Curiosity is a great virtue, not easily fatigued by exercise. If you don’t know Cadeau, here follows a quick tour of the boat beginning from the beautifully shaped and slim stern. You might ask why modern boats are far larger back. Once you start racing one of these modern things, the answer will be evident…

The Rough Guide to our Swan ‘Cadeau’

Orientation

Although many might find it hard to understand maritime terminology, a few items are essential: the bow is the thinner end, while the stern is the rounder. A boat tends to proceed bow first. The pole in the middle is called mast and goes through the deck, which is both, a floor and a ceiling. The cockpit – no idea why it is thus called, probably in the old days the bored mariners used to organize cockfights - is the place you should never leave in heavy weather. As you might easily imagine, the round thing in the cockpit is the steering wheel. There are also instruments and a throttle, but mind: there are no brakes. The helm station is at the extreme rear, comfortable for the helmsman with all the instruments a serious helmsman must need in front of him. That means the sails and three compasses. Wind instruments and such trivial modernities have been swept away in the roaring forties and only pure poetry is left as a guide for the man at the helm, thus dramatically improving his/her sensitivity.

Right in front we find the cockpit. The origin of this name is unclear, especially when applied to a boat. With the table beautifully set for six with wooden dishes and wine-tasting glasses, the music and the sun setting, one can hardly imagine cocks fighting. Maybe things might be more understandable in tough navigation, with a serious mess of winches, lines, handles and arms spinning furiously to tack or gybe the 14 tons wwa (without wine aboard), not to mention the killer huge boom right over the head that can swing at 40 miles per hour, playing golf with the incautious head, and the attached sheets ready to hang without preference of age, sex and race. Tough navigation is rarely attained during charters, so don’t worry.

When to go

Cadeau likes to stay on the dry for the colder months – October to June. This is therefore the best time to visit if you suffer from seasickness.

Getting around
From the cockpit the companionWAY (as opposed to the companionSTAY, considering the love of simply everyone to sit here) leads to the ladder, thence to the wonderful all-teak, blue-carpeted cabin. Right to the left the galley, Marco’s private and absolute kingdom, rich in spices, herbs, implementa, huge fridge, cups, glasses and secret ingredients. To the left the other Marco’s private place, the navigation area, with pc, radar, GPS, electric panel, autopilot controls, charts, books and so on. Every single one of the miles of cables in the ship passes through here. In front of the galley/navigation area we find the living area. The huge mast in the middle will NOT be drilled to allow better conversation, as some jokers suggested. Comfortable settees for 6, two berths by the sides, all teak and two 7-feet long bookshelves mostly filled. These books have the deplorable tendency to fall down when the vessel leans by the side, a contingency that happens frequently because Cadeau is a seriously canvassed and powerful lady. At this point Marco reminds to block and jam them decently. A story apart deserves the ‘heads’, which is the maritime name for the toilet. It’s big by boat standards, with large lockers and a big sink, and you can easily shower inside. The bowl itself is often object of long discussions, which can be synthesized with the views of two philosophical schools. The practical one, led by the skipper, worshipping the quality and reliability of the world renowned Blake brand, that makes loo-shaped and proportionally expensive jewels. The other, led by some women, points out that the pump requires a certain effort to manoeuvre, hence the reply, quoted from the famous ‘Lecky’s wrinkles in practical navigation’, that ‘sailors are not women’. If you belong to the second school, skipper is willing to provide, discreetly, the necessary effort. Update: the Blake has been substituted for a more modern and user-friendly thing.

Coming back on the deck, the area between the companionway (where one should be careful not to fall in, like Andy) and the mast is seriously devoted to sailing, with a battery of seven winches for spinnakers, reefing lines, halyards and topping lifts. Still, in normal days it provides a series of comfortable suntanning spots. The area in front of the mast is rather unencumbered and dedicated to sunbathing, diving, relaxing and poetical flights. Provided, again, one does not fall into the other companionway.

Accomodation

The port door leads to the aft stateroom, huge to 44-long vessels standards, with a double AND a single bed, plus settee in the middle, locks, portholes, mirror, and plenty of storage places. Even if it is big, please leave rigid suitcases at home, if possible. Only one might fit in the tunnel leading to the aft maintenance station. Linen is broidered with the vessel’s killer whale logo, and the linen itself is top quality cotton and ETRO brand. Plenty of books, mostly in English, on the two huge bookshelves. A very relaxing nestle…The second cabin lies in front of the living room, and it boasts a huge bed with companionway right on top for advanced stargazing at night (or a shorter way to the water in the morning). True, the bed lies on a seriously large sail selection, line collection and life ring objection, so it might be considered rather high by a Chinese. Still it’s seriously wide and over 7 feet long.

Dangers and annoyances

The main safety issue is ‘DO NOT FALL OVERBOARD’. Hands on watch must be harnessed and any useless ‘stroll’ on deck in rough seas is not recommended. Funnily enough, many male bodies found at sea had the fly down. Its neither stylish nor safe to do outside what one can do in a toilet.
KIDS: when the boat is sailing or mooring kids will be friendly but firmly advised by the skipper, even in calm days, to either hook  up or to remain in the cockpit, and to sit at the helm bench during manoeuvres. Parents are warmly advised to enforce this rule.          
            No plane, train and timetable has any prevalence to safety aboard. Over 50% of accidents at sea come from being on a rush at the end of a cruise. Until today, Cadeau has never been overdue and never betrayed any passenger’s timetable, but this comes with a prudent planning of the voyage.
It is warmly recommended to keep hands off the main sheets while sailing, unless one knows how to use them. With a 20-k wind, those sheets can raise a saloon car and are turned religiously 3 times around the winch drum then into the self tailer. Any non-steel object between the sheet and the drum will be squashed, fingers included.
            As a general rule, it’s better not to fall off the boat than to think about rescuing a man over board. Think of yourself as standing on top of a skyscraper while the boat is sailing fast, especially downwind and in cold weather conditions. In warm and calm weather it is, on the contrary, very funny to swim in tow.
            The vessel is full of stuff popping up from the dech: winches, cleats, shrouds, stays, stanchions, vents and so on: watch your step.
            Stay away from the anchor windlass when in operation.
            Report previously all your allergies to the skipper.
            Watch the boom while sailing, especially downwind. Chinese gybes by uncautious helmsmen can swing it very fast with dangerous effects. Why undesired gybes are called Chinese is unknown. It probably comes from the deplorable tendency, in the old days, to ‘loose’ chinamen overboard either while manoeuvring or forcing them to measure speed with lines thrown overboard with knots.
            While mooring, don’t use hands and lifelines to fend other biats off, but feet and hulls.

Local governance

Cadeau can be considered an ‘enlightened’ dictatorship. ‘If you want fair, you picked the wrong boat, and the wrong crew. And the wrong species’. House, Md.

Food and Drinks

Please refer to the menu and the dedicated pages.

Health

Pleague, hepatitis and malaria have been almost eradicated, although sexually transmitted diseases are always to be taken into account, being the use of condoms not strictly enforced by the local government.

Pets

No pets are allowed

Gay and Lesbian travellers

Cadeau has in the past welcomed a number of travellers listed in both categories, and the reviews have been definitely positive. Still, the ‘language translation’ service is not offered to the gay category anymore. Past experiences in translating ‘I love you’ to a Brazilian male has been too much for the skipper, and the gay guests are required to take care of their own communication system.

Telephone and Internet

Cadeau does not provide internet or telephone connections, although these can be readily available in most ports.

Traveling with Children

Children have been welcomed guests in the past and will always be. They usually have a better time than their parents. Still, we underline that children will always be under their parent’s responsibility.

What to bring