43 36.68’N:13 28.95’E May is considered a “fringe” month for cruising. It can still be a little cool and windy, but sometimes that beats the summer heat and dead calm conditions that require motoring. The crowds are less in May, which leaves plenty of space to anchor or dock. But towns and marinas are often […]
Bari, Italy With weather becoming a problem again, we pulled Berkeley East into a marina, rented a car and did a few daytrips around Puglia. Unlike much of Italy, the terrain in Puglia is nearly flat, which made for easier driving in our nifty little Fiat 500. Most of our driving in Italy has been […]
Otranto, Italy As we were preparing to leave Siracusa, we were exchanging some emails with friends about our upcoming plan: a two-day/overnight passage across the Straight of Messina to the heel of Italy. One friend wrote back and said, “Have fun tomorrow.” We could only chuckle at that, as overnight passages are seldom fun. Sailing […]
Siracusa, Sicily Italy A cruiser’s life is all about the weather. We often have to wait for a better weather window in order to get where we want to go. Since we have no real schedule, a day here, two days there, is really no big deal. But when days become a week or more, […]
Gozo Malta Marinas are nice. There is a bit of comfort having Berkeley East tied to a dock. And it is convenient. BE is plugged into electricity so you can use a hairdryer, washer or microwave without running the generator. Showers can be longer, and warmer, with dock water at your disposal. It’s also easier […]
Malta We were sitting in Malta one evening watching a lot of people go to the restaurant upstairs. There was a large metal grate across their path and one by one we saw women, in four-inch pencil thin heels, navigate their way across the grate. Some stepped heavily on the grate, some tip toed across, […]
Grand Harbour, Malta As we entered Grand Harbor in Malta, one of the first things we saw were three giant masts rising above the fort. We wondered if it was the Maltese Falcon, one of the largest, and most luxurious, sailing yachts in the world. Sure enough, as we rounded the corner there she was. […]
Grand Harbour, Malta Sailing into Grand Harbor, Malta is amazing. With its imposing walls, it is like stepping back in time. Malta lies just 50 miles south of Sicily and we made landfall in good time. Berkeley East performed beautifully on the season’s first sail, and we performed beautifully docking her for the first time […]
After weeks of bad weather and extensive boat work, we were finally ready to leave Berkeley East’s winter berth at Marina di Ragusa, Sicily. On the big day, we once again awoke to big winds and reluctantly decided that we had to wait another day. Two hours later, all was calm, it was a beautiful […]
