Daily Log 2019

Season 2019

20 Oct: Motored around to Partheni in the morning and when we called the boatyard they said we could lift out at10am as they had a cancellation. We had been booked for noon. That meant a conflict with the World Cup game but we managed to watch most of it on TF1 whilst waiting on the dock for preparations to begin. Not that it was worthwhile... 
Check out our blog on the preparations and haul out process.
18 & 19 Oct: We spend 2 more nights in Plakouti bay, running down the fridge and freezer and prepping and cleaning with some walks ashore. Very much winding down now. 
17 Oct: Ormos Kouloura (Lipsi) to Ormos Plakouti (Leros)  We head off mid morning and it is very misty. There is no breeze at all. We put the water maker on and fill the water tanks. This is a lovely little bay on the opposite and its an easy walk over the hill to overlook Partheni where the boatyard is. 
16 Oct: Ormos Lipsi to Ormos Kouloura 2.5 nm From the main bay and anchorage in Lipsi we head around to a smaller bay on the south of the island. We just spend one night here and started washing the sails and cleaning in preparation for the haul out.
Picture
15 Oct: Not sure where the morning went but before we knew it it was lunch time! We took the RIB into Lipsi Town for a wander around. It is small and quaint, we decided we didnt want to bring ITIKI into the town quay as we are quite happy on anchor so we opt for lunch at Manolis. We have eaten way too much and have to go back to the boat for a nap. The breeze has backed off so tomorrow the sail cleaning and removal starts in earnest!

​14 Oct: Archangelos to Lipsi 9nm The northerly has backed off enough for us to go a short distance north for a change or scenery. We also needed to top up the water tanks. We have anchored nearby a little church to the west of the town. Quite sheltered but a little gusty. Water is still warm enough for swimming but only just. A few jobs on the boat but otherwise a lazy day.
11(-13) Oct: Lakki (Leros) to Archangelos via Partheni 14nm A quick provisioning run in the morning before morning tea at Poppy's cafe and the a short hop up to the top of the island to Artemis. Here we picked up quite a few parcels that had been waiting for us, it was like Christmas as we had forgotten what had been sent. Obviously some boat bits as well as some household items. Went over to the hardstand to say hi to Blond Moment and Fine Balance and distribute the ropes they had ordered. So many more boats here than when we were here before. Everyone has packed up for the season and we will be close to the last! We head across the bay to Archangelos to anchor. Again so few boats compared to last time. Its well sheltered here from the moderate northerlies we are expecting for the next few days. We can do a few boat jobs, start packing and cleaning and just start winding down. We walk ashore and head up the top of the hill for a great view around the island. There is a restaurant here but maybe next time.
10 Oct: Xirocampos (Leros) to Lakki (Leros) 4.8 nm ​Lovely morning walk around the "town" and up over the eastern headland. Great views over the sea and the bay. Seems to be a couple of "squats" right up on top of the headland. There is a castle here somewhere but think it is higher up than we have walked. Not much of note in the town, a few tavernas.
9 Oct: Emporios (Kalymnos) to Xirocampos (Leros) 6nm A morning work ashore up to the headland, past the church and around to the western bay. Beautiful views up this spectacular coastline and lots of friendly goats. Also drop in on our Aussie/Greek friend to see what he has in his market garden. Get some fresh eggs, cherry tomatoes and beautiful pomegranets which are my new favourite fruit now the figs have finished. 
8 Oct: Nysiros to Emporios (Kalymnos) 34nm We had to pull ourselves forward in them middle of the night as the wind was pulling us onto the quay. Disconcerting being tied to so close to concrete. Early morning start and uneventful exit from the town quay, nearby boats come up on deck to see if there are crossed anchors to deal with. The journey is bouncy at first with a beam on swell so we are motor sailing but then we can pull out the gennaker which is a really bonus. We are moving quite quickly with 8-10kts of boatspeed until we get to the bottom of Kalymnos, turn the corner and the wind backs right off. We come into familiar territory at Emporios and pick up one of Captain Kostas bouys. Fortunately not the spinning on that we had last time we were here. Quite a few boats here and we have dinner ashore and say hi to Poppy. 
7 Oct: Symi to Nisos Nysiros 35.9nm Check out our blog on Nisos Nysiros.
6 Oct: 
5 Oct: Symi Town Its Saturday morning of course so trying to finish checking in is a PITA. Had to wait until well after 10am for the customs guy to arrive, set up, have his coffee and then finish the check in, paying the TEPAI. Then we can go to the port police to finish up. There seem to be a lot more refugees here compared to our last visit, and as it is getting cooler so there are more tents around. While we are waiting for customs some ferry wash comes in and our passarelle gets jammed between the dock and the boat, wrenching a big hole in the fibreglass on the transom. Ouch! We up anchor and go over to the small bay we tried to swing anchor in last night. As conditions have changed it is now possible to anchor here. In hindsight we should have just spent the night around in Pedi and caught the bus over. Lessons learned. We finally finish check in and head over to Pedi which is lovely although a little crowded. One charter catamaran tries to anchor in front of us and ends up dragging anchor across half of the bay.
4 Oct Marmaris (Turkey) to Symi Port (Greece) What a day! Mum and Michael are leaving today so they were up early and cleaned their rooms! We took a taxi to the Cruise Port where some confusion ensued about the pick up time and point. Eventually their lift arrived, only half an hour late and they were off, making it to the airport in record time to cool their heels until their 2pm flight to Istanbul. Meanwhile Keith had paid the marina fees, picked up the repaired window and finalised the sunscreens and upholstery work with Aktif. We were ready to go, but where to?! The initial plan was Bozborun in two stages but with bad weather coming we would be stuck there for a couple of days. We decided to bite the bullet and head straight to Symi. Managed to get an agent to check us out of Turkey quickly. The cross breeze getting out of the marina and into the tiny customs dock made it challenging but we managed with only a minor bingle with the customs dock, and we were underway before 2pm. Motored sailed out of the bay with the main and one reef and as we rounded the corner we were able to pull away put the jib out. Engines were on and off intermittently as we wanted to keep the speed up to get in at a reasonable hour. The breeze filled in as we pulled away along the Turkish coast and we had the gennaker out, getting up to 11kts max boatspeed. Gooswinged the final leg into Symi port where the fun began. We tried to anchor outside the main bay but it is deep and the breeze was pushing us on to the shore. Made the decision to try the town quay which is narrow and has a terrible reputation for surge. We head to the port police to get our passports stamped and they tell us to go to customs, which we know is closed at this time of night. We head around to the port authority and let them know we are here, but they cant do anything until we have been to customs to pay the TEPAI. We will have to wait until tomorrow to finish checking in. When we get back to ITIKI the boat is bouncing a bit too much and the RIB is almost touching the quay so we decide to reset our anchor a little further out. We tighten up and get set for the night.
3 Oct Ciflik Koyu to Marmaris (Albatros Marina) 12nm We leave relatively early and manage to get a bit of sailing in with the main and Jib. First stop is Netsel to refuel and pump out, before heading across to Albatros Marina. Initially they put us on the outside quay but its very bouncy with a southerly blowing so we move inside. Its a very small marina and could do with a better breakwater, but the staff are friendly and it seems nice enough. Keith has made contact with Atila Alada who has a big workshop here at the marina, which has a great reputation. We did look at wintering here but their prices are significantly higher than Greece. We have Halil and Vicdan from Aktif upholstery dropping by to finish fitting of the screens. They have done a great job and the back cushion works really well. A few final touches to finish off. As we are packing up to head into Marmaris the front window falls off its hinges. Looks like the glue has failed! Luckily Atila's "guy" comes by and takes it away, promising to return it tomorrow. Mum, Michael and I have a wander around Marmaris for some shopping while Keith goes to see Atila. We meet back at the boat and have dinner at the marina restaurant, which is good value.
2 Oct Ekincik Anchorage to Ciflik Koyu 17.6nm Spend the morning on the SUPs and Michael and I go ashore to take a look around and cleanup a bit of rubbish. We leave late morning hoping to do a bit of sailing and we managed this eventually. Watermaker on as well to top up the tanks. We pass by the military area and go around the outside of the small island this time. We arrive in Ciflik to see all 4 restaurants waving flags. We have to keep them waiting though as we need to drop the main. We decide on Rafet Baba this time, although Deniz seems empty. We go for a walk before dinner and Michael has a final swim. Dinner is lovely and good value. The showers are pretty good too! 
1 Oct Dalyan River Cruise We were picked up from ITIKI just after 8am and skirted the coast checking out some caves and rock formations on the way before entering the river mouth. It is quite shallow and lined with bullrushes. We decline the first stop at Turtle Beach as it just seems like some kind of beach resort. We head to Caunos which is an ancient city of Caria and Anatolia, founded in the 9th century BC. Here we find a well preserved theatre and bath house as well as other ruins. We are here early enough to have the site to ourselves for a while. We spend an hour wandering around the site here which also has a great view over the mouth of the river and down to the coast. Back on the boat and we weave our way through channels of rushes, dodging the increasing amount of traffic coming the other way. We can see the Lycian Tombs in the rock face ahead and we make a stop at the lovely town of Dalyan. Here we have 2 hours and after taking the obligatory selfies in front of the tombs, we wander around the town. A little shopping, a late morning tea and then lunch before it is time to head back down the river. The trip back to ITIKI is a little more bouncy as the afternoon breeze has gotten up, but not too bad. We up anchor and move to another bay for a change of scenery for the evening.  
30 Sep Buyukaga Koyu to Ekincek Beach 25nm Michael went ashore and walked up to the top of the ridge. The party boat was gone, probably left early morning when the punters were still sleeping. We left around mid morning, motored most of the way but managed a gennaker sail towards the end. Almost went to the wrong place as we were following our track from before. Settled into our anchorage off the beach. Keith and Michael went ashore to organise our tour for the next day, then we all went for a walk along the beach until it was too hard to walk in the gravel. Not much of a place but the town quay is recently upgraded and looks quite nice. 
29 Sep Ruin Bay to Kukukaga Koyu 5nm Michael, Mum and I did the walk around from Wall Bay to Ruin Bay in the morning then we left just on lunch time to farewell the Gocek Bay area until next year. We found a beautiful bay on the peninsula with a very unlikely name and shallow enough to swing anchor. Funnily enough, Gypsy Girl is here and rows past in his outrigger dinghy to say hi. As boats left we repositioned ourselves but sadly the music got louder and louder on one of the gulets. Keith went over to see if they were staying and as they were, we moved around the corner to Buyukaga Koyu. That meant swimming lines ashore at dusk but just as nice a bay and very quiet. Such a shame that one boat can completely ruin a beautiful place with noise pollution.
28 Sep: Tomb bay to Ruin Bay 4nm Michael and I walked up to the tombs in the morning, accompanied by an American lady and 2 local dogs who appeared on the beach at the same time as us. The dogs knew the way and acted as guides for us all. After that we went around to Wall Bay but it was too busy so we decided on Ruin Bay instead and tied back to the small island, just edging out a guy in a RIB who was scouting for a big gulet. Michael went ashore to explore the island. Keith went for a chat with the guys on Gypsy Girl, a small catamaran with no cabins that 2 English guys were "camping" on. The younger one came over for a cup of tea and Keith sent some cold beers back with him.
27 Sep: Yassica Aldari to Gocek and Tomb Bay Picked up Dropped into Gocek again but didnt have lunch at Kebab hospital. Chose a local restaurant instead. Turkcell have cut off my mobile phone service so dropped into the Turkcell shop to try and sort it out. No luck here. Had lunch at a very local restaurant, no idea what we were eating but it was good and cheap. Mum and Michael arrived without too much drama and we got them and their bags onto the boat via the dinghy and headed off to Tomb Bay for the evening. They have been travelling for 4 weeks now so pretty tired and mum has been unwell. 
26 Sep: Yassica Aldari This is a lovely spot so we decided to come back and spend the day cleaning, chilling and preparing for our next guests who arrive tomorrow. Its a nice change not to have to swim lines ashore.
25 Sep: Yassica Aldari to Gocek and back to Yassica Aldari Still raining this morning as we left our mooring buoy. Headed into Gocek to pump out and drop of Netti and Steve. The taxi did not materialise but they managed to find one and get to the airport in time for their flight back to Istanbul. We popped into Gocek for another lunch at Kebab Hospital and did some provisioning before heading back to pick up the same mooring buoy again for the evening. 
24 Sep: Ruin Bay, Tomb Bay to Gocek and Yassica Aldari 10nm Keith dropped us off in Wall Bay and did the walk from there to Ruin Bay with Nettie and Steve. The resort at Wall Bay looks quite schmick! N&S were a bit underwhelmed with the ruins, after Ephesus but the walk was lovely. We released lines using the paddle board and did a hot lap of Tomb Bay before heading into Gocek for lunch at Kebab Hospital. Had a bit of a wander around and a little shopping then took ITIKI down to Yassica Aldari to pick up a mooring buoy for the night. Checked out the beach for a swim, covered in cigarette butts but water is lovely. Had some thunder and lightening and a fair bit of (dirty) rain overnight.
