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July, 23rd 2004 Isles of Scilly / England |
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| After the huge sailing festival at Brest, we enjoy some quiete and sunny days on the Isles of Scilly. We made it through the channels by mid june and after 143 locks! The summer had hit us with 34°C and no wind and we were glad to be back in the colder atlantic. As planed we met our dutch friends in Royan. We had a great BBQ together before we went on to La Rochelle to meet Brian. He was in the river to Marrans by that time so we went there after we did our shopping and washing. We had a nice night togehter even though we dried out completly by accident. On Ile de Yeu we stayed in Port la Meule this time and dried out to scrub Tadornas underwater. Most of the "beard" had died in the channels and was easy to take off. Than we got an SMS from our dutch friends that they were stuck on the Belle Ile with a motor problem and as the wind drove us out of the harbour anyway we decided to meet them again. We had a wonderful week there with a gamba BBQ and we also rented a Mehari for a day. After that we had some more nice days along the coast before getting to Brest for the festival. Already sailing into the Rade de Brest was impressive with plenty of old boats coming from all directions. During most of the days we sailed out to see all the beautiful boats under sail and also it was to crowded on land. We also met the Crew from the "Präsident Freiherr von Mahlzahn" of the Hamburg Museums port. Some of the crew sailed with us and we also sailed with them. After the six days party we were exhausted and went to Camaret to do shopping and washing again. With a nice SW we had a fast sail to the Scillys (120sm in 22h). We like these islands a lot and as the weather is calm we intend to stay a few more days before heading east. Sunny greetings from Cornwall! Yvonne & Bartek |
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June, 1st 2004 Carcassonne / France |
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| Wow, time just flies by after the sailing season started... We are already in the Chanel du Midi now with the mast down and on the way back to the biskay but let's start where I left you last time. We found some really nice anchorages on Ibiza and were surprised that the season hadn't started yet on the island. Most of the hotels were still shut down for the winter. The weather was like a typical Hamburg April weather with storm, rain and sun. We got stuck again in Eulalia and Portinatx before we sailed over to Mallorca behind a gale-center with a very nasty cross swell (First time we used our 2,5qm stormjib and still made 3kn!). We made it savely to Palma and were surprised by the very friendly and active Royal Club Nautico with reasonable prices. In Palma we had three weeks of visits from friends and family. First my sister came with my nephew for a few days. It was great to see them again after such a long time and we spend easy days on the beach and shopping in Palma. After that sailing friends from Duesseldorf had chartered three yachts and we sailed along for three days before sailing back to Palma to meet Barteks parents. This time they flew in for four days and even though they had rain most of the time, we enjoyed seeing them a lot. And then we saw the second crews of our Duesseldorfer friends and enjoyed their company. I admit that we were a little glad to be alone again when they had flown off. We sailed to Cabrera and got stuck again with a storm going over. After that we spinakered up to Cala Bona befor crossing to Menorca. In Menorca the summer hit with heat and no wind. The water was finally reaching swimming temperatures (18°C) and the clear water in the bays is wonderful. We met another young german couple with their boat SY "Sarei" and spent a few pleasant days with them. Mahon, the capital of Menorca was nice to sail into but we liked Palma better. After a week of almost no wind we catched a nice NE to the mainland and Cabo San Sebastian (120sm). The last 60sm to the entrance of the chanel took another three days because of no wind again. Time to get out of the Meds!!! Taking the mast down was easy even though they wanted 42,-€ for it. We stocked up, had some washing done and than we went to our first lock. By now we motored about 100km and went through 34 locks. The noice of the stern engine is annoying but it is doing its job. Carcassonne today is the first mayor stop. The huge mediaeval walled town is very impressive and definitly worth a visit. We try to be out of the channels by mid june to meet our friends SY"Zilver", SY"Akane" and Brian in La Rochelle. We also want to take TADORNA either out of the water or dry her out to give her new varnish. The meditteranien sun just burned most of the old layers away. We are invited to the Sail 2004 in Brest and we want her to look her best then. We hope all of you are doing fine and we wish you the best and always fair winds! Yvi & Bartek |
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April, 6th 2004 San Antonio-Ibiza / Spain |
