My journey so far

Leaving Cartagena Spain 15/06/23

 Time to start the next chapter of this journey to sail Reality around the world.

 After a long winter and getting things in place and reducing my work load and commitments , and closing 3 car showrooms , I'm finally ready after five years off planning for the next stage of this journey. On the eve of my semi retirement we hold a small office party with friends family and work colleagues , this i felt was for them to actually make sure i was leaving , rather then to celebrate my retirement and achievements. I'm not sure if any of them actually thought i would do it. Family and close friends excluded. They know me only to well , and when my minds made up its truly made up. Its not easy leaving a business behind one that took over 40 years to build , however i had five years to prepare myself for this moment. But it was difficult never the less. And I'm happy to say i leave it in good capable hands with an excellent work force with a lot of experience , who go above and beyond.

Its the next morning and before we know it we land in Murcia airport on the 15th of June and get a taxi to Cartagena . We board Reality who is rather dirty and in need of a good wash . We waste no time and head off to get some basic provisions. When we get back we wash and clean the boat from top to bottom and set a plan to leave the next morning two days ahead of schedule and take advantage of the forecast . The first thing we need to do is refuel her , luckily we have a fuel dock in the marina and call up on channel 9 at 6am the next morning and we are given permission to fuel , the first one of the trip we take on 900 litres . Its an early start and we are on our way. As we leave after a one year stay in Cartagena and head to Montenegro Reality's new home for 1 year ,  We look back and think how nice Cartagena was , full of history great bars restaurants shops amazing architecture with an excellent marina , i can say with out doubt that I'm happy I choose this place like so many others sailing through the Mediterranean. Yacht port Cartagena is a great marina with excellent staff with great facilities. And it has some excellent sailing locations that we visited over the year Reality was here.

52 hours of sailing with 3 hour shifts and we arrive in Formentera a small shallow group of islands know as the Caribbean of the Med . These are the first islands we come to in the chain of islands known as the Balearics . We stay here on anchor in a few meters of water for 2 days in Cala Salona with a sandy white beach with a great hiking trail . In this bay they have a tender service that will pick you up take you ashore and drop you back to your boat , they also take any rubbish for a small fee . We land on the beach and head for the nearest bar for a well deserved beer . After our beer in a small colourful bar we head to the restaurant next door for Paella and more beer . Then we walk the hiking trail for a few hours taking in the scenery , its a beautiful island and worth the walk in the baking sun. We head back to Reality for a few drinks and sleep well . The next day we walk around to the other side of the bay. We leave the next morning and stop at S'Espalmador a flat sand bar for a couple of hours another amazing place to see before heading over to Ibiza . 19-06-2023 We arrive in Cala Talamanca Ibiza a cala next to the old town of Ibiza and take the tender ashore and spend a day walking the old town the marinas and stopping for several beers , we pull up anchor the next morning and head for Cala Cana a truly stunning bay again we use the tender to get ashore with modern sea front apartment's bars and restaurants we stay in the bay overnight and pull up anchor the next morning and find Cala Sant Vincent a slightly smaller bay , but again stunning all the same , here we find great food and plenty of good beer . Tomorrow we head for illa de Cabrera a small group of islands south of Mallorca in a National Park . Ibiza is a stunning island and i can see why so many people make it there year on year holiday destination. A friend of mine had made this Balearic island his holiday destination for over 20 years . I just wished we had more time to see more of it , a theme that would be with us throughout this journey. 22-06-2023 Leaving at 6am from Cala Sant Vincent Ibiza we sailed east for 12 hours to reach Isla de Cabrera a small group of islands south of Mallorca sitting in a national park . We arrive at 6pm into a large bay with a small opening from the sea surrounded by hills and pine trees , its truly spectacular . This small island is steeped in history with many places to visit all in easy walking distanced around the bay with a small castle Punta des Castell . There is a small Spanish restaurant that severed Tapas during the day and night with beer and coffee , in the morning coffee and pastries and its near the dingy landing dock .

A note to sailing cruisers , you will need to register your vessel at www.reservasparquesnacionales.es to get a free 1 year national parks permit simple on line form with boat details and captains passport information . Then you will need to pay for a mooring buoy . There is only 50 buoys available and you might want to book well in advance , note there are different colour buoys this refers to your boats length .

email. uspublicpncabera@dgmambie.caibes 

An overnight stay is sufficient for the time required to walk around this island after picking up your mooring buoy . Note you can only collect your mooring buoy at 6pm and you need to leave by 5pm the next day . So we chose to walk around the bay for 3 hours till it got dark and walk to the castle the next morning . The castle has the best views of the bay and is great for taking pictures . We left at 10 am and headed for Mallorca . I can see why so many sailors recommended this place as a place to visit if in the area and why its one of the most visited location for cruisers in the Mediterranean. Its a place off beauty and its in the hart of the Balearics.After leaving Isla De Caberar we head over to Mallorca . Tony recommends Cala Santa Ponsa. A busy large cala with good holding with many shops bars and restaurant's. Unfortunately here my younger brother drops the key into the deep dark blue sea for our tender boat and unfortunately we didn't have a spare one. I'm left with no option but to kit up in full scuba gear. But unfortunately after diving for 1 hour I'm unable to find it . It was a good try dive after so many years from my last dive and great being back in the water doing one off the things i loved the most diving . The new equipment preformed perfectly well , except for the mask that kept flooding. The dive compressor on board comes in very handy. We jerry rigged the ignition to the tender with the help of a screwdriver and a cloths peg and source away to start her (temporarily for now). I knew our miss spent youth would come in handy one day. Eventually we get ashore and find a great Chinese restaurant. Its a busy vibrant place.

We leave Cala Santa Ponsa at 1pm the next day. We refuel Reality in Santa Ponsa Marina for the 2nd time on our journey taking on board 400 litres of diesel and head for Puerta De Cala Soller 34 nautical miles away. David takes the helm to bring her to her anchoring spot his first attempt at the helm in tight quarters and does a perfect job. A small bay with a large marina bars restaurants and a beach. We walk to a fish restaurant overlooking the port then head off to provision Reality at 10pm for her crossing shortly over too Menorca. We pull up anchor at 9am the next morning and head to Tonys favourite cala, Cala Calobra for a few hours. This bay is beautiful. A small bay with a few restaurant's and a small ferry dock. What's different here is not just the small sandy beach tucked over in the opposite corner of the bay, but the walk through the canyon. This canyon starts at the beach and winds its way through steep cliffs with a sandy stony wide path with small rivers and ponds off fresh and salt water. I was told this canyon can take up to 3 hours to walk as it winds its way inland.

A few hours later and after lunch its time to leave and go to our final cala before we head to Menorca. Cala Figuera is on the very northern tip of the island and ideal for making the jump . This cala has a small sandy beach but no amenities its very well protected from most winds . Surrounded by cliffs with just a small sea inlet its very quite and relaxing , something we needed after the busy tourist Calas we had visited.

As we sit on anchor at 9pm we look at the weather forecast. Unfortunately there is very little to no wind for sailing tomorrow. So we may stay 1 more day in Mallorca. If so we will go to Alcudia for the day and anchor overnight and its still a perfect location for the jump over to Menorca.

Today has been another great day not just because off the Calas we visited the food on and off the boat we ate but my brother David got Starlink our communication system up and running after we left Cartagena almost 9 days ago . After 3 attempts to rewire a fault in the satellite dish cable he removed part of the loom that was redundant altered it to fit and soldered 15 wires . ( As they say if you don't first succeed try and try again )

Roaming on 2g 3g 4g and 5g at sea is not like roaming on land. At best its very patchy to no cover at all . There are 3 persons on board Reality with o2 , smarty and Vodaphone data roaming plans and we have had almost no internet connection. We also have a Pepwave wifi router with a local Balearics sim card and its no better. Reality has Iridium go satellite coms installed however this is a very slow Satellite system for emergency calls , messages , emails whilst at sea and for down loading weather grib files , its not used for surfing the net. So Elon Musk and his Starlink Satellite system is a game changer. We are very happy to have this back up and running.

Mallorca is yet another great island in the Balearics with amazing Calas.

30/06/2023

We get up early the next morning after a great nights sleep at anchor in Cala Figuera Mallorca and decide we can head off as the winds have changed in our favour overnight. We are ready and eager to get going over to Menorca.  

After a 35 mile sail we arrive midday in Cala Ciutadella Menorca. We anchor outside the ferry terminal in a small Cala with about 10 other boats. Here we drop the tender and head into a narrow winding channel and up to the beautiful old town of Ciutadella. Know as the Historic Centre of Ciutadella it reminds me of Venice as we approach the fort on our starboard side with a low bridge connecting the two sides of the village together. Here there is no where to park the dinghy as its full of small day trip boats and fishing boats. As we turn around we find a small gap under the bridge and squeeze the tender in and tie her up and head ashore to visit the fort up on the hill side that over looks this quaint marina and tourist hotspot. This was the highlight for our visit to Menorca. 

The next morning we pulled the hook up and headed up the coast on the West side over to Cala Arenal Den Castell. This Cala is a horse shoe bay with a stunning beach and a few hotels. We were the only boat here. We dropped the hook and eat on board admiring the bay in all its glary. 

Its time to plan the 250 mile trip over to Corsica.  

After 52 hours and 250 nautical miles of motor sailing north east we arrive in Porticciu Porto Pollo Corsica a large anchorage bay with a number of large white sandy beaches. We headed here from our original destination Propriano due to wind directional change and increased wind speeds , and weather warnings from the local coast guard . Here we will have some good protection from the Westerly winds as we tuck behind a dog leg spit of land. We anchor in just 4 meters of water very close to a sandy beach with a 5x1 scope Reality holds fast and doesn't budge an inch in 25 knots of wind.

Our aim is to visit a couple of the national marine parks on the south side of Corsica then head to Sardinia , however the winds are due to pick up and time is limited . The bay is surrounded by lush green rolling hills with sandy beaches and rocky out crops. Good navigation and anchoring is critical here. 

We will need to apply for a cruisers national parks permit and choose a buoy as there is little anchoring allowed in the parks and a permit is mandatory. But first we need to keep an eye on the weather. Then we can work out what parks we can visit.

We leave Porto Pollo after 2 days on the hook hiding from westerly winds. Luckily we are close to a small marina with a dinghy dock and walk around the bay and find a great bar on the beach for a beer . Later we walk for an hour around the bay full of bars restaurant's and a local Spar supermarket. We buy some some basic provisions and stop for another beer on the way back. Corsica is very green and full of flowers of all colours and very tropical. This bay has 3 large white sandy beaches and reminds me of the Caribbean. The next day we get a taxi for a 30 minute ride to Propriano across the bay and visit the near by tourist hot spot. After 2 days on the hook still with strong westerlies we pull up anchor and head south to Pianotolli Caldarello just a 2 hour sail. This is just a bay with a small marina at the end. The entrance and surrounding aera is very rocky and shallow and needs lots of attention get it wrong here and you will lose it all. There is only 1 port marker and 1 starboard lateral marker that help entre the bay. We managed to find an area and get ourselves tucked away from the winds and slept well. We decide to stay on board as there is no lee shore i fancy drifting on too , its not sand here but jagged rocks. We set our 3 anchor alarms for the night. The next morning we pulled the hook and headed in strong winds to Bonifaio Marina just 9 miles away on a beam reach in 20 knots. With just the jib and Reality is flying. 

