Settling on SY VAGO and our New Life Afloat

The Ride South

Before settling aboard our Sailing Yacht VAGO and land in Greece, we had to face 13 hours by car, one night on a ferry, sleeping on the floor 😂. We arrived around 6 in the morning and we immediately stopped at The Oven In The Port for a coffee and pastry to really start the day ahead. On the road we stopped for such a mystic and beautiful sunrise. No one around, just us and the fog covering the villages.

From Signing to Solitude: Our First Week on VAGO

It only took a couple of days to sign the contract, and then—suddenly—we were alone. The previous owners stepped off, leaving us at the helm of VAGO, our new floating home. The silence after the farewells was both surreal and grounding. It marked the official beginning of our adventure, with no one else to guide us but the skills and lessons we had gathered along the way. For new boat owners, resources & tips offer valuable advice on easing and settling into life afloat.

Diving into Maintenance & Making Space for Ourselves

Since we plan to stay longer in the water, we are taking our time to fill these days with essential tasks.

We rolled up our sleeves, tackling maintenance and housekeeping with determination. We installed Starlink to stay connected at sea, tidied lockers, scrubbed decks and slowly removed remnants of the past owners. Each drawer cleared, each surface polished was a step in making VAGO truly ours. This hands-on work is deeply rewarding—it brought us closer to understanding her systems and quirks.

Transitioning from a charter mentality to ownership meant imprinting our routines and identity onto the boat. We began adding notes, labeling switches, and reorganizing spaces to suit our needs. These little touches—our handwriting on taped labels, our systems for storage—transformed VAGO into more than a vessel. She became our home, a space that reflects both practicality and personality.

Breaks by the Beach

Of course, it isn’t all work. Whenever possible, we slip away to the beach. Stefan seizes every opportunity to kite and wing-foil, exhilarated by the wind and water. I take a quieter approach—stretching, doing exercises on the sand, swimming, or simply lying back to watch the horizon. These pauses are vital reminders that balance matters and rest is key during transitions.

The Food Hunt

One unexpected challenge was provisioning. Finding basics like tofu, ginger, and chickpeas turned out to be more complicated than expected—not every supermarket stocks these staples. We searched from store to store, sometimes leaving empty-handed, sometimes celebrating small victories when we finally spotted them on a shelf.

In the process, I stumbled across a little magazine left behind by the previous owner, filled with advice on what to eat onboard, how to choose ingredients that store well, and even tips to avoid seasickness. It sparked the idea of writing a whole post dedicated just to food, sustainability, and health at sea. For broader inspiration, Sailors for the Sea’s Green Galley tips are a great resources.

The In-Between

Practicalities inevitably slowed us down. Insurance, registration, and paperwork hovered in limbo, and we don’t yet know how long it will take for everything to finalize. This uncertainty tested our patience, but it also gave us time to settle and observe life around us. Marina neighbors shared advice, stories, and even tools—a reminder of the community that forms wherever boats gather.

Looking Ahead: Ready for the Water

Though much remains unfinished, our first week already feels like a deep dive into ownership. The hard work of maintenance, the joy of quiet beach breaks, the struggles of food provisioning, and the waiting for paperwork have all blended into a rhythm that feels uniquely ours. Soon, VAGO will slide back into the water, and with her, we’ll begin the next chapter—one that carries both the weight of responsibility and the thrill of freedom.

This first week has been a grounding, humbling, and exciting initiation. Every scrub, every kite session, every delay, and every grocery search reminds us: we’re not just visiting this lifestyle—we’re living it.

Read more about how we landed to VAGO and how this whole adventure started for us in this Blog Article. More about who we are as human beings here The Crew aboard Project-VAGO.