−1°Feels like

Sailing Adriana · Aboard Log · March 2026

No dramatic horizons. No champagne moments. Just a long list, a steady rhythm, and the quiet satisfaction of things done properly.

We left home very early with a big list of action items and a sky the colour of cold pewter. At minus one, it felt like winter had no intention of leaving quietly. The deck cleaning would have to wait — but everything else was fair game.

Some days don’t feel spectacular while you’re in them. No big departures, no dramatic horizons, no champagne moments at sea. Just a long list, a steady rhythm, and the quiet satisfaction of things being done properly.

Today was one of those days. The kind where Adriana doesn’t move an inch — but still travels a long way.

Safety, Checked

From there, it was safety first. Life jackets came out, one by one. Dissolvable tablets checked and replaced where needed, corrosion hunted down before it could become a problem. Everything logged carefully in the maintenance book.

Not glamorous work, but deeply reassuring. This is the kind of preparation you hope you’ll never need — and therefore want done perfectly.

🦺Life jackets — serviced & logged

🔧Engine room inspection

🔤Lettering — stern & boom, measured twice

🥃Discovery under the bed

📸Today’s full log

The List, Working Through It

Measurements followed. Lettering rechecked for the stern and the boom — tape measure in hand, standing back, measuring again. Boats have a way of punishing assumptions. Orders placed only when we were certain.

• ✓Life jackets — tablets, bobbins, corrosion checkAll logged
• ✓Lettering measured — stern & boomOrders placed
• ✓Cushions ordered – Delivery date confirmed
• ✓Fusion saloon audio — resolved. Small thing. Still matters.
• ✓Emails, folders, paperwork homed. – Finally organized
• ✓Engine & generator check with Peter – 15:00
• ✓Salt mills — cleaned, tested, repaired – Because details matter

Somewhere in between, real life insisted on being included. A quick call to the restaurant to confirm tonight’s plans. Eggs boiling for lunch while tools were still on the table. Beds made. A cap and polo added to the growing pile of “later”.

One question lingered longer than expected: how to let the Fusion system play only in the saloon. A small thing, really. But boats are made of small things. And small things matter when they don’t work the way you want them to.

Afternoon — Engines & People

In the afternoon, the focus shifted to people and planning. Emails sent, folders created, paperwork finally given a proper home. New covers discussed, contacts confirmed.

At three, engines. Together with Peter, we went through the motor and generator — listening, checking, asking the right questions. Maintenance cycles reviewed, parts identified, future work mapped out. Not urgent, not rushed. Just sensible.

Before the day slipped away completely, there was even time for the salt mills. Cleaned, tested, repaired. Because even the smallest details deserve attention.

“By the time we stopped, the light had changed. Adriana looked the same as she had that morning — but she wasn’t. She was a little more ready. A little safer. A little closer to where she needs to be.”

No big story, perhaps. But these are the days that quietly build the journey.

🥃 The Captain Found the Tumblers Discovered somewhere under the bed — the nice cocktail tumblers, unearthed at exactly the right moment. Filled promptly with rum and ginger beer. The night will be dark and stormy, the forecast says. Which makes them taste considerably better. Dark & stormy conditions forecast

⛵

Now — a nice Friday evening outfit, and dinner at La Fayette Sur Mer. The harbour lights will be beautiful in the cold.

Fair winds · Ilse & Piet · Aboard Adriana · 2026