23 Sep: 22 Fathom Bay to Wall Bay and Ruin Bay Swims in the morning and a quick run over to the floating restaurant to pick up some village bread. We swing by to say hello and goodbye to O'Sinnerman who are getting ready to haul out and ship their boat back to NZ. Not a very long journey today. Initially tucked into the corner of Wall Bay but got ourselves into a pickle trying to re-moor and put the bridle on. Just a bit hemmed in by other people's anchors and could not get a good angle, so called it quits and went around to find a spot at Ruin Bay. Pretty exhausted after all that swimming and although it was meant to be an alcohol free day, it wasn't... 
 22 Sep: Yacht Classic to 22 Fathom Bay 15.7nm Wandered over to the supermarket with Nettie and Steven and then on to the bazaar and fish markets before leaving the marina and heading across the bay. Bit of a detour to make water etc and managed to put a sail up coming back in through the gap. Steve went off for a SUP to check out the bay. Not much other activity to report...
20-22 Sep: Yacht Classic Fethiye We head in from our anchorage mid-morning and are moored across from Roulette. We spend some time washing the boat, have lunch on board and then spend a little time by the pool. We invited Michael and Marita Lysaght from Let's Dance Sailing over for a drink. They have sold their Lucia, although it is still sitting here at Yacht Classic. They have an apartment in Fethiye and are staying here until their new Elba 45 arrives mid next year. They are just back from the Cannes boat show where they caught up with the MHS team. Later on we enjoy a very good dinner at the Yacht Classic restaurant. The next day managed to spend a bit of time by the pool. Keith checks out the Rugby at the bar. Netti and Steve arrive around 2:30 and after orientation we head back to the pool for a while, so they can check out the swim up bar. Netti and I go for a Hammam which includes sauna, body scrub, massage and face mask. Dinner again is at the restaurant. 
19 Sep: Sarsala Koyu to Fethiye 12nm We head off mid morning and anchor in Fethiye Bay. We want to be close to Yacht Classic so we can go in early and make the most of being in a marina. We head over in the RIB in the afternoon and drop by to see the Roulette crew who are back here again to pick up and drop off guests. They are having dinner at the restaurant but we head into the bazaar to look for a cheap and cheerful. Have a pretty ordinary meal and a nice wander around the bazaar. Not quite ready to buy a carpet yet! 
18 Sep: Wall bay to Sarsala Koyu 2nm Walked from our anchorage in Wall Bay around to the ruins of Ruin Bay. Lovely walk through pine forest and good to get ashore. The ruins are not that extensive and partly underwater. The area around Gocek sank during an earthquake some time ago and there are numerous underwater ruins. There is a restaurant in Ruin Bay and a new wharf has been build that has coolite flotation. This is already breaking down and causing a disaster in the water. We take ITIKI around to Sarsala Koyu just around the corner. We opt for the anchorage near the beach resort rather than the restaurant dock. There is not much at the beach although we check it out and it is possible to get at Taxi from here to the airport for TL90. Could be a good option for drop off. We go to check out the restaurant as it was recommended but it seems overpriced so we opt to eat on board. 
17 Sep: Cold Water Bay to Wall Bay 21nm We had another boat join us in the bay so we left early. A bit of a zig-zag course so we could do some water making and also check out another bay on the western headland that we can use on our way back to Marmaris. We can hear loud booms in the distance and judging by the radio calls there is a live firing exercise going on near Kas. This was causing grief for a few yachts travelling in that area. We ended up in Wall bay tucked in a corner. Its a really beautiful spot and water is clean.
16 Sep: Cold Water Bay - Its so lovely here we decide to stay another day and relax. We do some more paddling and swimming. Not the best internet connection so limited activities there. We still have the bay to ourselves with only a couple of visitors dropping by for a short swim. The only problem here are the wasps that come by in the morning and afternoons, looking for water. They dont seem to mind the burning coffee, or perhaps they like it as it is cheap and nasty.
​15 Sep: Gemiler Adasi to Cold Water Bay
Through the night we were woken by some quite strong easterly (beam on) gusts. The forecast had said 1 gusting 20 which seemed somewhat incredible, however it was accurate! Seems we did not have enough chain out and the anchor came unstuck so we were not happy. We put the motors on around 4:30am and tightened the chain, but sleep was elusive after that so as soon as it was light enough I went for a swim and released the lines so we could weigh anchor. We anchored in Gemiler bay for a couple of hours and had breakfast and coffee before deciding to check out nearby cold water bay. The Western side where the restaurant is was pretty crowded but a small bay on the eastern side was empty so we parked ourselves here. A few day trippers came by, a couple of which tied themselves to our starboard lines, but surprisingly quiet for a Sunday. Did some guerneying and boat cleaning as well. The crazy disco pirate ships x 2 parked themselves in the western bay for a few hours and did a lap of the main bay before heading off. Went for a SUP in the afternoon (after a nap) and took a few photos and picked up some rubbish. Ice cream man has been past a few times before finally giving up.
​14 Sep: Fethiye to Gemiler Adasi 14.6nm
Spent the morning at Fethiye town wandering around the shops, but as it was quite early not much open. Keith decided to go to the barber and a hair cut and removal of extraneous facial hair, plus a shoulder massage was the equivalent of A$14! I should have gone to a barber as his hair is still longer than mine! Did a bit of provisioning and reconnaissance, got some petrol for the dinghy and then headed out of the main bay. Wind was on the nose, of course and followed us around for a while until we turned the corner around the headland and pulled out the gennaker. Managed to top up the water tanks a bit, but will need to do more. The anchorage is on the north side of Gemiler island, between it and the mainland. Quite a pretty spot but a narrow, exposed channel. Some friends reported a scam going on here with the Ice Cream Man and another restaurant tout helping with lines in exchange for you buying over-priced ice cream or going to a dodgy restaurant. We had none of that but after we had set our lines a disgusting tide-line of foam and leaves comes floating by the back of the boat. Then there are 2 crazy disco pirate ships going in reverse through the anchorage at about 8kts spewing foam across the dancefloor and into the bay and blasting everyone with their shite music. We have a thunderstorm pass through with some dirty rain, then overnight we have strong gusts on the beam. Not our favourite anchorage for sure.
​13 Sep: Kucuk Kargi Koyu Bay to Fethiye 8.2nm
Went for a morning paddle onto the beach and cleaned up a fair bit of rubbish and plastic. Motored south and then pulled out a headie for a while as we head into the bay of Fethiye. The island of Fethiye Adasi guards the entrance to the north facing bay. The town was pretty much levelled in a quake that also destroyed Marmaris so there is little remaining of the old town. Most of the buildings are relatively modern, characterless concrete blocks. We drop in to confirm our booking at Yacht Classic Hotel which looks lovely, and check out the local shops. A storm is brewing though so we head back to ITIKI and indeed we get some thunder and lightening as well as some dirty rain, but not too much in the way of wind or gusts. Nice change to be on a swing anchor, we feel so much more comfortable!
12 Sept: Ortisim bay to Gocek to Kucuk Kargi Koyu (KKK) Bay 5.6nm
We head across to the Gocek anchorage, just of Skopea Marina, which is pretty crowded. Gocek town is quite touristy but very low key and no hassle place. We to ​have pump out the heads, visit Turkcell and get some provisions and of course have lunch at “Kebab Hospital” which is a funny but memorable name for a restaurant. From there we head to the eastern shore of Gocek bay and find a fairly “wild” anchorage Kucuk Kargi Koyu, we anchor in the east bay (possibly called Kargi Buku) which will have the sun for longer. We have lines ashore again, and get a tideline of crap coming around behind the boat. We seem to attract it. It is sad how dirty the water is in this the Gocek bay area. There are so many boats and particularly gulets with heaps of people. Plenty of plastic along the beaches and rubbish that collects in enclosed bays like this.
​11 Sep: Tomb bay to Ortisim Bay 7nm
Got up early and took the RIB to the beach so we could climb up to the tombs here. Hard to find the path and it was a bit of a goat track but we made it up there. Great views of the bay. There are 3 tombs here and more further along towards the mouth of the bay. Popped over to Blond Moment for morning tea before dropping the lines and heading off. Checked out the islands in the middle of the bay. They look to be beautiful but totally spoiled by way too many day tripper boats moored cheek to jowl in the prime locations. We went back to the mainland and chose Ortisim bay, which had a couple of large yachts already here. There is a freshwater creek in the bay as well as some camping along the shore. There is a powerboat outside of us that looks like the guys are fishing. Next thing we know they have delivered 6 “Palamut” or Bonito to us. Well that’s dinner sorted, just need to figure out how to clean and filet them. A lot of people think that like Spainish Mackerel this is only good for bait. We had no idea though so consulted YouTube to find out how to filet and cook it. After about the 4th attempt Keith was doing a pretty good job and these will be edible. Tasted pretty good on the BBQ, certainly better than the bland Sea Bass and Dorade we have been eating. 
10 Sept 22 Fathom Bay to Tomb Bay 3.4nm After a short trip over to the restaurant to get some fresh bread we went for morning tea to O’Sinnerman. What a beautiful and interesting boat, a one-off design. Very spacious. As a special treat the “Sh1t Ship” comes by while we are there and pumps out their tanks. We get their contact details as it is possible to reserve a visit. Could come in handy later in the week. We head up to Tomb Bay and find Blond Moment II. Although we have never met these guys before I feel like we have known them for so long! Soni and Martin know them well and Lindal gave us a lot of information about the Solar Panels and frames among other things that was really helpful. We catch up for a bit and they give us lots of tips. Later that day the Migros supermarket ship comes along into the bay. It cruises past slowly and there is a mad rush of RIBs to the back of it, including us. We tie up and head upstairs to do our grocery shopping in air-conditioned comfort. It is very well stocked and there are even shopping trolleys! Sadly a lot of the produce is presented in large quantities on Styrofoam trays which is puzzling. I don’t really need 20 zucchinis! Anyway these extra items will save us from rushing to Gocek for supplies and what a novel experience. Need to be quick to finish the shopping before the boat ends up in the next bay though.
9 Sept 22 Fathom Bay After quite a few larger boats leave we can see that there is a dock at the end of the bay and possibly a restaurant. We go for a SUP to check it out and find that we can buy some fruit and veg (and freshly laid eggs!) which is good because we are running low. As we head back over in the RIB O'Sinnerman comes in. They come over for a chat and we decide to do dinner at the restaurant. The restaurant consists of a rather rickety floating dock, an outdoor covered area, the living quarters of the family that run it, and an old boat which is only just floating but houses the kitchen, several fridges and a small produce store. Dinner has to be pre-ordered from a variety of "casseroles". we opt for goat which was not the best choice, however the rest of the meal was tasty with lots of little starters and some excellent chips. Later in the evening we were entertained by one of the older family members playing a mandolin-like instrument (possibly called a Baglama?) A visit to the rather rustic toilet up the hill past the chicken nest in the tree complete with egg. 
8 Sept Ragged bay to 22 Fathom Bay 4-ish nm Left our anchorage mid-morning and headed out to sea, wanted to do a load of washing and make water we drifted around for a couple of hours to get this done. The bay of Gocek is an environmentally sensitive area so no black or grey water should be discharged into the bay. 22 Fathom bay is a lovely corner of the world and we are tucked up well out of the wind and swell. Despite mooring near a spring which seems to be popular with both wasps and goats we decide to stay for 2 nights. We have made contact with some other Helia owners (Mandy and Graeme from Roulette, who coincidentally live down the road from us in Mosman). They are in the next bay and swing by to say hi. They decide to anchor in another bay nearby so we take the RIB over for a glass of wine (or 3) and spend the afternoon chatting about all things FP and cruising the Med etc. 
7 Sept Ekincik to Ragged Bay 25nm Started around noon as we did not think we had too far to go. Our first choice of anchorage was not well protected so we continued on. This turned out to be further than we would have liked. The wind really kicks in here in the afternoon and despite a fairly benign forecast we saw 32kts and 11+kts of boatspeed. Fortunately we had put 2 reefs in the main as the first reef was just about to blow out. Had the gennaker initially until it was too strong, and then the genoa with then newly minted barber hauler. Not the most pleasant of swells either, a bit confused with joggle from the nearby coast and mostly off the beam. We find the lovely "Ragged Bay" on the east coast of the headland at the port entrance to Gocek bay, not too many boats here and half of them leave before evening anyway. Well protected and the wind backs off at night, which is good because we were feeling a bit ragged after that sail!
