I suppose, initially it was an experience I’d already had with Lagoon boats. I chartered a Lagoon 450 in Croatia seven years ago now. I had a fantastic couple of weeks on that and that’s probably where it all started from. At the same time I met a fellow that had a Lagoon 450 and was just starting out his 5 year journey. Mick and Leanne, the boat has subsequently gone through the Mediterranean and across to the Caribbean and back across the Pacific and I followed that journey very closely. All the reports that Michael always has about the boat and everything gave me the confidence to want to go into Lagoon. Obviously there was probably only a couple of choices  when you’re looking at the sorts of boats I was looking at. Lagoon always came up as the one that ticked all the boxes. Very happy for sure.

Number 1, anxious to get on board, so that was always a priority. Actually heading over to Europe was so much easier that I thought it was going to be. I was by myself, I didn’t have anyone else going with me. I was there a week before the handover I managed to arrive in Les Sables-d’Olonne 1 day before the boat was going in the water.  That was fantastic to see, to actually see the boat launched for the first time and then to follow its development in those couple of days after with rigging and everything. Then obviously the actual handover period, Joe Fox came over and apart from having a great time with Joe as far as restaurants and eating and drinking. The handover itself for the two days was fantastic. We sat on the boat for the first day and went through it from top to bottom, bow to aft, starboard to port. It was a great learning experience, and then out sailing the next day. Making sure everything worked properly, putting up the Code Zero that I’d got for the first time.  It was a fantastic thing to do and I can’t speak highly enough about that actual process. I found Les Sables-d’Olonne a great place to stay, I stayed in the hotel you recommended. The Admiral’s Hotel. So convenient, restaurants and everything right there. The chandlery was fantastic to be able to deal with. Then I hired a car for a couple of days and there was a fantastic array of shops and businesses and hardware, to get everything that you wanted to get done, I even got timber cut. It was just a great week. It’s definitely a very central place Les Sables d’Olonne. It was very easy, I don’t know how you could make it much easier.

Firstly, just getting back onto it, like I said the boats in Montenegro. It was pulled out near the Porto Montenegro Marina, didn’t get a chance to discover that area As soon as I go back in April, get the boat back in the water, get it re rigged and do that Kotor Inlet. Just see that Montenegro area, then from there, go up to Croatia. And that’s where that whole experience began back in 2013 when I had that time on a charter boat. Really just see more and more of Croatia and my plan this year is to not go much further than that. Get right up the top of Croatia and maybe come back down the Italian coast. Possibly take the boat back to Croatia and winterise it again there next Christmas.