2010 Cruisin', Boozin' and Snoozin' ..... May - Oct 2010

27 May 2010 - 08 October 2010


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Mark on guitar with Liam.....sleeping??? 

So another cruising season has come and gone.  The seasons in the Mediterranean are reasonably short, but this year seemed very short indeed.  We started out later than planned from our last winter port in Valletta on the small island of Malta.  We had been busy painting the coach roof and wanted it finished, it was worth staying for and it looks just great.  Then the season ended sooner than we had hoped too, September and October saw the start of unsettled weather coming through, with the odd front bringing cooler days, longer nights and thunder storms. 

We had a choice - join many of our cruising friends and carry on out of the Med, into the Atlantic, visit exotic Morocco, explore the Canary Islands cross the Atlantic Ocean and be in the Caribbean in time to enjoy a rum punch while listening to steel drums sitting under a palm tree with the sand between our toes by Christmas.  Sure sounds appealing, still does - but there is always next year!!

So here we are, in the lovely town of Cartagena on the southeastern corner of Spain.  We will stay here for the European winter which we hope will be reasonably mild.  We will spend our time (in between boat jobs of course) exploring this wonderful country, trialing as many tapas bars as we can find, improving our somewhat appalling command on the Spanish language and taking as many siestas as necessary to blend in with the locals!!

But now a recap of 2010 ....... This is Cruising the Summer of 2010 -

Picnic in Corsica with the "Windies"

Before we left Malta we thought long and hard about the route we would take through the Western Med.  Several yachts that had travelled through Italy the summer of 2009 and said how extremely busy it was, that the anchorages were poor and often rolly, marinas expensive, how affected the weather is by the fierce Mistral wind, how expensive eating out was... the list was long with few positives.  Then when we were back in Auckland over summer we met with friends George and Merima off Moonshadow who had also cruised Italy in 2009, they agreed with most of the above but their advice - "don't miss it".  

So we took their advice and from the moment we arrived on the east coast of Sicily and anchored under Mt Etna and the stunning hilltop town of Taormina we never once regretted it, Italy was absolutely outstanding and we loved every minute (even the wet ones!!).  Nearly every stop was a highlight:  the bubbling live volcano, smelly mudbaths and beach happy hours at Vulcano, the opportunity to visit ancient buried Pompeii from Agropoli, the beautiful Amalfi coast towns clinging by their toenails to the steep to cliff faces surrounded by vivid green and yellow lemon trees, the pastel painted houses of Procida crumbling down but oh so "Italy".  Then we hit the busy part, crazy Ponza on a long holiday weekend with the armada of incoming boats seemingly endless but there was always room for one more.

Most expensive drinks with "Panthera"

We sailed overnight west to Sardinia, still Italian,  but with a definite independent island feel to it.    On long hot summers days we found deserted bays with clear water and sandy beaches, contrasting greatly with the wealth displayed in the compact area around Porto Cervo, where super yachts easily outnumbered little yachts like ours.  We had a day inland, astounded by the Stone Age ruins we visited, intrigued by the overgrown forests of cork trees. Maybe we should have explored more of Sardinia, we just touched the north east corner and it was beautiful, many anchorages in some sheltered waters, an excellent spot.

It was time for a change of culture and language and we hopped across to Corisca and dusted off the French phrase book.  The well preserved ancient walled towns of  Bonifacio, Porto Vecchio and Calvi and the frequent coastal battlements gave us a great sense of their history.  Our inland travel revealing the lush mountainous interior, sandy banked rivers, stone age ruins - this gem of an island had it all.  Combined with some gin clear waters in appealing bays Corisca was yet another highlight.

Time for a mudbath with White Rose and Sundancer II

Back to Italy visiting the Tuscan Island of Elba, some great anchorages, cute villages, sweet scented pine forests, good weather.   Time for the mainland again to our most secure anchorage weather wise of the season at La Grazie. This Cinque Terra area was jam packed full of interesting excursions - the famous Cinque Terra (Five Villages) coastal walk, a day out by train to Pisa, just a short hop over the hill to Porto Venere and a visit from our friends Helen and David.  Unfortunately the weather changed here after a dreadful long night of thunder/lightening storms and torrential rainfall, it was unsettled for a couple of weeks after and never returned to those long settled summer days.

