Yzengue: Retirement: On A Cat Obviously!

"We chose the Lagoon 39, mainly because of the mast being further aft which allows for more comfortable sailing. There's no doubt that it is a very liveable boat! We took delivery at La Rochelle in July 2013, before sailing it down to Gabon, where we live. During a stopover in Andernos, we christened Yzengue with around 30 close friends. It was a wonderful moment with all of our friends, who've pretty much all caught our sailing bug. We then headed for the Port Gentil peninsula in Gabon, which took us two and a half months, as we stopped over in Spain, Portugal (which we recommend, especially Madeira), the Canaries and Dakar. After two years of sailing and learning about the boat in Port Gentil Bay, we were ready for our first adventure: crossing the Atlantic! We made the trip with three experienced sailor friends, leaving the African coast at the start of January, and heading for Tobago, which we reached in 31 days. Leaving the Gulf of Guinea during the first few days, was done under motor. We had thankfully stocked up on diesel, although after a few days we picked up the Trade Winds. No major problems to mention, just the code 0's halyard which snapped. This crossing and discovering the first islands in our path have been a revelation for us. In fact we will probably take our retirement earlier than planned, to make the most of our catamaran and discover the Caribbean and all the oceans!
Catherine and Philippe on board Yzengue.