2 months that felt like a damn rollercoaster or better, a swinging and drifting boat: from weathering the stormy and rainy month of November to finally sailing again in December, feeling part of a community, learning more about VAGO, testing our nerves. All in all, two months that flew fast but left plenty of small victories and celebrations!

And yet, with every storm, our respect for VAGO grew. She held us safe and warm, reminding us that flaws are just invitations to learn.

• Double windows installed: A real liveaboard hack. The battle against condensation is real, and these windows changed everything.
• Heating system: It’s a “China-Basto” that our friend Andreas kindly left us. We installed it last month, now tested and working beautifully. We finally wake up warm instead of cold and damp.
• Humidity prevention: We ordered an “oscillating spring system” : pads to ensures air circulation under the bed and allow moisture to evaporate quickly. (we’re still waiting for it but we are excited to test it and give an honest feedback!)
• New Windows: We also realized that we need new windows because ours are not that waterproof anymore! We plan to change them before summer.
• After trying to fix our 4 Strokes Yamaha Outboard in all possible ways, we decided to stop investing in endless reparations and finally get a new one a 6PS Mercury, to have peace of mind and a functioning outboard for some time. Honestly, it was a bit of a struggle at the beginning but now we understood how it works, how you have to start it properly.
• Couch upholstery: thanks to Metek’s Family VAGO got a fresh look! New fabric, new color. An extra upgrade that suddenly makes the whole saloon brighter and more “our home”.

December arrived quietly — The weather softened and suddenly we could move around a bit.

We set sail for Mitikas and Kalamos, just the two of us. Winter sailing in Greece has a very particular beauty: dramatic clouds, empty harbors, muted colors, and an overwhelming sense of space. No crowds, no rush — just us, the wind, a pervading silence and the sea.

Back in Vliho, life revolved around people. Sailors from Canada (Sophie & John), France (Luc), Germany (Merlin), Italy (Vittorio), the UK (Ryan, Samuel, Carla, Jimmy…) — all flowing at the same off‑season rhythm.

Together, we sailed to Palairos, where one evening turned into something special: a bonfire on the beach, good music, shared food (discovered the best Chicken Souvlaki around Nydri), laughter, and the unexpected gift of shooting stars crossing the sky.

The next morning, we all jumped on Kamia, Luc’s boat, where Sophie prepared Eggs Benedict’s for everyone — proof that even at anchor, luxury can exist in the simplest forms. I’ve been dreaming of this recipe ever since.

In Desimi, Stefan and I decided to do a beach clean‑up. The beach was sadly full of trash so we rolled our sleeves up and started doing what feels natural and obvious. Sure it was not our trash but it is our planet and we do care! The beach was also full of cats who looked for cuddles the whole time.

The day after cleaning, we organized another bonfire, this time at Desimi, to mark the winter solstice with a few fellow sailors. Fire, conversation, silence and the feeling of doing something simple but meaningful.

December will forever be remembered as the month we installed ILDE, our washing machine. She’s traveling with us since Preveza! Tired of the dirty and never functioning Laundry Services we thought it would be great to be sufficient when it comes to washing (which is actually expensive!)

A game‑changer? Absolutely. Easy to mount? Not quite.

Finding the right spot. The right non‑return valves. The right hoses. Endless trips to the shops. Then came:

• a draining error E04
• a leak (twice)
• and at one point… a washing machine trying to escape its mounting frame because…Yes, I probably overloaded it.

After tightening bolts, drying floors, and a lot of laughter, she now works perfectly — and we couldn’t be happier.

December was truly full of gifts and precious memories:

• A haircut for both of us by a sailor and former hairdresser
• Christmas Dinner at the Vliho Yacht Club closing the season
• I finally understood how to handcraft a fruit hammock with Macramé (after failing at least 5 times)
• We finally made it to the Nydri’s Waterfalls, a wonderful walk, not a long one but certainly very worthy!

Sooner as expected, Christmas knocked at the door. Two weeks ago we would have not imagined where, how with whom we would celebrate it and yet, it felt so familiar and natural.

• We spent a rainy Christmas Eve, just the two of us, having a good dinner onboard, playing and listening to some good music.
• We celebrated Christmas Day with our floating fellow cruisers in a tiny Greek house with a dress-code “mad hatters” and some artisitc make-up.
• Lasagna made from scratch — dough, sauce, everything — shared around a crowded table

Finally, as December is approaching its end and we gently move towards our 100 Days at Sea, we untied the lines again. Heading toward Ithaki, Vathy, ready to discover new places — even for Stefan and me.

Together, these two months grounded us and we are learning to trust the process, the boat, and each other every day more. And somehow, this already feels natural.

I am publishing this post from Kefalonia, Poros. Stay tuned because the next post will be about Ithaki, Vathy and exploring the Ionion Islands in Winter when all towns transform into a ghost towns.

If you are a friend, a sailor, a salty dreamer, or simply just here for whatever reason and you are reading or appreciating our pictures, leave us a comment. We truly wish you a quiet end of 2025 and fair winds for 2026!

See You Out There !

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.