin was built with a lot of cruising, sailing and racing thinking. Our boat builder cruised for 10 years with his family on a smaller boat. He knew what was important, what was practical, what works or doesn’t. Greg had to add his sailing touch, mainly on the deck.

So here are few of Merlin’s hidden wonders which make our life on board simple and enjoyable:

Pot drawer

It is not because you live on a boat that you should leave behind your love for cooking which implies pots, pans, a pressure cooker, baking trays and much more. All of these found a home on board in a very spacious large drawer on wheels.

A secret cellar

We have a long drawer under the saloon table where we store our good bottles of wine (limited number though). There they are lying flat, ageing slowly and easily accessible for sundowners.

Magic boxes

Because we bought everything new, we have the manuals for all the equipment, instruments and special gear installed on board. While cruising the expensive internet connection doesn’t allow for downloading the manual to find a solution to an electrical bug or a mechanical problem, so the box of manuals was great to have. Not always the most inspiring reading but worth keeping them in a dry and secure spot.

Bed ventilation

Foam mattresses on top of lockers or wooden boards are nearly the norm on boats. Usually this doesn’t allow much ventilation, which in the tropics could be prone to fungal surprises. Our mattresses in the two front cabins are on top of a slat base that allows a good air circulation and no moisture build up.

Tin shelf

Our “shop”, also called pantry by others, has an easy access (not in a locker under big cushions). Three shelves have the height for the tins; others have the height for big plastic boxes where we store our flour, pasta, rice etc. At the bottom of the shop, we have big open boxes for vegies like potatoes, onions etc. Simple and practical so I can easily ask the kids to go “shopping” for me.

Bad odours

Our main heads are electric, which proved to be a very valuable way of flushing especially with kids. We also have a powerful extractor fan which does some amazing magic, fundamental when you are 5 living in a small space!

Chart table

It is hard to find a proper chart table in a new boat. Electronic charts are a way of navigating but it is always nice to have a paper backup. Personally, I love plotting my position when I do a long crossing. It gives me the impression of going forward in a scenery which could look alike every day. Our chart table is a proper desk offering lots of working space but can also store many charts.

Drying rack

What do you do with your plates once they are cleaned? They could drip dry in your sink for a while annoying everybody with their knocking noise. Greg insisted on having a drying rack (did he know while building that he would end up doing most of the dishes?). I enjoy it every day too as it frees up the galley space.

Next our sailing wonders...

Downwind sailing on Merlin

Behan, a cruising friend of ours, started a discussion on downwind sailing sails. Check the Totem's blog for details.

There are lots of different downwind sailing options. Here is what we do on Merlin (NB: usually without the main!).

You can check Greg's short video of our symetrical spinnaker set up on Merlin. That works so well. We crossed most of the Pacific with this system because it is easy, efficient and safe.

With this set up, there is no gybing stress, no mainsail chaffing, no mainsail reefing stress, just the wind pushing us along and the autopilot having an easy time keeping the boat on track. The quick release clip on the one side is the key as the person on watch could de-power the boat from the cockpit in only few seconds, then getting it down behind the genoa with a sock is so easy. We can go about 60 deg either way with the spinnaker still flying properly.

We love using our spinnaker as often as we can.

A cruising wife's A to Z

Latest articles published in SA Sailing (published in April and May 2014):

Part 1: A to L and Part 2: M to Z