{"id":248,"date":"2026-03-25T05:25:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T05:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/?p=248"},"modified":"2026-03-25T06:22:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T06:22:10","slug":"a-day-on-the-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/archives\/248","title":{"rendered":"A Day on the Road"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Sails, safety inspector, a gas detour \u2014 and the first proper dinner aboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Piet – Aboard Adriana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Safety Check<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
At ten o’clock sharp, a fire safety specialist came aboard. Our extinguishers were last inspected in 2023 \u2014 not ancient, but overdue for a proper review. He worked through everything methodically: the small handheld units, and the automatic suppression system in the engine compartment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 2023 report turned out to be a real asset. Well-documented paperwork meant he could move quickly, cross-reference, and focus on what actually mattered. After a thorough review, he promised to come back with a proposal once he’d checked it against the latest requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A good visit. The kind that leaves you feeling prepared rather than anxious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
North Sails \u2014 The Long Drive<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
After the inspector left, I pointed the car north towards Rotterdam. One hour, forty-five minutes to the North Sails Loft \u2014 a steady run, but worth every kilometer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I arrived around half past twelve, unloaded the sails, and we spread them across the floor of the loft. All three \u2014 the main, the headsail, and the staysail \u2014 laid out and examined in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is two more seasons \u2014 then we replace everything before the long passages begin.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The logic is simple: we want to get to know Adriana first. Sail her locally, learn her tendencies, understand what she likes. Push south towards the Mediterranean. And only when we’re ready for Atlantic passages \u2014 real blue-water sailing \u2014 do we invest in a new suit of sails. For now, the old ones just need to last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sail loft itself was a treat to see. Enormous, well-organized, with recessed sewing station built into the floor so you can feed a sail flat through the machine without ever lifting it \u2014 incredibly efficient for restitching a luff or replacing an entire leech. The team knew their craft. We made a list of the repairs needed, agreed on priorities, and left with a plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
A Small Detour<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
On the way back, one more stop. The old gas installation aboard Adriana has been coming out in pieces \u2014 and through an intense back-and-forth on WhatsApp, I’d found a specialist who makes custom on-board gas systems, built specifically for boats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rather than boxing everything up and posting it, I made the detour, dropped the old components at his door, and left him to puzzle over what we’d been working with. A conversation in hardware, rather than words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was back aboard by quarter to four. Most of the day spent behind a wheel \u2014 but every kilometer had a purpose:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Sails delivered, inspected, and a repair plan agreed<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Old gas pipes handed to a specialist who can build something better<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
A small stop for provisions on the way back<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Ilse’s Office<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
While I was on the road, Ilse was putting in a full working day aboard. Yesterday’s setup \u2014 screen at the nav station \u2014 had felt awkward. The distance between the keyboard and the monitor was just slightly wrong, and comfort matters when you’re working eight hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This morning we tried again: screen moved to the dining table, positioned near one of the heating vents so the warmth reaches the workspace. It clicked immediately. A proper desk, natural light, the sound of the marina outside. A workday that actually worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The First Proper Dinner<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The gas installation isn’t finished \u2014 so the galley hob is out of action for now. We do, however, have a small portable induction plate. One ring. One pan. That’s the kitchen, for the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It required a little creativity. Cook the pasta, set it aside. Cook the chicken in the same pan. Bring it all together. One pan, two courses, one meal \u2014 and it was genuinely delicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The small thing that made it feel like home: the kitchen utensils. Alessi. The same ones we use in our kitchen on land, somehow already aboard Adriana. There’s something quietly wonderful about that \u2014 recognising your own things in a new place, and realising that you’ve already, somehow, arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u26f5<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A day of roads and logistics \u2014 and yet, by evening, the boat felt more like ours than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sails, safety inspector, a gas detour \u2014 and the first proper dinner aboard. By Piet – Aboard Adriana. The Safety Check At ten o’clock sharp, a fire safety specialist came aboard. Our extinguishers were last inspected in 2023 \u2014 not ancient, but overdue for a proper review. He worked through everything methodically: the small handheld […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-refit-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":256,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248\/revisions\/256"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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