Why didn’t I just say “no”?, I keep asking myself. I am sick. I can’t see my own face but I bet it is as greenish brown as the Sargasso seaweed that is spread all over my deck. I feel terrible. Cold sweat is running down my face. I remember the fun fact that it…
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“Tattoos are only for sailors and criminals!”, is what my mom kept telling me when I was little. I always wanted a tattoo but had little ambitions to become a criminal so this is how I became a sailor. Sailor tattoos tell stories. They tell stories of toil and strive, accomplishments and passion. They also…
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The blistering sun is relentless, the broiling heat inevitable. Not too surprising. It is summer in Mexico after all. And still my mind has wandered off to distant shores in the cold. The book is written, I can finally take down my pen and prepare my next voyage. After the game is before the game.…
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It is done! “Birth of a Solo Sailor – A Voyage between Solitude and Loneliness” is now available on Amazon as ebook, paperback b&w and paperback in color. It is also available on Apple Books as ebook. https://books.apple.com/de/book/birth-of-a-solo-sailor/id1570855716 “Birth of a Solo Sailor” will take you on a sailing voyage from the equatorial rainforest in…
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And all of a sudden it is calm. No movement. Not the slightest breeze. Not the usual cacophony of Reggeaton music, barking dogs and roaring power boats. Even the birds stopped chirping. The world is holding its breath. This happened so suddenly, like someone pulled the plug in the dance club. Subconsciously I want to…
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A beautiful scene. The boat is heeling in the evening breeze. The mainsail is hauled tight. And all this in front of a romantic sunset. But something is wrong. No spray is flying, no bow is cutting through the waves, no whooshing, no splashes – no movement at all. No sound. A still. Surreal. I…
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A kiss. A hug. I hate goodbyes! Without a further word I turn around and walk back to the beach that now lonely lays in the dark. Playa Tortugas, turtle beach, here in Cancun, during daytime full of families and fun, is surrounded by a net, intended to protect its guests from sharks and other…
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Patience is the most important quality of a captain. A lack of patience sinks ships. But even more important it is to be just in time.
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Please make sure you have read Mexican Standoff – Part 1: Humiliation before you continue. So I lost my dinghy, I got bruised and hurt, I spent the night in the dirt, I got ripped-off and robbed. Humiliated. How deep can you fall and still not hit bottom? Once again I remember Rocky’s words: “It’s…
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I am wet. I am cold. My bruises hurt. My scrapes burn. My head aches. Breaded in sand like a schnitzel I feel hunger coming up. I take a deep drag. The sweet smoke befogs my mind and my sight but I still make out Seefalke’s anchor light in the distance. So she is still…
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Please make sure you read part 1 first: Part 2 (The Treasure) If you would need to hide something really well, where would that be? Something valuable or dangerous maybe. Or compromising. When you would need to make sure the wrong people will never find it. Your obsolete bio-weapon CoVid lab equipment maybe. Or the…
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I shake Tommaso’s, Michele’s and Renato’s hands. Screw social distancing for a moment! “Fair winds! Stay safe! See you later in this or in next life!” A smile. A hug. A nod. I see tears glitter in their eyes. I climb down the rope ladder into my bright red dinghy. I crank my little Mercury outboard…
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I got up early this morning. I had my “good” camera charged over night and I had researched that moonset at my position here at Isla Mujeres, Mexico would be at 07:07 UTC-5 or CDT. Not too bad. But sunrise would already be at 06:33, so I knew I had to get up a good…
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“Good morning, this is Isla Mujeres Cruisers Net. It is our purpose to stay connected, exchange information and build the community of cruisers. Your participation is encouraged.,” at exactly 08:00 the familiar voice greets all sailors currently anchored or docked at Isla Mujeres, Mexico. The voice belongs to Lisa, who is our net controller today. She…
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“Open – Rain or Shine” the neon sign over the entrance to Skull’s Landing invites its guests. It is one of those signs that normally can be switched from “open” to “closed” just this one doesn’t have a “closed” option. A great marketing move. Skull’s Landing is the local cruisers’ hangout with Happy Hour from…
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It is dark. Pitch black. Impervious. Only scattered low declination stars hint at the existence of more boats at this anchorage. I know there are dozens. Most of them have their anchor lights on, but not all of them. During the day I spent some time memorizing a path through this maze of boats and…
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“2000 Pesos,” the boy claims with great self-confidence. He has a neon-yellow colored Iroquois hair style and his skin color is evidence of his creole heritage. He wears colorful shorts, flip-flops and a muscle shirt that dramatically reveals his tattoo, showing a – let’s say – slightly underdressed girl with an impressive bust size. The…
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“Hey Maik!” somebody is shouting my name and abruptly I turn around. I see a pink Chevrolet ‘55 convertible taxi, and I see a woman, wearing an elegant long dress and a hat that makes every sombrero look tiny. Huge sunglasses cover what is left to see on her face. The sun is burning relentlessly.…
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So now it is definite. It is early morning of October 31, 2019 as I motor down the muddy waters of Suriname River from Domburg, through the heavy jungle heat. I follow the tide past plantations and mansions towards Paramaribo, Suriname’s lively capital, and I know: It is definite. Earth and water, just like air…
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I just arrived back on my boat Seefalke. She is currently docked in Marina Gaviota in Varadero, Cuba and after two weeks of painful separation, the two of us are finally reunited again. I caress the womanly curves of her wheel tenderly; I know she feels how much I missed her. When talking with friends on…
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It is winter. I am still in Germany. I have been here for almost two weeks and in less than two days I am going to fly back home to my boat Seefalke. She is in tropical Cuba now waiting for me. It is cold. Sabine just passed, a furious winter storm, but luckily it…
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$1,000 nights are notorious among sailors. This is what we call nights when a sail is ripped in a sudden gust, or the dinghy outboard motor falls over board, or the anchor needs to be given up. Ask any blue-water sailor and you’ll find they all had at least one of those $1,000 nights in…
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As you may remember, I am in Germany at the moment. I left my boat in Cuba for two weeks to take care of some important business. Despite being here for a week already, I am still suffering from the blunt culture shock. It is just a few days ago that I met with my…
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Being in Germany now, in my home country 10,000 km away from home, I feel like on a speed dating competition. I will be here for only two weeks and friends, family and business partners are fighting for a spot in my bursting schedule. I feel very flattered, however, I feel overwhelmed and homesick, too. …
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“Uh oh, I’m an alien, I’m a legal alien….”, Sting has been following me today from the moment I got out of the plane in Düsseldorf, Germany. I just arrived from Cuba, where I left my boat and home Seefalke for two weeks to take care of some urgent business and admin in the fatherland.…
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