YEARLY ARCHIVES 2010

A Day in Morocco

A Day in Morocco

Tangier, Morocco We have always wanted to go to Morocco. When we were at the top of The Rock of Gibraltar, we could see it, so we decided to take the ferry across and spend a day in Tangiers. We left Gibralter early, walked across the airport runway into Spain, and caught a cab to […]

Read More
We are in the Med!

We are in the Med!

Gibraltar From Cadiz we headed toward Gibraltar and through the famed Strait of Gibraltar. The strait is a narrow body of water that separates continental Europe (Spain) from Africa (Morocco), and the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean Sea. It is just over eight miles wide at its thinnest point and serves as a funnel for […]

Read More
Leaving Portugal – Hola España!

Leaving Portugal – Hola España!

Cadiz & Seville Spain Upon returning to Berkeley East from our trip around Portugal, it was time to get moving, we had been in Portugal for almost a month. So we quickly had a passeralle (a gang plank for boarding when moored stern to the dock) fitted to Berkeley East and we headed off on […]

Read More
LAND LUBBING IN PORTUGAL

LAND LUBBING IN PORTUGAL

Lagos Portugal After the end of the ARC Europe Boat Rally, we spent a few days visiting with people from the remaining ARC boats, and planned a land trip through Portugal. This was the first big trip that we have taken on land since we took delivery of Berkeley East three and a half years […]

Read More
ARC Europe Rally Wrap Up

ARC Europe Rally Wrap Up

Lagos, Portugal We sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, the wrong way! We knew the sailing would be difficult, and that joining a rally wouldn’t change that. But we felt that sailing the passages with other boats would give us comfort, even though we probably would never see the other boats after one night out. We […]

Read More

I DID IT!

Lagos, Portugal Author – Mary As we were leaving Bermuda, about six weeks ago, I did a blog update entitled “Will She or Won’t She?” As I said then, I did not want to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. Why would I want to spend, what could be 15+ days on a small boat, either […]

Read More
Azores to Lagos, Portugal

Azores to Lagos, Portugal

Lagos, Portugal We began the last part of our crossing in cloudy skies, with a brisk wind on the nose. As usual, we started Berkeley East in the back of the pack to avoid the congestion at the start line. She built speed quickly and we began to pass the boats one by one, until […]

Read More
Punta Delgada Sao Miguel – the Green Island

Punta Delgada Sao Miguel – the Green Island

Azores Sao Miguel is the largest island in the Azores and its commercial center. The town of Pont Delgada, the capital, is a large city with a lot of activity, but once in town, you can still see the picturesque churches and 16th century buildings. At each stop, there were fewer and fewer ARC Europe […]

Read More
Terceira – Angra do Hermiso

Terceira – Angra do Hermiso

Azores Portugal After a week in Horta it was time to leave, so at 5:30 am, about eight boats from the ARC rally, including Berkeley East, set out for Angra do Hermiso on the island of Terceira. It was a 70-mile trip, but we lacked wind and had to motor most of the way. The […]

Read More