Odessa

These were among our first nautical miles and trips with Odessa. 🥰

Odessa is a 6.5 m Van de Stadt and had been completely fitted out in wood by the previous owner.

At first we used her for day trips, and this year we lived on her for several months.

She had lights, radio and VHF. Later we added an autopilot and a larger battery, plus of course all kinds of little bits and pieces that made life easier. In the beginning we cooked with paraffin, but that made me feel unwell. So we switched to gas, until that turned out to be a flop too.

To put it nicely, she even has a “strange thing” as a toilet and a shower, so yes… mmh… a bag with a hose. 😉

With two people and two dogs it did get rather cramped, and above all hot. One summer day we had a full 48 degrees inside the boat, and outside there was not much shade either. But at least the water was a cool 30 degrees for cooling down. 😂

We became quite the attraction in the marina: two dogs on deck, on this little boat with the tiny mast, and two slightly crazy people constantly pouring buckets of water over the boat just to cool it down a little. So boredom was never really an issue. We also met many very cool and lovely people along the way.

They were good test months before moving onto Kirana, and we were able to gather a lot of experience with her. Soon Odessa will come out of the water and get a little attention and love again.

I can hardly wait, and I am already a little nervous. This whole craning and lifting thing is always something. If you are interested in what happens next, follow our journey here on Sailing Kirana.

We will now tell our story more often, and maybe one day you will become part of it. 😊

We wish everyone lots of love and happiness. See you soon!