The Italian Riviera was next, sophisticated Santa Margherita made an excellent base for a few days, nearby famous Portofino as quaint as all the postcards.  Our Italian sojourn was nearing its end, a few days in San Remo just 20 miles from the French boarder was an excellent way to end.  The covered market one of the best I have ever seen in any country.  Sadly it was arrivederci to Italy, we couldn't stay forever.  We enjoyed everywhere we visited, the locals were always welcoming, the food in general every good and pizzas and pasta dishes very affordable, drinks ranged in price from average to outrageous but they normally gave free nibbles with them to soften the blow!  Italy oozes history and  culture, it is a wonderful unrivaled country.  The people have a style and spirit that matches it perfectly.

Celeb spotting in Monte Carlo

I must add that we were extremely lucky for the most part with settled weather.  The west coast of Italy is all a lee shore and any westerly winds leave you with few places to run.  Any strong winds further out in the med will affect the swell so you need to look at a large weather picture on a daily basis.  That said, there are places to tuck in from most conditions but you need to always have a plan B, and often a plan C too. 

I can't move on further before I mention one of the most important factors of why all the above was also so enjoyable.  We cruised in company the entire time, not always with the same boats as we all go different speeds and have different agendas but there was a group of us going roughly the same way and boy did we have fun.  I hope I don't miss anyone but to the following - you made an excellent season even better.    Sundancer II, White Rose, Blue Banana, Eye Candy, Gone with the Wind, Threshold  and Panthera.  Once we left Italy we were on our own except for a couple of rendezvouses with Baracca.  Thankyou all for making our season extra special.

Next it was on to Monaco, what Italy oozes in history and culture, Monaco oozes in wealth.  Our 3 nights in the marina were a highlight of a different kind, never did we think we would be able to afford to marina Balvenie  in Monaco and spend time in this pocket sized Principality.  The wealth displayed just in the cars parked in Casino Square was enough to knock our socks off, then there were the dozens of enormous super yachts parked in a row in the marina, and one look in the estate agents window  indicated 8million Euro as a  'cheap' one bedroom apartment - this is definitely not somewhere the likes of us retire!!!!  But it was fun, not ostentatious or stuffy - just for rich people who like to enjoy showing their wealth.

Porto Cervo with Eye Candy and GWTW

It is was time to cruise the French Riviera and the Cote d'Azur, famous names that just roll off the tongue.  We started in Villefranche a popular anchorage near to Nice, a small scenic town ashore.  Relatives Neil and Barbara stayed a couple of nights and we had a chance to explore inland, visiting tiny rural villages located so close to the busy coast but a million miles away in reality. From Nice westwards the coastline was extremely busy much more built up than I had envisaged, huge apartment complexes lined the foreshore, marinas every few miles, very few nooks and crannies to anchor in, and often a swell from one direction or the other would sneak in.  Then there was more unsettled weather, it was only the beginnng of September but we never experienced those famous unbearably hot calm days on the French Riviera.

I fell in love with France over 20 years ago when I first backpacked there, and have returned several times since.  I had been looking forward all season to cruising its coastline, soaking up the culture, practicing my French and sampling the French cuisine.  Now I felt a traitor to France, this coastline didn't reflect the France I loved and we both missed Italy.  The cost of living was high, fruit and vegetables seemed especially so, eating out cheaply was almost impossible, happy hour drinks and coffees were almost affordable dependant on where you were!!  The weather wasn't kind to us, Mistrals kept howling.  We could see no value in heading along the coast further westwards and into the eye of Mistral territory so we took the opportunity of a short lull in the winds and headed south overnight to Spain's Balearic Islands.  We had spent only 12 nights on the French coast.

Can Mark get beer out of Threshold's steering system???