6 Sept Marmaris to Ekincik 20nm Left just after breakfast to get across past the prohibited military area into Ekincik bay. Saw one warship going out, looked like they were heading towards us at first. Started with the main up, motor sailing, but eventually got the gennaker out until the breeze angle changed. First choice of anchorage was not that great and we dragged so, upped anchor and headed to the next bay south called  Kargi Koyu. Tree lined bay with pebble beach, clean water, not too many boats around. Useful reconnaissance for our way back when we will visit the Dalyan river. 
5 Sept Marmaris Take 2 We head back across the bay and anchor again, take the RIB ashore and see O'Sinnerman at the fuel dock and say hi! Ashore we find an upholstery place and decide to take the plunge on the sunscreens we have been considering. Halil comes back to the boat with us to measure up. We all get a bit wet in the chop in the RIB going back and forth. I spend the afternoon wandering around Marmaris old town and Fort while Keith goes through the templates with Halil, then its time to handover a cash deposit... We will be back in a couple of weeks to see how he is going. We head back to our overnight anchorage again to escape the bounce and noise of Marmaris town. 
4 Sept Ciftlik Koyu to Marmaris 14nm We get away early due to the ordinary night's sleep and head into Marmaris. First on the agenda is to go into Netsel marina to refuel and pump out the blackwater tanks. The latter is a requirement in Turkey and is electronically recorded on our "Blue Card" which our check-in agent organised for us. All completed very smoothly and then we go to anchor in the bay, with a plan for provisioning. I spy a hairdresser from the boat and go straight there and while I am waiting they talk me into a pedicure as well as getting my brows done. The hairdresser is like Edward Scissor-hands and very quickly has my hair as short as it has ever been! Just perfect, this will last me until I get back to Oz! Meanwhile Keith wanders all over town looking for wood for a shelf in our "Cote Mar" cupboard and is very hot and bothered, so we call it a day and head over to the other side of Marmaris Bay to get away from the swell and jet-skis. Here we are closer to Yacht Marine and the undeveloped bay to its north. A bit of music from the shore but much calmer anchorage.
3 Sept Serce Limani to Ciftlik Koyu 14nm Went for an early morning SUP and left around midday. Winds were stronger than forecast and from behind so we put the gennaker up. Had just tightened the luff tension when BANG! the halyard snaps and the sail heads overboard. We pulled it in quickly and got the engines on. Some serious chaffing to cut through that line, but was not the best of quality anyway. Our plan to go to dyneema is will definitely have to happen before next season. We have a spare halyard donated by Phil from Just-a-Dash that will see us through the end of this season and keep us in business, but a trip up the mast will be scheduled to take a mouse line down to thread the new one. We tie up at a restaurant quay (Deniz Restaurant), give the boat a hose and have a lovely dinner ashore. Meanwhile some swell rolls in to remind us why we don't tie alongside more often. Creaky lines and squeaky fenders, not to mention uncouth neighbours. Thank goodness for snubber lines and Stilnox. 
2 Sept Bozzukale to Serce Limani 3.4nm We go ashore to explore the ruins of a citadel on the headland. It looks familiar and when I get back to ITIKI I review my photos of Turkey from 17 years ago (yes I have them on my laptop...) and find a picture of me at the same place! Left mid-morning to go all of 3.4 nm around the point. We anchor in the southern corner of a hammerhead bay. We were considering swing anchoring but felt a bit guilty about blocking off the whole corner, even though on the chart is says "reserved for yachts"! Meanwhile a large gulet came by and anchored next to the bay, taking a long line ashore. The guys from the RIB came over and offered to help us, and in not time the decision was made for us and lines were attached the shore. Now we had really claimed the space. The people from the gulet swam past and said hi then invited us aboard for a drink, must have read Keith's mind as he had just been saying how he wanted to have a look at one. These guys were a group of friends from Houston and Switzerland celebrating a 60th birthday! Very luxurious, owner operated boat. They left after lunch and we had the bay to ourselves so we released our lines to swing into the wind. Beautiful spot. 
1 Sep Goat and Turtle Bay to Bozzukale 12nm Left just after lunch and motored initially as breeze was on the nose. Once we turned the corner we could put the gennaker up but bang! the halyard broke and the sail hit the deck and tried to go for a swim. Managed to drag it back on board quickly and not too wet. Luckily not blowing too much. Stuffed it down the hatch and out of the way. Pulled the genoa out instead, but forgot the mooring ball was attached to the starboard sheet so when we tacked it was swinging around madly. Took a while to untie it, definitely amateur hour! Arrived in the large bay ahead of about 15 gulets. Lots of boats but found a reasonable space. Fair bit of beam on breeze and swell. Not a particularly amazing place but will do for the night.
31 Aug Goat and Turtle Bay We spend the morning exploring on the SUPs. The water is so deep and clear right up to the coastline, making anchoring a real challenge. I spend some time chasing the turtles with my GoPro. There are also a number of abandoned fishing nets on the bottom. Day tripper boats come and go but they dont seem to spend much time here. The ice-cream man as well as a lady selling clothes have also been by. In the afternoon we take the RIB out through a gap between the islands and check out the bay next to us. Otherwise it is a bit of a lazy day. 
30 Aug Bozborun to Goat and Turtle Bay 3nm I caught the 7:30am bus into Marmaris (via Selimiye) Quite a spectacular ride around the coastline and up over the hills. Marmaris is the nearest place to get a SIM card and I opt for TurkCell who seem to have the best coastal coverage. After picking that up I try to find the shaver repair shop, but it is closed. After a quick morning tea pit stop I managed to find the timetable for the Dolmus back, although it is late and so packed I had to stand most of the way. Did some provisioning in the town and ran into the O'Sinnernman crew again who had just arrived in Turkey. The habour here is a bit grotty so we take off and find a lovely little bay which we have named Goat and Turtle bay. There is a tiny island on one side with 2 goats and at least 2 turtles in the bay itself. The land around is also populated by goats and they are very noisy! We have alot of day tripper boats coming and going but only one other boat spends the night here. Lovely and quiet and the water is so warm.
29 Aug Pedi Beach (Simi) to Simi Town to Bozborun (Turkey) 13nm   After a morning walk around the headland to a isoloted beach resort we left Pedi Beach anchorage and motored around to Simi Town. Anchored in quite deep water off the town as the quay is too busy, First stop was the police station where we see dozens of migrants with UNHCR issue blankets who are living in and around the police station. Very confronting. We get our passports stamped out of Greece. We then check with customs but we dont need to see them on the way out. We head across the bay to the Port Authority to check out. Again there are dozens of people living here and the offices and grounds are very run down. There are 2 very dodgy looking boats tied up outside the PA which presumably have been used to transport people here. We make our way back to the boat and head off towards Turkey which we can see in the distance. We arrive at Bozborun, anchor off outside of customs and take the RIB in to find our agent, Gurkan, whose offices are just beside the customs building. An agent is required to check in to Turkey and to do "crew changes". We wander the small town and stop for a drink at Osmens. Here we meet Lyn the CA representative who is married to Osmen. Great to have a chat and get the lay of the land and some local advice. We come back later for dinner.
28th Aug Pedi Beach (Simi) We take the early bus over to Simi town for a look around. Its a really pretty little town around a narrow, horseshoe shaped bay, lined with restaurants and tourist shops. We stop for morning tea and watch in awe as a massive cruise ship docks in this tiny port. Wondering how this small town will cope with the seething masses about to be spewed into its streets! We decide not to stick around too much longer to find out. The bus ride itself is an interesting experience, weaving its way through narrow streets and up and over the hills with spectacular views of the harbours. We decide to go for a dinner ashore for our last night and meet a kiwi couple and their son. They are on a 56' mono (O'Sinnerman) which they are finding too big for Med sailing and are keen to take a look at our boat, so we invite them over for a night cap.
27 Aug Panormitis (Simi) to Pedi Beach (Simi) 10nm Motored most of the way, tried the gennaker twice but not enough wind to bother. Passed a couple of spectacular bays which are only reachable by boat. Will need to come back to those another time. The anchorage here is not too busy and the small costal village is lined with colourful peaked roofed houses. The main village rolls up the valley to the hill in front of us and the main harbour of Simi island is just over the other side. There are a few restaurants and beach clubs ashore but it is very quiet here.
26 Aug Livadia (Tilos) to Panormitis (Simi) 23.6nm Motored out of the bay waiting for the breeze to fill in. Started with the gennaker with no main, but the wind settled in from behind and we had to change to the Parasailor. Lucky we did not have the main up. Great run with the kite until about 2nm out when the wind dropped right off. The narrow entry to the bay was hard to spot at first but is marked by a quite unusual old windmill and once inside the bay is dominated by the monastery of Michael the Archangel. 
25 Aug Tour de Tilos The lovely Kostas whom we met at Blue Sky restaurant has loaned us his scooter. He drops by the boat in the morning for a chat and to give us the keys. After a few issues getting it started we take off around this very small island. Great to get a different perspective though. We stop for a swim and also check out Ormos Eritos, where we anchored the night before. We have a late lunch back at the restaurant and move ITIKI to anchor in the Livadia bay so we can swim and relax in the afternoon. 
24 Aug Ormos Eritos (Tilos) to Ormos Livadia (Tilos) 12.4nm Motored all the way. Spectacular coastline and Livadia is a lovely little town. Tied up at the town quay which has room for about 6 boats. A big Turkish Gulet moors next to us. Keith has fun guerneying the boat until we get a noise complaint from the other side of the dock - we are on holidays, this is not a car wash! Bloody hell this was the only reason to tie up at a town quay! Exhausted ourselves cleaning the boat and then went for drinks and a walk ashore before returning for dinner. Met a lovely guy (Kostas) at the restaurant and he has offered to loan us his scooter tomorrow as we were not able to hire one locally. 
23 Aug Kamari (Kos) to Eritos (Tilos) 27nm The Parasailor was up and down to day more times than a bride's nightie! Breeze was very fickle and we were quite slow at times, but hey, who is in a hurry. On the final kite drop the retrieval line got caught at the top of the forestay so Keith had to go up the mast to unhook it. That is a first! Also we picked up 3 new inflatable toys, all floating in the water. Expect they all came off the same boat. Not sure what to do with them. Anchored in a wide bay, strong but steady breeze coming through the valley until later tonight. Very hot still.  
22 Aug Tour de Kos 
21 Aug Kamari (Kos)
20 Aug: Emporios (Kalymnos) to Kamari (Kos) 29.5nm  Final morning tea with Soni and Martin on ITIKI to say our farewells. They are heading north and we are going south. After they left I was shooing a couple of wasps away from the helm station I failed to notice that one of them ended up inside the leg of my shorts! Nasty sting on my upper thigh which has caused a big swollen welt, despite anti-histamine and ice. A miserable start to the day. Initially put up the main and gennaker but it was soon clear we had gone with the wrong sail as the breeze settled in from behind. Bit the bullet and took both down and put the Parasailor up. Good choice. Ripping along in 20kts up the duck. Our anchorage is a wide bay, very shallow near the beach, very clear water and good sand to grab the anchor. A restful afternoon and evening icing my wound.
19 Aug: Excursion to Pothia (Kalymnos Harbour) The bus journey is really worthwhile, even if the destination leaves a bit to be desired. The bus weaves its way along the edge of the bay, with high cliffs on the left hand side and a steep slope down to the water on the right. Kalymnos is popular with mountaineers and climbers and its easy to see why. The top section of the hills are sheer rock faces that would test the breaking strain of your fingernails. Also a popular diving island with caves and wrecks to explore. Kalymnos harbour is a wide bay with a town quay and reasonable shelter. Good to check it out in case we need to use it on the return journey. The town is nothing special though. Soni and I go shopping while the boys amuse themselves, and we have lunch on the waterfront. The noise of the traffic (particularly motorbikes) is overwhelming after spending so much time in quiet anchorages. The forecast looks good tomorrow to head out again, but will be our last night with Reflexion so we have dinner ashore to say farewell. 
18 Aug: Emporios (Kalymnos) As the Meltemi is raging outside we stay put today. We experience gusts of up to 45kts coming over the hills. The mooring buoy is up for it although the lines are twisting together as the buoy seems to spin on itself. We have a lovely dinner aboard Reflexion with Soni and Martin.
17 Aug: Xirocampos (Liros) to Emporios (Kalymnos) 6.4nm We decide to move on to a better spot to sit out the coming Meltemi. The forecast is predicting high 20s gusting mid-30s for Sunday and Monday and the last time we saw that it was considerably more! We head out under gennaker and again put the watermaker and washing machine on. Here we are on a pretty massive looking restaurant mooring buoy. Martin has verified the maintenance on these so we are happy to leave ITIKI here while the wind blows itself out over the next couple of days. Our movement around the Cyclades have really been dictated by the Meltemi so looking forward to start heading South and across to Turkey for some relief. We check out the small town here and take a look around the bay in the RIB. Dinner at the aforementioned restaurant, Captain Kostas.
