To the east of our course, Graham Island, known also as Isola Ferdinandea, was a volcanic island that magically arose from the Mediterranean depths, just off Sicily’s SW coast during 1831’s well-documented submarine volcanic eruption. Its sudden and unexpected appearance created something of a Klondike gold-rush as every country within the proverbial spitting-distance, sought to pitch... Continue Reading →

Our destination in Tunisia was fluid and we finally elected to opt for a fishing village with the necessary officials for clearing in but with only basic provisions for yachts in preference to a concrete Marina further south near the holiday destinations of Hammamet, Monastir and Sousse. So it was that we fetched up off... Continue Reading →

It was interesting to see Blue Lagoon coming to life after a pleasant night at anchor, grateful for the fans producing a welcome stream of cooling air during our slumbers. First a boat arrived and took all the refuse away from the previous day. Then the catering vans started to park up on the headland... Continue Reading →

As it turned out, Leilane really wanted to go to Sicily and as that is not on our itinerary, we agreed that she would be better advised to find another yacht sailing in her preferred direction. We wish her all the best, what a brave and resourceful lady! Needing to ‘clear out’ from immigration with... Continue Reading →

With the next crew joining me in Valletta, I was keen to make contact with them when they landed at the airport to guide them into my location. My concern was that Carl stubbornly eschews modern means of communication and refuses to use anything other than public transport. I knew he had landed but he... Continue Reading →

Calling the marina at 0815 on our approach, we were met by a distinctive orange rib and shown to a berth just inside the entrance. We were flying the yellow ‘Q’ flag to show that we had arrived from another country as demanded by the Malta regulations. The berth was convenient for the ‘Black Pearl’... Continue Reading →

One of the jobs before leaving on our passage to Malta was to check the strainers on the sea intakes following the weed build up scare after leaving Venice. Thankfully they were all relatively clear with the exception of the Generator intake which didn’t have weed in it but a piece of plastic! The exercise... Continue Reading →

The hired Fiat Bravo promised so much and at the price, we could not complain when a somewhat tired vehicle that had done over 150,000 kilometres turned up. It did successfully negotiate nearly 150 miles for us and I was very relieved to return it in the same shape as we received it given our... Continue Reading →

As we sailed along the Sicily coast towards Marzamemi, the light wind was from over the land. It is not unusual to smell the land, often before you can see it but this smell was unusually fragrant. Let’s hope it is indicative of our visit. Arriving off the port at 0900, a call on VHF... Continue Reading →

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 →