A pura vela: “The feeling was that we went out looking for magic”
False dichotomies never seemed to stick in this family: Why choose between a house in the middle of Patagonia, with a view of snow-capped mountains, frozen lakes at the foot of the Andes, or a boat rocked by the trade winds, the heat of summer in the northern hemisphere, or the crystal-clear waves of Curaçao? Justina Parma and Rupert Gracia didn’t hesitate: when they finished building their house in Bariloche, their desire for a new adventure grew stronger, and they set out to sail the sea. It was in Florida, between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, aboard a 42-foot Whitby, where they have lived since 2023.
The “Vito,” the two-masted, solid, and seaworthy sailboat (which Rupert spends his time sewing on a Singer machine), was built in 1981 in Canada by Whitby Boat Works, almost the same age as its new owners, who now also travel with their two young daughters: Andina and Milena, ages 7 and 9. The boat was designed by Ted Brewer, and its hull number is 177 of some 350 built since then. A local resident (“All the local residents seem to only talk about boats,” they laugh), in fact, recently, referring to their new home, told them: “That boat has such a good reputation!”
“The initial plan was to spend one or two years traveling with the whole family aboard a boat, to see and explore all the Caribbean islands. The only thing we were sure about was that we could cross from Florida to the Bahamas; we knew nothing about the rest. In the end, that’s what we did and what we achieved in these two years: in other words, we accomplished our main objective. Only now a different world has opened up to us, and while we’re thinking about returning to Bariloche, we’re planning the next step to continue a new journey,” says Rupert, very early in the morning, on the other side of the screen, before the heat melts even the palm trees.
How did you come up with the idea of starting an adventure aboard a sailboat in the Caribbean Sea?
—(Rupert) Justina and I live in Bariloche with our two daughters, Andina and Milena, who are 7 and 9 years old, but when we started this adventure they were 5 and 7 years old in 2023. We were born and raised in Buenos Aires. I moved many times with my family. Recently, I had a mechanic’s shop there near Thames and Panamericana, in Boulogne (in the San Isidro district, about 25 kilometers from Buenos Aires). However, I arrived in Patagonia shortly before the 2001 crisis because the city was very violent and I wondered if I wanted to live there or look for another destination: within Argentina, it was what I liked the most, it wasn’t that I knew much about anything. I arrived with a jeep, a dog, and a friend: I found a very beautiful place to live. Justina arrived in Bariloche a little later, but we were both quite far from the boats.
—(Justina) I lived in the north of Buenos Aires, always close to the river, yet I never had much of a nautical culture. In my childhood, we didn’t grow up sailing at all, but Bariloche was a place where we went camping in the summers, and it was always linked to our life’s adventures. I studied music therapy, but I always loved traveling and began learning other trades like programming and app development. In Bariloche, in fact, the possibility of building a house opened up, which was very complicated in the city, and it’s also a beautiful place for girls to grow up. But, even before our daughters were born, we fantasized about traveling as a family. After laying the groundwork, creating a space and a location, when that stage was complete, we said: What do we do now? The feeling was that we went out in search of magic, even though we had no idea how to buy a boat.
Why did you decide to travel on a sailboat instead of, for example, on a motor home?
—(Rupert) About twenty years ago, a cousin invited me to live aboard a sailboat for a while in Panama. The boat had been struck by lightning and needed some repairs. I was working as a mechanic, and my cousin asked me if I would fix it up for him. I moved in on the boat, started fixing it up, and the neighboring sailors showed me what it was all about. Finally, I stayed for almost a year and began sailing. I realized that it really is possible and that it’s not crazy, that you don’t need to be an expert or take a thousand courses. I returned to Bariloche, and yet, I was left with that feeling or desire to try a little more.
— (Justina) I’d been traveling all over South America: hitchhiking, biking, a bit of everything. But on a boat, it had never occurred to me: when I discovered it, the idea of moving with the wind was much more beautiful. In a motorhome, for example, it involved a lot more expense and burning fuel. But, on the other hand, the boat was definitely something else.