Our stay in the Balearics was slightly longer, just 3 weeks.  We spent time in Menorca and Mallorca and explored them both.  We enjoyed sleepy Mahon and found Palma a classic, interesting, very European city - with a central market to rival San Remo.  We only stayed one night on Ibiza, it is more of a beach/party island, and although still warm enough when in the sun and out of the wind, summer was on the wain.  There are many anchorages in the Balearics, most of them small calas (coves), often deserted ashore or maybe with a tourist development.  It is more of a summer destination than a touring one so we didn't experience them at their best.  More adverse weather, this time an extensive system lasting days was heading our way.  We considered marinaing in Ibizia for a few days to sit out the weather but heard rumours of yachts our size still being quoted 300Euro a night, and this was now October!  So here we are, back to the top where we started, Caribbean or Cartagena. 

Looking lopsided in Portofino

We have been in Cartagena on the south eastern corner of Spain over a week now and were feeling quite settled, until this morning.  I managed to tune into the "rum runners net", a HF Radio net our friends have started up and are checking into as they move westwards, Gone with the Wind and Moonshadow were about to arrive in Morocco, Beyond, Stardust and several others about to join Cristata in the Canaries.  Today we are feeling somewhat left behind, but we have Spain to explore and much more - that rum punch will just taste all the sweeter next year!!!

Countries and Principalities visited -  5   Malta, Italy, France, Monaco and Spain
Island Groups visited -  7   Sicily, Aeolean Islands, Bay of Napoli Islands, Sardinia, Corsica, Tuscan Islands, Balearic Islands
Nautical Miles travelled -   1742  (Distance had we gone in a straight line was 767!!)
Nautical Miles motored -   929   Only about 20miles was due to adverse headwinds, balance due to no wind
Nights at sea -   3   Ponza-Olbia,   French mainland-Mahon,   Ibiza-Cartagena
Nights tied up for free on a buoy -   4   Porto Pollo, Pollenca, Porto Petro
Nights tied up for free at a dock -  14   Scario, Agropoli, Olbia, Final Ligure, San Remo
Nights tied up in Marinas -  7   Amalfi, Monaco, Pollenca
Different Anchorages visisted -   60
Strongest winds -  46 knots at anchor in France, 28 knots at sea downwind across the top of Corsica
Fastest speed -   8.6 knots flying across the top of Corsica
Sleepless nights -  less than five (more than one is too many!!)
Rainy days -   Lost count really, but not that many that rained ALL day and this is Europe!!
How much did it cost? -  Done all the numbers and it averaged out at 385Euro per week (this season was 19 weeks).  That includes stocking up the food and drink supplies in Malta before we left there, and starting/finishing with full diesel tanks.  Our biggest expense was eating/drinking onboard 1888E closely followed by eating/drinking out 1545E, diesel ranked next as we did alot of motoring 1300E,  next came sightseeing/local transport 580E, Marinas 372E, small repairs/maintenance/spares 340E, phone/internet 240E, the rest is made up of odds and ends - souvenirs, clothing, laundry etc  

AND THAT WAS THE SUMMER OF 2010

2009 Cruisin', Boozin' n Snoozin' ..... Apr - Sept 2009

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A final get together with Ascension, Djarrka,
Stardust and Gone with the Wind

12 April - 28 September 2009

When we pulled out of Netsel Marina, our home for winter 2008 - 2009 the days were clear and we were well into spring.  Balvenie was all ready for another summer season, or so we thought.  Then during a couple of nights at anchor in Marmaris Bay a few little niggles popped up and delayed our departure a little longer but it also gave us a chance for more farewell dinners.

Our plan for the beginning of season was to make our way up through the Greek Islands in the Aegean Sea, alternating with anchorages on the Turkish Coast to Ayvalik where we would marina Balvenie and travel by car to the battlefields of Gallipoli.  Then we hoped to island hop our way back down the Greek Islands and head out of the Aegean Sea before the infamous meltimi started blowing, around mid June.  So - off we went!! 



In the crater at Nissyros

The first event of the season was sharing Easter celebrations at the lovely Greek Island of Symi with White Rose and Gone with the Wind enjoying the spring sunshine on Easter Sunday with a very long lazy Greek lunch of Roast Lamb on a spit. 



