This was the Med

Hello ☺️

2349 miles later, the Mediterranean is crossed: from Eastern Greece through the Strait of Gibraltar. The past seven months have been unexpected, exhausting, fun, and breathtakingly beautiful.

Greece (April – August)

We stayed in Greece for the first five months, where we enjoyed the variety of islands, the many anchorages, and the most warm-hearted people. Fortunately, we escaped the Meltemi (a notorious northerly wind) and were able to tune into life on board. We have long been fond of Greece and it was great to finally discover more of it. This year we circumnavigated the Peloponnese, which is very different from the islands and an area we particularly enjoyed.

Once we arrived in the stunning (and crowded) Ionian Sea, the time had finally come for our first proper night sail. Together with our crew Nici and Anouk, we left Greece on the 29th of August. The first night was rough and the third really bumpy. Seasickness got me the first two days (a returning nuisance I'll have to get used to, as it turned out). Nevertheless, we arrived in Siracusa, Sicily, three days later in good spirits.

Italy (September)

In Italy, respectively Sicily and Sardinia, we were delighted by the fantastic supermarkets. To be honest, this was a real booster, as we were a bit nostalgic for Greece. In Sicily, in particular, anchoring possibilities are minimal. But we have excellent memories of the ancient fishing village Marzamemi (south-east Sicily) and Carloforte (south-west Sardinia). Unfortunately, we didn't have time to discover the north of these two islands. We will come back one day, preferably without this abundance of thunderstorms, thick rain clouds, and untrustworthy weather forecasts.

Balearic Islands (September – October)

After a rather exhausting but beautiful full moon crossing from Sardinia, we safely docked in the port of Mahon on the morning of the 22nd of September. From there, we explored Menorca – a highlight of our trip so far. The southern Balearic Islands of Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera seduced us with their crystal clear waters and historic old towns. And we loved the Spanish dolphins! They are very active and playful, whereas the Italian ones seemed to enjoy dolce far niente 🙃.

Spain mainland (October)

After almost three weeks on the Balearic Islands, we left the last Mediterranean island of our journey across the Med behind us and docked on the Spanish mainland. In Almerimar, we pampered our companion Amae once more and made her fit for the Atlantic: We spoiled Otto the engine by servicing the raw-water-pump, checked and tensioned our standing rigging and pimped the running rigging, repaired the extra diesel tank, pulled some more cables and took care of the teak deck and Amae's interior. We didn't miss the opportunity to explore the beautiful cities of Granada and Málaga and enjoyed a visit of the Family.

Then we took advantage of the favorable weather and the moon phase to cross the Strait of Gibraltar. And now we are here, in the big pond. Ready for new adventures. We will keep you posted!

Lots of love,
Philipp & Kristel