16 Aug: Lakki (Leros) to Xirocampos (Liros) 5.8nm A short trip today, just used the gennaker and a enough time to make 60L of water and do a load of washing. We have some weather coming in so this may be our bolt-hole. Holding is not great though, it takes a couple of goes to get the anchor set but all good in the end. We have a quiet evening aboard ITIKI with a BBQ for dinner. Best steak we have managed to find so far, from the Aussie butcher in Lakki. 
15 Aug: Lakki (Leros) Its a bit of a maintenance day today, Martin from Reflexion kindly comes aboard to take a look at our electrical set up and supervise the replacement of our battery temperature sensor. This sensor has been causing an error message that has become known as the "disco lights". Nothing major however Victron have kindly sent a replacement to Artemis and now we have fitted it the problem seems to be resolved. We take Soni and Martin to lunch to celebrate and meet their friend Poppy who works at the local cafe. We will be back to Lakki in October when we have to go to customs to place ITIKI in bond and hand in our transit log. 
​14 Aug: Archangelo to Lakki (Leros) 8.4nm Short distance today so just pulled out the gennaker. Always good to turn off the engines. Small town with Italian Art Deco buildings in varying stages of decay. Great spot to provision and as it is a public holiday tomorrow we go ashore and stock up on everything! Keith now has the necessary fitting for his pressure washer so we give the boat a really good clean. Amazing how much salt and dirt is hidden in every nook and cranny! We have dinner ashore as although the fridge is full we are now too tired to cook dinner!
​13 Aug: Levithia to Partheni (Leros) and Archangelo 21nm Great sail today with the gennaker and good to pace ourselves against Reflexion again. One of our aims as we crossed the Cyclades was to drop in on ITIKI's winter home, to meet the family that runs Artemis boatyard, get the lay of the land, book our lift-out date and most importantly pick up a number of items that we have had sent to the boatyard. Online shopping is really challenging when you are on the move the whole time so it was great to have a base to send some important stuff to. Keith is so excited that we now have a pressure washer! This may sound indulgent, however we can now give the boat a really good clean with a reasonable amount of water. We take a tour of Artemis Boatyard, where ITIKI will be lifted for the first time and rest on her keels over the northern winter. We will stay on board for a few days as we do final preparations and winterising will be a little different this year on dry land. There are of course showers, laundry and a BBQ area for boaties to use and a chandlery as well. There is no marina here however so we anchor in the bay for our visit. Later in the afternoon we move across to anchor off a small island to the north of Partheni to have a swim and enjoy the evening without dead fish floating around us. Did I mention there are numerous fish farms in the area?
12 Aug: Amorgos to Levithia 31 nm. Headed off around 8am, narrow channel between the main island of Amorgos and the small one to the west protecting our anchorage. Very lumpy seas with swell coming in from the NW and bouncing back off the rocks. Reflexion got airborne a few times! Breeze a lot lighter than forecast, one reef in the main and genoa. Spectacular coastline and swell a little more settled once we got past the end of the island, but not as much as expected. Had a couple of dolphins playing on the bow for a while, quite big ones. One of them jumped right out of the water in front of us. Breeze shifting around behind us, so climbed up and then goose-winged to head down before climbing again. Our anchorage is in the eastern end of a hammer-head bay on a Taverna mooring buoy. No phone coverage whatsoever! Dinner in a Taverna, run by the one family that lives on the island. Surprisingly busy, seems like all the yachts anchored in the bay have come in for the night. A very simple but good meal.
​11 Aug Omoros Kalotyri (Amorgos): Spent the day in our anchorage, took the paddle boards ashore and walked up to a tiny church on a hill. Cleaned up a heap of plastic on the way back and left it in the bins for the beach club. Paddled over towards the village close to the channel and then had to fight our way upwind to get back to the boat. Had afternoon tea of cheese scones on Reflexion and dinner on ITIKI.
10 August Schinoussa to Omoros Kalotyri (Amorgos) 20nm What a day! Left our beautiful sheltered anchorage as the weekend crowd started come in and anchor on top of everyone. The forecast was for high teens gusting high 20s but the first half of the trip we had at least 10kts more than that, with the highest gust spotted of 41kts! At that point we decided to drop our sails as the jammer for the 2nd reef downhaul was now broken. At least the swell is not too big, but it was a bit hairy. We had been making water and doing a load of washing too so that had to be cut short! It was a relief when the wind backed off to 20s and we could pull out a headsail again. A few lessons learned and ITIKI did handle the conditions well. Our anchorage is really lovely and well protected, tucked between a small island and the main island of Amorgos. There is a small beach resort ashore and a herd of goats comes down to the beach foraging once the tourists have left. Feeling a bit shell-shocked on arrival so just had a quiet afternoon.
9 August Kalandhon (Naxos) to Schinoussa 7nm Not a very big day today but a lovely anchorage on a small island. A tiny beach "resort" ashore and one cafe. We paddle around the bay, check out the cafe and decide to give it a shot for dinner. Really lovely, simple food and good value. 
8 August Prokopios (Naxos) to Kalandhon (Naxos) 13.6nm Left the anchorage and put the kite up straight away. Perfect hoist and of course I was not filming it! It helps when you have strong enough winds and we certainly did have. Great run down the coast and we caught up with Reflexion again as we rounded the point and came into our anchorage at the bottom of the island. 
7 August Nauossa (Paros) to Prokopios (Naxos) 12nm We bounced out of our anchorage after several days of strong winds. The swell was pretty nasty coming out of the mouth of the bay but once we turned the corner it was behind us and much more comfortable. We decided to try to go to Naxos town first, and Reflexion had planned to meet us there after dropping their guests off. We could see a very big 3 masted yacht in the distance that turned out to be Maltese Falcon! Very impressive to see her under sail. When we got to Naxos the anchorage inside the breakwater was quite small and as we dropped anchor the marineros onshore started blowing their whistles. A ferry came charging in, dropped anchor and spun around to go stern-to on the quay. It was way too close for comfort and it was all we could do to get the anchor up and get out of there quick smart. We continued south around the next headland and anchored off a lovely beach. It was well sheltered from the swell. Reflexion hit some strong winds on the bottom of Paros so stayed there for the night, we will catch up again tomorrow. Naxos town will have to wait!
6 August Naoussa, Paros Today we decide to get Keith to a doctor as his right ear has been blocked for a few days. As it is too rough to cross the bay in the RIB we decide to head down the western shore and look for a bus or taxi into town. We stop at a water-sports joint and the lovely, and not very busy, guys there are really helpful. They offer to mind the RIB, call a ENT specialist in Naoussa that they know and then managed to book one of the 35 taxis on Paros to get us there! Amazingly helpful. Keith is seen straightaway and has his hearing back in no time! We still have time to grab a coffee and do a provisioning run before catching the bus back, which is packed to the rafters. Lucky the guys were keeping an eye on the RIB as the anchor came out! They had kindly tied it to their dock! We gave them a 6-pack for their troubles. The kindness of strangers! Reflexion are back in Paroikia to drop off their guests so hopefully the wind backs off enough tomorrow for us to get out of here! As lovely as it is, the howling and gusting wind is really starting to do our heads in. Plus the holding tanks are getting full... 
5 August Naoussa, Paros Still here! We head ashore to the beach just after breakfast and explore the headland. Facing north we can see how much we are protected in our anchorage, despite some catabatic gusts. It is really blowing out there. We watch another catamaran go out through the heads, looking like a bucking bronco! No thanks we will stay put! Still plenty to do here. Reflexion decide to go over to another anchorage on the east side of the bay for a change of scenery, as their guests only have a couple more days. Our anchor is dug in well here so we stay put.
4 August Naoussa, Paros We all go ashore in the RIBs and while the girls wander around the shops, the boys solve the problems of the world in a nearby coffee shop. Now when I see all those greek men sitting around drinking coffee, I know where the women are! Well actually they are probably not shopping... The breeze is picking up so it is a little bit bumpy going back to the boats. We spend the afternoon swimming and doing some odd jobs, including sending Keith up the mast for a rig check. We head back into Naoussa for dinner, its a fairly quick trip over. Lovely meal and really nice wine (at last!) The trip back in the RIBs was quite memorable... Of course it was dark, the breeze had gotten up and were were heading into the swell to get back to the boats. With Soni and Martin's guests we were three up in each RIB. Even taking it easy and sticking close together, we were all completely soaked by the time we got back to the boat. Lucky no-one was wearing their best, new outfit! The strong winds are here now and we dont fancy moving, as going out of the bay means pounding into the swell for 45 mins or so until we could get around the corner. There are worse places to be stuck I guess! 
3 August Ormos Aliki (Paros) to Ormos Agiou Ioannou (Nauossa, Paros) 16nm Soni and Martin (Reflexion) are away early to pick up some friends at the main town of Paros (Paroikia). We decide to bypass it and head for a well sheltered anchorage on the NW corner. We have a lovely afternoon here, the calm before the storm. Looking at the weather we will be stuck here for a few days as we wait out the worst of the Meltemi. Reflexion arrive later in the day and we plan to go ashore to explore the town of Naoussa tomorrow.
2 August Ormos Vathi, (Sifnos) to Ormos Aliki (Paros) 25nm Great sail with building breezes, reefed main and genoa. Hit 10.2 max speed, yee haa! Bypassed a couple of possible anchorages before selecting Aliki. Protected from the swell but still quite windy. Relaxing afternoon and then had drinks ashore with Reflexion crew and dinner on board. Good to compare notes after sailing with them today. They are so quick and know this area quite well. We have some weather coming in the form of strong Meltemi in a couple of days time so its all about finding protected anchorages over the next few days.
1 August Koutala, Serefos to Vathi, Sifnos 18nm Left around 8am, kite up initially and then engines on for a while before unfurling the gennaker. Sailing with Reflexion again. Breeze picked up to 20s as we approached the island and we have anchored off the beach with a dozen other yachts. Dinner ashore tonight, sadly the wine was not worth breaking out after dry July. Quite strong north winds but anchor holds us well.
31 July Dokos, Ayios Ioannis to Ormos Koutala, Serfos 55nm Left at 7am, good breeze for the gennaker until we were almost at the island and had to furl and put the motors on. As we got closer to land it kicked in again so we put the genoa out but it built too much. Dropped sails as we got into the lee. Our first time of pacing ourselves with another FP, Martin and Sonia are in their 4th season on the Lucia 40, which is a much lighter boat and well sailed. Although we should be well protected in the bay, at least from the swell, the wind still comes gusting down over the hills and down into the anchorage. It settles overnight, and after a long day we eat aboard. A shorter leg tomorrow. 
30th July Hydra Agios Nikolaos to Dokos, Ayios Ioannis 4.4 nm. We SUP around the bay in the morning checking out the caves and cliffs which are quite spectacular. Just as the overnight boats are leaving a whole new set start coming in as well as the day tripper boats. We are in the RIB trying to get phone reception when Soni and Martin on Reflexion arrive. They are not set up to tie ashore so we head out to look for another anchorage for the night and decide on one on the island of Dokos, which we have just to ourselves. We head to reflexion for a chat and to check out their boat and the boys get engrossed in making comparisons. Later on they join us for dinner on ITIKI. 
29th July Monemvasia to Hydra, Agios Nikolaos 41nm Got up early to visit the old town of Monemvasia. Lovely walk through the trees along the side of the hill and then up to the top to the church and ruins of the high village. Spectacular view over the lower part of the town, which still has people living and working there, as well as the coast to the north and south. Wandered down the hill and into the main town which is perched on the side of the hill and goes right down to the water front. The streets are like a maze and we got lost a few times before emerging at the lower entrance. Walked back to the "new town" and did a provisioning run for fresh fruit and veg. Ran into Joan and Darryl from Jace, whom we met at MdR last year. Breeze was still quite strong and we decided to head north to meet up with Soni and Martin from Reflexion who are in Ermioni. Of course the breeze dropped out and swung all over the place, so we ended up motoring most of the way after giving up on sailing. As it was getting late we found an anchorage on the south west of the island of Hydra for the night, and tied back to some very jagged rocks, which almost chewed through one of our lines. Four other boats here, all cats, fairly quiet night though. 
28th July Elafonisos to Monemvasia 29nm After a morning walk and swim we leave our beautiful anchorage and head east. As we round the cape we are now officially in the Aegean sea! The water looks much the same. The coastline is quite spectacular. We reach Monemvasia in the afternoon after motoring all the way. The old town looks like it is carved out of the side of a cliff. There is an upper and lower town, the former now an archaeological site, and the later still a very lively and lived in town. The old town is on an island connected by a small causeway to the mainland and the "new town" which has beaches, restaurants and hotels of course. We also saw loggerhead turtles swimming in the harbour, despite a fair bit of plastic floating around. We initially anchor in the south, but the swell is too annoying so after a quick run ashore and a bit of shopping we move to the north anchorage which is better protected from the swell at least. Strong westerly winds come over the hills though but we hold quite well. Would not want to be on the town quay though as yachts are being blown onto it. We have dinner in a lovely restaurant called Skorpios.