Time to part company with our friends for now, off we went and explored the small volcanic island of Nissyros where we hired a moped and putted slowly up to the top of the volcano then hiked down into it's steamy and bubbling belly.   Back across to Turkey - a couple of nights in touristy Bodrum was enough for us so another Greek Island was sought out and we headed to a peaceful spot on Kalymnos.  

Gordon and Mark overlooking
 Patmos Harbour



We nibbled away at the miles, heading a little further north each time, stopping at some ramshackle spots where it looked like the locals just left town and headed for the big city - never to return. Then there was lovely Patmos, the economy injected with a steady flow of tourist euros as the cruise ships came and went.  We caught up with our good Canadian friends Gordon and Ginny on Ascension here, it will be a long time before we see them again, as they are heading for the Caribbean this season.  



Days passed, as did the miles north.  The white sugar cube Greek houses were left behind as we headed back to the Turkish coastline enjoying often deserted anchorages, one where we soaked in bubbling hot baths from Roman times.  We took inland excursions past fields of spring flowers to ancient cities and well preserved ruins, all the time appreciating the beautiful late spring days and settled weather.

At anchor off Anzac Cove, Gallipoli



 We changed our plans in Ayvalik, the weather was to be settled a tad longer, just long enough for us to sail to Gallipoli. Although neither of us lost relatives in the long battles during the First World War at Gallipoli, it is a huge part of our history,  the opportunity of taking Balvenie and anchoring her off Anzac Cove was one we wouldn't pass up.  Spending three days in the area and taking in hours of walking around the battlefields, climbing through the trenches, strolling through some of the thousands of gravestones amongst the fields of blood red poppies in flower, reading the history of the tragic event at the museum, it all gave us a better understanding of what happened, but it can never really answer WHY?

Back to Greece


We finally said our farewells to Turkey and headed back to Greece, out to Limnos in the Northern Aegean.  It was the end of May - the days were getting longer, the temperatures rising and the sun shone every day.  The Greek Islands have a myriad of cosy coves with cute white washed villages, brightly coloured bourgainvillea exploding in all directions, fishing nets lie in bundles along the quaysides, cats lounge about awaiting the catch of the day, calamari hang drying in the sun, elderly widows really do sit on chairs outside their front doors dressed only in black -  yes you really can find all those scenes from Hollywood blockbusters in most of the small Greek Islands, it's their everyday life.



We sailed from island to island, from tiny quiet Evstratios with not a tourist in sight to Mykonos the party island, where scantily clad "go go dancers" strutted their stuff on table tops, and overcooked tourists laid back drinking cocktails and shooters  in the late afternoon sun.  The Greek Islands sure do cater for every taste!! 

Balvenie at Santorini,
it doesn't get much better than this

We were moving south through the island chain, and another weather window presented itself as chance no 2 to go somewhere on the "must see list".  The amazing island of Thira, much better known as Santorini, is the absolute jewel in the crown of all the Greek Islands.  We could not miss this opportunity and set sail south from Paros, arriving late afternoon inside the crater walls of this stunning submerged volcano.  It is difficult for me to describe the beauty of Santorini, it is a living canvas.  From the boat by day we stared at the stark volcanic walls, soil lines recording its explosive history.  By night we watched the full moon rise, the stark white sugar cube houses glowing in its reflection a truly magical vista.  The villages lie perched high above the sheer cliffs, tiny white houses cling to the cliff sides, sometimes it seems that the creeping plants are all that is attaching them.  The beautiful "med blue" church domes mirror the water shades, everywhere you look the scene is perfect, it is full of moments and images that will be remembered always.



Transiting the Corinth Canal

 Summer was on our doorstep, bringing with it the strong northerly meltimi winds, we grabbed another reasonable weather window and headed northwest, the last few islands all seemed to have the same names as they passed by in a dazed blur.  We made it out of the Aegean mid June as planned, and spent some time in the sheltered waters of the Saronic Gulf, relaxing in the lovely spots of Poros and Aegina.  We visited Athens by ferry, it was a second visit for us so we crammed revisiting all the city sights into a day and left exhausted.



