In the open air and with no sea in sight: María Belén Pérez, 30 years old, was born on May 25th, in a very small town, in the center of the province of Buenos Aires. In exchange, Nicolás Lischetti, 32, grew up in Ezpeleta, next to Quilmes, also in the province of Buenos Aires, but with a different horizon: facing the estuary of the Río de La Plata. “We started sailing in 2020, we did the helmsmanship course in La Plata, a little encouraged by a friend who encouraged us. But until that moment, we had never had the opportunity to have a boat and go sailing”, say the young people, who have been a couple since 2014.
However, now, aboard a 35-foot Doufour 48 00, anchored in the Guna Yala archipelago, in San Blas, in Panama, in the middle of a transparent sea, colorful fish and golden sunsets, they welcome tourists of different nationalities, show them the delights of the seabed and even fish for tuna to taste under cover, with a different horizon than they imagined a few years ago. Belén is the one who takes the post and tells how this adventure began at sea aboard the Franca Austral, such as the name of her ship.
How did this adventure of living on a boat begin?
We’ve been together since 2014, but our love of sailing continued in 2020 and 2021. We always thought it was important to finish our university careers and go out and travel the world. Although, up to that moment, the thought had always been about the earth. Once we started the helmsmanship course we told ourselves that we loved it: part of those classes were during the pandemic, so they were done online, but when everything started to improve a little we were able to do the practicals and we were very happy with the experience.
And what happened next?
We then began to plan that instead of traveling by land, which was our plan, we would do it by sea. The possibility was more economical: the wind would allow us to spend much less on fuel and have other freedoms, such as – for example – taking off the gas and not having anyone come to check you, or present documentation, more relaxed. Furthermore, living on the water was something that enchanted us both. Nicolás is a fanatic about fishing, diving and freediving.
You both studied Biology: How did science and nature come together with all the adventure that comes with living at sea?
All this living on the water, among islands, close to nature, was a dream that excited us a lot. Furthermore, the boat allowed us to move to different places, at a very low cost but making it our home. So instead of a mobile home we looked for a sailboat.
How did you get to your first boat?
Once we made the decision to exchange the motorhome for a boat, we mentioned it to our sailing course teacher in Berisso. He had just bought one in Venezuela (because his dream was also to sail around the Caribbean) and for different reasons he had wanted to put it up for sale. We were delighted with this possibility, especially because it gave us a lot of confidence in our view, which was a boat that we had chosen for ourselves, which had a lot of experience and was something that we still lacked. We didn’t doubt too much and we thought that this was the boat we needed at that moment: we were welcomed at the University –which was the requirement to undertake this journey– and we set off in search of it. At the end of 2022 we will return to Venezuela to look for it and begin this adventure of sailing through the Caribbean.
What model is this?
The boat is a Doufour 4800 which has two cabins, a folding table, double beds, and seven seats. It was built in 1982, it has its years but we have put so much love into it that we adore it. We always find that there are things left to do. It’s a small boat to receive people, but when you live on a sailboat near such beautiful places, you don’t realize why you’re always out there, on the beach, in the water. It’s more than enough for us. We are thinking of looking for a bigger boat to have the freedom to receive people, but for now this one is still our home.
What is your daily life like now in the Caribbean, welcoming guests, making group trips?
We don’t follow any itinerary. We don’t even know what we’re going to do tomorrow (laughs) and we like that a little bit. At the same time, it creates a lot of uncertainty and anxiety for us because we do not have economic stability. However, it gives us a lot of freedom of movement to make the plans that arise at the moment and, for now, we are happy with that decision. But we are living at sea, now punctually in San Blas, where we welcome tourists and take tours of the islands, we show them life under the water and we also exchange cultures, knowledge, and wisdom with all the travelers.
You crossed the Pacific Sea a short time ago with the crew of “El barco amarillo”. What was your experience like on a month-long crossing?
