Dream Cruise

Out of a desire for freedom and family, a dream cruise was unexpectedly born... In a difficult situation in his life, one of the most successful Czech yachtsmen has written an impressive story of an adventurous voyage across the Atlantic. On the aptly named #FREEDOM#, a father and son crew of two travel from the south of Spain to the pirate-famous Caribbean. An experienced sea wolf introduces ten-year-old Dave to the beauty and pitfalls of the ocean, teaches him everything a good sailor needs to know and know, but most of all enjoys extraordinary moments alongside his beloved offspring. Every day spent aboard a small yacht brings with it unpredictable challenges and amazing experiences. The two heroes' occasional expeditions to the mainland are also full of discovery. Children's readers and their parents will be sure to broaden their horizons with the story of a successful athlete. How to sail a small sailboat through a storm? Are there still pirates at sea today? The answers to these and many other questions have been incorporated by the author into an engaging account of an extraordinary journey that takes adventurers to Gibraltar, which is dotted with forts and tunnels, to the "island of eternal spring" Madeira, or to the locations where much of the film Pirates of the Caribbean was shot. The riveting and very personal narrative is proof that even mistakes can be turned into something positive. Even a long separation must not prevent a person from moving on, planning, hoping and believing in good ends. After returning to the boat and a light lunch, we undock and sail to the windward side of the island. There you can anchor just off the rocky wall that drops into the dark depths. They say it's possible to see sharks there. We manage to anchor only on the second attempt and then, with snorkel and fins, we climb up the steps into the water again. As soon as we launch the boat, a strong current takes us and carries us away quickly. I'm kicking fins and catching Dave. I didn't catch him until I was about 20 yards astern. He didn't stand a chance against the strong current. But what now? It won't float on its own. We're kicking with our feet and we're happy to stay put. The wind on the ocean in front of me pushes the mass of water. But it hits the reef where we are anchored, picks up speed and flows like a river towards the islands. "Dave, grab me around the neck and let's start kicking our feet hard. We've got to work hard to at least get to that rope we threw out of our stern. Let's do it!" I command. We're both turning on the foot turbo. Dejvo's hands are clamping around my neck, but now I really need to take it easy. Only very slowly we approach the rope and finally we reach it with great effort and exhaustion. - excerpt from the book