Season 2 - 2020
EPISODE 32
Covid restrictions are getting tougher in Venice so escaping to the remote areas of the lagoon and exploring by kayak has been great.
Venice itself is empty but all the more beautiful and we were lucky enough to travel trough the canals with our friend Tommaso who is a master gondolier. He had his work cut out trying to teach me though!
EPISODE 31
If you could choose a place to be locked down you couldn't do much better than here.
EPISODE 30
Boat problems a plenty, but with the whole of the Venice lagoon to explore some will have to wait.
EPISODE 29
What a backdrop for a boat race! Fast cats, kite foiling and plenty more.
EPISODE 28
Venice is somewhere everyone who has a boat should sail into at least once in their life. Certosa is the perfect base to explore from, so we tie up the lines for a bit and delve deep into the islands.
EPISODE 27
It's a whirlwind sail through the stunning islands and coastline of Croatia in this episode. Followed by an epic sail into what has to be one of the most iconic places in the world to sail into, Venice.
EPISODE 26
On an overnight passage from Italy to Croatia we get hit by a massive thunderstorm. With lightning striking directly over us for forty minutes we are forced to navigate into Dubrovnik in close to zero visibility. One of the scariest sails we've had.
EPISODE 25
Italy just gets more exciting! From the crystal clear waters of Sardinia we move on to more Italian treasures. The Culture of Palermo and the incredible volcanic islands of Sicily Then dodging floating rocks the size of footballs heading for the Messina strait and what must be the freakiest boats in the world.
EPISODE 24
We are pushing on Eastwards through the Med. Leaving the fantastic harbour of Mahon and the really lovely bays to the North of the Island with a two night passage to Sardinia. So it's Italian food and super clear water, we hang out dive with the snorkel and film some testing of our new Ultra anchor.
EPISODE 23
Sailing from Mallorca to Menorca in good winds has been great. The continued Covid limitations have meant no crowds in the town, but we are now seeing more boats in the anchorages. Getting to Mahon is the priority to pick up our new dinghy and we spend some lovely days there.
EPISODE 22
Sailing from Ibiza to Mallorca. Cruising Mallorca in July can be difficult because of the shear number of yachts. Not this year! Covid 19 has meant the holiday makers & charter boats aren't on the water and we virtually have the place to ourselves.
We sail to Cabrera, the Calas in the S/E, over to Palma bay and up the West Coast to Soller. Apart from loosing our dinghy along the way it's been a great sail!
EPISODE 21
Free to sail after lockdown we night sail to Formentera from the Spanish mainland. Enjoy the crystal clear water and white sand beaches before moving ato Ibiza with its stunning rugged Northern coastline.
EPISODE 20
Things are getting strange in the last days of the state of emergency here in Spain. There are many contradictions from officials on the rules about travel. It seemed the consensus of opinion was no travel until 21st June Then a policeman told us we could sail straight away to the Balearics, before evicting us and everyone else from the Mar Menor. Apparently anchoring is no longer allowed!
EPISODE 19
We now have permission to sail further along the coastline of Spain so we head to a sheltered anchorage further West. Not before finally getting to explore the salt flats in the North of the Mar Menor and seeing the wonderful flamingoes.
There were some challenges to get through on the outside, not least negotiating the current in the channel out which almost had the boat in front hitting the bridge.
EPISODE 18
We escape the Mar Menor! Yes lockdown restrictions begin to lift and the bridge is manned. This means that we can get out into the Mediterranean sea again and sail.
It also means the yard where we have sent our brand new stainless steel anchor chain is working and we can pick it up. All is well, until we start to take on water!
EPISODE 17
Two months at anchor in lockdown and it's true, we may be going slightly crazy!
This episode is a little off the walls as we all get the feeling we've been here before!...
EPISODE 16
Six weeks at anchor you find out some things that you take for granted. First of which this week was going to the hairdresser, can't do that so it's a DIY haircut for Steve. Wish we had some sharp scissors! Not knowing when this will end we are worried about gas and water again so rig up rain water collection and go for BBQ's on the deserted island to cook with the driftwood.
EPISODE 15
We've now been in the Mar Menor for over a month. Lockdown restrictions are getting tighter and we are running very low on water. Two marinas refuse to allow us to come in to fill our tanks. Our last chance is calling Tomas Maestre marina on the VHF to ask for permission to fill up...
EPISODE 14
With lock down extended for at least another 2 weeks and the weather behaving more like December in England than March in Spain, we self isolate at anchor through the storms. Gas has run out and it's really not the weather for outdoor BBQ's so all our effort goes into finding cooking gas,
EPISODE 13
Denied permission to enter port, stopped from landing our dinghy on a remote beach and running short on food, water and gas for cooking. This was not how we thought our sailing season would get going this year!
We are in a lovely place though and when the sun comes out it's an absolute pleasure to sail the Mar Menor.
EPISODE 12
Leaving our winter base in Cartagena we're happy to be out sailing again but sad to leave the good friends we've made over winter.
Weather is fickle in March in the Med so we have to be cautious. We get sea mist on the first day and then strong winds but we manage to find a secure place to anchor in the Mar Menor. It's a beautiful inland sea with islands full of birds. A perfect shelter.
