Billedgalleri Kleine Beer 2002 - 2

The crossing to Sardegna was uneventful, except that we met 3 sea-turtles. The weather&sea were so calm that we motored on a flat sea for 24 hours before we could finally sail the last few hours. We got our share of wind going through the Bonifacio Straights,though. We spent one night anchored in a cove when the wind started to blow and yachts drifted by left and right with dragging anchors.Ours kept but we did not get much sleep that night. The wind is always blowing a bit stronger between the two islands of Corsica and Sardegna. There are some strange island with windcarved cliffs on the Sardegnian side that are well worth visiting. We spent a week in and around Port Cervo. The yachtclub here is famous and the regatta's held here mostly have enough wind to be spectacular. The size of motor and sailingyachts there are incredible. We were one of the smallest yachts in the harbour and without a helicopterpad, of course. There is a free well protected anchoring area in the harbour from were we scouted the surrounding spectacular coastline. By the time we reached Cagliari on the south coast we left the boat for one month to get away from the august summerholiday rush and went back home.

On our return we had to wait for the weather to get a little better before we dared to cross over to Sicily. The crossing was very uncomfortable because of hard backstay wind & rough seas and because there where lots of thunderstorms around us we did not dare to hoist the sails the first hours but after 36 hours we reached the Aegadian islands on the westcoast of Sicily. We proceeded along the nort side of the island towards Palermo and the Eolian islands of Lippari, Vulcano and Stromboli. Then through the Messina Straights together with lots of other ships and ferries to the town of Taormina at the foothills of Etna vulcano.

Dubrovnik needs no recomendations.It is a beautiful old walled city. We made our way up to northern Croatia in the next two weeks via Split and Zadar. It was getting a bit cool in the evenings and we kept changing clothes all day. There are a myriad of islands and inlets called the Dalmatian coast. That can be cruised for month on end so next spring that's were we will be sailing. There is a fee to get cruising permit for Croatia. For our boat it was about 150 euro per year. Right now the "Kleine Beer"is on a steel cradle in a Marina near Pula in Istrie waiting for a new sprayhood and UV covering on the genua because the old sprayhood and sailguard were finished after 13 years. Also the cushions and matrasses are being refurbished because of wear and tear. She should be ready for the new season ahead...................!!