👉We did it! We sailed through the night and across the Mediterranean Sea.

Our first night sail. The first time we lost sight of land. What an experience...

Click on the title to read more

5/23/20264 min read

Land Ahoy! Our First 24‑Hour Crossing — and a Milestone We’ll Never Forget

Well… we did it.
We left the coastline behind, sailed into the dark, and crossed open water all the way to Menorca. Our first ever 24‑hour passage — and what an experience it turned out to be.

We’ve talked about sailing for years, taken plenty of holidays, and now begun this adventure properly… but sailing away from land, watching it disappear behind you as night falls, is something else entirely. It’s equal parts exhilarating and humbling.

Daylight Magic

We set off with just enough wind to get the sails up. As the day went on, it built beautifully — steady, comfortable, not too gusty — the kind of wind that lets you settle into the rhythm of the boat. A few tacks, a few smiles, and that lovely feeling of Novera gliding through the water.

By early evening, as expected, the wind eased. Down came the sails and on went the engine. I sat watching the horizon, feeling that peaceful, endless‑sea moment, and said to Tim, “The sail was great… all we need now is a little sea life.”

Well.
No sooner had the words left my mouth than a dolphin popped up right beside the boat as if to say, “Did someone call?” Moments later the whole pod arrived, weaving and dancing in the bow wave. They were with us for barely a minute, but they left behind that familiar feeling: awe, joy, and a little bit of magic. No wonder sailors of old built legends around them.

Sunset at Sea

Soon the daylight began to fade and I was ridiculously excited to see my first sunset at sea. It did not disappoint.

The light softened into a pink glow, then deepened into reds that rippled across the water. Before long we were completely engulfed in colour. Every photo felt like a masterpiece — something a Renaissance painter would have adored. And as for selfies - well my phone is full!

Into the Darkness

After the sunset came the darkness. Slowly at first… and then all at once.

I’ll confess: I didn’t know the moon sets like the sun. On land it just seems to appear or not appear, but at sea you feel its presence — and its absence and watching it disappear over the horizon was amazing. With only 18% moon, the moment it dipped the world went pitch black.

And then the stars came alive.

Millions of them. The sky so full . We saw shooting stars streak across the darkness, and honestly, how were we supposed to sleep with all that happening above our heads?

We tried.
We agreed on three‑hour shifts from 10pm, but neither of us managed more than two.

When I came back up after my short stint below deck, Tim was buzzing — dolphins had appeared out of the darkness, playing alongside the boat, and the sea was thick with jellyfish. He shone the torch over the side and it was like looking into a seafood chowder. I’ve never seen so many. And the strangest part? Some of them were luminous. Glowing. Otherworldly.

Moments of Nerves

It wasn’t all magic. There were moments.

At one point I tracked a set of lights for ages, unable to tell whether they were coming towards us or away. AIS helped, but out in the open sea, in the dark, distance and direction feel… undefined. Tim later described it perfectly: like driving down an unfamiliar road at night without headlights.

I think I was so determined not to get inside my own head about being miles from land in the middle of the sea that I focused on the stars instead of the “what ifs” of low visibility and large vessels. This is why Tim is the Captain. He was bore the weight of the actual reality of being in the dark in a reality small yacht sharing the sea with everything from super tankers to fishermen with little or no lights to help you spot them.

Dawn and Landfall

As the darkness finally began to lift, the sunrise wrapped around us in soft milky colours. The sea was calm, glassy, almost tender. We had made it through and having watched the map and mileage slowly reduce we were down to the last 30 miles!.

And then — land.
Menorca rising out of the morning light, peaceful and beautiful and impossibly welcoming.

I felt proud. Proud of us for working as a team, for keeping each other fed, hydrated, and happy for 22 hours straight. Proud of Novera, who carried us safely and confidently. Proud of myself for feeling safe aboard her and taking responsibility of my first ever night watches..