27th July Elaphonisos This is a beautiful anchorage and conditions are lovely so we stayed 2 nights, which is pretty unusual for us. Surprisingly there were so few boats on a Saturday night, compared to many more on a Friday. We took a walk up the hill on the end of the sandspit which has great views over the anchorage and beaches. Unfortunately the drone is out of action with some calibration problems which is such a shame. We spent the day swimming and relaxing.
26th July Kayio to Ormos Fragko, Elaphonisos 24.4nm Happy to leave Kayo after a bad experience and have a great kite run across the bay, between the 2 fingers. The anchorage is quite busy but plenty of space and such a beautiful bay. We deserve a couple of nights here for sure. Not much to do, just paddling and walking on the beach, swimming etc.
25th July Ormos Limeni to Kayio via Diros Caves 29nm Left Limeni early to get around to Diros caves so we could beat the tour buses. Anchored in the bay and dinghied ashore and managed to get onto the second boat to go around the caves. These caves are amazing, The visit in small wooded rowing boats covers about 1.5kms underground. The water is incredibly clear and there are regularly calls from the skipper to "watch your head" as we go through low and narrow sections While we have been through plenty of limestone caves, this is the first time to tour one by boat, and it was very special. I didn't think of the Thai soccer team at all... From there we continue on to Kayio, a grotty little town in a nice, enclosed bay. Despite appearances of shelter this is a very rolly anchorage. We managed to tuck in closer to shore to avoid the worst of it. Dinghied ashore to have one of the worst meals we have ever had and quite over-priced. That put is in a bad mood all round. A very forgettable place.
24 July Methoni to Ormos Limeni 34 nm Up and away early as there seemed to be some early morning breeze. That was short-lived however and the motor was on for most of the journey. Managed to fit in some yoga on the foredeck and fill the water tanks though. We arrived at our destination around 2:30pm so had plenty of time to unblock the holding tank! Yes it was a shitty job and I will spare dear readers the graphic description of how this is done, it is not something I am going to forget in a hurry! 
22 July Pilos to Methoni 22nm We up anchor and move south in the bay to anchor off the town. We wanted to fill our jerry cans at the local petrol station before heading south. Also picked up a few more provisions and a couple of items at the chandlery... On our way out we checked out the spectacular island at the mouth of the bay which is riddled with caves and has a lighthouse on top. Great to get some pictures up close. We made our way out to get clear of land and figure out what the breeze was doing. There is a reasonable amount there but as we try to raise the main it is swinging around. As the halyard goes up it is clear we have a major problem! The pin holding the boom to the mast has dropped out and  the gooseneck come undone! We drop the main and try to fix it underway but with the pressure on the rig and the swell bouncing us around it is too dangerous so we lash it down and pad it out to stop the boom hitting the mast. Sailing is off the agenda today. Once we get into Methoni we are able to fix it and lock it in so that it cant fall out again. When we arrive Rex and Cathy whom we met in Airlie Beach earlier this year, are already anchored on their yacht Ole. We catch up for dinner and are also joined by a lovely Austrian couple Peter and Evie, who have been cruising the world since 1989! What a wealth of knowledge and some amazing stories!
21 July In the morning we take the RIB out through a narrow gap and around the headland to the beautiful beach of Voidokilia. This is a white sand beach with a perfect fan shape and crystal clear water. We walk a short way along the track up to a fortress to get a better view and then go down to spend some time walking on sand, which is quite novel, and enjoying the water. Ed and Claire have walked across and we invite them for drinks on ITIKI later in the evening. Always great to hear the stories of fellow cruisers and how they came to find their boat and manage their cruising lifestyle.
Picture
Voidokilia beach
20th July Visiting Pilos Town We took the RIB across the bay to the town of Pilos, and walked up to the large fortress overlooking the town and the entrance to the bay. There is a church here as well as 3 small archaeological museums, in particular focussing on antiquities found underwater. The view from the top is spectacular. Of course no trip to town would be complete without morning tea and some provisioning. We found a great fresh food market and stock up! 
19th July Katokolon to Pilos 50nm We were up early and ready to go for this relatively long day. Keith went to pay the mooring fees after establishing that the guy asking for money was indeed legit. As we were lifting our anchor it became clear that another boat had laid their anchor on top of ours. Not uncommon when med mooring and not unexpected given we say this guy barge in to a space barely big enough and drop his anchor 3 boats to the right of it. Took us about 45 mins to lift his chain with our special hook and get it off his anchor, and he showed little interest in helping. Finally we got away and had a pretty good sail to get here. This is a really large bay with a town in the south and a beautiful beach and lagoon to the north. Lots to explore. Ed and Claire on Marlera that we meet in Zakinthos and Katakolo are here as well.
18th July Visiting Ancient Olympia 
17th July Keri, Kólpos Laganá, (Zakynthos) to Katakolon Marina 25nm After a very uncomfortable roly night at anchor we left early. We had some very strong winds from the north, in the low 20s which was not forecast. Full main and genoa were quickly reduced and we got along very nicely, despite a bit of a beam on swell. Briefly saw 9kts of water speed but the breeze backed of as we got closer to the mainland. Great to have the motors off for 95% of the passage, and to arrive in the port to find one double space available on the town quay (with water and power)! We organise a hire care for tomorrow to visit the nearby archaeological site of Olympia, and a bit of shopping too! 
16th July Agios Nikolos to Keri, Kolpos Laguna (via blue caves and Shipwreck beach) (Zakynthos) ​32nm Departed relatively early and decided to make a stop at the blue caves which are a short distance north of where we are. Not enough room to anchor so we decided to take turns to explore the caves on the SUPs from the mothership. Keith went first and was fairly quick as it was already getting choppy with the first of the passing day tripper boats passing by at speed. I took the GoPro with me and given the now very choppy conditions decided that kneeling was best. Got some great shots including of ITIKI from the cave and managed to get back to the boat successfully and get on our way again. Next stop, Shipwreck beach, a spectacular bay with a huge rusting hulk right in the middle and surrounded by the high cliffs that characterise this coastline. We did a hot lap of the bay, the beach was already crowded with people and the day tripper boats, some quite large, come charging in to disgorge even more. It would be lovely to stay here the night in the right conditions, but not for us tonight with the forecast coming. We continue on down the spectacular west coast of this island that is peppered with caves and fjord-like cliffs and amazing rock formations. We round the round the SW corner between two limestone monoliths and into Keri Laguna. This is meant to be a turtle breeding ground but no sign of any turtles while we were here. Arrived just ahead of a thunderstorm which brought 25kts winds, a fair bit of rain and some thunder and lightening. It passed quickly and conditions settled.
15th July Foki Beach to Agios Nikolos (Zakynthos) 35nm Dropped our lines without incident and headed of relatively early for the longish trip down to Zakynthos. A little cooler today which is a relief although after swimming ashore it was a bit cool on the foredeck bringing the anchor up. Tied up alongside on one of the two town quays, no facilities so no charge but the guy that helps with the lines offers a 15% discount at his family's restaurant on the opposite side of the bay. We have a lovely meal there and an early-ish night.
14th July Oromos Faidate/Abeleke, Meganisi to Foki Beach (via Polis Marina) 22nm First swim of the day to pick up our lines ashore just after breakfast. Motoring today with headwinds which seem to shift with our every turn to stay on the nose. Our first choice of anchorage is Polis Marina on the Western side of Itaki. Its nice enough so we pick a spot and swim lines ashore. We are sheltered from the swell and should be from the wind but it is hitting the opposite shore and wrapping around the bay making it a bit uncomfortable. Time for another swim to retrieve the lines and find another spot. We hope across to Kefalonia which is just to our west and find a lovely bay called Foki Beach. Only a few boats here so we pick a spot and I am off for another swim. Port line first, i get to the shore, climb up an embankment and secure the rope around a convenient tree. I look back to see the other end of the line, and the bucket it was in, has fallen off the boat and into the water! Bugger! A guy from the next boat is retrieving the bucket and I jump in and grab the end of the line to take it back to the boat before it gets wrapped around the prop, Manage that successfully and set the Starboard line as well, but my swimming is not over for the day. Looks like the anchor hasn't set and we are getting a bit to close to shore. Back in the water to repeat the whole process again. Dig the anchor in big time and we are all set for the night.
13th July Preveza to Oromos Faidate/Abeleke, Meganisi 18.3nm After a lovely breakfast with Shona and Gavin we said our farewells. They are heading west and will be crossing the Atlantic later this year. As we were heading out of the bay we saw a large turtle surface with a big sea cucumber in its mouth. I guess that is his breakfast sorted! We headed south and join the group of yachts "queueing" to go through the canal at Lefkada. This is a car ferry, come floating bridge which forms a road that cars drive across in both directions. On the hour it moves out of the way to let boats go through. Quite a sight. We traverse the narrow channel heading south and arrive at our destination on the island of Meganisi. We choose a smaller bay just north of Abeleke, there are a fair few boats already here but we find a nice spot closer to the shore. Keith has rigged up a new system for our lines ashore using a large rope spool that has been salvaged from a chandlery. It works really well. We also have 2 new rat guards made from a smaller rope spool cut in half. As the afternoon wears on we are joined by more and more boats and the entertainment of watching them try to anchor and take lines ashore keeps us amused for some time. The small Italian boat next to us in particular, with one guy paddling single handed in a tiny dinghy, tying the line ashore and taking it back to the boat, dropping it, watching it sink and having to start again. He then spends some time paddling on the spot not realising that he is going nowhere and the rope that he has tied to the shore is holding him back. Once they get the line attached to their yacht the rope goes under his dinghy and they nearly tip him out as the tighten it. Hilarious. Lucky we are perfect. We have some friendly wasps join us for sundowners and later they are replaced by mossies. Will move on in the morning, not the nicest of places.
10-13 July 2019 Preveza Our time in Preveza was spent on the town quay and was a productive time for boat maintenance and cleaning. We had a close encounter with the Albanian mafia when they came to refuel us with a small truck that plys its trade on the dock. The price of E1.38 seemed too good to be true and indeed it was. He asked us how much fuel we thought we needed and charged us for that amount, telling us our tanks were now full to auto-cut-off! Turns out they weren't at all as we could still put another 30L in from our jerrys! Re-running the calculations it seems we probably got about 70L. Keith called him back and insisted he come back to fill our jerrys with the rest of the fuel we had paid for. Still probably 20L down but hard to prove. Then follows a bit of a drama trying to complain to the port police along with a Scottish sailor who had also been ripped off a couple of years ago. They weren't all that interested. In any case I have put reviews/warnings of this guy on a couple of websites. We had trips to hardware stores, chandleries and $2 shops and did a big provisioning run to refill the freezer. I also finally bought a sewing machine! Otherwise Preveza seemed a nice, relaxed town. Buzzing with tourists at this time of year and we also saw a few extra large turtles including one that swam along the quay behind the boats.
9 July 2019 Antipaxos to Preveza 27nm A fairly slow morning in our little bay until another boat arrived and we decided it was time to leave. The wind was due to kick in around noon so we should be in for a good sail! Started out with the Volvos but soon it was time for the gennaker and as the wind backed that came down and we had the Parasailor up for the rest of the trip. The channel into Preveza is well marked as it is quite shallow around and we were watching the depths closely as we came at it from the port side. Preveza sits on the north side of the entrance to a large lagoon and on the starboard side is the huge Cleopatra Marina, where we considered wintering. Our friends Gavin and Shona from White Arrow that we met in Hammamet are here already and waiting on the dock for us. We got a great spot and this is our first Town Quay in Greece and we are pleasantly surprised at the price - a whole 12 Euros for 2 nights! Bit of a drama connecting the power and water but eventually the washing was done!
8th July Lakka Paxos to Antipaxos 7.4nm Walked up to the lighthouse in the morning and left our lovely anchorage around noon. Fairly slow sail down to Antipaxos. The first bay had a "no anchoring" sign due to underwater cable we think, although several boats were anchored under it. The next bay would have been quite beautiful but was wall to wall boats! We continued south and found a bay with one power boat who would clearly not stay the night. Quite exposed but weather was calm so we anchored and took lines ashore. Best of all we have the bay to ourselves! Spent the afternoon swimming and paddling, and checked out the lighthouse ashore. 
