FROM SWEDEN TO MALLORCA

About the Book

At least now we knew that the boat could “take it.” And we could, too! Our daughter, Emily, Phil and I had set out at seven in the morning, leaving BrunsbUttel, at the end of the Kiel canal, heading for Cuxhaven, Germany. From there, it would be an overnight sail to the Netherlands and lovely, smooth canals. The trip was hard, scary work for the helmsman in a force 6 wind. Visibility was bad, too. When we finally reached our destination at Cuxhaven after four and a half hours pounding into the waves, we saw a line of spectators standing on the seawall, watching our entrance. It must have been like watching a roller-coaster at a carnival, hoping everyone was all right, but secretly eager for excitement. After settling into our slip, we, too, went to the seawall to watch the show. It was wonderful to be home and dry! That condition, however, wouldn’t last. The next leg of our cruise would take us into the North Sea at night, enroute to the Netherlands. Emily and I were at the helm and hadn’t reckoned on the strength of the tide. Only by “calling in the troops” (Philip, who was napping and fighting off a heavy cold) were we able to get back on course. It was a long, exhausting trip, but we made it, once again home and dry. We would enjoy days of lovely canal-cruising, joining the Dutch “boilers” and small sail and motorboats celebrating the fine weather. Windmills and thatched-roof houses lined the canals, healthy cattle nibbled grass and teenagers dangled their legs over the seawall, watching the boats cruise by. Seeing our American flag, a young girl called, “I hope you like our country!” Yes, we do. France was next, with its over 5000 miles of canals and hundreds of locks. Each lock presented new challenges and some fearful moments. We visited Verdun and the First- World-War monuments. Emily left us to go back to school, and Phil and I were on our own. We reached the Mediterranean at Sète, and it was blue water from there on. We learned to anticipate the mistral and the tramontana, we sat out “the worst weather I’ve seen in years” and, in Barcelona, Spain met our sister and brother-in-law, who joined us for the remainder of the cruise. Our final crossing from Javea, Spain to Mallorca was a long, very rough sail, but, at last, we reached Santa Ponsa harbor, where we would keep Tina Ill for a couple of years. She provided a pleasant holiday home for us when we came down from Stockholm. We—and Tina—are in the States now, in Florida. She’s moored outside our townhouse and brings back exciting memories of our five-month journey from Stockholm to Mallorca.

About the Author

Janis is a professional actress (Daisy in Driving Miss Daisy, Ouiser in Steel Magnolias) and a writer, with stories appearing in The Washington Post, The St. Petersburg Times, The Foreign Service Journal, Blue Water Sailing, etc. She is the wife of a retired diplomat, and, together with her adventurous husband, has lived in five different countries and has had the opportunity to enjoy sailing in all of them. Bensons, married for over 50 years, now live in Florida. They continue to sail and keep in close touch with their five children and seven grandchildren.