Arriving in Bonifacio is why you go sailing  , as we entered a long narrow winding entrance with 2 small calas on our portside and down into the tightest of marinas i need to do a 180 you turn outside the fuel station in very tight quarters and land on the portside to fill up the 2 fuel tanks our 3rd fuel fill up of the trip so far. Here we take on 233 litres of fuel , Reality holds 1100 in total however we always top her up to keep the air space in the tanks to a minimum this prevents diesel bug. Bonifacio is surrounded by fortifications has lots of history and another tourist hot spot here we pay 260 euros a day for the berth and we stay 2 days. There is everything we need 3 great supermarkets bars restaurant's and lots to see and do. We took a train up to the old fort and village on 2 occasions. We pay a visit around the fort and sample the local beer. There is a fabulous chandlery on the quay side where we get a few bits and pick up a few water maker filters.  Bonifacio is a vibrant place based around boating sailing scuba diving and boat tours out to the local National Marine parks. I can see why its so busy there lots to do for all. From the architecture of the old buildings and the quay side restaurant's and plus the fort alone make this a place to visit.

We spend the first part of the morning on our 2nd day here washing the boat and buying some more provisions and visiting the chandlers. We also fitted the tender with fins to the lower part of the Honda engine to help her plane easier. We are in good shape and ready to head to Sardinia tomorrow. To visit the Sardinia Marine Parks we book and pay a fee at https://autorizzazioni.lamaddalenapark.it/ for a 7 day pass. La Maddalena park is one of the parks we wish to visit. There are a number of Islands in the park on the North East coast of Sardinia and i need to do some homework on these islands. After the Marine parks we will head down the East coast of Sardinia some 200 miles and work our way to Sicily.

Corsica is without doubt the most colourful off all the islands we have visited on the trip so far the flowers are in full bloom and the island is full off all shades of green. The island was immaculately clean and with no graffiti that i could see . I can see why this is one off the holiday hotspots off Europe .

After 2 days in the Bonifacio marina its time to leave the beautiful Island off Corsica and head out over to Sardinia. just a 2 hour sail and we are in the Sardinia National Marine Park La Maddalena a group of 7 islands. We spend a few hours sailing around the northern parts then head south into a turquoise bay in fact there's a number of these clear water bays, however its busy with yachts on buoys or at anchored and its apparent we need to find another spot to drop the hook.  We find the perfect spot in the next bay but whilst we anchor we hit our first major problem of this trip. After a few attempts to anchor in gusts of 25 knots we unfortunately burn the anchor windlass motor out and its starts to smoke. We are left with no choice but to head to the mainland and find a marina or a buoy to do repairs. Such a shame as the islands look a great place to visit for a few days and just relax in the bays.

We head inland and after a 2 hour sail we arrive in Canniqione on the north east side of Sardinia and take a mooring buoy for 2 days just outside the Canniqione marina . Unfortunately the marina is full booked but the mooring field is close to a landing dingy dock and close to the town centre. Here we are greeted by the mooring field manager Lorenzo who tells us where we can find a few chandleries. I remove the burnt out windlass motor and we get a taxi and head to several locations. The first 2 chandlery shops could not help but the 3rd place Nautica srl ordered the part and delivered it to the boat the next evening. With time in hand we set off to get some cushions altered for our cockpit and find 2 shops but they were all to busy .

For the next 2 days we visit the many bars restaurants and shops. This Marina has many beaches and small hotel resorts and its a great place to stay to work on our anchor issue. Similar to Corsica the flowers are in full bloom very colourful and very clean and again very green. The beaches are plentiful and are a fine white sand with landscaped gardens along the beaches that connect one beach to another.

2 days later and the new windlass is installed it takes me about 30 minutes and we are ready to head south. We thank Lorenzo for all his help and as we leave the mooring field he comes out along side us on his tender and waves us off.

We need to get a move on Sardinia's east coast is 200 miles long and we are only at the north tip of the East coast. We head for Porto San Palo some 60 miles south. Here we arrive after a 12 hours of motor sailing in the bay and drop the hook. We lower the tender and head to a small fishing Marina. Its yet another stunning crystal clear bay with white sandy beaches with some 60 yachts on anchor. We drop the tender and head to a small marina and tie off the tender. We walk to the main town a short walk inland. Tony choses the restaurant because he like the look of the roast chicken picture on the sign outside. We eat here and it was awful everything about this place sucked even the price. We walked around the town for a while and head back to Reality. With a good nights sleep we get going at 6am for another 12 hours heading south. Here we arrive at Arbatax two small island a few miles of shore. These 2 islands are full of mating birds its a little noisy but great to see the birds diving and catching fish. We anchor in 9 meters and we are 1 of 6 boats that spend the night here. We get to bed early that night as the two 60 mile trips back to back takes its toll. The next morning and its south to Cormoran a 40 mile trip. We pull the hook and gone by 7am. We arrive at Cormoran bay. A gorgeous long white sandy beach with just two bars. We anchor in just 4 meters as close to the beach as possible. We take the tender ashore land her on the beach and go ashore for beer and food. We all agreed things just keep getting better this place is paradise with palm tress and low green hills in the back ground its very unspoilt. We wake the next morning and its my birthday , what a place to be to celebrate. We pull the hook and its time to get going. We head for the Capital of Sardinia Cagliari. After a 5 hour sail and we radio in to find a berth for 2 days the first 2 marinas had no space but the third marina had room. We entered Portus Karalis and docked Reality next to a Catana Catamaran in a tight space but all went well. I always feel nervous going in to a new marina. But so far I've handle things quite well. I wounder if that feeling will ever change as i get more confident.

We celebrated my birthday with a two day stay in Cagliari sight seeing. We took an electric small bus tour of the old fort and capital and went on a underground tour of the caves. Cagliari is a nice place with lots to do , but its been spoilt by all the graffiti and there is a lot of road works going on near the main road outside the 3 marinas. We took advantage of the water and electric from the marina and washed Reality and got her ready for her crossing over to Sicily with more provisions off course.

We leave Sardinia at 1300 hours after a nice breakfast in the capital. At first our plan was to head back to the beautiful cala of Cormoran as it is 25 miles closer to Sicily. However the weather changes in our favour and we agreed to go straight from Cagliari to Sicily. Its a gruelling 170 miles and the swell is heavy although the winds are now favourable. We knew that the swells would be running for another 12 hours or so but we go all the same. Its a tuff start but we get in to the shift pattern 3 hours on 6 hours off and so on. The 170 mile journey takes us 32 hours and at one point we think we may get in to an unknown anchorage in the dark , something we want to avoid at all cost. We push with one of the engines for the last 5 hours and we arrive with just enough light to squeeze in to a very tight and busy anchorage with about 12 other sailing yachts. The other option was to slow Reality down to a walking pace and get in at first light. However all worked out well for crew Reality. We anchor in just 3 meters of water close to a lively bar on the Island of Favignana a place recommended by a delivery yachtsman we know. Favignana is one of the first islands yachtsman reach when leaving Sardinia. Its on the west coast of Sicily in a small group of islands mainly consisting off Isola di Marettimo Isola Lev anzo and Isola di Favignana in the Isola Egadi National Park. The view of the islands is spectacular as you arrive. From here we will head up and across the north coast of Sicily heading East towards the Messina Straights.

After a goods night sleep on anchor in the bay we awake to a very busy bustling small port ferry terminal bringing tourist from the main town off Trapani on the main land just a 2 hour crossing and our next destination. We get up early and head ashore for breakfast and to visit the island we park the tender close to the beach on a small break wall. Once a fishing village its now a tourist hotspot and its very busy. Bars Restaurant's shops and bike rental shops galore. The electric bike market is flourishing I've never seen so many people on bikes. We find a small sandwich bar however the food was not that good. We walk around the village for a few hours and like the look of this place. Take the tourists out of the scene and you would think it was still a working fishing village. Packed with thousands of tourists and back packers on electric bikes you needed to have your wits about you they were like swarming beers. Although very busy and the food we sampled was not that great this place is well worth the visit. I would strongly recommend it however what it will be like later in the season when the schools are on holiday i would hate to think. We were there in mid July.

We arrive back on board Reality after a few hours pick up the hook and head over to Trapani just 2 hours away and our first visit to the mainland of Sicily. We enter the large harbour that has a number of marinas ferry terminals and is a very busy commercial port. We decide to anchor on the inside to one of the large breakwater walls next to an old fortification. We drop the hook in just 4 meters and only a short dingy ride to the marinas. We tie up on the local boat ramps between 2 marinas and head on land for our first beer off the day luckily there is a street bar on the outside of the public ramp. We walk to the main town just behind the marinas and find a bin to leave our rubbish a constant battle when living on a boat. Trapani is a very old town steeped in history amazing architecture with lots of churches and fortifications from all periods long gone by. With the large natural bay that helped form part of this shipping port its easy to see why this has become a hub for commerce and why the town was built here. Trapani is another tourist hotspot with its history architecture and the islands laying just of the coast its a great place to visit . We walked around for a few hours taking pictures and had a nice evening meal before we retired for the night.

The next morning and its another 6am start something im getting used to as we leave and head for the Capital of Sicily Palermo. It takes us eleven hours of sailing and motor sailing and we reach Palermo. There is not many places to anchor i can only find one place on Navily an anchoring app i use , this small bay is between two marinas Arenella and Villa Igea. We set the hook in 8 meters in the bay and stay onboard till the next morning. The next morning and we lower the tender to go ashore. Its a 30 minute ride so we check the fuel and top up the tender fuel tank before we head off. We pass 2 large break walls one that houses a large commercial basin for the cruise ships and ferries as well as the large shed that builds warships funded by the EU. As we pass the 2nd break wall we turn starboard into the Palermo marina. This is a large marina that is tightly packed with private yachts and fishing boats. We park the tender in amongst the small fishing boats on a boardwalk. Luckily this part of the marina has no gate locking facilities and we are able to walk ashore. The marina is at the start of the city of Palermo and its only a five minute walk.

We walk for an hour and then stop for a coffee and some pastries before we head to the bus stop to hop on the open air tour bus. There are two bus routes red and blue and we opt to do both seeing some amazing sights. After the bus tours we walk to Palermo Cathedral and opt to take the walking roof top tour , here you get to see some great views of the city from all angles. We then walk to the open market and buy some fruit and stop for a fresh pomegranate and orange drinks with ice. Its a short walk and we visit the Teatro Massimo theatre. We stop for lunch in a busy side street and its unbearably hot i chose a pasta dish thinking its got to be good were in Sicily after all but no it was average at best Dave and Tony agree. The architecture in Sicily is amazing and the Capital is full of some of the very best you will see in Europe. We only have a day here and we see some spectacular buildings. The city has a mix of all types of religion and the history is dark and deep going back thousands of years. Its a very old city but modern at the same time and everything seems to just flow. We head back to the marina and stop for ice cream on the way and people watch for a while , this city is busy cars van trucks busses mopeds bikes scooters people on foot everywhere its got a kind of calm laid back charming feel about it. Its a shame to only spend a day here. We need some provisions but are unable to find a supermarket that's open , however we find an off-licence to buy 10 bottles of beer. With fruit and beers in hand we leave the marina and head back to Reality. We have a quick swim in the bay followed by a transom cold shower to cool down. I then look at the weather and set a plan to sail to Cefalu the next day about 7 hours away. Cefalu I'm told by a Sicily friend and work colleague is another amazing place to visit. Once we are there we will be half way across the north coast of Sicily.

We pull the anchor up at 8am and head to Cefalu 30 miles away and after 7 hours we drop the hook very close to the beach and drop the tender and head ashore. We find a small pier at the far east end of a beautiful sandy beach. This is yet another spectacular place and although its much smaller then the Capital Palermo its nowhere as busy and more laid back . Still having great architecture and things to see and do. We walk to the Cathedral of Cefalu in a small Piazza surrounded by shops bars and restaurant's. Its very hot and we stop for a beer. There is a row of restaurant's on the east side that have a side street dinning area and as you walk through the restaurants you have the option to sit in the rear terrace area and dine over looking the sea there's about 20 to chose from its a very romantic place. The pier we tide the tender to was busy with people jumping in and out the crystal clear water and very close to the beach. After a few hours and we head back to Reality. We all get a early night but its to hot to sleep. The next morning and we leave at 9am and we make a decision to stop at Capo D'Orlando some 37 miles away and a 6 hour sail heading East. From here we are only 22 miles away from Lipari Island our next destination. Capo D'Orlando is very similar to our previous stop. We lower the tender and walk around this little gem for a couple of hours after stopping for a beer , something that was now customary when we landed ashore. After our walk sight seeing we find a really good supermarket and end up with 9 bags of shopping. We had found Sicily difficult to find good supermarkets in the tourists areas they exist but very basic actually now i think about it ,  its been pretty much the same across the hole off the Mediterranean so far. We are now three quarters of the way across the north coast of Sicily and have covered about 1200 nautical miles and about 60% in to our journey to Montenegro.

