Originally from Margarita Island in Venezuela, surfer Alex Mignot set sail for the Caribbean in July of this year with the simple intention of catching some good waves. Along with his girlfriend Bea and their dog Kaya, he has been documenting their trip thus far through his Salty Days blog. This week he took some time out to share his blogging experiences with Travel Edits.
Q1. How would you describe your blog http://www.saltydays.com in 50 words?
The blog is pretty simple. No big ideas around it. I just want to surf all the spots I have dreamed about for a long time and share what I see as I travel. I enjoy photography and filming so that makes everything much easier.
Q2. What in your opinion are the advantages of keeping a blog while travelling?
The thing I like the most about the blog is that its like my personal journal. To me its work keeping a blog updated with videos and photos, but hopefully one day I can simply go online and show my kids all the places I went when I was young and crazy jajaja.
Q3. What equipment do you consider essential for producing the blog?
Well in my case a lot.
A sailboat, surfboards, camera, tripod, computer, girlfriend that films while you surf, dog that keeps you happy, wind, waves and a few more that don’t come to my mind right now.
Q4. Describe a typical day on board La Nina del Mar II…
Well it really all depends on where we are. Sometimes we are in a spot where there is surf and everything is just simply about going surfing and there are other days when we are anchored in a flat beach only to relax. But everyday is enjoying where you are and working on the boat, so it takes us somewhere else to enjoy.
Q5. What has been your best memory of the trip so far?
Really all of them have been cool memories. Good surf, good people and only good times so far. But there is this one story thats pretty funny that I always remember, It was the first trip I ever did on the boat and I went with my friend Simon to Tortola (BVI) for a good swell. One night we were looking for a bay and we saw a catamaran anchored in a spot, so I decided to go ask him where was the bay I was looking for.
When we got to the other boat the guy looks at me and goes: “stop”. And tells me that he didn’t know how we made it there but we entered the bay with the biggest reef on the area, he was like no sailboats come here only catamarans and he tells me to go back exactly the way I came in. After, there were people on the side of the bay with flashlights guiding us as we left nearly touching the reef a bunch of times.
It wasn’t funny in the moment, but later it was.
Q6. How has your lovely dog Kaya adapted to life on Nina Del Mar II?
She has grown up in the boat. The first day we got her she fell from the boat because it was moving a lot. She didn’t like the ocean to much after that, but now she loves everything, She is having much more fun than I am.
Q7. With no fixed internet connection, updating your blog while sailing the high seas must at times prove difficult – what have been the biggest technical challenges you’ve encountered so far?
Well what we do is find places with internet connection and simply go there to have a drink or whatever. We try to go as much as we can for the blog and also to talk to our families.
Q8. Which other bloggers (travel, surfing or otherwise) do you follow – and why?
My top blogs I follow are:
1- marinelayerproductions.com This is Dane Reynolds’ blog and it’s super cool with crazy surfing.
2- eliotmhodges.wordpress.com This is my cousin’s blog. He is a photographer and I’m always pumped to see his pics.
3- jcgerbasi.tumblr.com This is my good friend’s blog, Juan Carlos. He is always creating and doing cool stuff.
4- http:www.thrills.co My friend Francisco Tavoni started a company and this is his blog, it always has cool stuff on it.
5.- I also follow my sponsors’ blogs:
Q9. What if anything do you wish you’d known before embarking on your trip/do you have any advice for those planning a similar route?
I don’t think there is anything that I regret in a way or wished I’d known before. I think its cool to learn by being in the situation. If I can give any advice it would be not to pay much attention to what people tell you and just go for it. Everybody has different experiences, so everybody gives different advice.
The only thing that I would recommend would be to have an autopilot, we don’t have one and it makes long distances more complicated.
Q10. Where do you plan to go after the Caribbean– any more adventures?
Well after we are done in the caribbean, we are going north to St. Barths to work. After we have enough money we are crossing the Panama Canal to go to the Pacific and hopefully cross the Pacific sometime in the next two years.
Inspired by Alex’s journey? Don’t keep your opinions to yourself – leave us a comment and let us know your thoughts!