Next we moved west and through the Corinth Canal, a short, expensive but very convenient option and popped out the other side into the Gulf of Patras.  We had a lovely time in this area, tying up to towns quays and unfinished frees marinas along the way.  Galaxidi was a gem of a spot, a cute little town, and a bus ride away from the ancient city of Delphi - just so much history in these places.  From Messalongi  we took in more history at the ancient site of Olympia, where we crouched on the starting line and imagined the crowds of toga clad  Greeks cheering us on.

On the starting blocks at Olympia



We moved out into the Ionian, but the tales we had of picturesque islands, warm clear water, gentle breezes, idyllic coves just never quite materialized for us.  The winds were often unfavourable, the anchorages overcrowded but it was now July so everyone was out on the water enjoying themselves .  We did manage to catch up with friends on Samsara and then Aliesha, after cruising all of the season alone it was great to see some familiar faces.  We stopped for a few days in Preveza, happily tying up in another unfinished free marina.  We hired a car and had another inland excursion, enjoying northern Greece - the remote areas close to the Albanian boarder, the mountain region and across to Meteroa where still inhabited ancient monasteries perch high atop sheer stone peaks. 



Rural scene in Montenegro

 We hit Corfu mid July, but the Corfu we saw was nothing like the one I remember from my backpacking days there over 20 years ago.  The old town was beautiful, with little twisting lanes, laundry hanging out windows, window boxes with blooming flowers cascading, a grassy village green - complete with regular cricket fixtures!  The anchorage was ok, close to town and we enjoyed a few days here to finish off our Greek experience.  Greece is a diverse cruising destination with many options - island groups in two different seas, the huge  Peloponnese peninsular and of course the mainland.  We had a few ups and downs along the way but all in all wouldn't have missed any of it.



Mljet National Park, super spot

Mid July saw us head north for our first overnighter of the season, passing by Albania and heading to the tiny country of Montenegro, formerly part of Yugoslavia.  There is a very limited cruising ground here that comprises of a small inland fjord like waterway, it seemed a shame to sail on by so we checked in and checked it out.  We were extremely lucky to get a free berth at the excellent Porto Montenegro Marina.  It is a brand new facility still in the finishing stages so they weren't charging, a bonus for us.  It's in a great spot right in the small local town of Tivat so we based ourselves there for 10 nights and explored Montenegro by bus and hire car and really enjoyed this beautiful mountainous country. 

Next was Croatia, all advice had been "don't go in August - it's very busy", and here we were, checking into Cavtat in Southern Croatia on the 28th of July - oh well, what can you do???  Croatia had some real highlights, it was beautiful and green, some of the National Park anchorages reminding us of home.  The walled towns ashore were stunning, when you consider the very recent devastation of war endured by most of this country it was truly amazing to see how well the population has come together again, rebuilt their lives and their surroundings and carried on with their life.  

A classic scene in Croatia



Sadly there were several negative aspects to our cruising here - the grossly overcrowded anchorages, the wind bullets that shot through most nights creating havoc with yachts dragging just when we wanted to go ashore, the poor anchoring techniques of a huge percentage of the charter boat fleet and the totally inconsistent and erratic requirement to pay to anchor in many of the bays, having already paid a substantial fee for a cruising permit.    

However we have very fonds memories of Croatia also, particularly Trogir, Split, Hvar and Korcula for their enchanting walled old towns - nowhere else we have seen can compare. We will remember too the many wonderful free concerts we attended, under starlit skies, in ancient open air theatres - truly magical.

In the end the crowds got to us and we aborted plans to continue north through Croatia and onto Venice. We arranged a rendezvous with several friends, had a big reunion and some fun for a few days then headed south, checked out of Croatia and did an overnight passage across the Ionian and arrived in Brindisi, Italy.

Patron Saint week in Brindisi

Oh what a breath of fresh air, the Italians are such a vibrant, bubbly, alive race of people and it just rubs off. We loved Brindisi - another free town quay, the pasta, pizzas, gelato, wine, language, crumbling buildings, art, ancient history - the list just goes on. Our friends on Destiny and Argos were there too, it's always great to have company. After being in the Med for 16 months and having visited 4 countries on its shores, we finally felt we were in Europe and soaked it all up.


