viejolobo

Jose Maria sailed with me for the delivery of the brand new catamaran Lagoon 50 from Bordeaux (France) to Bodrum (Turkey). as a 1st mate he did everything on board, keep watching day/night alone with power and sailed, cooking, manoeuvring with sail I am happy to have him onboard anytime again Thanks so much. Captain ismail

I am the skipper and owner of a sailing yacht Beneteau Oceanis 38.1 under French Flag. ViejoLobo was sailing with me as co-skipper and competent crew during 3 weeks, around the Greek Dodecanese Archipelago, in the Eastern Aegean Sea, close to the coast of Turkey. The conditions were very windy for the first 2 weeks with a strong Meltemi most days . I would highly recommend ViejoLobo as a co-skipper and/or (very) competent crew for any passage, either coastal or transoceanic. We sailed as a 2 people crew for the first week in challenging Meltemi conditions, and ViejoLobo (VL) was instrumental in keeping the boat safe in all conditions during that time. In addition to a lifetime of professional sailing experience as Captain and first officer of various types of commercial ships (Large passenger ships, tugboats etc) VL's experience of the sea, and how to keep safe in all circumstances is invaluable. I learned quite a few essential tips from him during the trip. The last 2 weeks we sailed with 3 onboard and VL, on top of his share of all sailing tasks, made it his pleasure to take care of the food on board. In addition to having excellent sailing skills, he is a phenomenal cook capable of preparing quickly a very tasty meal of any kind depending on what is available onboard or in ports. His paella was memorable but only one of our numerous feasts onboard. I have no hesitation in recommending VL as a co-skipper or competent crew, witty companion and also superb cook. He is fun to be with, always eager to help in any way he can, very patient and great to have on your boat in any difficult sea or sailing conditions. His presence onboard made the trip safer and also more enjoyable with his pleasant character and positive attitude throughout. I think he also really enjoyed discovering many greek islands despite the very windy conditions of the first 2 weeks. I confirm that what he wrote in his CV is genuine. His command of marine english is basic but adequate and was never an issue. He will of course be perfect with a Spanish speaking crew and skipper. VL made considerable progress during the 3 weeks in mastering the english sailing terms we used onboard, as English was the language we used for sailing during the 3 weeks. VL will be a great asset for your sailing adventure, whether coastal or ocean crossing, and he has my highest recommendation. I look forward to sailing again together in the future if his plans allow. If you have any further questions with regard to VL do not hesitate to contact me. Marcou marc.poveda1@gmail.com. I am French and live in UK.