«Quo vadis?»
Text: Christian / Pictures & short films: Carola
"Where are you going?"
We would have liked to have had an answer to that question in late summer, but there wasn't one. We had to take things as they came, go with the flow, influenced by external factors and ready for whatever might happen. No one knew how Caro's father's health would develop.
Sad news and journey home
Back in Cartagena, we enjoy a few late summer days on the boat and plan a short trip to a nearby anchorage. I want to plan the route over breakfast when Caro's phone rings. It immediately becomes clear that this is serious.
Cancellation, reset. A flight has to be organised quickly, Caro is travelling home immediately. I stay on the boat for the time being and later that night receive the sad news of her father's death. I too set off for Switzerland and Berlin.
New plans on the horizon
Tentative plans are emerging on the horizon: we want to return to Cartagena, this time with a budding sailor.
Caro travels from Berlin with her mum, I join them in Zurich, and together we drive through France to Spain. The three of us spend two wonderful weeks on the boat, enjoying the autumn sun in the harbour and going on lots of trips ashore.
Three of us on the way to Cartagena ⛵️ – Stopover in France
Trip to Playa de Lastre
Alicante
Playa de Lastre again
Playa de los Cocedores
Cartagena
First sailing experiences with a new passenger
A short boat trip is a must. Caro's mother is curious, but also respectfully excited. Cast off, carefully, no heeling, we sail south-west.
Three hours later, we reach the anchorage. We go for a swim, check the hull and the anchor, have lunch and treat ourselves to a siesta in the warm sun.
Crew member Monika is also slowly relaxing and enjoying her afternoon nap in the cockpit. Later, we sail a little further along the rocky coast before returning to the harbour at dusk.
It was an exciting day for Monika. She got her first impression of our life on the boat, enough for a start.
Hopefully everything will go well.
An unforgettable sailing trip
My mum is doing her best
Autumn sunshine instead of winter greyness
Late autumn has arrived at home in Switzerland and Germany, and there is even some snow on the ground. But here we continue to enjoy our coffee in the sun every morning and are not thinking about going home.
Cold, darkness and little light? No, we'll stay a little longer. And the Christmas spirit? That doesn't come from frosty temperatures; after all, Bethlehem is not located in cold Central Europe, but on the warm Asian continent.
Course changes in an eventful year
So how was our sailing year in 2025, and were we able to implement the plans we had made last spring?
Partly. We were actually able to make the trip to Gibraltar and back to Cartagena, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
But then followed a difficult period full of uncertainty, especially for Caro. Many questions remained unanswered, accompanied by intense, emotional moments. In the end, the sad news came: Caro's father passed away in October. A real low point.
But as is so often the case, there is light at the end of every tunnel. In late autumn weather, we returned to Cartagena, to our boat. Well into December, we were able to enjoy sunny, mild days there, a welcome break after a stressful period.
Although the originally planned trip to the Balearic Islands did not take place, we met a wonderful and warm sailing community at the marina. Together we spent many happy evenings and went on beautiful hikes.
Homesick? Not at all. Under these circumstances, it was easy to stay a little longer.
And yet, as we did every year, we set off in mid-December to return home to our families.
That's life: a journey into the unknown. Joy and sorrow are often close together.
This photograph was taken during a wonderful hike.
Great group – sailing community at Marina Cartagena
Drone show over Cartagena
And what happens next?
We have many ideas for the coming year, some clearly defined, others still vague. Many revolve around the places we did not manage to visit this year.
Whatever the next year brings, we look forward to discovering it mile by mile.
Psssst ... one more thing on a personal note.
Chris already hinted at it gently in the last blog post: I am working on becoming self-employed.
And now it's official – my website dein-kurswechsel has been online since October! This fulfils a long-cherished dream of mine, which makes me very happy.
If you are curious and would like to learn more about my online coaching, you are warmly invited to visit my website. I look forward to hearing from you!