Cruising this part of Italy sure isn't easy though, September was upon us and summer was finished - the weather had changed. We tiptoed our way down to Siracusa in Sicily, having some pretty sporty sails enroute.  The southern coast of Italy is a challenging coastline with few safe harbours but we we covered the miles! The anchorage in Siracusa did not treat us so kindly either with several hiccups to keep us on our toes, the storms just kept on coming through.

Mount Etna huffing and puffing away


Ah - but the town was wonderful, the open air morning market one of the best anywhere and our inland trip to steaming Mt Etna and getting lost inland was unforgettable. We were entertained daily while sitting at side walk cafes sipping on our lattes, watching men in dark suits, with slicked back hair and designer sunglasses, hug each other before getting into dark cars with tinted windows - we felt we were on the set of "The Godfather" every day!! We were in love with Italy!! Sadly there is not a well protected marina here as it would be a great place to winter over, so we had to move on.

Our original plan for wintering over was Cagliari in southern Sardinia, but it was still a few hundred miles away and the stormy weather just kept rolling on through. We took advantage of a lull, and motored all day in calm seas and sunny skies through to the tiny island of Malta. As we entered Valletta Harbour late in the day we were awestruck by the incredible harbour fortifications, we had reached another location with a long long history spanning thousands of years. We had timed our arrival perfectly and squeezed onto the visitors berth at Msida Marina,  - where we were to spend 7 months over the winter of 2009 - 2010.

Phil and Mark on their guitars in Brindisi 

IN A NUTSHELL ....
Countries visited - 6 Turkey, Greece, Montenegro, Croatia, Italy and Malta,
Nautical Miles travelled - 2364
Nights at sea - 3 Greece - Montenegro, Croatia - Italy, Italy -Sicily
Nights tied up for free at a dock - 44 of which 40 were in Greece, we love the free docks in Greece

Nights tied up in Pay Marinas - 16 of which 6 were in Cannakale and 5 in Brindisi sitting out strong weather

Nights we paid to anchor - 3   2 in National Parks and we only paid once in Croatia, possibly a cruiser record!

Different Anchorages visisted - 85
Strongest winds - 42 knots tied up in Greece, 30 knots at sea across the sole of Italy
Fastest speed - 9.9 knots flying out of the Bospherous leaving Turkey but current assisted. 9.2 knots across the instep of Italy, no current just plenty of wind!
Sleepless nights - 2 Both with unforecast storm cells turning our cosy anchorages into lee shores. One in Greece and one in Croatia, both times we lifted anchor and got out!
Rainy days - Not too many until September then things started to get a little soggy
How much did it cost? - Done all the numbers and it averaged out at 320€ per week (this season was 24 weeks). That includes stocking up the food supplies in Turkey before we left there, and starting/finishing with full diesel tanks. Our biggest expense was eating/drinking onboard 1,700€, diesel was 1,354€, next came eating/drinking ashore 1,200€, sightseeing/local transport 905€, Marinas and Corinth Transit 914€, repairs/maintenance/spares 750€, cruising permits for Montenegro and Croatia 460€, phone/internet 300€, the rest is made up of odds and ends - souvenirs, clothing, laundry etc

AND THAT WAS THE SUMMER OF 2009

Cruisin, Boozin' and Snoozin' 2008

Tug of war in the Andaman Islands

 It's 51 weeks since we untied Balvenie from her berth in Rebak Marina, Langkawi, Malaysia. Our goal for the season was Turkey and we have achieved it. We knew it was going to be a big year, with many miles to cover, some long passages to undertake, possible "pirate encounters", and the infamous Red Sea. What we totally underestimated was just how totally amazing it would be, we are both very well travelled but what we have seen and done this year has left us in awe.

After leaving Thailand we started in the Andaman Islands, governed by India and still following English traditions of the 1960's. You can not be in a rush here, the sooner you except this the more you will enjoy it. This is an island group incorporated with the Nicobar Islands. The Nicobar's are still off limits to any outsiders (including local Indians), the indigenous population roam the islands, defending them proudly and attacking any one that comes too close with bow and arrows. There are also islands within the Andaman group that are off limits, this is truly an outpost, sitting alone in the Bay of Bengal.

