Episode 11: Weather Hazards

It’s been almost three days since we arrived in La Ciotat. The Mediterranean has its own temperament, and as the locals say: ‘Here, there’s either too much wind or not enough.’ Right now, it’s definitely too much — setting sail would be reckless, and we’re not reckless.

Moreover, unlike the girls a century ago, we have the tools to understand and anticipate the weather: after 48 hours of intense storms, we’re now dealing with the effects of the mistral and the tramontane. Combined, they’re raising waves up to 4 meters high in the Gulf of Lion, and it looks like it’s going to last…

We’ve taken shelter in the port of La Ciotat to have direct access to land during the gale. Since we arrived in the South six days ago, only one day has been spared from weather alerts!”

Our days are nonetheless full, and we’re channeling our impatience: carefully learning the boat’s technical features, practicing various maneuvers while rotating roles, comparing VHF weather bulletins, videos, and online forecasts, topping up our supplies, and planning the next navigation steps the old-fashioned way — using paper charts..

We’re training in ecological methods for cleaning dishes on board.

We’re treating ourselves to a visit of the beautiful old town of La Ciotat, whose contrasting perspectives never cease to surprise us.

We’re waiting for a weather window that will finally allow us to reach Porquerolles, before setting off for Corsica.

With our hearts ignited, we’re ready to set sail again tomorrow.