Our departure timing for the crossing to Sicily was inspired as once we had cleared the islands, we enjoyed a fabulous reach in over 15 knots of wind with full main and jib, cracking along at over 7 knots for 24 hours apart from a lull for a couple of hours in the night which... Continue Reading →

With only two days before our departure from Greece, rather than stay in our seductive snug anchorage in Lakki, we felt we should explore more of the islands, or at least, more of Paxos.  Gaios was much vaunted and our potter through behind the island of Ay Nikolaos confirmed that it looked pretty but it... Continue Reading →

This is a very tedious paragraph so, if you have no appetite for a rant against bureaucracy, skip to the next para. So, having failed to register to pay the new Greek cruising tax (since May this year and called TEPAI) on line, we went to the Harbour Authority Police at 9am. Thankfully there was... Continue Reading →

There is no accounting for the tastes of the ‘dark side’ of the boating fraternity and by that I mean the owners of ‘stink pots’ – motor boats. To be fair, I have learnt from a sailing friend of mine (Dave Cooke) who is THE most able sailing crew and was a Merchant Navy Captain... Continue Reading →

Our passage to Corfu was just a slog under engine. We ran the main up and it may have helped in the very light winds but they dropped away so that just our making way under the engine resulted in the sail flogging uselessly. Our decision as to our destination was a little more interesting... Continue Reading →

Entering Otranto harbour , we were told by universal sign language to ‘sling our hook’ so that is exactly what we did. The harbour wall was uninviting in any case and there was plenty of room to ‘sling our hook’ in the bay. Lifting our keel, we found a good spot and anchored in sand... Continue Reading →

For the next phase of my summer sailing adventure I am accompanied by Dave Wright who has sailed with me regularly since 1999 when 5 fathers and their young sons from the rugby club had a memorable holiday on my previous yacht in Mallorca. Dave also crewed last year on the long leg from the... Continue Reading →

It would appear that the Email notifications have been intermittent and you may have missed some missives – I bet you are mortified and desperate to check to see what you have missed…… The prospect of the morning manoeuvres didn’t help my sleep and it was soon after 6 that Bob and I emerged to... Continue Reading →

We have nothing but pleasant memories of Milna, it was a quaint seemingly unspoilt place with a friendly reception from all the locals we met. Having a 50 mile passage to undertake to Korcula, we favoured an early start. Bob had spotted that the Bakery opened at 6am so this provided a target for our... Continue Reading →

A leisurely departure from Trogir and an un-taxing day of only 18 miles meant that I could justify a lunch stop at ANCHOR ! Offering Bob the advantage of a swim in the incredibly clear waters, my argument carried the day and we were the only yacht anchored in the pretty ‘Uvala Donja Krusica’ on... Continue Reading →