From here we were blown into the harbour at Galle in Sri Lanka. The unplanned stops are often the best and we had a great stay in Sri Lanka and managed to avoid the Tamal Tiger bomb blasts as we toured inland over Independence Weekend. This is a beautiful lush fertile country, but inland it is being torn apart by the fighting and on the coast they are still desperately trying to recover from the immense damage done in the 2005 Tsunami. They have a long road to recovery, unifying and rebuilding their country.

Colourful women of Eritrea

Onwards to the Maldives, hundreds of little atolls in the vast Indian Ocean, our time allowed just the one stop before moving on and completing the big ocean passages. Oman, well we had no idea what this part of the world would be like, maybe sand dunes and Bedouin nomads but neither were spotted, just rocks rocks and more rocks and many a camel! Oman is rich with oil wealth, new roads, latest design European cars and oh so dry. They may have oil, but they have no rainfall and the very rocky desert surely replicates a lunar landscape.

Next we moved along to Yemen and the southern Red Sea countries. This was a journey that took us back in time to the civilisations that were the founders of mankind. In Yemen, Eritrea and Sudan, time has stood still - they are truly amazing places and can not be compared to anything we have seen before. They take your breath away, and have left us with such deep lasting memories, they are a world apart and very special places. They are all so dreadfully poor, but they are survivors, they have been their since time began and life goes on regardless.



The men of Yemen

 Egypt was a huge challenge, the Egyptians being the most difficult race to deal with we have encountered. The history is phenomenal and we are pleased we have "been there - done that", would we return? NO! As someone recently said to me about Egypt "everything there is for dead people" and this is true. It is all about the tombs, the afterlife, and the treasures taken to the afterlife. Egypt may once have ruled much of civilisation and lead the way in many things but it seems it has never moved on.

And then we were in the Med, what an enormous relief and a huge sense of achievement. Greek Cyprus was a breath of fresh air after months in strict Muslim countries, it was great to feel normal again. It is a lovely island, lacking unfortunately in safe harbours so our time there was limited. Then we were just 180miles away from Turkey, we arrived 25 June and have enjoyed every day since cruising the magical southern coastline and a few of the Greek Dodecanese Islands.

Sudanese women

Has it been worth it? - absolutely! Obviously there is much publicity about the continued piracy attacks in the Southern Gulf of Aden, and most countries we visited had government warnings issued for travellers not to visit them. We never once felt threatened or unsafe, either at sea or on the land. Words really can't describe the truly amazing year we have had.

IN A NUTSHELL -
Countries visited - 13
Nautical miles travelled - 6743 of which 3263 were offshore
Nights at sea - 33
Nights tied up in Marinas or town quays - 90
Different Anchorages visited - 93 (several nights at some and also returns to some)
Nights spent off the boat touring - 13
Strongest winds - 38knots at anchor in Ras Banas, Egypt
Most miles covered in a day - 165m enroute to Oman from the Maldives
Fastest speed - 8.6knots, ironically on our last day cruising coming towards Marmaris!
Sleepless nights - 2 at sea Andamans to Sri Lanka with squalls, 1 in Greece and 3 in Turkey with thunderstorms late in the season and boats around us dragging
Rainy days - 1 (while on land travel to Asmara!). This should be rainy hours of which there are about 5 hours. A couple during squalls Andamans - Sri Lanka, 1 hour upon arrival in Maldives, and a couple of hours in recent weeks at night in Turkey
Cloudy days - 3 in Massawa while passing through the convergence zone, 1 in Turkey mid October
Sunny days - Every other day and long may it continue, currently 10.30am at 26c in Marmaris!!!!!
How much did it cost - When we were planning on going cruising it was so hard to find out how much people were spending, as I was told by one long term cruiser you will spend what you can afford which is very true. During these 51 weeks we spent an average of just under NZ$600 per week. This includes everything except for the cosmetic work we had done in Thailand (new galley bench, sail cover, fibreglass repairs to hull). I have also included all the food and alcohol provisions purchased in Langkawi before our departure from there