After a month's confinement in the port of Agadulce, Spain, it is time to leave for Gibraltar. Everyone has their own to-do-list. To Marvin for oil, engine and windlass checks and to Daniela for stowing the boat. Such a headache that at two hours from the start, everything remains to be tidied up and stored. It's a real game of Tetris that the couple is trying to fit in the small rear cabin (which looks more like a storage space), the bikes (cleaned and dismantled), the trailer (to tow Tara by bike) or Tara's stroller.
It's finally time for the start as the sun has been down for a while. It's with impatience that everyone has been waiting for this first navigation for a month. The first part of the sailing will be done with the engine due to the lack of wind, but Marvin will hoist the sails as soon as daybreak. Aboard Nomad Citizen Sailing, the roles are well in place. While Daniela and Tara are resting downstairs in the cabin all night, it's Marvin who's keeping the night watches. He's even made up a bed on the cockpit bench, which allows him to be next to the instruments and to recognize the sounds of the boat, which he's more used to hearing outside.
It's at sunrise that the father of Nomad Citizen Sailing enjoys his first surprise, the visit of dolphins. So much the worse for the girls who are still sleeping. But fortunately, they will be able to enjoy another visit that will make them happy.
As the torque prepares to hoist the sails, the wind decides to disappear and so it is the engine that must continue. And we mustn't drag on because we'll have to arrive in Gibraltar before 4am to avoid being impacted by the Atlantic wind entering in the early hours of the morning.
Reading and lazing around occupy the family's time during this navigation until an incredible visit that will leave everyone stunned and moved. A family of huge pilot whales will accompany the passengers for a while, making everyone happy. A visit that will not fail to awaken Daniela's ecological fibre and will leave Marvin speechless. Magique?!
