We have booked a five day weekend starting on 18 February and coming back the following Wednesday. It seems ages since I have been there and Audrey of course, hasn't been to Gibraltar at all. We'll do a bit of work on the boat but also do some sightseeing stuff. Who knows, we may even go for a sail.
Last Friday we attended a very disappointing boat show at Excel. We don't imagine that we will be going back there again. There were very few sailing boats and none that we liked except for the Cornish Crabbers and their prices are simply eye watering. The power boats were predictably revolting and there were even fewer equipment exhibitors than before which rendered the show more or less a complete waste of time for us. Sadly, we are unlikely to be in the country for the Southampton show either.
One bit we did like was a stand where Owners Associations could push their particular boat. I felt that it would have been a good thing to have the ROA there, not least since the Contessa 32 Association was there.
The evening was a much more satisfying affair with the ROA AGM. We still find it a bit odd going to the East India Club but it is always a good evening.
Now we just have to work out how to get our windmill shipped down to Gibraltar. I wonder if Easyjet would let us take it on - for a fee of course.
Monday, 16 January 2012
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Big Decisions
Well, we have bowed to the inevitable and worked out we will not be ready to go in April. Various things such as getting the house ready for renting, jacking in the job and doing some necessary work on Sarah G are not going to happen in the next three months which means we can't realisticly chuck up the jobs and hope to be able to fund a six month cruise through Sardinnia, Corsica and the Med coasts of Spain and France.
We are now looking at staying in work for the summer with a series of long weekends down in La Linea to both work on the boat and do some sailing in the sun with a plan to finish in August. We could then have two months to reexplore the Costa de Luz and get up to Sevilla before spending a winter in Gibraltar.
It is a bit sad that we can't take the plunge fully this spring but I think that we will have a good time. I can help my Brother with his plans to sail Kemara round Britain and Audrey can do some belly dancing this summer.
Plans will, of course, be evolving more but we actually quite like this one. We just need a way of escaping London for the Olympics now!
We are now looking at staying in work for the summer with a series of long weekends down in La Linea to both work on the boat and do some sailing in the sun with a plan to finish in August. We could then have two months to reexplore the Costa de Luz and get up to Sevilla before spending a winter in Gibraltar.
It is a bit sad that we can't take the plunge fully this spring but I think that we will have a good time. I can help my Brother with his plans to sail Kemara round Britain and Audrey can do some belly dancing this summer.
Plans will, of course, be evolving more but we actually quite like this one. We just need a way of escaping London for the Olympics now!
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
More planning - and a change
Well, the winter progresses and the temperature has taken a dive here which makes us hanker for southern sun all the more. We have been giving more thought to where to go and I have also been consulting others - particularly the Med Section at the Cruising Association. One posting and we now have a wealth of advice most of which is looking very useful.
Our suspicions about the Balearic Islands have been confirmed as being very expensive and overcrowded in high season. Sadly, the mainland coast of Spain is also not looking too attractive and we are now seriously considering heading further east to Sardinnia and Corsica. We would then decide if we wanted to head back to the Atlantic or push furhter east to Greece and Turkey.
There is one worry as reports are coming in of a planned visiting yacht taxt in Italy. The stuff I have read so far has it at 5 Euros a day but reduced by 50% for auxiliary yachts and a further 40% off for older boats which would make it something less than 2 Euros a day for us. I cannot imagine that it would be economical to collect such a small amount of money - not least since it would hardly make a dent in their Berlusconi generated debt of however many trillions of Euros they have. Anyway, it might be Lira by the time we get there!
Apart from that, Christmas, the ROA AGM and the Boatshow are looming. At least the latter two are something to look forward to.
Our suspicions about the Balearic Islands have been confirmed as being very expensive and overcrowded in high season. Sadly, the mainland coast of Spain is also not looking too attractive and we are now seriously considering heading further east to Sardinnia and Corsica. We would then decide if we wanted to head back to the Atlantic or push furhter east to Greece and Turkey.
There is one worry as reports are coming in of a planned visiting yacht taxt in Italy. The stuff I have read so far has it at 5 Euros a day but reduced by 50% for auxiliary yachts and a further 40% off for older boats which would make it something less than 2 Euros a day for us. I cannot imagine that it would be economical to collect such a small amount of money - not least since it would hardly make a dent in their Berlusconi generated debt of however many trillions of Euros they have. Anyway, it might be Lira by the time we get there!
Apart from that, Christmas, the ROA AGM and the Boatshow are looming. At least the latter two are something to look forward to.
Monday, 14 November 2011
The Planning Process
Well, we have been having various desultory conversations (and some not so desultory). We have been thinking about options for next year. One must remember after all that it is the Olympics here in London and it will be a vey good place not to be - London in 2012
As I probably said before, we are cooling on the idea of heading right into the Med but rather are thinking about staying in the western end and working up the coast of Spain, probably with a visit to the Balearic Islands as well before going up to France and through the Canal du Midi and wintering in somewhere like La Rochelle.
