Cruising:
Row boats on the lake! For some reason, Patty did not want to explore the lake by boat
Barcelona, Spain By Chuck & Patty Ritenour
Sailing the Med as Americans is tough because of Schengen. What is Schengen you ask? Well, non-EU country citizens are allowed in EU countries for 90 days and then must be out for 90 days. That’s difficult to manage during the summer sailing season. We worked hard to stay legal on SoulMates, but does that mean we were always in compliance? Well, you can take the passports and try to figure it out! Leaving France, my wife, Patty, and I knew our Schengen days and the summer sailing season were ending. With a favorable wind in the Gulf of Lyon, we set out on SoulMates late in the afternoon for the 170-nautical mile sail to Barcelona. Checking sources, it appeared the most economical marina was Olympic Marina built for the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics. I had called and made arrangements beforehand. When
44 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 44-49 Cruising Barcelona - MKC.indd 2
we were within hailing distance, I called the marina and got a “Welcome, SoulMates, and please proceed around the breakwater and a small boat will meet you and take you to your slip.” Getting from the old Olympic village to downtown was an easy walk. But after an overnight sail, it was a short day and we were soon back on board after some mussels, calamari, and wine — only to be awakened by loud booms. We looked out and saw the beachfront was having fireworks. Patty asked if they were being shot off to welcome us, and we both laughed and enjoyed them. The next day was Sunday, so we were up and out early and headed downtown. It was a nice walk past a variety of shops and neighbors. Soon we were downtown across from the other big marina, Port Vell. Hearing music on an early Sunday morning, we rounded a corner and
w w w . L at s A t t s . c o m
10/27/21 11:15 AM