7th July Lakka, Paxos
6th July Corfu Town to Lakka, Paxos 26nm There are so many islands in Greece and alot of places with the same or similar names. It is alot to get your head around when planning. We have decided to go around the Peleponnese Peninsula and into the Aegean Sea that way, rather than through the Corinth Canal. Before we set off though we take the RIB around to Gouvia to visit a chandlerly where we pick up a few essential items. Then it is back to Corfu town to pick up our orange (!) 16mm polypropylene floating rope. At our next stop, the bay of Lakka on Paxos, we catch up with Rob and Amy from Alchemy, that we met in Mljet Croatia. Its lovely to see them again. The anchorage is so crowded but somehow the spot next to them is free and we perform our first "lines ashore" anchoring manoeuvre in ITIKI. For the uninitiated this involves dropping an anchor 2.5 boat-lengths from your final destination and reversing towards the shore. One person (guess who) then jumps in the water with a mooring line (the aforementioned orange, 16mm, polypropelene floating rope) expertly spliced on the journey over by the reformed boy scout, now skipper, Keith. The rope needs to be tied ashore to a suitable rock or tree to stop us swinging in the tight anchorage. Rob is waiting in the water to help and we end up sharing their rock on one side, and on the other we share with the boat on our starboard side (oh yes did I mention there were two lines to attach so I had to do this twice!) Pleased to say we did not embarrass ourselves and Amy and Rob joined us for a drink to celebrate (water again for me!)
5th July Corfu Town Another hot day so we go ashore and wander lethargically around the old town of Corfu. Cobble stones and narrow streets, lots of cafes and souvenir shops. I get a new swim suit and Keith gets the lenses of his Ray Bans replaced. We check out the Old Castle, which we are anchored near, and of course a trip to the chandlery where we place an order for 100m of yellow, 16mm polypropylene floating rope (wait for it...) It will be available tomorrow! We have lunch in town and wander some more in the afternoon before heading back to the boat to cool down.
4th July Sarande, Albania to Corfu Town, Greece 15nm Went ashore for a final few items from the fresh food markets and then to see our agent to check out of Albania. The latter was a pretty painless process. A fairly short trip down to Corfu town, at the closest points Corfu and Albania are only 1nm apart! We arrive just after 12:30 although it may have been 1:30 because of a time change. We tie up alongside what we thought was the right place, however its not and we are actually not supposed to be here. Anyway I head down to the Port Police with the boat papers to get the process started. It is about 1km walk in the heat and when I get there I see where we were supposed to tie up, right outside! Anyway the port police send me to the customs and passport control which is in the ferry terminal. As there is no ferry action I have to bang on the door to rouse someone. Our passports are stamped quite quickly but then I wait about 30 mins for customs to be ready. At least it is air conditioned. Finally I go to see the customs guy, and am greeted rather gruffly. We complete the transit log and then follows a misunderstanding with the cruising tax and a rather childish hissy fit from the customs official when he realises he will have to do the paperwork over again. He wasn't listening to what I was asking for. Anyway I pretend to be upset and intimidated and suggest calling my husband to come over. Finally he picks the old paperwork out of the bin and uses it to complete a new one. Once I leave the office he is laughing with his colleague. I suspect he has done this before. Back to the port police to pay more money and we are legally in Greece. I get back to the boat in time to avoid a fine for mooring in the wrong place and we head around the point to anchor in the bay. A swim and dinner on board and a nice glass of cold water - yes still doing Dry July! Welcome to Greece!
1st to 4th July Sarande, Albania: Check out our blog post!
25th to 30th June Montenegro Bay of Kotor: Check out our blog for details of our time here.
24th June Cavtat Spent the day at Cavtat, doing a couple of walks around the headland in the shade as well as swimming and paddling in the bay. I little bit of provisioning in the local market and then dinner ashore in the evening to mark our last might in Croatia. Its been a really great 5 weeks and we are so pleased we came.
23 June Zaton to Cavtat (Luka Tiha) 11.6nm Finally its time to leave our anchorage in Zaton which has been our base for the last 5 days. I was a little worried about the anchor coming up, having been cork-skrewing on it for the past 5+ days, but apart from a very twisted chain and a couple of bits of weed, it was all good and we were off and away. Our loose plan to anchor off Dubrovnik and get some drone footage, then spend the afternoon at Otok Lokrum before heading to Cavtat anchorage. Of course the weather had other ideas and as we poked our noses out of Zaton we copped 20kts on the nose and a nasty swell. Fortunately not a long trip and we were at Cavtat in time for lunch. 2 more nights left in Croatia so we are planning our trip to Montenegro.
22 June Day trip to Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina check out our blog for a blow by blow description of this trip into "uncharted" territory.
21 June Zaton (still...) Mid morning we hop in the RIB and go across to Gruz which is where the commercial port of Dubrovnik is located, as well as another large and newly built marina. Our intended target though is a number of "shopping malls" where we have a few items we want to tick off our wishlist, including a haircut for Lynda! We are successful on a number of fronts, including the haircut, and our joy at finding Weet-a-bix is difficult to explain so I will just leave it there... We spend the rest of the day on a few odd jobs, between swimming too cool off, and end the day with a BBQ of lamb chops. 
20 June Day trip to Dubrovnik Check out our blog for some highlights of this trip.
19 June Zaton We jump in the RIB to do a reconnaisance of the next bay around, which is where the ACI Marina is. We decide it is not for us so we will stay put. Our friend Helen from Sydney braved the heat and the Croatian bus system to make her way from Cavtat, south of Dubrovnik, up to meet us in Zaton to spend the night on ITIKI. It was a lazy day for us, just swimming and pottering around before cocktails on the top deck and then going ashore to our favourite local restaurant (Konoba Capo) for dinner with Helen.  
PictureLunch at Zaton overlooking ITIKI
18 June Sipan to Zaton 12nm We wake at 6:45am to the sound of the first drops or rain. Its a mad rush to close hatches and bring in the cushions and washing. As we had also removed the side clears on the cockpit we had more water coming in than usual. We donned our swimming costumes and instead of doing yoga we took advantages of the freshwater to give ITIKI a good wash. As the weather had been hot and dry for the last couple of weeks she was looking very salty and dusty. After breakfast we motored around to Zaton where we went ashore for lunch and to get some tourist information. We can visit Dubrovnik from here by bus so we decide to stay for a couple of nights. It heated up during the day but early evening we had some threatening clouds and stronger gusts but no more rain. Things have cooled down nicely by dinner time.
17 June Otok Jakljan to Sipan 13nm via the scenic route so we could make water and do some washing. We were feeling a bit lazy with the heat so decided we needed to go for a sail, a very slow one. Sipan is another island in the Elefati group of islands. We anchor not far from a swimming area long the spit on the western side of the island. Not much happening in the town so we stay on board to swim and stay cool.
16 June Uvala Spilice to Otok Jakljan 4.3nm Seriously! Lovely little anchorage for swimming and SUPing but we did have a close encounter with an incoming invader yesterday! Otherwise Having a seriously lazy time as the heat is sapping our energy. 
15 June Broce to Uvala Siplice 4.4nm Yeah right! Broce was a lovely place and convenient to visit Ston, which we did early this morning, We walked the historic and extensive town walls and over the hill down to Mali Ston (little Ston) before stopping for a refreshing cold drink. The downside of this anchorage is that the tide brings in quite a bit of debris, organic and inorganic, so we move to somewhere a little cleaner in the afternoon. 
14 June Zuljana (Uvala Vocine) to Broce via Sobra 26nm A relatively big day as we head over to Sobra to get some dinghy fuel. We only carry small supplies and don't use much but it is rather limiting of we run out. Great to do some sailing as well and put a bit more water into the tanks. Broce is a tiny village in the canal that leads up to the town of Ston. We take the RIB up there to do a reccie and have a cooling drink. We will come back and visit the famous "Walls of Ston" tomorrow.
13 June Zuljana Uvala Kremena to Uvala Vocine 2nm I think this is the shortest journey this season. We moved to the next bay for a change of scenery! Swimming and SUPping continued. Closer to the beach we saw some signs with the letters FKK and crossed out. We later find out that means its not a nudist beach! 
12 June Polace to Zuljana (Uvala Kremena) 12nm We leave our beautiful anchorage mid-morning and head north across to the Peljesac Peninsula, which is connected to the mainland. On the other side of this long land-spit is the short coastline of Bosnia. The breeze is much stronger than predicted but as our trip is short we unfurl the gennaker until it reaches its limited and we change to the genoa. The breeze is up to 20kts and our first choice of anchorage is no good so we head to our second and third. Finding a nice sand patch amongst the weed and mud proves difficult and with the breeze blowing us around it proves difficult to set the anchor. At the same time one of the buckets blows overboard so we have an impromptu MOB practice (this happens twice!) No bathmat this time but almost lost a couple of towels that weren't pegged, and picked up a truckload of weed on the anchor. Finally settled on a small bay closer to the town of Zuljana, and spent the next couple of hours watching a series of charter boats trying to anchor and giving up. 
11 June Mljet National Park Pomena We head into Pomena town and hire bikes. The first stretch is uphill but not too difficult and we are soon heading down some gravelly road toward the lake. We cycle all the way around to the bridge at the eastern end of the lake, past the island we visited yesterday and stop for a swim. We head further along to the mouth of the lake where we find a few small restaurants, and we stop for lunch of octopus salad and a glass of the local wine which came recommended as "nothing special" by the waitress... Lets just say it lived up to expectations! The ride back was easy and fairly flat but we needed a swim by the time we got back to the boat. We chilled out for a few hours before taking the girls back in to Pomena for a last drink and to see them off on the ferry to Split. Its been a great week and lots of fun to share with friends. Check out our blog post for our time in this area.
10 June Mljet National Park  Polace to Pomena We get up early and walk from Polace across to the lakes. We take a small ferry across to an island (Sveta Marija) in the middle of the lake where there is a monastery and a cafe. Randomly we run into Helen Buckland, fellow sailor from Sydney. We knew she was in Croatia doing a charter but were not sure whether we would cross paths. We were in the restaurant next door to them last night! We go for a swim in the beautiful water in the lake before deciding to return to our anchorage via one of the high points on the island. Its a very hot and steep walk up but the view is spectacular and worthwhile. Once we get back we head around to Pomena on the western end of the island and anchor in a long and secluded bay. Carmen and Sarah's last night on board before the head back to Split tomorrow so we have a BBQ on board. Luckily nobody comes around looking for NP anchoring fees!
9 June Korcula Town to Polace, Mljet National Park 15nm Beautiful still morning and we head off early. Not enough breeze to sail until we are about 1 hour from our destination and then it is light and on the nose. We half-heartedly pull out the genoa and it does give us a little extra push but not for too long. Polace is a beautiful bay and we enjoy swimming and SUPping here before heading ashore. Apparently there are steep NP fees to anchor here so we decided to book a restaurant and use their "free mooring". Lovely meal of slow cooked fish and octopus, although somewhat false economy! A lovely kiwi couple join us after we met them on the dock. 
View this post on Instagram

Beautiful anchorage tonight in the Mljet National Park.

A post shared by Lynda (@itiki_on_tour) on

8 June Lovisce to Korcula town 22nm We head off mid-morning and motor most of the way. Korcula is a really charming town, laid out in a fishbone shape to take advantage of the cooling breezes. We head ashore to explore and book ferry tickets for the girls who will leave us in a couple of days. Swimming in the bay and dinner on board.
7 June Hvar to Lovisce, Otok Scedro 18nm We take the RIB into Hvar and walk up to the fort again with Keith. We also walk around to the monastery and bay on the east side of Hvar. Beautiful sunny day. We head back to the boat for lunch and then take off for our next destination. We have a little bit of sailing but of course the breeze clocks around to the direction we want to go. Motors on but we do a couple of loads of washing and top up the water tanks as well. Lovisce is lovely bay with 3 restaurants we choose one that doesn't have a huge crowd of blokes singing and have a lovely meal of local food and wine! This is the first time we picked up (and paid for) a mooring bouy in Croatia (HRK200)
6 June Uvala Sikora/ITIKI to Hvar 11nm We leave mid morning as we only have a short hop around to Hvar. Initially we can sail with the gennaker but the breeze is too strong so we furl. As we come around the end of Hvar island we are into the breeze and it has built to 22kts. Hvar harbour is busy and very rolly in the conditions, we try to anchor just outside but its not a good look so we head over to Otok Marinkovak (an island) just opposite Hvar to anchor. The first attempted lifted alot of sea grass and an old bathmat. The second attempt was more successful. Its a busy spot and the skipper opts to stay on board for the afternoon. Myself and the girls flag down a passing water taxi and head across to Hvar. Its quite bouncy in the harbour so happy not to have ITIKI in there (especially the town wall!) We have a spot of lunch, walk up to the fort and finish with some shopping and an ice-cream before heading back to the bay for the evening.
