The Forquilla is much more than a pleasure boat for Carmen and Uri. She, an audiovisual communicator from A Coruña, and he, a camera operator from El Masnou (Barcelona), have turned this sailboat into their habitual residence for almost four years. In this time, they have added a child to the home, put the brakes on their lifestyle and dedicated years of savings to fine-tuning every detail of the boat. A titanic effort whose reward is a date marked on the calendar that they will always remember: April 27 they set out to go around the world.
Although their base is Port Balís in San Andrés de Llavaneras, Carmen and Uri continue to move on land to respond to professional commitments. In fact, they do not rule out interrupting their particular odyssey to embark on new projects in the future. Now that the boat is stopped in full maintenance operation, Carmen tells us before eating how they try to combine the adventure of their lives with parenthood, work and creating content for Velero Forquilla’s social networks.
Before Forquilla, what was your first contact with the world of sailing?
My father had a motorboat and I always went fishing with him. Then, when I was 21, I went with my brother to Croatia on a sailboat and I loved it. Uri had always been more of a mountain person, until one day he got the bug and went on a boat trip with his friends for a few days to try it out. Later, he began to obtain nautical titles and rent boats until today, when our entire life revolves around the Forquilla.
How does the opportunity to acquire this sailboat present itself?
We spent a long time visiting ports throughout Spain. During the pandemic we were able to refine our search through buying and selling websites until one morning we received a notification about a sailboat that was just what we needed. When we came out of confinement, in June 2020, we traveled to Sicily, bought it and brought it with us. Since then Forquilla has become our home.
Was it before or after you decided to go around the world?
We were clear that we were looking for a boat to sail around the world in the long term, because we still had to synchronize this goal with our personal life. During these almost four years we have dedicated ourselves to getting the boat ready and we have had a child in between. This accelerates some processes and slows down others, but we have never given up on our idea.
What bureaucratic procedures did you have to go through to convert a pleasure boat into your usual home?
The ship had an English flag and we had to request the change to a Spanish flag. In addition, we had to pay the corresponding taxes. What we couldn’t do was register at the port, so legally our habitual residence is our apartment in Barcelona.
Your sailboat is 63 square meters. Is it enough space to live comfortably?
We are delighted. When we lived in the apartment we didn’t tend to accumulate a lot of things and, in fact, selling the little we had before going to the boat was a liberation.
Is it really cheaper than living in a conventional home?
Depending on how you think about it. We are aware because we know that the resources on board are limited. We have a solar panel system that supplies us with electricity and a desalination plant for water. The cost of food is the same as if we were on land, but we also have the option of fishing. The only extra expense comes from boat repairs and maintenance. Even adding the monthly mooring fee, which we will save when we set sail, we have done the numbers and it is more cost-effective than living in Barcelona.
You are dedicated to the audiovisual world and this is helping you to give visibility to the project from a professional perspective. What role do social networks play in your daily life?
We have always tried to disseminate this lifestyle with a more developed narrative. When Leo is born, Uri and I take turns working. During a sick leave, I began to share my professional concerns on our social networks. We launched a video that in a short time received millions of views and with which we gained thousands of followers. Since then we spend a few hours a day recording and editing content.
What elements of the sailboat have your sponsors provided you with?
The sails and rigging, which is the metal structure of the boat, were provided to us a year ago. They have also helped us with the general equipment of the boat, the electrical installation and batteries, the upholstery or waterproof clothing for Leo.
What stops do you have in mind?
We have planned the entire route. From Barcelona we will go to the Balearic Islands and then we will border the Levant and the south of the peninsula. Then we will travel to Madeira, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde, from where we will cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean. Then we will pass the Panama Canal towards the Galapagos and other Pacific islands. From Australia, we go to the countries of Southeast Asia. Depending on the geopolitical moment, we will return through the Gulf of Aden towards the Red Sea and the Suez Canal with a stop in Greece and Sicily, or bordering Africa until crossing the Strait of Gibraltar again.
Have you planned a return date or are you going to let yourself go?
We have no idea and I love that. Maybe in three years we will decide that it is good, or maybe in ten years we will continue stumbling.