How did you get started in sailing?
—(Justina) When our plan began to take shape, we took sailing courses on Lake Nahuel Huapi. We also had some friends with boats in Bariloche, and we started sailing with them. I really enjoyed the experience. I loved sailing. It opened up that desire in me.
—(Rupert) I also worked on a sailboat, doing maintenance on it, and we also went on some trips. It wasn’t a great experience, but I started to get to know what it was all about.
However, sailing on the southern lakes also has its own peculiarity because the winds are crosswinds (they blow stronger from the Pacific) not to mention the depth of the icy waters and the hardness of the stones on the coasts.
—(Rupert) Yes, it’s very different, you’ll never get stranded (as happens in the Río de la Plata) but there are rocks if you go towards the coast (laughs).
—(Justina) The lake is treacherous, yes, but it also has the magic that you can drink water: here in the Caribbean the supply is very complicated.
How did they find Vito, the ship they’ve been sailing on since 2023? What are its characteristics?
—(Justina) From the very beginning we started looking for boats, to see which were the best options and we saw that in Florida, United States, there was a large market, with many possibilities.
—(Rupert) Most of the boats available in Argentina are coastal river sailboats and aren’t designed for ocean voyages. I don’t know if there’s anywhere else in the Americas with as large a selection of used boats as Florida. It also allowed us to be close to the Caribbean for our trip.
This boat has two masts and seems very solid. How do you experience it in your daily life?
—(Rupert) What we were looking for was a cruising boat, one that was habitable (not just for two or three weeks), that had certain features like two cabins (one for us and one for the girls) and a centered cockpit. We also made sure it had a long keel, with a more elastic, cruising design, that would be stable in the event of a grounding, so that the rudder and propeller would be more protected. We also wanted it to have two masts: this sailboat has four sails, two at the bow (with the same surface area as if it had two sails and a single rigging) and two more in the center, which allows us to make them smaller and more manageable, more prone to errors… if you jibe or have a problem with the boom, you won’t break it as much. It also has a large reserve of fresh water or diesel fuel. It’s a boat designed for living aboard..
—(Justina) The mainmast is also lower, allowing for a shallower draft. This has been very beneficial to us in many destinations: there are safer and calmer anchorages, which we see other types of boats don’t have the same draft. We saw this especially in the Bahamas. It’s also a sailboat that doesn’t pull as close-hauled as modern ones, but for sailing with the girls, without rushing, we slow it down. We’re not interested in going fast: if we’re going on a 20-hour cruise, they can sleep or stay on deck comfortably. This model therefore suited what we were looking for and was our favorite. There were four or five in Florida, and we finally decided on this one. For a long time, we made comparison charts between models, watched videos from other sailors, and looked for information on what it was like to live or sail, but the experience of these two years tells us that the choice is very personal: this one worked very well for us, and we’re increasingly convinced of our decision.
How did the girls take it when you told them they were going on this adventure aboard a boat?
—(Justina) We had never been to the United States before: it was our first time. We didn’t have a visa, it took us several months to get one, and finally, we were able to travel. However, not everything was rosy, nor was it perfect: there were moments we missed, although we never doubted what we wanted to do. But the move takes time, even though everything went according to our initial plan: finding the ideal sailboat for us was key. Because it’s so easy to make a mistake.
—(Rupert) Just before the trip, with the initial plan, the girls saw us constantly getting things ready, making preparations, looking up ships or routes on the computer. The whole process took over a year. Little by little, they too became enthusiastic; it made them a little curious, motivated them to learn what it was all about. At the time, they were five and seven years old, so they went to school and had their own friends, but it wasn’t as much to lose as it might be in adolescence when ties are stronger.
What were your first voyages?