5 June Uvala Necajum to Uvala Sikora/ITIKI via Zlatni Rat We head out of our lovely anchorage and put the parasailor up for a while as we skirt along the north east coast of Solta. We go through the passage between Solta and Brac and stop at Zlatni Rat for lunch. This is Croatias most famous "beach". We take the RIB ashore to discover it is a pebble spit which sticks out into the crystal clear waters. So difficult to walk on and not so comfortable to sit on (especially in the nudist section I imagine). We have a swim and head back to ITIKI to contine the journey. We find a bay that is shaped like a molar but none of the charts have a name for it so we call it Uvala ITIKI! 
4 June Trogir to Solta (Uvala Necajum) 11nm We motor ITIKI over to Marina Baotic in the morning as we have arranged a diver to scrub the hull and replace the anodes. At the same time Carmen and Sarah arrive from London so they join us there. We head in to Trogir for a wander around and end up doing lunch before setting off for our evening's anchorage on the north of the Island of Solta. Weather has been four seasons in a day but ends with a beautiful sunset.
3rd June Trogir Head over to the town quay around 10:30 to meet Mr Garmin to sort out our RADAR. As soon as we tie up the marinero is onto us, and he is a bit of a character. Tells us we can have 1 hour for free but after that it is HRK400. We explain our problem with the RADAR and once he chats with Mr Garmin he loosens up a bit and we end up staying for 2.5 hours while they completely replace the RADAR. Garmin were really fantastic. It is a stunning day, sunny and warm and I managed to wander around Trogir old town, which is lovely, and do some shopping in the produce market. We head back to our anchorage for a late lunch and later in the evening take the RIB back to Trogir for a lovely dinner.
2nd June: Sevid to Racetinovac (Trogir) 16nm. Rainy morning and a late start but we went for a SUP around the bay as we watched a couple of charter yachts charge into the bay. Two boatloads of blokes. They were rafted up and singing when we left. Motored slowly with the watermaker on. Saw dozens of yachts motoring out from Trogir, its first day out for the charters! We found a lovely quite bay across from the town of Trogir. There is one other cat here. We put the RIB in the water and go and check out the supermarket in Trogir and the town quay for a pick up on Tuesday. Also hoping to get the Garman guy here to take a look at our radar, and a hull clean from a diver. We have another SUP before sundowners on the foredeck. Loving the quiet.
1 June (Saturday): Krka River to Sevid 21nm. After spending the night in an anchorage at the river mouth we head out and south towards Trogir. Slow day with not quite enough wind to sail. Spend the night in a wide bay with no one else around. 
31 May (Friday): Krka river and falls. Long day visiting Skradin, the magnificent Krka falls and Visovac island. check out our blog post.
30th May: Kaprinj to Krka river 18nm. Forecast today 1kt from the north, actual breeze, 17kts from the east, direction of travel east! Well the forecasts from Windy had been reliable until we got into the norther islands area of Croatia. Seems there are alot of localised conditions with breeze funneling through and wrapping around these largely northwest/southeast oriented islands. We were weaving in between islands today to get to the mainland so we did manage to sail under genoa for a good distance before we made it to the river mouth. Checked out a couple of bays around the river mouth for a lunch stop but decided to continue on up river to the lagoon to find a spot for the night. We will visit the Krka falls tomorrow but the trip up the river surrounded by high cliffs, past oyster farms, under a bridge and several power lines was an amazing journey. Passed a race fleet of mizzen masted yachts and tucked up into a fish tail shaped bay with a small local marina on one side. 
29th May: Murter to Kaprinj Quite a bit of rain overnight but otherwise calm. We get up late and head ashore for a walk and provisioning run. We end up walking to the next town to find something we didn't know we needed at the chandlery. After that we hit the supermarket, wine shop, bakery and fresh food markets and leaving around lunch time. No breeze today so its motoring all the way. We check out a few different anchorages before finding the perfect spot. Seems as we get closer to the mainland there are more bays with mooring buoys. This one (Uvala Nozdra Velika, Otok Kaprije to be precise) used to have buoys but nothing here now. We can see a couple of big concrete blocks on the bottom. We are here in time for a SUP and a lovely sunset. Only one other boat. Sadly lots of plastic debris on the shore.
28th May: Uvala Lucina to Murter 32nm: A misty morning but calmer than expected. We head out around 10 and to our delight the breeze is perfect for sailing, with Genoa and Gennakker getting a workout. The skies clear and we are making good speeds so decide to go further than both plan A and plan B and end up anchoring in the harbour at Murter. Absolutely glorious day and we are both in very good moods when we arrive. We go ashore and have dinner at a waterfront restaurant. Fairly average meal considering the price but it was a lovely evening. 
27th May: Otok Molat to Uvala Lucina 12nm: Alot of rain overnight and our rainwater collection systems were completely full. The weather has been from the South, which is where we want to go to, but that also means we are collecting Saharan dust again! Went ashore to see if we could find any fresh food but that was not successful. We head out mid-morning expecting to have southerly breeze on the nose but it comes from the east initially and we manage to sail with main and genoa for about 1.5 hrs before it clocks around and builds. We reef and then drop but the swell is really awful. We are not going to make our intended destination so detour to a bolt hole in a very drab and sleepy looking town. The bay is full of mooring buoys but we managed to anchor in the head of the bay between them and an underwater obstruction. Hopefully the weather is too miserable for anyone to bother us for payment!
26th May: Otok Ist to Otok Molat The cloud has come back and southerly breeze is building. We managed to do some sailing with the gennaker and later the genoa. We do a hot lap of the bay on the south end of Molat and anchor for lunch and to phone home. Later we head around to the east side of the island to find another bay for the night. We go ashore and walk across to the harbour where there are a number of charter yachts tied up to the town quay. We check the price list to see that we saved A$100 by not coming over this side! The water is lovely and clear but sadly not swimming or SUPping weather.
25th May: Ilovik to Ist 19 nm Beautiful sunny day after a very calm and quiet night. Go for SUP in the morning to the "beach" which is piled high with sea grass. Keith decided to check out the water temperature and go for an unplanned swim! We stop by a power boat (JoJo) on the way back to ITIKI and end up going aboard for a cuppa. Lovely ladies from Sydney who have come from Southhampton via the French canals. We exchange tips on anchorages and they come over to ITIKI for coffee as well. We head off about 1:30, a little bit of breeze but not really enough to sail despite our best attempts. We check out potential anchorages on Otok Silba and Otok Ist, finally settling on an anchorage in the bay across from the town of Ist. We put the RIB in to go ashore, not much to the town but we have dinner at a local restaurant. The town is gearing up for the tourist season and apparently then can have up to 200 boats in the harbour. Right now there are 3...
24 May: Ustrine, Otok Cres to Ilovik. 25nm. Took the RIB over to Osor town in the morning. There is a canal that runs through the town to allow access for boats between the 2 islands, however it is only 6m wide, so no good for ITIKI, we need to go around the outside. The town is small but interesting, there are a number of modern sculptures dotted around the town as well as some ruins of a former monastery. We head off mid morning and manage some sailing with the gennaker, with the autopilot randomly disengaging itself at an inopportune moment. No idea what that was all about. We check out a few possible anchorages before tucking around a corner into a small shallow bay. A small yacht comes in about the same time as us and a small power boat follows. Not much action here tonight which is how we like it!
23 May: Pomer to Ustrine: Looking at the forecast the sail plan for the day was the parasailor all the way across from the Istrian peninsula to our island anchorage. As we were heading down the bay we changed our minds and rigged the gennaker, only to go back to plan A with the parasailor. Had a great sail across, did a load of washing and topped up the water tanks again. Our anchorage is so calm, sunny and beautiful. Time for a SUP and cocktails on the top deck. 
Picture
Our anchorage at Ustrine
22nd May: Pula to Medulin/Pomer 18nm. Got away early from Pula in the cold and rain with several layers of clothing on. These were quickly shed as the weather finally cleared and we arrived at our destination in bright sunshine. It is amazing how quickly our mood lifts with the weather. It seems so long since we felt any warmth from the sun. Glorious! Keith decides to service the Genoa furler while I pump up a SUP and go for a paddle. We are at the end of a long bay, a bit like a mini Pittwater, with a couple of camping resorts either side. One is closed and the other has 2 people sunbathing on the beach. Quiet night except for a little road noise. 
20th & 21st May: Lake Mirna to Pula: 32nm. We leave our anchorage early in the morning and despite the southerly wind having backed off the swell is really nasty. We stop a few hours in a small bay to take a break from it and to do a conference call. The bay is so clean and clear we decide to turn on the water maker and top up the tanks. After a couple of hours respite we get back out into the fray and the swell has eased somewhat. We decide to push on to Pula where we anchor in the bay. Weather is still a bit unsettled. The next day we go ashore and head straight for the central market. Great selection of fresh fruit and veg and we stock up on meat as well as the freezer is looking a bit empty. We take our booty back to the boat and head back in again to hit the tourist sights. The town has a large amphitheater which is in quite good condition, as well as some roman mosaics, a roman temple and citadel at the top of the hill overlooking the town. We pick up some local wine and head back to ITIKI for the evening.
18th & 19th May: Piran to Umag and Lake Mirna Croatia Spend a drizzly morning walking around Piran, up to the basilica and old town walls on the hills. Despite the rain a great view along the coast. We need to get the car back today so a quick trip to a local hardware store to pick up a replacement water filter housing and then over to Portoroz. Seems there is a boatshow on and we go to check out the fuel dock in the marina to see if it accessible for us (its closed due to the boatshow)! Manage to sneak in the back door of the boatshow unnoticed and have a quick wander through, looking for a Garmin agent as our RADAR has stopped working. No luck there. Return the car and walk back to Piran. Very quick check out and get our passports stamped out of EU, despite no entry stamp. We head off to Umag in Croatia to check in, arriving just after 2pm at the customs dock. Police first, a little slow but I head to the harbourmaster while he is working on the documents. Registration fee and cruising tax for 30 days of AUD500! Head over to the fuel dock to top up our tanks and contribute further to the Croatian economy before going further south to anchor in Lake Mirna, where we spend 2 nights chilling out, waiting out the rain and planning our next move.
15-18 May: Check out this blog post of our time in Slovenia. A real gem and highly recommended to visit.
15th May: Venice Lagoon to Piran Slovenia 50nm Captain Sparrow Fart got us up at 6am so we would be able to complete this leg in daylight and hopefully arrive before the 30kts NE kicked in. After a lovely clear night yesterday to rain had returned and was drizzling as we left the lagoon. The main went up early and eventually the breeze built enough for the gennaker to be deployed and we were making great speeds of 8-10s. We also had the watermaker on with a few intermittent issues temperature issues with the electrics. At AWS of 20kts the gennaker was furled and the Genoa came out. Still good speeds but about 1.5hrs out of Piran the breeze had built to 20kts true and too close hauled so it was engines on to drive into it and the waves. Unfortunately the washing up took a dive and we lost 2 wine glasses and my special "crew" mug! Seems we have gotten a little complacent with our housekeeping. Arrived in Piran around 4pm, very casual entry as no one was interested in any paperwork. Tied up at the town quay and will aim to rent a car whilst here to see some of the country.
7-14th May: Exploring Venice Lagoon - refer to the blog post for the full account and tips for doing Venice in your own boat
6-7 May: Ravenna to Venice refer to the blog for the highlights of our journey
5-6 May: Ravenna Check out this blog of our time in Ravenna
3-4 May: Isola Tremeti to Marina di Ravenna (200nm 37hrs) Got up early and Keith took the RIB over to one of the larger islands to get internet and check the weather forecast. We have a window of breeze ahead of an incoming Mistral that could get us to Venice in good time. We had the full main and genoa up in 18kts doing 8.5s and looking amazing! As the breeze shifted around and backed off a bit it was time for the gennaker, but we had slowed a to 6kts. Further wind-shifts and the Parasailor went up but wouldn't fill. Ooops we forgot to take the main down so the Parasailor had to come back down, then the main could come down and the Parasailor could go back up. Confused? Yes we were a bit too. The Parasailor was filling but speeds had now dropped to an un-amazing 3.8kts! Once we got back into internet range we checked the weather again and clearly we are not going to beat the Mistral to Venice. We re-route to Ravenna. The breeze has dropped right out so we motor from 9pm until our arrival at Ravenna 8:00pm the next day. We will do some exploring while we let the Mistral blow through tomorrow and aim to get away Monday afternoon.
2 May: Vieste to Isola Tremeti (34nm 6hrs). A small group of islands on the Adriatic Italian coast. We arrived late afternoon, no internet signal so could not get the weather forecast. We were thinking to stay 2 nights, but that all depends.... Lovely little bay we have all to ourselves.
