Not a real boat, just a motorboat, but it was real to me. I wanted to go through all the canals and waterways of France and a sailing boat would not of been ideal for that. I also knew nothing about boating, and learning curve on a sailboat would have been a lot steeper.
My boat is a 1987 Birchwood TS 37, with two 225 hp MerCruiser diesel motors. The air-draft is about 3.2m and she draws about 1.2m draft. She is 11.3m long and 3.8m wide. These numbers are very significant because anything taller or wider would be very problematic entering at least two or three of the 216 locks that I passed through.
“Jaywalking the World,” my boat does have a bow thruster, but it's the one thing on the boat that doesn't work and I haven't been able to find out why yet, but as she has two motors/propellers, delicate manoeuvring was never a problem.
It took me a year to go from the English Channel to the Mediterranean. I could've done it faster, but it was such a nice trip, I took my time. It was quite an adventure for someone who knew nothing about boats before setting out.
The Côte d'Azur is absolutely one of the best places you could ever take a boat. Marinas that I spent time at in the UK always seem somewhat hostile to people living on their boats, but that is not the case on the Mediterranean Sea. Marinas like having people on their boats and I have never come across any negative attitudes the whole time I was there.
Now I'm in Malta. What next? I like to challenge myself and as I'm a filmmaker, I guess it's time I made a film. So that's the plan. One year from now, along with some friends of mine, I would've made a feature film.
If you pop on to my YouTube channel, say "Hi" and tell me about pandas.
What this space for more details.
https://www.paynie.net/
https://www.youtube.com/@JaywalkingTheWorld
Leaving UK waters
Ta'Xbiex, Malta
Somewhere off the Italian coast
South of France.
The Trip!
Italian coast
Probably Malta
Cruising past Mt Etna.
Montargis, Central France
Gaeta, Italy
My current birth in Malta.