—(Justina) Since we arrived in the United States, we had a month planned to live there, buy the boat, and move aboard. Once we got it, we were able to make all the necessary arrangements and get it ready. Throughout this process, the guys from Bohemia (whom we didn’t know, but we contacted) who were in Miami were very helpful. We met up and forged a strong friendship, and we’re still in touch, planning new things.
—(Rupert) We spent five or six months in Florida, getting to know the boat, preparing it, and making short trips for about four months. Then we decided to cross to the Bahamas, where we stayed for four more months and sailed to the Dominican Republic. Hurricane season hit, and we stayed for six months because we didn’t know what it was like, we had no experience, and we preferred to wait in a safe place. There, we took advantage of the opportunity to get the boat out of the water and finish fixing it up, including painting the hull. One of the things we learned from personal experience is how fragile this life can be. A careless mistake, like a bad anchoring, can easily lead to the loss of everything in a second.
What happened next?
—(Justina) After this entire first season, the entire voyage from Florida, we realized we’d always been sailing against the wind! We didn’t know that. Our entire first year and a half of sailing was against the wind, but we had no idea about that when we bought the boat in Florida. That toughened us up, and later we discovered there are other strategies to make the trip less tiring. Then, when we started sailing with the wind, we couldn’t believe it (laughs). We discovered it was a different boat, and the experience was fantastic!
—(Rupert) From the Dominican Republic, we then went to Puerto Rico, continued to the Virgin Islands, and from there began descending the entire chain of the Lesser Antilles, including Saint Martin, Dominica, Saint Lucia, until we reached Martinique and, now, Curaçao. We visited all the islands. This crossing was the longest we’ve made so far, about four full days, with strong downwind.
How are daily routines organized and how do your daughters experience socializing, schooling, and everyday life?
—(Rupert) The girls are doing distance learning and also studying English because we use it a lot on trips. Right now, for example, we’re meeting up with two family friends in Curaçao. They have a birthday today, and one of the girls has already taken the SUP board to the other boat. We both work every day; we have a satellite connection. We also have a pizza business on the stern of the boat, Vito’s Pizzas. We go to a bay and sell pizzas to the other sailboats.
—(Justina) In the Dominican Republic, we also attended a school for three months as auditors; it was a spectacular experience. We realize we live a low-cost, rather austere life, but when we have pending purchases for the boat, it’s important to have a budget: now we need to change the sails, get a wind vane—for longer voyages—and we also need to update the rigging. That’s the plan for the next stage.
What are your next plans?
—(Justina) We arrived in Curaçao ten days ago, and for the last seven, we’ve been thinking about how the voyage will go. We’re paying attention to the forecast, the currents, the waves, and a good window to set sail again. While we’re still here, moored for a few days, our minds are already thinking about what the next voyage will be like. We’ve seen that with a boat, you can get anywhere.
—(Rupert) Yes, the plan is to find a window to get to Colombia, where we would finish the second season and what we initially planned. The idea was to return to Bariloche and resume our life in Patagonia, but what we’re seeing is that we can’t just go back as if nothing had happened because we’ve learned and discovered what it’s like to live this way. There’s a world and a community of people doing this, with many possibilities and paths to explore.
One of the things I think they’ve learned in these two years, without a doubt, is that sailing is very supportive, just as they taught Rupert in Panama when he learned to sail at sea.
—(Justina) Yes, absolutely. We talk about that all the time here: we’re in a world where it’s every man for himself, where what I achieve is on my own and nothing more, but we don’t live that way, and we don’t want the girls to think that’s how life works. We’re constantly sharing experiences, getting to know new places and things, now—in fact—in the midst of a community of sailors in Curaçao with three boats and six boys and girls. In this environment we’re in, it’s easy to understand that cooperating and collaborating with each other leads to a better harbor. That’s what we’re choosing for now.
Links
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apuravela
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apuravela.arg
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/APuraVela
From “Bluewater Sailors”(Navegantes oceánicos) we thank Justina and Rupert for sharing their sailing and life on board experiences with us in this exciting interview.
We wish you favorable winds and good luck.