Picture
1 May: Bari to Vieste (54 nm 10.5hrs) Another early start with building breeze on the nose. Put the main up and had the heady out for a while but angles were not good, so the Volvos stayed on. Last few hours we were punching into some short and nasty chop so had the Volvos going hard. Breeze backed off as we got closer to our destination. We are anchored in a wide and shallow bay near the medieval town of Vieste. The Guardia Costiera have been by to warn us that the anchorage is shallow, only 3m - no problem we are shallow too. Not long after the ormeggiatore from the marina come by to see if we want a berth. Not sure if they are in cahoots, but in any case we will keep the Euro100 and stay put thanks!
PictureBari at night
30 Apr: Monopoli to Bari (24nm 4.5hrs) Got away around 2:30pm as we waited for the breeze to back off a bit and for our lovely lunch to settle. The Guarda di Finanza swung by not long after our departure to say hi and ask our destination. Between them and the Guarda Costiera there are plenty of employment opportunities for Italian blokes who like wearing uniforms! Arrived at Bari just on sunset sadly motoring all the way. Shallow but quiet anchorage outside of the main port, with no creaking docks or squeaking fenders. Blissful night's sleep!
PictureA rose between 2 thorns...
29 Apr: Brindisi to Monopoli (36nm; 6hrs) Got away relatively early despite the Harbourmaster wanting us to wait an hour (we didn't) and just made it out of the harbour as the Corfu ferry was coming in! We were expecting to motor all of the way but while we weren't taking any notice the breeze got up to 13+kts from behind, contrary to forecast. We had the parasailor up in record time with a textbook launch and carried it to the entrance of Monopoli harbour. We are tied up at the Town Quay which allows one night free. Expecting some weather overnight and tomorrow morning so will not be leaving hear until later in the day, which gives us the morning to wander around the town again. Much less busy then when we were here (by car) on Sunday!
28 Apr: We visited Alberobello, the village famous for its Trullo houses. We made a stop at Bari to check out the marina and also Monopoli, which is a lovely medieval town.
27 Apr: We hired a car and visited some friends from Switzerland, Laura and John, who are living in a lovely Trullo farmhose surrounded by olive trees in the middle of nowhere.
26 Apr: Leuca to Brindisi (62nm, 10hrs) Another early start after a creaky night in a marina. We had the Parasailor up half of the time and motored the rest of the way. Arrived at Brindisi late afternoon and tied up at the town quay. This  one is a paid gig, frankly it is marina prices. There are free spots as well but we were not keen to be alongside a concrete wall in such a busy harbour. As you can see there are some big "shitters" coming and going! Had to do a bit of creative mooring as the port lazy line was way to short for us.
Picture
25 Apr: Crotone to Leuca (71nm across the gulf of Taranto) Lest we forget. ANZAC day today, the anniversary of our first meeting 14 years ago. Who would have thought! Captain Sparrow Fart got us up at 5:30 am and we got underway pretty quickly considering the 23 sets of mooring lines we had on ITIKI! Swell is still running close to 2 m but long period and consistent so not really uncomfortable. A pretty unremarkable crossing as we had to motor the whole way and didn't see one other boat. We did have an unexpected visitor though. This poor, exhausted looking bird who made its way onto the boat, down into our bedroom, around the kitchen, down to the spare bedroom and finally disappeared! At least we thing he is gone... Little bugger managed to crap in 4 places, including my pillow, before taking his leave!
24 Apr: Crotone We had planned to leave today to get to our next stop, however the swell is still quite bad both here and at our next destination so we stayed put. It has backed off a bit but we are still bouncing around. Spent the morning wandering around the town and doing a bit of provisioning in the markets. Keith not feeling so well in the afternoon.
23 Apr: Crotone Went ashore this morning to check in with the Guardia Costiera and have our paperwork stamped. Its a requirement in Italy to have a transit log (or Costituto) stamped at every port. The GC was not happy that we had not radioed in on arrival and was not happy with us anchoring in the bay but there was another yacht there and as the conditions were deteriorating he gave us permission to move to the pier outside their offices. We did a little shopping and ran into some other sailors that we met in Ragusa last year. They had their boat in the boatyard doing some work. When we got back aboard we got ready to move an radioed the harbour master for permission to move. Bit of a drama as he did not give his permission to move to the pier in the north harbour and insisted we go to a marina in the south harbour. By now conditions  were pretty shite and we were not happy to leave the sanctury of our anchorage, however he was insistent so off we went into the breach. At least we can have a look at the harbour entrance. The swell was running at over 2.5 m and we were heading into it. It was running across the entrance to the south harbour. We thought we would take a look but before knew it it was too late and we were committed to going in. I have a gopro video of the entrance which I will post when I get over the trauma of it. Just need to cut out the soundtrack of me freaking out and Keith swearing. We got a lucky break in the swell and were able to turn into the entrance of the marina between sets. It could have been really ugly had the waves lifted our rudders out of the water and in hindsight we should have refused to move on the grounds that it was dangerous. Thinking we would at least be ok inside the marina we were disappointed at the amount of swell coming in. The floating pontoon was bouncing around like a mad-woman's breakfast. This was not good and very hard on the boat and us. It took a while to rig up enough mooring lines to keep us safe and happy, snubbers were also deployed. Managed to sleep more than expected but we were bouncing around and lots of creaking. Meanwhile the other yacht is still comfortably at anchor in the north harbour.
Picture
21-22 Apr: Syracusa to Crotone: Left 8:45 in the morning to start our crossing to boot of Italy. Put the main up as soon as we left the harbour and sailed with our Jib about half of the way across the 158nm to Crotone. Some nasty weather expected over the next few days with strong southerly winds so we anchored in the north harbour with one other yacht. It was great to be able to sail for so long. The anchorage is sheltered but not particularly pretty.
20 Apr: Check out the blog post of our trip to Mt Etna
Picture
18-19 Apr: Enjoying some slow time in Syracusa, wandering the streets of Ortyga, shopping in the wonderful and lively fresh produce markets. Good to spend a few nights in the same place without running around being a tourist. That said we have organised a trip to Mt Etna tomorrow. 
17 Apr: Valetta (Malta) to Syracusa (Sicily, Italy) Our crossing went without incident although I have to say that outside of skiing in Utah I have never been so cold. Two layers of Icebreaker, a fleece, possum-fur beanie and full wet weather gear and I still needed an extra blanket to stand watch! There was bugger all wind as predicted so it was a bonus to have the kite up for 2.5hrs. This was negated somewhat by the 30 mins Keith spent trying to get the main up on his own, heading in the wrong direction. Quite a few ships to avoid on the way and at one stage we could see the lights of both Malta and Sicily at the same time - pretty cool! Clear night with close to a full moon so great visibility. Arrived in Syracusa around 9:30am and tied up at the Town Quay. Its the first time we have done a stern-to mooring with the anchor holding us at forward - nailed it! Its free for up to 5 nights, there may be a garbage tax of 10 Euros if we are around when they come to collect it... Just as we were heading off the the Guarda Costiera to check-in we saw a Lipari coming in. We waited to help them dock, which they managed to do on their 15th attempt. A lovely German couple who had been following us on AIS overnight from Malta. We have been to Syracusa when we were in Sicily in November, but the weather is much nicer now. We will chill out here for a few days, do some eating and drinking before continuing North.
16 Apr: Baia San Thomas to Valetta: Breeze backed off overnight as predicted, but without it holding us in position the anchorage was very roly-poly. No music festival though! Leisurely trip North from our lovely anchorage to Valetta Grand Harbour. Quite a sight to see. We anchored just inside the harbour in the South East corner (Rinella Bay). Another yacht joins us briefly, seasoned cruisers on for a chat. We head over in the RIB to San Angelo's fort and the aptly named Grand Harbour Marina or a look. Some expensive kit here! Great views across to Valetta and a beautify clear day - 25C! Back in the RIB to head across to the Valetta side to clear out of customs. Did a double take when I recognised the same customs guy who checked us in at Gozo a week ago. Lucky he was there as he hadn't given us a copy of our arrival papers. but he remembered me and it was all a bit of a giggle. Checked out of Grand Harbour and bimbled around Sliema harbour before heading out to sea. Next stop, Syracusa, Sicily!
15 Apr: Baia San Thomas: Back to Valetta this morning for a visit to the cathedral. Absolutely amazing building, stunningly decorated with artwork and baroque painting on the ceiling. Two beautiful works by Caravaggio as well. Definitely the highlight of Malta and of Valetta and good to get there early! A quick provisioning shop on the way back to drop the car off. Got back to the boat just in time as the heavens opened and we swung around at anchor in gusts of up to 35 knots! We had contemplated taking the boat up to Valetta tonight but decided to stay put. We can head up for the day tomorrow once it backs off. 
14 Apr: Baia San Thomas Drove into Valetta today to take a look around. First stop the Tarxien temples, another neolithic ruin with an over-specced, EU funded weather shade. At least this one had a viewing platform to get an idea of the size and layout. Wandered around the fort (free entry today!), city walls and the streets of Valetta. Unfortunately no visit to the cathedral as its Sunday and it is being used for church services. Fortunately we can come back tomorrow. Drove over to the Royal Malta Yacht Club for a drink and to check out the place. Looks like there is some weather brewing... Meanwhile back at San Thomas bay it is Death Metal night at the music festival and the wind is blowing the sounds towards us. How can anyone enjoy that music?!
PictureSt Paul's Catacombs
13 Apr: Baia San Thomas Up early this morning and headed up to the north of the island. Cant get over how small this place is, it only took 35 mins! We walked a heritage trail that took in Punic and neolithic ruins including cave dwellings, an apiary and the oldest carob tree on the island. Next stop Rabat/Mdina the old capital of Malta. Incredibly well preserved old town with thick bastion walls, an incredibly beautiful cathedral and a wide moat surrounding the town. Not too far from there we found St Paul's catacombs, an extensive network of burial catacombs that had been repurposed as living quarters and WWII air raid shelters. Next it was on to a garden centre where we picked up supplies for ITIKI's garden and then to the Hagar Qim temples. These are Malta's equivalent to Stone Henge, bizarrely they are covered with extensive dome roof to keep the sun off which completely ruined the ambience of the place. Oh well I guess you have to spend EU money somehow - no wonder the POMS want out! Back to ITIKI for dinner and more of the music festival...
PictureWork in progress, Marsaskala Bay
12 Apr: Il-Hofra I-Kbira​ to Baia San Thomas Pfaffed around a bit this morning doing a few odd jobs before heading off. Checked out the bay of Marsaskala but it was so full of mooring buoys there was no where to anchor. Managed to get out without propping the boat doubled back to St Thomas bay, a lovely wide bay with less mooring buoys (all empty) and a short walk across to Marsaskala bay. Picked up a hire car locally and drove across to Marsaxlokk which is a lovely fishing village. Had a beer there then back to ITIKI briefly before heading back to Marsaskala for dinner. Not sure what the occasion is, however a statue of the Virgin Mary was paraded down the main street with half the town in tow. There seems to be a bit of a music festival going on in our little bay, with the entertainment kicking on until the wee hours. Lucky we are pretty good at sleeping!
11 Apr: Blue Lagoon to Il-Hofra I-Kbira Spent the morning at the blue lagoon exploring in the RIB. A bit too cool yet to go for a swim but the water is so clear and blue. Walked along the cliffs on a nearby island and then headed off. Followed the spectacular western coastline, past Dinghli and the (not so) blue caves. Anchored in Il-Hofra I-Kbira on the south coast for the night. Only one other yacht here. The sounds of gunshots off in the distance (?!) is a bit disconcerting, hopefully just rabbit hunting.
Picture
ITIKI suspended in the crystal clear water of the Blue Lagoon, Comino, Malta
PictureKeith takes stock of the situation...
10 Apr: Gozo, Malta Jumped on a Hop-on-hop-off bus and spent the day seeing the Citadella in Victoria/Rabat and then on to the Ggantija (neolithic tombs). So much history on this small island, which has been invaded and ransacked by all and sundry. There is an old prison in the Citadella and Keith was briefly detained...
Left the marina mid-afternoon and headed over to the Blue Lagoon around 4ish. Watched as the last of the tourist boats left and now we have the place to ourselves! This is what we came for. 
8-9 Apr 2019: Hammamet, Tunisia to Gozo, Malta
Check out the blog post to share the journey. 
​

TunisIa: 9 Nov '18 TO 25 Nov '18; 8 Mar '19 to 8 Apr '19

We have arrived at our winter destination. Our aim is to prepare the boat to leave it here for winter and we will be flying back to Australia for a few months to have yet another summer and catch up with family and friends. We have a winterising checklist to work through, as well as a few jobs that fall under the banner of "continuous improvements". ITIKI will be staying in the water for winter and we will have someone local keep an eye on her as well. We hope to have a chance to see a little bit of Tunisia while we are here, even though a lot of places close down over winter.

ITIKI 2018 TOUR

Click here to go to the 2018 tour of ITIKI.