This should be doable in six months to allow us to be tucked up before the autumn gales kick in. We would then also be well positioned to spend much longer on the Atlantic coast of Iberia in 2013.
We do of course have other plans and the least desirable would be not to leave work but to use holidays and weekends to work her up the Coast of Spain and winter on the Mediteranean coast of France perhaps near Montpellier. Still, the worst case would be to have to bring her back the way we came all in a hurry.
We might still head east properly but that is looking less likely. It could all be subject to change though as we are going to the Med Section meeting at CA House this Thursday which might well change our minds again. Time will tell really - as ever.
Of course we haven't had many photos so here are a couple.
First off - back to Easter in the Fal
Now the view from the hill at Muxia
Cabo Sao Vincente
And finally, a sunset while at anchor in La Ria Formosa
As I probably said before, we are cooling on the idea of heading right into the Med but rather are thinking about staying in the western end and working up the coast of Spain, probably with a visit to the Balearic Islands as well before going up to France and through the Canal du Midi and wintering in somewhere like La Rochelle.
This should be doable in six months to allow us to be tucked up before the autumn gales kick in. We would then also be well positioned to spend much longer on the Atlantic coast of Iberia in 2013.
We do of course have other plans and the least desirable would be not to leave work but to use holidays and weekends to work her up the Coast of Spain and winter on the Mediteranean coast of France perhaps near Montpellier. Still, the worst case would be to have to bring her back the way we came all in a hurry.
We might still head east properly but that is looking less likely. It could all be subject to change though as we are going to the Med Section meeting at CA House this Thursday which might well change our minds again. Time will tell really - as ever.
Of course we haven't had many photos so here are a couple.
First off - back to Easter in the Fal
Now the view from the hill at Muxia
Cabo Sao Vincente
And finally, a sunset while at anchor in La Ria Formosa
Monday, 7 November 2011
Three weeks Back Now
Well, I have been back three weeks now and Audrey has been back for more than a month. I am I suppose properly accustomed to being in the office rather than planning the next passage. It has been quite a struggle to get back into the swing of work. We have however been giving further thought to our cruising plans as well as getting framed enlargements of the better pictures hung on the wall.
This blog has the subtitle of An Attempt to Take Sarah Giddings Cruising in the Med. Well, we have successfully got her to the threshold of the Med and we are now looking at options for the next stage. Our original plan of taking six months to get to Turkey is hopelessly unrealistic - well it would be so if we want to see stuff and enjoy ourselves rather than just rushing on to the next port.
We are also unsure about whether we do want to spend the entire season in the Med given rumours of increased expense as anchorages are gobbled up by expensive marinas and ever more people though the Euro crisis might have an effect on that.
We are also very keen to spend another trip exploring Atlantic Iberia more thoroughly than we did this year. Thus, our current favoured plan is to work our way up the Mediteranean coast of Spain and France before entering the Canal du Midi with a view to wintering in somewhere like La Rochelle. We would then be well placed, in 2013, to revisit the north coast of Spain and onto Portugal. From then, we are really not sure. Planning two steps at a time is probably a good maxim as well.
The CA (Cruising Association) is having a Med Section meeting next week which we will be going to. Our plan is to spend at least part of it picking other people's brains about the best strategies.
If any of the myriad readers of this self indulgent bit of frippery have any suggestions, please feel free to leave some suggestions in the comments.
This blog has the subtitle of An Attempt to Take Sarah Giddings Cruising in the Med. Well, we have successfully got her to the threshold of the Med and we are now looking at options for the next stage. Our original plan of taking six months to get to Turkey is hopelessly unrealistic - well it would be so if we want to see stuff and enjoy ourselves rather than just rushing on to the next port.
We are also unsure about whether we do want to spend the entire season in the Med given rumours of increased expense as anchorages are gobbled up by expensive marinas and ever more people though the Euro crisis might have an effect on that.
We are also very keen to spend another trip exploring Atlantic Iberia more thoroughly than we did this year. Thus, our current favoured plan is to work our way up the Mediteranean coast of Spain and France before entering the Canal du Midi with a view to wintering in somewhere like La Rochelle. We would then be well placed, in 2013, to revisit the north coast of Spain and onto Portugal. From then, we are really not sure. Planning two steps at a time is probably a good maxim as well.
The CA (Cruising Association) is having a Med Section meeting next week which we will be going to. Our plan is to spend at least part of it picking other people's brains about the best strategies.
If any of the myriad readers of this self indulgent bit of frippery have any suggestions, please feel free to leave some suggestions in the comments.
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