After a 10 day trip back to the UK David and Tony are back on board. We relax for a few days sight seeing and visiting Budva a busy tourist destination south of Tivat and on the main coast line. Once again we rent scooters for the trip and have a great day. A few days later and its time to provision Reality and get her ready to leave Montenegro and head for Croatia.

A one hour stop at customs and we are cleared out of Montenegro and we are on our way. We set a passage to Dubrovnik , here we will need to check in to customs. Customs was quick and very straight forward. Now free to sail in the Croatian waters we head for ACI Marina Dubrovnik and anchor outside in 10 meters. We waste little time and lower the tender and head in to the marina to book a berth for one night for the 21/08/23 this will fit in with our new crew joining us for 10 days. The marina at the end of the bay is a great chose and one i think will help the new crew settle in to there new surroundings. The location of this marina is perfect and just a short bus ride down to the old town of Dubrovnik. We have two days to spare before our new guest join us so we head to old town Dubrovnik on the first day and Cav Tat for the second day. Both days were packed with sight seeing and walking . Walking the old town of Dubrovnik and walking around the many bays of Cav Tat. Great weather excellent food amazing architecture and scenic views.

Its time to collect our new crew members my older Brother Mark my niece Emma and great niece Jasmine. Its a thirty minute taxi ride to the airport and before we know it we are on our way back to the marina and take in the stunning coastal road around Cav Tat and Dubrovnik. We arrive back to the marina and return to Reality all cleaned and provisioned for her trip around the south islands of Croatia in the Dubrovnik province. We are greeted with refreshments on board and get the new crew accustomed to there new home on the seas for the next ten days.

Wasting little time we then catch a bus outside the marina and spend a few hours with our new crew walking the old town walls of Dubrovnik , stopping for an early evening dinner. Then its back to Reality , a few drinks and its time for bed its been a busy tiring day for the new crew. We have a busy schedule before us and the next morning after a safety briefing we leave the marina.  Our plan is to head to Split where our new crew will leave us to return to Dubrovnik airport for there return flight back home to the UK and to see and visit as many islands as possible. We start as we leave Dubrovnik by heading to the Elafitski Otoci islands a group of mainly 3 islands known as Kolocep Lopoud and Sipan. The first two island we sail past and arrive for our first anchorage in sudurad on the island of Sipan. Here we dropped the anchor in 9 meters and headed in to a small fishing marina. After a short walk we stopped for a few drinks. A beautiful bay but with little to do. Back on reality we had a lite lunch and headed for Sipan Luka a larger bay surrounded by restaurants with there own mooring buoys. We arrived here after 4 hours and found a small restaurant called Kod Marka with 4 buoys and called the restaurant for permission to tie up on there facilities and book a table. Permission granted we docked and had a few hours to explore this beautiful bay but not before a swim in the warm crystal clear waters. A short walk around the bay full off bars restaurants with private docking and shops and it was time to eat. A somewhat expensive restaurant but the food was delicious and in a fabulous location. We had three courses of tasty food two bottles of wine and quite a few beers the cost was 400 euros so for a group of 6 it wasn't that bad plus as we ate at a restaurant with its own private docking we did not need to pay the National parking fee of 100 euros per day , so overall it was good value. The next morning and we head to MIjet an island to the west. Our first stop is the gorgeous bay of Saplunara , here we are greeted by a man in a rib asking if we would like to use his mooring buoys outside his restaurant this is off course so you need to use his restaurant but again there will be no park fees to pay . We look around the bay to see what our options are with a few restaurant's in the area but in all fairness his location was great and the supermarket was next door , we take him up on his offer and are left to moor up on his buoy. This is yet another stunning bay and we lower the tender and go over for refreshment's only. As the supermarket is next door and up a small road above we buy some basic provisions mainly drinks bread and vegetables. After a walk around the bay for an hour or so we go back to Reality for lunch followed by a swim and get ready to leave for our next stop on MIjet. Our next stop is Polace where we will anchor for the night. As soon as the anchor is set we are visited by the national park agent on his tender for park fee payment , unlike other places where you do not need to pay a fee if you use private buoys or private docks here you do and must pay the fee somewhat confusing. We pay the 100 euro fee and decide to eat on board in this amazing location. Filled with mega yachts on anchor down the channel in to Polace I felt a little out of my league so it was good to see as i arrived at the end of the bay to be surrounded by a raft of smaller yachts like ours we dropped the anchor in 15 meters and had a great night on board Me and Emma made a simple chicken and rise dinner. The next morning and we pick up the anchor and its time to go to Lastovo an island further to the west and said to be one off the most unspoiled and rarely visited islands also known as the greenest island in Croatia and a place for meditation , something I know my little hippy girls on board will like. Its an early start as i want to visit two bays and this trip is a little bit of the beaten track hence why its one of the most un habited islands and one of the least visited. We arrive here mid day in the bay of Skrivvena Luka with plenty of anchoring available. There are plenty of buoys but only one or two restaurants that i could see , we take a buoy for a couple of hours and have a lite lunch. Yet another stunning bay and very green with woodlands surrounding the bay with rolling hills in all directions . We were not approached by the owner of the buoys normally a restaurant owner or national parks agent. We headed for Mali Lago Lastovo the main area for bars and restaurants with plenty of buoys and good anchoring . There is a small island in the centre of the channel and we grab a buoy for the night. We lower the tender and get a shore to walk this little village. We stop for a beer and book a table at one of only three restaurants in the area. We are told that we can only book after 8pm as they need to feed the hotel guest first. We book all the same and go off for a walk and find a cocktail bar around the bay and have a few drinks before returning. I chose fried squid and the other five all went with the roast pork the food in Croatia is outstanding and as always cooked to perfection. I wondered how the new crew would like this type off holiday having never sailed before. And I'm pleased to say they were loving it. My problem might be getting them off at the end....

The next morning and we are heading to Kor cula know as the gem island of Croatia. Also known as little old town of Dubrovnik as it has a small old walking town similar to its larger sister. We leave Lastovo in the morning and a few hours later arrive in Kor Cula. There is no anchoring allowed under the old city walls around the fortification that dominates the area and the main attraction on the island. We look on Navily and find a great little bay Uvala Luka near a small marina to drop the hook in 8 meters and a simple 5 minute ride on the tender. We sit on anchor for a few hours taking in the views and having a few drinks. We are greeted by the park rangers on there boat for our mooring fee and the cost was just 30 euros the cheapest so far. We lower the tender in the midday sun and its very hot ,  a short 5 minute ride and we put the dingy in to the old town marina and walk into the town. Similar to the old town of Dubrovnik but on a much smaller scale but amazing to see all the same. We spend a couple of hours taking in the views this town has to offer , and find a bar for a late lunch on the outer walls that have the most amazing views of the islands that surround the fortification. After lunch and some more walking we visit a small supermarket and buy more drinks and light provisions. We had a great day on Kor Cula and an island that was not originally on our plan. We arrive back on board Reality to watch the sun go down and enjoy the evening watching many yachts mooring up in the bay and surrounding islands for the night , some small mono hulls and some very large mega yachts regardless of your wealth its a place that almost anyone can enjoy regardless of your budget. The only think i wished was that the park fees could be cheaper as most charge 100 euros per day and this made budget cruising ( if such a thing ) for some to expensive which is a shame and i think for this reason many budget cruisers stay away from some of the islands. Over the years Croatia has become very expensive for sailors and tourist in general , marina fees and the cost to eat at some of the sea front restaurant's have become unattractive , luckily there are still take away shops in most of the busy islands , but the same can not be said for the remote bays on many of the islands. There is on the other hand a reasonable amount of small supermarkets to get provisions from.. After a good nights sleep on anchor in Kor Cula we pull up the hook and head for Vis a small island to the west 30 miles away where the film Mama Mia was filmed. We arrive midday and tie up on one of many buoys in the bay of Viska Luka and with in no time are greeted by the park ranger and pay the 100 euro park fee. Arriving in to the bay there doesn't seem to be much here as most buildings lay low to the shore , but once ashore and walking the main path that connects the old town with the newer town its soon becomes apparent that this is a more laid back island with lots to see and do. We find a small 3 wheel wagon bar on the beach in the baking heat serving draft beers before walking from the old town and in to the new town. Stopping in the most quaintest of chandlers for a new boat hook. After a couple of hours walking and taking in some amazing views of the bay and some interesting architecture we find a bar named Lola in a back street above the beach sitting in a high walled garden on several layers with mature trees and flowers with a fascinating restaurant set amongst the trees. As we walk back towards the old town we stop at a side street café and had dinner and we enjoy watching the sunset and finally the temperature lowers. Its been another very hot day and the island of Vis did not disappoint. Back on board i look at the weather and plan the trip over to Hvar an island i last visited and the only island in Croatia i had visited before this trip 11 years ago. The distance is 26 miles and with favourable winds for the trip. We leave Vis at 9am and arrive in Stari Grad Hvar at 1pm. On the way to Stari Grad we need to enter a tight cut between 2 islands Marinkovac and Jerolim i give the helm to my older brother Mark whilst still under full sail. Taking the helm and altering course through a winding cut its soon apparent to him of the things a sailor needs to take in to account , just the wind change on the sails alters the helm and it needs thinking about . There are several islands on the way in to the main channel that takes you to Stari Grad known as the Pakleni Ococi islands these islands can be avoided but they are well worth the visit and most have plenty of room if you have good control and understanding of how your boat reacts especially in strong winds. After leaving the islands you enter a long wide channel that eventually ends at the Stari Grad Marina. The weather tells us the winds are picking up from the south and up to 40 knots over the next 2 to 3 days so we call up on channel 9 and speak to the marina , we are told to enter the marina channel and hang around for 15 minutes for directions to our berth , however we are then told to come back in 3 hours to see if anything is available , we decide to leave the tight marina channel and we head back out in to the wider channel and drop the hook in 10 meters with all the chain out opposite the Arkada Hotel and surrounded by a small pine forest and a few sandy beaches. We lower the tender and work our way up the marina channel mainly full of charter boats many catamarans and small fishing boats till we reach the end and tie up on the quay side between a dingy and small sail boat outside a restaurant. Excellent place to land straight in to the bar for our first beer. We spend the next few hours exploring this stunning location and one i remember well from my last visit 11 years ago but this time from a different perspective , knowing you have a boat on anchor sitting in the bay with the wind picking up is somewhat nervy. After walking around Sari Grad for a couple of hours we stopped for dinner and Emma and Jasmine had the best steaks i think I've ever tasted Emma chose creamy mushroom sauce and Jasmine a red wine fruit sauce both were excellent. The boys chose mixed meat also very good. On our walk we noticed a moped hire shop and were greeted by Ivan and booked 3 mopeds for the next day. As the light fell and darkness sets in the town comes a live and looks so different. Most of the bars Restaurant's were packed and the main quay side was busy with people walking and taking in this majestic place. We stopped for ice cream and then made our way back to the tender. Leaving the quay side the marina channel also looks so different at night with all the boats litten up. We arrive back on board and Reality has held well in the winds that are now starting to pick up. We head for bed its been another long day sailing and sight seeing with all the walking and it sure is tiring. The next day in heavy winds we re anchor Reality on the opposite side of the bay and lay out all her chain , the wind now blowing up to 40 knots. We sit on anchor for a while before heading of to get our mopeds. Its a 16 kilometre ride over to the Old Town of Hvar through the hills and down the coast. Our first stop is the fort sitting on top of the hill looking down over the town. Fort Imperial Lovrijenac that was built by Napoleons Genral Marmont with magnificent views of the town and the Adriatic. Next we ride down to the old town and stop for lunch in a Restaurant over looking a small marina. After lunch we walk around the old town admiring the architecture and the beauty of this town taking many pictures as we go. Our last stop is a beach Konoba Dubovica a somewhat difficult hike on an uneven trail from the main road above. Mark Jasmine and myself went in for a swim to cool down. We all had a beer in one of only 2 bars on the beach. Somewhat secluded with crystal clear water and worth the walk down and back up to the main road. We returned to Stari Grad and returned the mopeds and headed back to reality and to find Reality had stood up well to the strong winds and in the same place as we had left her, The next day and our 3rd on anchor in Hvar we relaxed whilst being blown around the bay in strong winds with thunderstorms and lighting. Lighting something sailors don't want with a metal rod 70 feet up in the air and more than likely the first to get struck. Later as day passed and the weather had subsided we headed a shore and headed back to our favourite restaurant for the steak that the girls had enjoyed two nights before. It was a great meal and time to leave Stari Grad but not before we visited Tommy a local supermarket where Emma and Jasmine wanted to buy ingredients to make a last evening meal on board before there departure with Mark and David and as a way off showing their application for a great sailing trip on board Reality around Croatia . We headed to bed knowing we would pull up anchor and leave this amazing Island first thing in the morning. The next morning we pulled up the anchor and headed for Slpit Aci Marina a 30 mile crossing through the islands of Brac and Solta. With rain due that night and with the winds still blowing we arrived in to the marina and was able to avoid the worst of the weather. The girls made a great spaghetti Bolognese with bruschetta for starters a very delicious meal. We all got to bed early as the new crew and David had to get a taxi to head back to Dubrovnik a four to 5 hour taxi ride and needed to be up at 3am for there flights back to the UK. The time had come to say goodbye to our newest crew we all got up said our goodbyes and just like that the 10 days had flown by. But what an amazing time we all had sharing time with my family on my own boat and showing them what my new life looks like. And i genuinely think they enjoyed every moment of there time on board experiencing this life style . Now me and Tony will head north till our new crew join us in 18 days time.

