We initially thought we could find an Amel 54 either in the US or the Caribbean. However, our search unexpectedly led us to discover our Amel in Spain. As if selling the condo and most of its contents, along with retiring from my full-time job to embrace a new lifestyle that most would consider “crazy,” wasn’t challenging enough, we now had the added burden of moving our personal posesions across the Atlantic. Oh well, life is an adventure!

After navigating a series of logistical challenges and living through a few stressful and even slightly traumatic moments of letting go, we successfully reduced our luggage to just sixteen pieces. We then flew from Miami to Barcelona. It was impressive that American Airlines allowed each passenger ten checked bags on international flights! All of our bags, including Robert’s guitar and our carry-on items, arrived in Barcelona without any issues. What a relief!

Juno was docked in Port Ginesta, just south of Barcelona, waiting for us. What a cool spot to begin our cruising life!

Everything felt like a blur: the excitement, the apprehension, the admiration for our new floating home, and the overwhelming list of tasks we needed to tackle quickly. We didn’t have time to enjoy Barcelona; we had three weeks to prepare our home before our appointment in France for the rigging replacement. While Robert focused on the boat—learning about the various systems, taking inventory of parts, and handling urgent repairs—I drove around Barcelona to gather household necessities. The previous owner had removed all personal items from the boat, so even though it was thrilling to have the “new boat” experience, it was a lot of work to stock up on everything a household requires. Thankfully, we were in Europe, which meant we had access to 220V appliances and IKEA.

Port Ginesta was fantastic. Its location is very convenient for travelers by car, and the surrounding area is beautiful. The highlight of our time there was meeting our first cruising friend, James. He is also an Amel owner and an airline pilot and trainer. I felt it was a stroke of divine intervention that we met him. James taught Robert how to maneuver our Amel in tight marina slips and practiced with us. The Amel-specific boat-handling skills Robert learned from him came in handy later in France when we had to pull into a slip, med-moored for the first time, between two boats with only one fender’s width on either side. Meeting James was our first glimpse into the wonderful cruising community.

As I write down these memories a year later, I am still amazed and proud of what we accomplished during those intense few months when we left our old life behind to embrace this new cruising lifestyle.