Looking back on my childhood, I see a smiley little Federica lying in the crystal water of the Poetto beach in Cagliari.

It was the summer of ’93, I wasn’t even three years old, but I have a vivid memory of myself learning to swim and relaxing on the water. I wondered why couldn’t we spend all year on the beach. I couldn’t wait for the holidays to come. I wish that summer lasted forever!

I remember the kids gather around me when I come back with my lunch. I could hear them shouting “Look! The fisher girl is back!”.

It has been my nickname for years and, with my surprise, someone still remembers it.

Time went by, and responsibilities arrived: first the high school and then Medicine at the University.

In high school, I even took a course to learn the name of all shells!

I always felt the need to express myself, and even though I was shy,  ended up being the centre of attention!

The necessity to express myself brought me to work in photography, with whom I tell the stories of the people who trust me, through my photography studio, and to the music. Launeddas in particular, whose sound fascinates me since I was a child and still does. Today, 16 years after my first lesson, still marks my life.

But something didn’t feel right. I needed a place to stay by myself, find a new kind of life, more essential and closer to nature, to have my own space to express my core values.

One day, after the gym, I was sipping my freshly-squeezed citrus juice, and I shared my feelings with a friend.

He answered, ” Buy a boat and live there!”

Suddenly there I was, back to that summer of the ’93 when I was happily swimming and I wish I could live on the sea all year, and all I could do was just babble “seriously?”

Gosh! I’ve never thought of it, it sounded too out of reach, for a dreamer like me who made a living with music and art.

We looked for a boat within my budget on the adverts. I wanted a boat strong, vintage and full of history!

From that moment on, I couldn’t get the thought of the boat out of my head, and I spent every free moment looking for the perfect one. I went even to Barcelona!

One week later I met Kairos in Cagliari….

I immediately felt like I had been there all my life, and I fell in love with the lovely and yet functional wooden interiors.

Kairos means “the right moment”: she was definitely the right one for me.

I signed the contract, brought my stuff inside and, from the first night I slept there everything felt perfect: with my surprise since I thought I was spoiled and used to comforts!

I woke up every day with the sunrise, the sound of flamingos, the waves from the fishing boats coming back in the early morning after a long night on the sea.

And then some answers arrived: a boat is a place of truth and freedom, it shows who cares about you, shares your views, helps you get rid of the unnecessary, things and people, naturally, without effort.

On a boat you can listen to your spirit and needs without conditioning, singing and playing music with your folk band without disturbing the neighbours and, I swear, is not only a panacea for a musician but also a source of inspiration!

On a boat, there’s no middle way, and you must be a team player: boat either bonds people tighter or separate them forever.

After closing some doors of my past, I met a guy who had made the same choice. He was living on his boat already four years!

His tales were fascinating, and I treasured his suggestions. He ended up being, like Kairos, the right one.

He introduced me to sailing, taught me the manoeuvres, how to moor the boat. I was learning quickly, and I decided to start a business in the nautical area. After moving to his boat, we realized that space is mostly a mental state, sometimes overlook it.

On a boat, you use every centimetre to the full, and my presence didn’t change his perception of the space available.

At this point what happened to Kairos?

I believe that boats have souls so I couldn’t live her alone. I decided that I could use her to share my lifestyle with other couples from all over the world, and show them the beauty of my island and the traditions.

We had guests from Canada, Russia, United States. I couldn’t believe it!

When I meet them, I like to offer a drink and have a chat to get to know them, and I always alert them on how the boat can tear them apart!

So far, so good, most of them are still together.

…….TO BE CONTINUED……….