On our own me and Tony head for the Blue Lagoon. Heading West , we leave Split aci marina after a visit to the old town site seeing and getting some basic provisions and travel to Luka Drvenil Veli. Just two hours and 12 miles later we drop the hook in the lagoon with a large number of other yachts. This lagoon is shallow and with crystal clear water. Surrounded by a number of other small islands this place is fairly well sheltered and the bay was very calm with little ground swell. We ate on board and relaxed for a few hours before getting an early night. It was clear to see why this is one of the big attractions for the sailing community. The next morning we lift the hook up and head North West to the island of Zirje a 26 mile 5 hour passage. Here we choose to anchor in Stupica Vela on the South East side a small bay with a great restaurant. At midday we headed ashore and had a great squid and sea bass lunch with boiled potato in onion and a salad and a nice ice cold beer. After lunch we walk over to the bay off Uvala Koromasna a 1 hour 20 minute walk through pine trees on a gravel road , here we notice an unbeleavible amount of stone laid walls built over hundreds of years to keep the sheep and goats pend in whilst being rotated from pen to pen. And the walls also divided the land by ownership. Some of the walls were also used for agriculture like grape fig and olive. I cant imagine the back breaking work that went in to building these walls and no machinary back in them days , no wounder it took hundreds off yeras. Most of the islands in Croatia have these impressive walls however now days many are falling down as tourisum is the new way to make money , long gone are the sheep goats and agriculture. As we walk through the pine trees we find a number of small derelict stone buildings again once used in years gone by and now falling down. Finally the gravel road ends and we find a tarmac road that winds its way down to the bay. Here i photograph many old cars rusting away on the side of the roard some i had bought and sold as a young car dealer in my years gone by bring back happy memories. We reach the bay and its like the land that time forgot although some newish buildings most were very old and the place had a peaceful tranqull feel about it. After a hour or so walking around the bay we noticed a new dirt road that had recently been dug through the hillside and decided to take a new path back. Taking the new route back we found an old scrap yard filled with old cars caravans and rubbish galore even a thousand jars of jams and pickles with the metal lids rusting in the open air but the content still seemed good. A few hours later and we arrive back at the restaurant where we had left the tender and headed back to Reality. The next morning and it was an early start leaving this stunning bay and heading to the Kornati islands a group of islands in one of many of Croatia's national parks. Here we headed for the island named after the park Kornati a long island running from North West to South East and 14 miles long. Its a 25 mile journey and will take 5 hours and unfortunately up wind all the way. Heading to our next destination we pass some of the best islands croatia has to offer with the islands becoming somewhat barren to look at a bit like sailing through a desert. The scenary changing from time to time with other islands being very green and lush. With sea colours of blue and turquoise we wind our way to our chosen bay. We arrive midday in Vrulje  and pick a buoy to tie up on in just 4 meters of crystal clear water. With a strong wind we find it a little difficult to keep Reality in one spot with the current and strong wind against us it takes 3 atempts to get the two lines on the buoy to set the bridle the boat next to us is having the same problem and sends a diver in to tie there lines. We get Reality settled and head ashore and land on a small dinghy dock and stop in Konoba Ante for a well deserverd beer. After a beer we walked around this small fishing village and stopped for another beer in Konoba Robinson on the opposite side of the bay here we booked our evening meal. With a very small supermarket we go and get some basic provisions taking in to account that many of the islands only have restaurants and no shops. We head back to robbinsons for dinner Tony having a sea food Pasta dish and i had a t-bone steak the food was as allways in Croatia delicious. Here we are able to pay 40 euros for the park fee and use of the public buoy. We get back onboard and take the rubbish to the local bin collection area with a dedicated dinghy dock and set a plan for our next island. The next morning and we leave at 8am and head for Dugi Otok an island in the Telascica national park and one of the largest islands its just 10 miles away and we will pass many small islands on the way. Dugi island is rather unique with a large inner bay and a high cliff face on its Southside and with a large salt pond laying inside the island. On our way we past about 30 islands and saw some great sheltered bays with no facilities others with just one or two restaurants. You would need a lifetime to sail these islands we had just 26 days. I chose the islands based around the infomation i could gather on you tube google satellite images and a pilotage book i had bought for this area aswell as navily an app i use for anchoring infomation that has very helpfull reviews. We entered the long bay till we could go no further and dropped the hook in 10 meters just on the side of Burji Skoij one of two islands at the very end. With strong winds due from the north this was a well protected aera with other yachtsman thinking the same. We lowered the dinghy at midady and went ashore to Taverna GO-Ro just a few hundred meters away with its own dinghy dock. Unfortunately the resturant was closed untill 4pm something we now noticed as the sailing season was coming to an end and we found quite common. We walked around for a couple of hours and the other restaurant in the bay Konoba Skeba was also closed. We headed on the dinghy past Reality and back down the bay a few miles to Uvala Mir a large bay we had past a few hours earlier on our way with a few restaurants a market and close to the salt lake. We stopped on the dinghy dock and had lunch in Gospoja Konoba a large restaurant and bar. After lunch and some beer we walked around the salt lake and up the hill to the look out post above the white cliff face that runs the hole length of the island on the southside. This bay brings in many large day trip boats from the main land and surrounding islands and the food was not to the standard of the smaller family run restaurants. After a couple of hours we headed back to Reality and had an early night. With the winds blowing up to 25 knots in a narrow anchourage we didnt sleep well however the anchor held fast. The next morning and a long passage ahead we pulled up the hook and headed for lst island some 36 miles away and a 7 hour sail. With the forecast for winds up to 30 knots and on the noise we knew this was going to get ruff in between some of the islands. On our way out of Dugi island we need to turn to our portside and go between Dugi and the island of Katina. The inlet is very tight and very shallow with just enough room to get Reality through. With the tide racing and wind blowing and to top it of with two other yachts entering from the otherside it was challenging. Now it was my time to enter the tight cut with strong wind and tide i decided to go through with speed to keep Reality on track rather then at a slow speed and being pushed to leeward. The next two hours salt water washed over Reality's bows and the sea state grew the temperatures dropped and my cigarette ash blow all over the flybridge furniture , i was having the time of my life. Making our way over to Otocic Lavdara island and finding some cover from the heavy winds things got a little easier for a while but once past the island and we were back in to the open area between islands it was pretty much the same. Tony moaned about the conditions and saying if it was him he would of stay in the bay off Dugi island and waited for this to pass. However we had strong winds for a few days and i knew that it would be fine and there would be cover for most of the journey using the islands to my advantage. An hour or so later and crossing the second large open area we were soon in the lee of Otok Iz this gave us a rest bite for an hour or so till the next open area. The third open area the wind came more from the North East and put us on a nice beam reach i pulled out the Jib and slowed the engines down things settled a little but still with strong gusts of over 30 knots at times but not straight on the noise. We made it to Otok Sestruj island getting some protection and the worst of the winds now gone . An hour later and with protection from Otok Molat and with our goal in sight we eneterd the bay of Otok Ist our destination and what a destination. We arrived at 3pm after a gruelling 7 hours at sea in heavy winds. Dropping the hook in just 5 meters of emerald green water and close to shore we relaxed for an hour then as normal lowered the tender and found a bar for a beer and a spot of lunch , squid tuna steak chips and a greek salad. Talking with the restaurant owner we were given a lesson on the history of this island. Apparently this island once had the largest boats and the largest fleet of boats in any of the islands. Now days only 100 people live here full time and many of the houses are owned by the rich and wealthy as holiday homes. Ive said it before that when anchoring up in a bay and looking at the shoreline its hard to tell what is really lying offshore im always surprised that the towns and villages are so much bigger. After lunch we take a walk around the bay and take a look at quite a few new buildings going up and some old houses being modernised. We then walk over to the other bay of Kosiraca an old fishing village and still retaining its old charm , however there is now a large ferry terminal and a few new houses going up arround the bay so it wont be long before its no longer a bay full of small fishing boats about 30 that i could see. The walk from one bay to the other takes about 20 minutes and it has some very nice houses and old farm buildings all on a road no wider than a small tractor or golf cart could use. There are 2 small supermarkets that i could see in the bay of Ist with most things avalible although limited. Next to one of the supermarkets was a restaurant specialising in spit roast with a large pig being cooked for the nights main menu. Speaking with the chef he informed us that there is a new pig being roasted daily till the end of September when the holiday season ends and that his restaurant was famous for it. We booked a table for the next night as we planned to stay here for two days on the hook waiting for the weather to calm down. We took a walk further arround the bay and found an open beach bar that looked as though it had been closed for a year or more. This bar was made out of drift wood pallets old wood bamboo and grass reed quite imaginative mostly held together with rope with large bench type seating with fairy lights above. I kind of think it was a hippy rave type festival place. It was a shame to see it falling to waste , however taking the relaxed tranquil slow pace the island had to offer i doubt that the locals were in favour of it and why its was closed... We got some provisions from the supermarket and headed back to Reality. The next morning we walked for an hour up to the Church on the top of the hill. With my Japanese safty boots on ( flip flops ) i struggled to walk up the stone path but Tony did little better in Trainers. It was a tuff walk at times like a climb but what a view once at the top. With views of the island of Ist and all the surrounding Islands it was worth the battle in the hot sun. The church known as the church of our lady was built on top of some original footings to an old fort built there some 2000 years bc. How they got the materials up with no roads or decent paths to build here is mind boggling. After the walk up to the church we walked over to the fresh water ponds , the stone walls on the way and in this aera are impressive shooting of in all directions and must have taken an eternity to build. The ponds only one that we could find were not worth the walk no more then thirty foot round and full of green stagnant water. We finished out walk at the restaurant close to the dinghy dock and the restaurant we had lunch in yesterday for a few beers before heading back for a quick shower and change of cloths. We arrived at Konoba Maestro Restaurant for the roast pig dinner at 8pm and found the restaurant very busy and within 10 minutes it was full all tables fully booked. The meat was cooked to profection and fell of the bone with lots of crackling potato and salad , all washed down with a pan beer. The cost was just 62 euros with desert beer and coffee great value we thought. The next morning we say goodbye to Ist yet another fabulous island in Croatia. The next morning and we head over to Vir island and the bay off Privlacki Zaton but not before we navigate our way throgh the tight cut between Ist and Molat islands. With just 5 meters of depth and rocks on either side we follow a mono hull and its clear although shallow there is plenty of width and with good channel markers. We arrived at our new destination a very large bay surrounded by buildings and a nice looking beach with a small breakwall in the centre and a place to put the tender. We drop the hook in just 6 meters of crysal clear water with a sandy bottom an excellent place to anchor. Its late midday and we decide to eat on board before finding a bar for a late night drink. We spend a total of three days in this bay and rent scooters and head over to Zadar conected to this island via a bridge. On our way we stop at a small church St. Nicholas built in the 11th 12th century and built on a hummock prehistoric barrow and the only Romanesque architecture in Dalmatia. Reaching Zadar we stop for coffee in a cafe just outside the old town. Then find a carpark by the old town to park the scooters and head into the old town of Zadar. Simular to Dubruvnik with out the walking high walls but still an anamazing place to visit. Built on the water front with a large promenade and the area where the cruise ships moore up. Great archetecture many churches and lots of restaurants. A couple of hours later and back on the island of Vir we had time to explore some of the other bays and take in some of the sights Vir had to offer. After we returned the scooters we stop for dinner and then headed back to Reality. The next morning we provisoined at Tommy the local supermarket and spent the rest of the day relaxing and i started to look for our next island to visit. The next day we pulled the hook and headed for Ugljan just 2 hours away. We dopped the hook in Muline bay in just 5 meters and headed ashore. To our surprise there was a classic car show on with about 100 cars on display and a Donkey tired to a tree , having once owned seven Donkeys i spent some time feeding him lush grass that i could find as there was little grass under the tree he was tied to.  