In October 2023 we met Juan (from “El barco amarillo”) in Curaçao: they were about to buy their new boat on another Caribbean island. We got closer, got to know each other, chatted a little, had some coffee and they mentioned to us that they were thinking about the possibility of crossing the Pacific. A few days later we received a message to talk to each other and they told us what the idea of the crossing was. They told us that they needed a crew for such a long trip, especially with children, and the truth is that we were excited about the experience and we didn’t hesitate to tell them that we accepted. If we were traveling to Panama to set sail on our ship, we took a break and left together in April 2024
In this link you can see the interview: The Yellow Boat, family life in a sailing boat”.
When you set sail, how did you plan the crossing?, did you sail leave together with other boats?
First of all, to begin this crossing, we had to cross the Panama Canal. The truth is that it was incredible to be able to live that experience from inside the canal itself, because you can take a guided tour, visit the bridges, see how the boats go up, but being inside a sailboat was another very different experience. We had to wait for the water to go down, for the water to rise, for the gates to open, all the engineering they use to move them from one point to another is very impressive. At first the gates are on an upward slope, until reaching the level of the lake (which is in the middle). After the lower gates are closed, the last one is opened, which is called “The Gate of the Pacific”. We started early one morning, at three or four in the morning and finished the next day at five in the afternoon.
And how was the crossing itself?
—After crossing the canal we spent a few days in Panama, but on the Pacific side, waiting for the wind that would allow us to sail in good weather conditions. The cyclone season that starts in November and continues until March is always expected to pass. On a day when the wind was right to set sail, we began the crossing: it took us 28 days in the middle of the sea to reach the Marquesas Islands, which are part of French Polynesia. They are the first group of islands to come to and the truth is that it was incredible. After so many days in the middle of the sea, the fact of finding an island with mountains and lots of vegetation was wonderful.
What did you do afterwards on the islands?
We stayed for a month exploring all the islands, because they’re varied and very different. Then we sailed a little further and arrived at the Tuamotu Archipelago, which is completely different because it doesn’t have mountains, but rather rings of sand and coral, which you enter through a door/lagoon. The marine life there is wonderful: the best diving we’ve done so far in the world was there. We stayed another month in that region, then sailed a little further and reached the Society Islands, where Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Morea are located. At that point, we had to turn back because we had visas to stay that long, but the guys from The Yellow Boat applied for residency for a year and are still there. It’s just like they show it in the movie Moana, among islands and coral, it’s indescribable.
Was the Franca Austral always called that?
We really liked that name. The ship used to be called Tinta China. We decided to change the name (laughs). We were looking for one that represented us, and being biologists, we thought this one was relevant. The Franca is a whale that migrates and makes each place its own home. That’s a bit of what we want too.
The friend who insisted you take the helmsman course, because he thought you’d love sailing, did he see you in San Blas, in Panama?
(Laughs) No, he’s in Australia now. Not only did he never see San Blas: the incredible thing is that he stopped sailing.
What are your next plans?
This year, we plan to continue in San Blas. Since then, we’ve been working on another boat: we do charters, welcome tourists, host them, and tour all the islands—there are 365 islands here, so there’s time for some fun. The diving here is incredible: there are pristine, isolated beaches and others packed with people. We also spend a lot of time with the locals, who maintain their customs, live off fishing, and beautiful embroidery. We have a boat that regularly brings us fruits and vegetables, with orders from the mainland, so anyone interested can contact us through our social media, and we’ll share information and services for visiting this incredible place.
For next year, the idea is to keep sailing, moving, but we’re not sure where we’re going yet: the bigger plan is to sail around the world, but very slowly and getting to know each place. For now, we’ll continue here in San Blas until March.
Links to social nets
You can follow the adventures of María Belén and Nicolas at the following links:
From “Bluewater Sailors (Navegantes Oceánicos)” we thank María Belén and Nicolás for their collaboration with this interesting interview, and we wish them the best of luck in their future adventures and voyages.
We’ll be following you on social media and staying in touch!
