a family sailing blog
We left Monopoly in Italy bound for Montenegro, a small county wedged between Croatia, Algeria, Serbia and Bosnia Hertzegovina. The passage was 120NM and took us 23 hours. The wind was mainly light and just forward of the beam allowing us to sail straight for Montenegro at about 4 knots. Around midday the wind got really... Continue Reading →
It just so happened that there was a festival on in Otranto on our last night there. Summer is in the air and everyone was out late into the night listening to traditional music from the Salento region of Italy. The kids were the early entertainment highlight with them congo dancing and waltzing around the... Continue Reading →
Before leaving Milos we managed to hook up with another cruising boat full of kids. Sarah and Dan and their three kids Bee, Cormac and Rory are sailing on an Australian registered boat called Antigoni had got in touch with us through ayachtmoretolife. Cruising families are all pretty much on the same wavelength and needless to... Continue Reading →
The Greek Islands are a fantastic cruising ground. From a sailors perspective, anchorages are plentiful and the distances between them as long or as short as you want them to be and as long as you keep an eye on the wind, there is not much to go wrong. To my surprise though, at this time... Continue Reading →
Having arrived in Greece on Monday, we launched Vega on Thursday. There is no travel hoist at Planaco, so the re launching is undertaken by tractor and a large trailer. It is always alarming to see the supports for your 10 ton yacht knocked clear as she balances on just two chocks while the trailer positions... Continue Reading →
After late nights packing and a couple of long flights we arrived back at Vega to find her looking a little folorn after her 8 months wintering on the hard at Planaco boat yard on the small island of Aegina. She was covered in a layer of grey dust and although we had stripped most... Continue Reading →
Yesterday I was pawing over an old meteorology book handed on to me by my father-in-law, Peter. As I was reading it I noticed some dog eared bits of paper protruding from the pages towards the back of the book. I pulled them out for closer inspection. They were a series of hand written... Continue Reading →
One of my earliest recollections of sailing is being below deck’s on my parent’s Leisure 23 on lake Windermere. The breeze on Windermere can be fluky and variable thanks to the steep wooded hills that surround it. As we heeled over in the puffs, I can clearly recall sitting in the cozy, warm saloon sketching... Continue Reading →
We are busily preparing for another live aboard season in the Mediterranean. This years plan is to leave the island of Aegina (where Vega is wintered) near Athens in Greece and head East through the Cyclades and then South down to Crete, where amongst other things we hope to do some whale watching (the deep... Continue Reading →
Not may bloggers seem to discuss relationships while cruising, probably as it's hard to talk about personal relationships in such a public domain, well, I'm going to give it a go.. We have met a wide range of families who cruise and we all agree it’s an awesome experience for all involved, but, its not all... Continue Reading →
a yacht more to life 