• Istana in all her glory

    We spent a lot of time polishing the hull. The water reflections are sparkling off it. Notice the tailplane carrying the solar panels and our Starlink antenna. We are pretty much self sufficient as long as its not winter. The blue shapes at the front contain our fenders.

    She has a very unusual feature for a yacht this size – she can go on the beach!

    People passing by, rather surprised say ‘Did you mean to do that?’. Yes, we did, but it actually takes some careful planning, not least so we can get back in the water again with the tide.

    How it all started.

    We had this idea for a while – to see if we could retire early and live on a boat.

  • None of the beaches at Cascais, near Lisbon, are dog friendly. Looking around we spotted this; looks like a pen for mini submarines perhaps?

    Be brave – go inside….

    Didn’t expect this!

    Steps, perfect, handrail and all!

    Tuck the boat back inside, and unless you look down through the grating it is hidden. (Notice our electrified rudder which we charge from our solar panels. We are completely silent and cost free.)

    The folding trolley on the right is how we move our shopping.

  • At the entrance to the boatyard there are three parrots. They say ‘Hello’ in English.

    Its pretty demeaning to have to lie here whilst your humans try and talk with them.
    But I got one of their feathers, smell and all, back to the boat!

  • Under Construction

    Website with our story coming soon…..