Barcelona, Spain That’s how long it had been since we left Berkeley East in Marina Port Vell, Barcelona Spain, 594 days. By far the longest we had not seen our boat since we launched her almost 15 years ago. Needless to say, we were elated to hear that Spain would be welcoming COVID vaccinated Americans […]
Barcelona, Spain As we stared at the photo of Berkeley East being towed out of the berth she had occupied for the past 10 months, we whispered in unison, “this was a bad year to have the boat in Barcelona.” But when we made the decision, last summer, to return to Port Vell, no one […]
Charlotte, NC We awoke to a calendar item: “Lufthansa Flight 429 to Munich / Barcelona departs 6:30 pm.” Obviously, that flight was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, but the notice on our phones was a stark reminder of how quickly things have changed. Just a few weeks ago, we were managing all our house, […]
Barcelona, Spain As we sat on Berkeley East watching clouds of black smoke rise high over the city, the deafening roar of a police helicopter hovering directly above BE’s mast, we wondered what had happened to our beautiful Barcelona. Berkeley East spent her first Mediterranean winter, nine years ago, in Port Vell Marina, Barcelona. After […]
Mallorca, Spain The drone of the engine was exhausting. We had been motoring for 26 hours, through black lumpy seas, towards Menorca, Spain, the light of the moon frequently slipping behind dense clouds. The air was heavy, the decks were damp, Berkeley East smelled like a wet dog. At least the sun was beginning to […]
Sardinia, Italy After a stormy night in Pantelleria, we pulled the dock lines just as the sky began to brighten, and inched Berkeley East, as quietly as possible, out of the small harbor. While we had dodged any controversy concerning BE’s VAT (Value Added Tax) clock with the local authorities, we didn’t want to give […]
Pantelleria, Italy Sitting at anchor in the Edagi Islands, Sicily, we had been looking at the undesirable weather forecast, weighing our options. We still had an urgent need to get Berkeley East out of the European Union, and back again, before the 15th, so the clock was ticking. There were several possibilities. We could sit […]
Favignana, Italy When we first began cruising, 12 years ago, we had to put our computers in watertight bags and take them to shore to access the internet at a local coffee shop, or bar. Boat to boat communication was done via VHF or SSB radio; calls were made with a satellite phone, or more […]
Vulcano, Italy One evening during our winter in North Carolina, when it was snowing outside, and there were holes in our house, we had the brilliant idea to book Berkeley East into Barcelona’s Port Vell for her next winter break. While we typically only commit to a winter berth about halfway through the cruising season, […]
Charlotte, NC and Gaeta, Italy We usually get back to Berkeley East from our winter break by mid April. A couple weeks of boat prep and we’re off on another cruising adventure. But last fall, we decided to do some much-needed work on our home in North Carolina. What began as “deferred maintenance” (paint, new […]