After an hour or so looking at and admiring the cars we walked to the next two bays further along. The second bay was a narrow cut with a small beach area with lots of people sunbathing and having a picnic as there were no amenities. There were a few yachts on anchor just outside the swimming area lined up like ducks. We headed back for a drink in one of just two restaurants in the bay. We decided to walk over to the other side of the island and see what was there. The weather was very hot and on the way we found the smallest supermarket in the world and bought some drinks and carried on. An hour later and we were on the otherside and found two caravan camping parks on the beach more for locals then touring caravanners and motorhomers. We headed back across the island in the baking heat stopping at the tiny supermarket for ice cream and fresh bread and then back to our tender and back to Reality. The next day and with no wind we decided it was the perfect day to give Realitys outerhulls a good scrub. With Tony on the weather decks i took the tender alongside where he had two lines to keep me in tight so i could put some pressure on the boat to get her clean and remove the scuff marks we had picked up over the last 12 weeks. and remove all the salt. We then checked all the oil and water levells to the two engines and cleaned out the sea stainers. Then i istalled a new water maker filter. Tony cleaned the stainless and windows and she was looking spotless again. Now we are of for dinner as im starving after all that hard work. This bay has a large break wall out side the restaurant and its easy to dock a tender and head ashore. We had dinner in Konoba Dido Sime and had the greatest sea food plater ive ever eaten with beer as usual. This was a great place to visit like most of the islands in Croatia. The next morning we headed for Uvala Lamljana Mala a bay on the south side , we wanted to see more off this island as it was truly stunning and we were heading south in the direction we needed. Arriving in to the bay one needs to navigate this area with some caution as there are many small islands dotted about and quite a few fishing farms. However once in the bay there are many places to anchour with shallow water and good holding. We decided to anchour in the centre as there were lots of places to visit and the dinghy ride would be evenly spread. We first visited a pizza restaurant at the very end of the bay with a sandy beach and crysal clear water surounded by pine trees. The restaurant had a grass roof something i havent seen here before in Croatia with open sides and a wooden floor with a small bar , and kitchen on oneside. With a spectacular view looking down the bay , it was like being back in the Caribbean. After lunch we headed down the bay past some old fishing villages and around an island to a large fishing yard with alarge hard standing. We past a boat on the hard that was on fire with the fire brigade attending the blaze , were not shore if it was a genuine fire or a training exercise. He we found many old fishing boats both made of steel and wood on the hard just rusting away and falling apart never to see the sea again. This was a graveyard for boats each looking sad but giving the viewer an imaginative mind of there years spent at sea. Over the back of the hard standing i notice a large dark blue mono haul and i said to Tony i think i know this yacht and it was one i had seen on the internet for sale. I managed to use my phone to zoom in on the name , the boat was called Lir built by the Ortona Navi ship yard in Italy in 1988 and is 35 meters in length with an 8 meter beam made of stell and aluminiumand in her day she was once a superyacht now sitting in a yard full of dying boats , however she is currently on the market for 990,000 euros but needs major upgrading and modernising https://www.superyachttimes.com/yachts/lir . We headed into a bay a few miles south only to find the yachts on anchor were attended by naked people and as we left this anchourge full of yachts we decided to hug the coast only to find that it was also full of naked sunbathers , looking on our Navily app we saw that this with a few other islands was completely allowed and a dedicated area. We headed back to Reality and the next day headed for the island off Vrgada. A 20 mile passage and we arrived into the bay of Vrgada a small town spanning two bays with good achoring in shallow water , there are a few rocky out crops to watch out for and not all are marked on the chart so caution is needed. There are a number of small islands dotted about that makes this a great place to visit and its well known for its sandy beach with a beach bar and you take land the dighy on the beach. There is a pine forest above the beach and over the years has eroded the cliff face with tree roots over hanging the hi cliff face with areas that have collapsed onto the beach. After a short ride on the tender around the beach we headed into the town and tired up on one of the small fishing quaysides. We walked around the town looking at many old buildings that had falling in to disrepair and as we climbed up the steep roads and narrow cobbled paths it came apparent many of the buildings had been empty for decades most still fully furnished some with the roof structure collapsed on top. This was like a walk back in time . The odd local person greeting us as we walked higher up the town till we reached an old church the church of the holy Trinity. Next to the church was a rather large concrete pad something we had seen from time to time on the islands we had sailed past and we had woundered what these were. Here we found a sign that said what the concrete pad actually was for. On our walk up the town we had noticed lots of man hole covers especially at the lower level to the town at sea level and we lifted one up and they were wells. Reading the sign by the church here where the large concrete pad was it gaves us the infomation on what the pads were used for. The lower wells in the town were full of salt water but the concrete pad filled them up with fresh water when it rained and made the water brackish and therefore could be used to wash clean and water the crops. Leaving the church we also noticed a school sitting high up on the top of the town with almost 360 degree views of the surrounding islands and as we walked down the school finnished for the day and a few pupils past us on small electric stand up electric scooters funny to be looking at such old derilict buildings hundreds of years old and then modern technology flying by. Half way down from our walk an old gentleman i guess in his late 90s was standing in his door way crouched over with old age looked at us almost like we were aliens and i thought what changes he must of seen from when he was a lad. Most people of his age i guess were simple fisherman and was struggling to see the changes as the town was now becomming a tourist attaraction and as the fishing boats disappeared and were replaced by day trip tourist boats with pleasure crafts on anchor rather than fishing boats in the bay. A new harbour wall was built for the ferry boat bringing tourists in from far and wide that and a new supermarket next to it. Half way down you will come to a small church the church of our lady of health once only allowed to be used by one family and next to the remains off an old palace the palace of the Damiani family. After a three hour walk around the town we find a bar and have a couple of beers in the small fishing port close to the ferry terminal and supermarket and where we left our dinghy. We then head off for a walk around the otherside of the bay to the sandy beach and pass by a few restuarants over looking the bay. Our second walk of the day we stop in one off the restuarants Konoba Bracera perched up on the cliff over looking part of the Zadar Archipelago with many islands to view and with Reality on anchour just 200 meters off the shoreline with 30 other yachts sitting on buoys next to the sandy beach. We chose fish as the restuarant was built to look like an old boat and it was great and the first time we had fish soup in Croatia as a starter but not the last. The next day we headed for the island of Murter just 6 miles away passing a few islands on the way and through a small cut we anchored in Murter bay a large bay with a few marinas and lots of quayside fishing and day trip boats tied up a very busy bay. The largest of the marinas full off charter boats mainly Catamarans. We stayed here for 2 days and had some great food the best was the steak in a bubbling clay pot at the restuarant Jelovnik Tony going for the mushroom sauce and i had the peppercorn , the hot clay pot cooking the meat as it slowly cooled down. There was some excellent family run restuarants here with good supermarkets and many bars it also had a great beach. We walked around the bay and found a boat grave yard at one end and busy large marina at the other. This was more of a modern town than an old town but still had lots of great buildings churches to see and many cobbled streets to walk around. I decided to walk up to a church a few hills back and sitting at the very top the church off St Rochs. Tony stayed behind an hour or so later and i was rewarded with some of the best views of the islands around Murter and the Mljet National Park and a great view of the mountains on the mainland. On the way down i decided to walk a different path and found my way walking through a small village with restored old properties with old cobbled roads and paths i decided to stop for a beer however in this sleepy village no one was about although the bar was open. I eventually arrive at a bar in the bay for a well earned beer as i walked further into the bay Tony called me and said he was in a bar and to join him , funny it was the bar i was in just a few minutes before. After a two day stay in Murter we pulled up the hook and headed for the island of Kaprije . The bay of Kaprije has a small mooring field of about 40 buoys and after being ignored by the mooring attendant who just kept shouting and poining rather badly we decided to take matters into our own hands and take a buoy of our own choosing. Once moored in very shallow water and packed in like sardines in heavy winds he eventually came over and had the audacity try and move me , after me telling him no im staying put or i would go on anchor he agreed to let us stay. The fee was seventy three euros i told him im paying on more than sixty after a stand off he accepted my offer with a loud grown. Lowering the dinghy we headed for a restuarant Neptun and had a great meal and a few beers. After dinner we walked around the bay but here there was not a great deal to do so we headed back To Reality for an early night. The next morning and we headed for the mainland a bay called Rogoznica a bay with an island in the centre and conected via a small bridge a 15 mile sail. We anchoured just outside the fishing fleet of boats near the bridge and tied the tender up on the supermarket quayside. We could see that the holiday season was coming to an end as some bars and restuarants were now closed and only a few people was on the beach that conects both to the mainland and the island in the centre of the bay with the bridge and still the weather was hot bright and sunny. We walled over to a large marina that was busy with charteryachts coming and going. We spent a couple of hours walking around the marina with a few nice hotels dotted about and with nice gardens. Most of the charter boats were again Catamarans. Most people we spoke with said they were on there last charter trips and things end in the next few days. We walked around the bay to the bridge and stopped in a restuarant for dinner on the small island that sat right in the middle of the bay . Here i had lamb chops the first time i had seen them on the menu in Croatia they were fabulous. After a nice lunch we walked around this beautiful island for a couple of hours taking in the many sites then headed for the supermarket. Back on board and time to head further south we planned the next passage a 30 mile trip to the island of Brac. 

