Where It All Started.

Where it all started.

None of us has a long history of sailing. None of our family members sail. But we all started once and decided relatively spontaneously to buy a sailboat. Let's look back into the past.

 

Lukas set sail for the first time at the age of twelf during a holiday with his family and their friends. Raphael and I (Jana) sailed professionally for the first time as adults and joined in the fun in 2021. But how did our shared love for this adventure begin?

 

The seed was planted a few years ago when Lukas and Raphael dreamed of crossing the Atlantic one day. The idea, which was born in one long night, became more and more of a clear goal and dream for the two of them. Neither of them knew how to sail at that time. As the three of us often went on holiday together and shared many other hobbies, it quickly became clear that the three of us would start sailing together.

 

Said and done. In the year 2021, accompanied by three friends, we completed our first sailing course, including obtaining our sailing license, in Croatia.. And there it was — the sailing bug had bitten us! A year later, we underwent skipper training in Croatia. Then the time had come, and we were sailing on our own for the first time (without an instructor) — what an adventure!

 

Chartering boats is very convenient, as it provides great flexibility and makes sailing possible in the first place. However, the costs should not be underestimated. It was enjoyable, but the dream of owning our own boat quickly grew in Raphael, Lukas and me (Jana). But how could we ever afford our own sailboat? We pondered: What if we simply build our own sailboat? Out of wood, for example? A spontaneous idea turned into seriousness (again).

 

We decided to take a year to find out if this seemingly unrealistic dream could become a reality. We knew that building a boat would take a lot of time and money. Moreover, it would mean giving up longer sailing vacations for several years for various reasons. Did we really want to forego our new hobby for that long?

 

The plans took an unexpected turn earlier than anticipated. Maybe we could afford an older sailboat and refit it? This way, we could gain valuable experience and realize our dream of owning a boat more quickly. The idea of building a boat was temporarily put on hold.

 

Our search for an affordable sailboat in the Mediterranean began. It is often said that most sailors visit about ten boats before deciding on one. Well, we didn't adhere to that rule because our budget was very limited and the market was sparse.

 

In late September 2022, we traveled to Spain to see the first available boat. After the initial inspection, it looked promising: old, a bit broken but affordable — just the way we like it. Why wait any longer? Without hesitation, we decided to make it ours.

 

According to superstition, the previous boat's name brings bad luck, so we prefer not to mention it here. In this spirit, in October 2022, it was goodbye to the old boat name, and hello to Lunara.

 

And who knows: Maybe we will build Lunara 2 ourselves someday?