Chioggia, Italy We decided to travel up the East coast of Italy because we wanted to take Berkeley East to Venice. It was a good decision, as we had many great experiences there. With just a few miles to go, we stopped in Fano, Ravenna and Chioggia before cruising up the inland sea to Venezia. […]
Ancona, Italy We know how crazy it sounds that we would need a break from sailing around the Med. But sometimes a little land time, away from the boat, is a good change of pace. We have always wanted to see Umbria, the central region of Italy, some call it “the green heart of Italy,” […]
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, […]
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 […]
Marina di Regusa, Sicily About three and a half weeks ago, we left North Carolina to return to Berkeley East in Marina di Ragusa, Sicily. Since then, we have received numerous emails asking for news, updates, pictures, information about food eaten, restaurants discovered, new adventures, etc. Everyone wants to hear about “the great time” we […]
Sicily, Italy With just two weeks left, we looked at our options. We wanted a bit of relaxation and a bit of touring, so we decided to sail along the south coast of Sicily, to the west corner and the Egadi Islands. On our way to the Egadi Islands we stopped for the night in […]
Sicily, Italy Since we started cruising, quite a few people have visited us on Berkeley East. Family, friends, neighbors, business collegues, cruising buddies. Some came for the sailing. Others wanted to see a country, or island, that we were at. A few wanted the cruising “living the dream” experience. Some came just to hang out […]