As the new year starts it is time to make a passage plan for the 2024 sailing calendar and Reality's 3rd sailing season. But first a list of all the things i need to do to get Reality ready for a 1500/2000 mile passage, and 5 months at sea . The list is fairly comprehensive , however the basics are as follows new topping lift and main halyard replacement. 2 new dive boxes made and installed on the port and starboard whether decks , both engines and sail drives serviced along with the generator , outboard engine and hot water boiler and a few warranty jobs finished off.

Reality will spend 5 months at sea with 3 full time crew members including myself along with my younger brother David and friend Tony. We aim to leave Porto Montenegro in early may and spend the first month sailing down the coast of Montenegro and Albania , stopping on route and seeing some of the bays and breath taking coastline this area has to offer. Most sailing this area for some reason seem to bypass Albania and yet it has some of the best beaches and bays in the Mediterranean.

In early June we will reach Greece , our first port of call will be the island of Corfu were we will need to check into customs and the start of our Schengen shuffle , we will have ninety days to get across the Greek islands and into Turkey our final destination.

Subject to weather and the Corinth Canal being open , as its always subject to landslides and repairs we aim to visit the following Greek islands , Corfu , Lefkada , Meganisi , Kalamos , Kastos , Arkoudi , Atokos , Ithaca , Kefalonia , Zakinthos , Isthmia , Milos , Paros , Mikonos , Patmos , Leros and Kos then clear customs and head into Turkey. 

Marmaris marina although not yet booked is looking like my favourite marina , as it is well placed for heading north or south and visiting some of the very best Turkey has to offer. We aim to arrive in Turkey late August then spend four to 6 weeks sailing this amazing coastline.

Once the sailing season ends Late September mid October 2024 Reality will venture back to Marmaris for a year where i hope to get a one year resident permit. Whilst in Marmaris Reality will be lifted out put on the hard , power washed and antifouled along with new anodes. If all goes to plan she will also have a new flybridge layout , this will include lengthening the front and back of the Bimini hardtop and rising it 200mm for more headroom and having a better seating and sunbathing layout . 

Although a long way off i plan on leaving Turkey on the 1st of September 2025 and head out of the Mediterranean taking 2 months to reach the Canaries , this will give me the month of November in the Canaries to prepare Reality for her Atlantic voyage to the Caribbean, She will remain here for two full sailing seasons sailing up and down the Leeward islands and up to the Bahamas. After that its through the Panama Canal and North into the sea of Cortez Mexico or over the Pacific Ocean and on to French Polynesia..

After what seemed like a long seven months in Porto Montenegro Preparing Reality for her 2024 sailing season, its time to set sail and head to Türkiye, a five month two thousand nautical mile passage.

We leave the safe harbour of Porto Montenegro on the 5th of May 2024, and head to the beautiful town of Budva just a five hour sail. We anchor just of shore near the marina entrance and start this five month passage with good weather and clear skies. 

This five month passage will consist of 5 stages . Stage (one) May sailing Montenegro and Albania. Stage (two) June sailing The Ionian and Saronic Islands. Stage (three) July Sailing the Cyclades Islands. Stage (four) August Sailing the Dodecanese Islands. Stage (five) September Sailing Türkiye and finding Reality a new berth. 

Our sailing plans for 2025 will be to sail Türkiye in May and June, then in October and November sail her out of the Mediterranean via Malta, their will be a number of other places to stop on route out of the Mediterranean, but this will be planned on the passage and subject to weather and wind condition and direction, we also need to take in to account that October and November are winter months and much colder with unpredictable weather patterns, then sail her to Rubicon marina in Lanzarote in the Canaries. Here we will prepare and provision her for her longest non stop voyage across the Atlantic to the Caribbean a 2400 nautical mile passage, and one month at sea with no land in sight, however we might visit Mindelo on the Verde Islands 700 miles south of the Canneries on route, i am also keen on taking Reality up the Gambia river on the African continent, serious passage planning will be needed here, at present this is just a thought, and I'm currently researching this exciting opportunity.

It takes me Tony and my brother Dave 26 days to complete stage one and we arrive in Sarande Albania at the end of May. We start this leg by leaving Porto Montenegro and head to Budva a large town with a few islands, some great bars and restaurants with an old fort overlooking the bay, our next stop is Sveti Stefan Island with four lovely sandy bays nearby, with great walking trails . A few days later we head to Canj a place i would have no interest in going back to. Canj was in need of a complete make over, and had seen its best days long ago, however it was a good place to stop for food beer and provisions. Our next planned stop is Bar, and where we will clear customs, and end our sailing in Montenegro. Bar is a beautiful seaside port and has the benefit of Stari Grad Bar, the old town of Bar, a short bus ride takes you to the most amazing fortification you could ever wish to see, and some excellent restaurant's modern hotels and gift shops. 

With excellent anchorages available just of the long beach, Bar is ideal for boat owner's with lots of space, with good holding in sand with shallow water, with a short tender ride to the marina, and short walk in to the more modern town of Bar, not to mention it has a customs dock for yachtsman checking in or out of Montenegro.

Our next stop on this passage is Shengjin an old commercial fishing port in Albania. Its here i used my first check in agent a chap by the name of Mr Frroku, i had read a lot about this agent on Navily and he was said to be very rude and a little unpleasant, however we got on great and I found him to be a real character to say the least, although he asked me was my brother born with difficulties, i replied with many. This was one of the easiest and nicest check ins to a country I had ever experienced. I was taken in his car to a local café just outside the port, here the port authority and port police came and sat with us and had a coffee, they inspected our ships papers, and welcomed us to Albania, the next morning at 9am i meet up with my agent in a different café for coffee and received my sailing permit.  And there was only an agent fee, no cruising fees like all the other country's . There is very little to see and do here as it is a run down old smelly fishing port, but we were now checked in to Albania and could get on our way.

     Our next port of call was Durres where David would fly home to the UK for a few days. Durres is the nearest port to anchor near the Capital of Albania Tirana, and close to the international air port.  The port of Durres is a very large commercial port housing a large number of ferrys and fishing boats, and the marina is more a dock that holds at best 15 yachts, however the price for our 46 foot Catamaran would normally be about 220 euros per day, here we paid just 75 euros and stayed for two days. We rented a car for two days and visited the old Preza Castle and the capital of Tirana, the next day we dropped David at the airport, he would join us in Sarande a week later with two guest. Me and Tony then stopped at a cash and carry supermarket and provisioned Reality whilst still having the rental car. We then set sail heading South to Vlore, the start of the Albanian riviera . And Vlore didn't disappoint us, as the weather got hotter and the seas got more clear and blue . Vlore turned out to have a few tricks up its sleeves for us. It took us 12 hours of sailing to reach Vlore from Durres, we arrived early in the morning and anchored just of the beach in 5 meters of clear blue water, with blue skies, wasting no time we lowered the tender and found a bar for a well earned beer and early lunch. Later we walked around the coast and stumbled across a paragliding school, with Paragliders landing on the beach, taking off from the mountain above, so we booked two flights for the next day as tandem passengers . On the way back to Reality we rented two scoters and drove around visiting some coastal bays and taking a ride in to the old town. We were now in the best Albania had to offer and this area was truly beautiful. Little did we know at this point it was only going to get better. The next day we meet up with Rooney our flight pilot and a lady driver that would bring Rooney back up the mountain after each flight, Rooney drove us to the top of the mountain a thirty minute ride, that over looked the bay of Vlore with breath taking views, here we could see Reality on anchor in the bay as a tiny spec. Tony was the first to go, and take the plunge running over the mountains edge and taking off with ease, what could go wrong i thought as i waited my turn. Well about an hour later and Rooney was back, and it was my turn, however the wind had died down to almost nothing and varying in direction, and we needed to wait for the winds to come back. An hour later and i was put in the harness, however for me and being a sailor the wind just wasn't there it didn't seem right, but before i knew it i was running down the slope and over the mountains edge, only to go crashing on my knees and elbows through the bushes and rocks to a crash landing. Now Rooney was almost in tears and very apologetic, explaining he had never crashed in 24 years of paragliding and he had been an instructor for the last ten years. No problem i said lets give it another go, I'm sure will get it right next time . We dusted ourselves down cleaned the blood of my elbows and knees, with the help of another pilot we collected and inspected the parachute and walked back up to the take of point.  We then waited for the winds. I mean surely we couldn't crash twice on take of could we?..... Twenty minutes later and I'm back in the harness and Rooney assures me all is going to be fine this time. Famous last words i thought.... anyway the 2nd crash was worst than the first, this time i had more cuts as we had been dragged further down the mountain and close to the point of no return, I had bounced of a few rocks and over bushes and trees that were of the thorny type, with several cuts to both arms legs knees and elbows, we actually got airborne then just plummeted straight down, I started to think that this sport was dangerous. I'm sure at this point my pilot stated crying, not because he had suffered any injuries to himself, my body was giving him a safe padded place to land, but i think he was worried with the amount off blood running down parts of my body. After i calmed my pilot down i told him 3rd time lucky. No he said surely you don't want to continue with this, look at you, you are bleeding badly. Well i said you've herd the story abut the boy who fell of his bike haven't you, no he said, well he got back on it, otherwise he may never off. Come on  lets give it another go i said, but this time lets wait for better wind. We harnessed back up for our third attempt and with better wind we took of with ease and had the most amazing flight. And one i will remember for ever, for more than one reason or another.

The next thing Vlore had in store for us was the next morning. We woke up to stronger winds then had been forecast, to find 40 knots of wind blowing Reality ashore, with anchor alarms going of, it was all men to the pumps, well me and Tony that is, with 3 meter ground swell and wind whistling through the rigging, we fired up Reality's twin Yanmar 57 hp engines, and with full throttle Tony on the helm and me on the anchor windlass and bridle fighting to get the anchor up, but also fighting to stop Reality from crashing in to the break wall only a few meters behind us. With full power and struggling to free the anchor we motored her in to deeper water, worrying about the anchor after. Eventually the anchor was up. Leaning over a 46 foot catamaran in three meter swells with 40 knots of wind is no fun, and I was being bounced of the trampolines whilst un attaching the bridle with one hand and with the windlass remote in the other hand had its challenges . Other then that Vlore was beautiful, and a big improvement on the rest of Albania, we had seen to date. With the wind now predicted to last all day we headed for a bay three hours away, hand steering all the way we took it in turns, to get over to Sheen Jait, a bay opposite Vlore, this was a ruff passage for three hours, but once there we were in a far better place with some protection from the winds.

After the winds faded away the next morning we left Sheen Jait and headed to Sarande a real gem on the Albanian Riviera, and where we would check out of Albania eventually. David and two friends flew in to Corfu and got the ferry over to Sarande, just a thirty minute ride by fast ferry and stayed with us for a week, David would stay till we reached Turkey and the end of our 2024 sailing season, here we stayed for a few days before heading to Ksamil the furthest we would go south on the Albanian coast. Ksamil has two large bays with fabulous sandy bays, with easy anchoring and lots of room for many yachts, this place is another gem on the Albanian coast and like Sarande has a real charm about it, with excellent hotels shops bars and restaurant's with sandy beaches. Whilst in Ksamil we visited the Butrint National Archaeological ruins and nature park, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre, a small tender ride from the anchorage bay just outside Butrint. Butrint is a large site on 9500 Hectares with lots of history and well worth the visit, if you like old castles palaces and fortifications with a amphitheatre from many different time periods, such as Roman Byzantines Venetians and Ottomans you will enjoy this place located next to a lake, amongst wooded forest with pleasant smells.

Its time to move on to our 2nd stage in this 5 stage passage plan. We say goodbye to our two guests and check out of Albania on the 1st of June 2024, and head to the Greece Islands. This ends our first passage plan of five.

THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE PLACES WE VISITED IN MONTENEGRO AND ALBANIA 

Videos and pictures will be uploaded on my YouTube channel sailing vessel reality ( later in the year)

The month of June we start the 2nd part of our 5 passages, and this is Brocken in to 3 parts. Part 1, 10 days sailing in the Ionian Islands off Corfu Anti Paxos, Paxos, Parga, Preveza and Lefkada. Part 2, 10 days sailing the Ionian Islands off Meganisi, Kalomos, Kastos, Atokos Ithaca Kefalonia and Zakynthos.  Part 3,  Head through the Corinth canal and sailing the Saronic Islands.

On the 1st of June we leave Sarande Albania, its a four hour sail over to Corfu and the start of the Ionian islands. We arrive outside Mandraki marina on the east coast, half way down the island, and drop the anchor in 15 meters. We use the marina and tie of the tender, then walk forty minutes down to the main port so we can get our transit log stamped. We do the normal sight seeing thinks like most tourists and visit the main town of Corfu and visit the fortifications. Mandraki marina has a very nice restaurant cooking some of the best dishes we have eaten so far on this trip.

The next day we said goodbye to my friend Jeff who visited us for a few days, then we headed down the coast to Petriti to meet up with old friends Lou and Sheila, friends i hadn't seen for some years. Petriti is a large bay with shallow anchoring on sand, with a few restaurant's, its a very pretty bay and not over developed.

We pull up anchor the next morning and head to Paxo's and Anti Paxo's. Anti Paxos is a very small island and we sail around it, and visit a few bays and then head to Paxos a much larger island. Our first anchorage in Paxo's is AG.Nikolaos a small island with a canal running around part of  Paxo's island that also has a large town quay, after anchoring we take a four hour walk around the coast, and take in some beautiful views, but not before we get our transit log stamped, something i found so annoying. Walking around the town quay i found a wallet full of credit cards a driving licence some other important id cards, with some intuition we was able to find that the owner, was on a day trip boat, and return them 

The next day we head for our last stop in Paxos, Lakka on the northern tip, this is a bay with good protection from most winds except from the north. We lowered the tender and walked around yet another beautiful bay stopping for dinner at one of the many restaurant's. 

Our next stop was on the Greek mainland of Parga, just a 5 hour sail across the Ionian sea from Paxo's. Parga has two large bays with a large headland in between, on top of that headland is the ruins of the Venetian Castle of Parga. It took us four hours to walk up visit and back down, but was well worth the effort. The old town of Parga is also worth visiting, a well maintained and very clean town, parts of it starting at the waters edge with nice bars shops restaurants and coffee houses, then  ascending up the hills looking down on an impressive coast line.

Carrying on we head south to Preveza also on the mainland, and the gateway for so many sailors getting ready to head through the Lefkada canal . Although steeped in history, i found parts of Prevera in need of cleaning up and investment, although their were some nice back streets behind the main town key. The good news is there was a massive anchoring field with just a short tender ride to town. 

This ends part (1) of stage 2 In our 5 stage passage to Turkey 

We start Part (2) of stage 2 of our 5 stage passage by going through the Lefkada canal. The Lefkada canal is a canal that runs through the island of Lefkada and the Greek mainland giving easy access to the islands beyond. There is no fee to transit this canal, however you need to call up on VHF a mile or two outside the entrance, and wait for instructions to transit as there is a swing bridge that needs to open, in principal the bridge opens on the hour for fifteen minutes, for boats to transit, and from either direction, going East or West. With a maximum of five knots the transit takes about 30 minutes and passes by Lefkas Marina. After transiting the canal we anchor in a bay to the east in just a few meters of water, we then take the tender back up the canal and visit Lefkas marina. The next day we sailed past Skorpios islands once owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onesies who was once married to JFK the former president of the USA who was assassinated in 1963, she later married Aristotle Onassis the Greek shipping tycoon. Our first stop was Meganisi, here we would go in to Little Vathy a large bay with a nice town. We dropped the anchor and reversed on to the town quay. After a light lunch in the bay we walked over to Odyseas Marina for a beer, later that night we walked over to Spartochori for dinner in a famous sailing taverna called Lakis. It was a two hour walk, so after eating we got a taxi back to Reality. 

We left Meganisi the next morning and headed the short distance to Kalamos, our first stop and one i had seen several times on you tube was wood bay, this is more a number of shallow bays all with their own beach with a forest above, here we anchored for a few hours and swam ashore in crystal clear blue water. It was soon time to move on to our second stop off three on this island, the 2nd being another famous place for sailors in Kalamos, Georges restaurant in the small but pretty port of Kalamos, we were fortunate to meet the great man himself. Tony would use this restaurant with charter guest most weeks when he worked in the charter market for Sunsail, He was a charter skipper here for two years up to 2019 before going to Sunsail in the BVI where i meet him in 2020. Port Kalamos has retained its beauty and although a port its more of a small fishing port and quay side for visiting yachts, with lovely shops bars restaurants and a supermarket, its just perfect. Our last stop on Kalamos, and where we will anchor for the night with a stern line ashore was Porto Leone, here we had good protection from the wind, and perfect to sail over to our next island Kastos the next morning. Kastos only has a small port on the south side of the island, we anchored in a bay next to the port as the anchor wouldn't set in the sea grass just outside the entrance to the port, this was a small bay with just enough room for one yacht and next to the windmill taverna. This was yet another stunning island in the Ionians with picturesque views. We visited the windmill taverna and watched Reality in the bay whilst admiring the ocean views, we then walked arround the headland and had drinks in a taverna on the beach, then walked back to the port for dinner in a typical family run Greek Taverna, where as always the food was outstanding and the beer ice cold. The port of Kastos is also unspoiled just like the port of Kalamos we had visited the day before. 

Our next stop is Atokos a small island south, known as one house bay or pig island. As we entered one house bay, a very busy bay with quite a few yachts, we encountered a problem trying to attach a stern line to the shore in heavy winds, we left this bay and found a bay close by with high white chalk type cliffs either side with enough room to go stern two, it was almost like being in a cave, and it had a nice Stoney beach, it was called cliff bay. David took the stern line ashore in the dinghy and found a large bolder to tie off. This turned out to be a perfect place to anchor. After being on anchor for a few hours , we thought that the cliff was having a landslide of some sort, however it was the goats climbing down the cliff to eat the younger tree leaf's and to drink sea water. The next day me and David took food over to the pigs that live in one house bay, one of the pigs wasn't prepared to wait for food to be handed out, and climbed in to our tender and helped himself and ran off with the bag for his own gratification. On our way back we visited some of the many caves.

Just south of Akoto's island is Ithaca and big Vathy with its large yacht basin with good protection from most wind directions, this turned out to be a great spot, as we needed to stay here for three days on anchor to wait out the strong winds and move on to our next island of Kefalonia. Here we hired a car and drove around the island seeing some amazing places. Our first stop was Sarakiniko bay a small fishing port with just one restaurant, very nice and almost un touched, however i think in a few years that might change. Next a quick stop on Filiatra beach, this was a stunning beach with small white pebbles, and some lovely yachts just of shore on anchor, the Greek islands do have some amazing beaches. We than drove to Kioni port a bay with lots of chartered yachts on the quay side town wall, with fabulous restaurant's and shops. We stopped here for dinner and just soaked up the atmosphere. Three days had past the winds had died down and it was time to move on to Kefalonia.

An eight hour sail from Ithaca and we arrive in Argostoli the capitol of Kefalonia. Anchored in just three meters and right by the town quay, we waste little time and go ashore for a nice Chinese meal, and it was very nice. The next morning we rent a car and head to Fiskardo a place i had last visited twenty years ago. This small fishing port is one of the biggest attractions to the island, with ferries landing every twenty minutes or so packed with visitors, and you can see why, it really is a beautiful bay, and im glad that there appears to be little in the way of charter yachts here, mainly fishing boats with fresh catch of the day for the restaurant's. There is also a Roman Cemetery on the waters edge near the edge of the main town. From here we headed to Assos, home to Assos castle located on its own island and high up over looking the coastline and was founded under Venetian rule. Assos as a charm of its own, some small restaurants on the waters edge and quite a few old derelict buildings scattered around, i also visited this location twenty years ago, and its good to see very little has changed. The road that takes you down to Assos is very steep, and winds its way down from the road above, that leads you through this area of Kefalonia, and has some fantastic views of Assos and the surrounding coast. Our next stop on this road trip is Myrtos beach a long sandy beach, there is a lookout point on the mountain road with great views of this beach, but you really need to drive down to it. The next day Tony flies back to the UK, finishing his six weeks on board Reality. The next day me and David visit a few more bays and the Melissani caves, here you take a boat taxi around the cave with a large opening above that lets the light shine through the crystal clear water. With a quick stop in Sami then Poros for lunch. Our last stop in Kefalonia is Skala and i think has the longest beach.

Our first sail with out Tony. It takes me and David 11 hours to sail from Kefalonia to Zakynthos. We decide to head down the west coast of Zakynthos to visit the famous ship wreck beach, and see this very dramatic coastline.  Eventually we sail around the southern tip then head north up the east coast and anchor outside the Port of Zakynthos, this is a great location to head north east to the Corinth canal in a few days time. Again we hire a car and head to some of the very best places the island has to offer. Our first stop is Laganas beach where David stayed 34 years ago, here we were looking for his hotel to see how much things had changed over that period, we bumped in to a couple Rodger and Lyn doing exactly the same thing but from 36 years ago, with little joy we all went and had breakfast and a few drinks together. We then headed up to Ionian sunset cafe at the top of the hill to get a great view of the coastline we had sailed down the day before, then on to Limnionas port, the most amazing lagoon you will ever see in my opinion, why its called a port i have no idea other then thats what it was many years ago a tiny fisinhg port? , its a long shallow winding blue lagoon with many caves, and has a great restaurant over looking the lagoon. On our way to our next stop, we stopped for photos of the old olive tree, said to be two thousand years old confirmed by carbon dating, finally ending at Makris Gialos beach for dinner, a lovely bay with just two yachts on anchor, again hadnt changed much since i was last here. We returned the rental car and headed back to Reality. We had an early night as we had another long sailing day ahead. Our next passage sees us going under the Rion Antirion bridge (also known as the Rio bridge) and through the Corinth canal and heading to the Saronic islands.

This ends part (2) of stage two In our five stage passage to Turkey 

We start part 3 of stage two leaving Zakynthos at 7am heading north east for the gulf of Corinth. With very strong winds we make a passage plan with several potential stop, just in case we need to run for cover. We start by heading to Arkoudi on the mainland Just a 3 hour sail, from here we are able to continue heading for the gulf, keeping a close eye on the wind, we cross two large bays and make it to Patra and the Rion Antirion bridge, we get permission to pass under the bridge and end our thirteen hour passage anchoring in the bay of Aigio in the Gulf of Corinth. The next morning and after 6 hours we make the entrance to the Corinth canal, calling up on the VHF we are told to wait behind a motor yacht, and wait for instructions, soon we were cleared to transit the canal, David steered Reality through the canal and we docked at the eastern end to pay the toll fee 280 euros, here we took on 750 litres of fuel from a fuel lorry parked on the dock, this was the first time Reality had ever taken fuel from a tanker lorry direct. With 25 knots of wind keeping us pinned on the dock, it was difficult to manoeuvre Reality , but with the fenders placed on the starboard bow one engine in forward and one in reverse she finnally let go and we slipped of the dock. After another long day at sea, we reach our first island in the Saronics the island of Aegina. We anchor in a bay just outside the port of Aegina and get some rest, the next morning we attempt to check in with the port authority and stamp our transit log, but are given the runaround as to where the transit log needs stamping, we are told to visit the port police, who in turn tells us to go back to Port authority, who in turn tells us to go back to port police, so we said bollox to this and didnt bother. We hired two mopeds and headed to the port of Agia on the other side of the island stopping for a beer on the way in a lovely taverna, the port of Aiga is truly beautiful and i would strongly recommend a visit, its also just a 15 minute ride to our next stop, and another big attraction the Temple of Aphaia a Greek ruin later taken over by the Romans. Our next stop was the Holy Monastery an impressive building with amazing architecture. We found a beach bar playing some loud music on the way to Perdika and had a couple of beers before having dinner on the waters edge in the port of Pardika.

Our next island in the Saronics was the island of Agkistri just a short disitance south, here we anchored in the most beautiful bay next to the private island of Nsis Aponiso, we anchored in ten meters and put out a stern line, i held Reality in possition as David lowered the tender and went ashore, this was our first stern line on our own and it went perfect, we did have calm seas in all fairness, but it was good practice, here there is no more than three restaurants that i could see, however the bays and the two islands offer excellent views and a relaxed atmosphere, we stayed here on anchor overnight. The next morning we sailed up to Anguistri and anchored just outside the ferry terminal. In just 6 meters with crystal clear water, we lowered the tender and tied off under Mandraki tavenra, we walked up hill to a restaurant for breakfast in a greek taverna over looking the bay, later we walked around the town above and found a supermarket to stock up on provisions, this area was typical Greek, very clean buildings in blue and white with some excellent stone work , especially the church of Zoodochou. The next morning after a four hour sail we arrive in Poros.

Poros is yet another gorgeous island in the Saronics. We anchored in the bay of Neorion very close to the main town and port. The next morning we lowered the tender and headed for the port authority to get the transit log stamped, here we were meet by a customs officer who was very understanding as to why we had not logged the transit in the previous port, here she stamped our log and removed Tony from the crew list to get us up to date. We stopped and had breakfast in the port and hired two mopeds, our first point of intrest was to visit the temple of Poseidon some Roman ruins, then we drove arround the whole island stopping in many of the beautiful bays including Russian bay, a quick lunch and it was time to return the bikes. The next day we set a plan to head to Hydra, leaving Poros we headed down what is known as little Venice canal, Poros is very close to the mainland of Greece and forms a tight cut with a full length quayside with many yachts on anchor or stren two, it takes just 20 minutes to transit the canal and out to open water,and is spectacular in many ways, the architecture on Poros and the mainland is very Venetian that with crystal clear water and blue skies, should not be missed.

A four hour sail and we arrive on the North West coast of Hydra, we choose this location as the wind is strong from the south, we find the perfect place to drop the hook in 8 meters and lay out 64 meters on the chain, the wind is funnelling down the channel at 25 knots, we wait as allways before leaving, just to make sure we are not dragging, feeling confident we head to a resaurant called Marina Taverna, the owner allows us to leave the tender on his own private dock, we return the compliment and have breakfast and book a table for our evening meal, with our bellys full and ready to see what this island has instore, we head of on foot as there is no vehicles allowed on the island, we walk for an hour to the tiny old port of Hyda through the old town, and down to the port, passing many donkeys on our way, the main type of transport here, passing old churches a large bridge and horses fields, this place is very quite and has a peacefull tranqul feel about it. Stopping in the Old Port of Hydra for refreshments and admiring the quaint port, we now move on to the newer larger Main port of Hydra along a paved coastline path connecting the two ports together. We arrive to find a busy bustling port with large superyachts, a ton of restaurants shops coffee bars and a Museum, but still remaining calm and quaint. We visited the museum and walk arround the old parts of town that had many boutique hotels, shops restaurants and a couple of supermarkets. The coastline walk is spectacular, you dont know if to look at the coastline the trees the buildings or the mindmills that sit on the cliff edges, there are aslo many old derelict buildings dotted arround the landscape, it all adds up to making this a great walk. We arrive back at 6pm at Marina taverna for our evening meal. Hydra has been another great island and well worth the visit. Back on Reality after walking for seven hours we get some sleep, the next day we will head over to Spetses, a stop that was not initially on our passage plan.

The next morning and we pull up the achor, its just a couple of hours and we are in Spetses, here we anchor in AGH Marina more of a bay than a marina, we choose this bay as the winds were comming from the north and the headland would give us some protection from the winds due over the next few days, plus it was a short ride in the tender to the main town and port, we lowered the tender and headed in to port to find a sailing regatta in full swing, with many old wooden well varnshed yachts taking part. We walked arround the town stopping for refreshments from time to time, then stopped for lunch. On our trip through the Greek islands we found the pork chops to be rather large and good value, they were always delicious, on this occasion they were massive chops covering the hole plate, with chips and Greek salad we struggled to eat it all. We headed back to Reality and for the next three days stayed on board waiting for the winds to die down, before heading to the cyclades. As i type this blog, we are hoping to leave tomorrow at 8am and get on our way to Serifos a 65 mile passage heading East in what might be heavy winds, but much lighter then previously. 

This ends part 3 and stage two of our five stage passage plan to Turkey.

Stage 3 the Cyclades.

We leave Mykonos and head over to Serifos in heavy seas and strong winds. Serifos had one of the largest mining community's in the Greek islands.  The island is dotted with old mining machines railway tracks, loaders, trucks, loading buckets, mine shafts and old mining accommodation. Serifos once had its own currency as it had so much mineral wealth, however it also had a tragic past when many miners were shot by the Greek government for going on strike. Above the main port is the town of Chora, a stunning mountain village and well worth the walk to the top, the views are breath taking over looking the bay.

Our next stop was Syros, here we anchored in Azolimnos bay a short distance south from the main port, here we would get good protection from the wind, this was a nice bay with lots of space and had a nice beach with a few restaurants and a small supermarket for provisions. Again we rented scooters and drove around the island and visited some nice beaches and bays stopping for lunch.

We headed next to Mykonos to collect two guest that would stay on board for two weeks as we continued sailing the Cyclades islands. I found Mykonos to busy and loud for my liking, plus we needed to sit out the Meltemi winds for three days on anchor in Plais Gialos with winds over forty knots. With our guests we rented a car and visited little Venice and the windmills a short drive and worth the walk around the old town. We needed to keep to a tight passage plan as we needed to get our guests to Santorini for there flights home, and with so many islands to visit on route, we were soon on our way to Naxos.

Naxos is an island i had visited some ten years ago, and i was looking forward to spending a little more time here to explore all it had to offer, again we rented a car, and headed to see the temple of Appolo. A one hour drive through the mountain and we stopped at Mountsouna an old mining town with a loading dock on the beach with all the old loading cranes, some nice water edge Tavernas and clear blue water with a nice sandy beach. Our next stop was to see the the Statue of Kouros Faranghi and Kouros Flerio. We anchored in Agia Anna a sandy bay with a stunning sandy beach, we stayed here for two nights and had dinner on the beach. There are a number of Tavernas on the beach a few supermarkets and a few car rental places, and Agia Anna was the perfect spot for us, with fabulous sunsets and good holding in sand with no sea grass or rocks, the only thing is the small ferries that pass by to the small jetty causing some wake.

A couple of days later and we head in to Livada bay on the island of Paros. For some reason or another i decided to get two tattoos for my 60th birthday. After getting my tattoos done we walked around the bay stopping for lunch. Livada beach has some great Tavernas on the beach and a nice laid back feel to it. We stayed for just one night on anchor, with strong winds due we needed to get going, the next morning we pulled up the hook and headed to Sifnos.

Heading to Sifnos was almost unbearable for our two guest in forty knots of wind, we headed in to Little Vathi a horse shoe bay on the west coast to get some cover from the north Meltemi winds. We anchored on the 3rd attempt. I read on Navily that this was not the best for holding as there were lots of sea grass and rocks. The wind finally died to a more comfortable level, giving us the opportunity to take the tender ashore, we docked at the church on the break wall. Vathi has a lovely sandy beach with lots of Bars, Restaurant's and shops. We booked a table for that night at the famous Symposio Taverna. In the night the Meltemi wind picked up and boats started to drag anchor including us, after a few attempts we re-anchored and settled in, for what would be a busy night, we noticed a small yacht that was causing mayhem in the anchorage upsetting other yacht owners as he drove around with his anchor down pulling up other boats anchors, eventually he anchored in front of us, great i thought to my self, last thing i need is to have him drag anchor on to me in the night. Well that's just what happened an almighty bang and he had hit us. Luckily i prepared Reality with all my fenders and against his wishes i made him fender up a few hours before the crash, after a close inspection we were able to polish out the scuff mark he had made, he continued to drag and now was having difficulty starting his engine, then his windlass packed up, me and David started to lower our tender to give assistance when he finally got his engine running, before almost sticking his boat on the beach. I would of liked to have stayed on Sifnos for another day but with the Meltemi winds doing there normal thing it was time to head to Milos

I had never been to Milos but had been told it was beautiful, and that it was.

We anchored outside the port of Milos after a passage in forty knot winds and one of the roughest passages I've sailed Reality in. We headed ashore and rented a car and drove to Little Venice a number of fishing houses that are flooded at high tide that sit on the waters edge with a few small tourist shops bars and restaurants. We then drove to the statue of Aphrodite's here you will also see a great amphitheatre and be able to visit a Christian Catacomb burial site cut in to rock. Our next stop was to visit what some might say is the best place to visit on Milos the Sarakiniko beach, renowned for is white appearance like marzipan, made from the white quartz mineral found in the area.

Our next destination was the small island of Sikinos north of Santorini. This island only had a few hundred people living on it full time and just two paved roads . With a small port and a nice bay it was a great place to anchor and take a walk on the sandy beach stopping for dinner over looking the port from one of the restaurants up a small hill near the ferry terminal, there are only a few restaurants and a small supermarket that i could see. There is the main town that sits above the port in the shallow mountains above, unfortunately we didn't get to visit it. This was worth the quick stop before going to Santorini.

Sailing through the North Caldera entrance once a volcano is something i will never forget as we slowly headed to Akrotiri bay on the south side of Santorini, here we anchored outside the Dolphin Taverna which had a nice dinghy dock. The local car rental company will drop the car at the Taverna for you, making things easy. We stopped close by to the anchorage to visit the Prehistoric town off Akrotiri, well worth the visit if you like old ancient towns that are slowly being dug out of ash from the volcano eruption from 3600 years ago, only an hour before we had sailed Reality through that collapsed volcano. A thirty minuite drive up to Fira the capital of Santorini for a light lunch before visiting the prehistoric museum. Later that night we headed back to Fira to see the film Mamma Mia on a big screen in a Taverna that over looked the Caldera and gave us a great sunset, al whilst bopping in our seats enjoying some classic Abba tunes. The next day we drove to Kamari Beach to do some shopping relaxing as we had food and drinks in one of many Taverns on the beach. Kamari Beach has some of the best Tavernas you will find in Santorini and a little better value than Fira. Later that night we drove over to Oia for what is said to be one of the very best sunsets in the world, and it would be our last night with our guest before heading back to the UK the next morning, we found a great restaurant and set upstairs with great views of the windmills as the sun went down. Santorini is special that is for sure, and why its one of the most visited islands in the whole of Greece. After three days in Santorini its time me and David pull up the anchor and get going as we close in on finishing stage three of our five month passage to Turkey.

Our next stop is Amorgos and one that was not on my original plan, however it turned out to be one of our favourite islands. Amorgos will be the last island we visit in the Cyclades before we head north in to the Dodecanese chain of islands. If you know anything about the Meltemi winds your know if sailing north with the Meltemi winds coming from the north and blowing twenty five to thirty knots your in for a very rough passage, and this was a gruelling eleven hour passage. We finally Headed in to our chosen Anchorage Katapola after a tiring passage, here we are greeted by the harbour master who takes our stern lines as i pale out the anchor 40 metres ahead and slowly reverse on to the quayside, with the port authority building behind us it was easy to stamp our transit log, here we had a number of shops bars and tavernas and a ferry dock either side of us, a small but bustling little port. We quickly showered and got in to the nearest taverna for a well earned dinner and a couple of beers. In the morning and on the quay side is a scooter rental shop, and again were of exploring, first stop is to see the windmills of Amorgos then on to the town of Chora, after that and were heading across the island to visit the monastery built in the mountain, a short distance on to Nissi beach, followed by a stop at Mouros beach. We then drive to the village of Tholaria, here we have a nice lunch visit the small church at the very top perched on the mountain with great views, then of to see the wreck off the Olympia that is on the beach in a small bay. A short ride and we are in the blue lagoon of Kalotaritissa a stunning bay with sand and turquoise water. Th