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| Spring is here and we are on the Balearics now. We got back to the spanish main land with a nice SW but got stuck in Almerimar for two weeks after that. We rented a car and saw the Alhambra in Granada and did some walking in the Sierra Nevada. We also met Barteks parents in Malaga. They were there with a cruise ship for five hours and even though it was a short visit, we really enjoyed it. Also a lot of friends from the atlantic coast were in Almerimar and we met some nice new people too, so we kept busy while we waited. Finally we made our escape and went around Cabo de Gata to San José. From there we catched a nice souterhly and made it to Cartagena where we were stuck again for another week with rain and storm. The swell in the harbour was bad but the town is very nice. Since we left Cartagena we have great weather with wind always from behind. We stayed on the Isla Tarbaca for a day. That is an old pirate island and when the last ferrys with tourists leaves at 17.00h it is very idillic. After that we met SY "Dizzy" with Hans and Anja in Altea and had two very nice evenings together. We are on Ibiza now. We came here yesterday night and anchored in the Cala Bassa. The full moon was leading us but we both could hardly believe when we saw the ground under our boat when it was still 8m deep - in the middle of the night! This morning we could enjoy the beauty of this Cala. Pine trees all around and a small sandy beach with clear water. Did't take long until others wanted to enjoy it too and the beach got quiet crowdy during the day. We sailed over to here but this is just a party town and we don't like it. We hope to find an other nice and this time lonely anchorage tomorrow. Love Yvi & Bartek |
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February, 14th 2004 Melilla / Spain |
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| Last time I forgot to tell you that Bartek has asked his employer for more vacation until october and they were so nice to say yes! So we will sail Tadorna back to Hamburg. We want to meet friends and family on the Balearics in May and after that we take her through the Chanel de Midi back into the Biskay and than on this time via the english side of the Chanel to Hamburg. We are in Melilla right now and we enjoy it a lot. The city has some nice architecture and is very relaxed. The sailing club is very active. Tomorrow there will be a regatta and we are invited to join on one boat and for the big Paella afterwards. It is also nice to have running water on the pontoon again and hot showers after the fishing harbours in Marocco. We went to Fes for four days with the bus from Al Hoceima. The ride takes five hours and goes over the Rif-Mountain with some wonderful views. The Almond-Trees were blooming in the valleys and we saw a lot of storks in their nests. Fes was wonderful. A lot relaxter than we expected because Bartek has been in the city about ten years ago and remembered mainly the hustlers. We found a small room in the Medina and started to explore the city right away. It was friday afternoon and most of the shops were closed. Good for us because we could get a nice overview without beeing bothered. The next day we followed the main tourist tracks and saw the tanneries, the markets, medersas and moshes. It is a very lively city and somehow it fits when a muli passes with Coca-Cola boxes on the back for the small roads in the medina. As any "normal" tourist we also bought carpets and also think we made a good bargain :o) Back in Al Hoceima we had a nasty easterly storm and about 0,5m swell in the harbour with us beeing number ten in a row alongside. Because of that we had some small damage on the hull and wanted to leave as soon as possible. It took us 24hours to make the 60 miles to Melilla with not a lot of wind and the forcasted NE 4-6 nowhere in sight. Anyway, Melilla is a very nice change and we will stay some days to clean the boat upside down and to see if the wind finally turns W so that we had on or otherwise we will sail over to Spain. All the best. Love Yvi & Bartek |
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February, 2nd 2004 Al Hoceima / Marocco |
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| We had to wait nearly four weeks for the post in Gibraltar but had an very relaxing time in Estepona /Spain for those days. The weather was brilliant. One of the first days we climbed up to the Monte de los Realos (1440m). It was harder than expected and we were glad to find out that a street was going up so that a dutch couple could take us back down. Others than just enjoying the holiday from sailing we gave the coachroof three new layers of varnish. After the weeks in Estepona we were ready to go to Marocco without a lot of tourism and cheaper lifestyle ;-) Marina Smir south of Ceuta was our first stop in the country. Formalities were easy and fast but the Marina was deserted and only one teeroom was open. We went to see Tetouan the next day and enjoyed the city without to much hustlers. The medina is small but interesting. The people who live there are a mix between berber of the Mountain, "normal" maroccan muslims and "modern" students from the near by university. From Smir we sailed on to El Jebha. It is a small fishing harbour and town. The city only comes alive on tuesday during the weekly market. A lot of people from the montains come with their mulis. The market provides the basic needs for the people with food, clothes, some kitchen stuff and living animals etc. The surrounding is beautiful with montains going up to 1300 m and deserted beaches. The town didn't have a hamam and so we had a nice not to cold bath in a nearby river. From El Jebha it took us three days to get to Al Hoceima. We don't have a lot of wind these days. We anchored in a bay close to one of the spanish islands. It was a beautiful spot but the maroccan navy came by the next morning and told us that we would have to move on because in this area it is prohibited to anchor. They were very nice and so we moved on. Al Hoceima's harbour is dirty and not like our pilot describes it. We think about leaving the boat for some days to go to Fes or Taza but don't know for sure yet. I have again a cold and Bartek just got over his sore throat and so we both feel a little like staying in bed. Hope you are all doing fine! Best wishes from Africa;-) Yvi & Bartek |
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December, 27th 2003 Ceuta / Spain |
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| Time flies - Christmas has already passed and I hope you all had a good one! Middle of november we finally made it around Cabo San Vicente to the south coasts of Europe. The weather got better and we were able to meet my parents who stayed in south Portugal for a month. Bartek finished his self-steering and it was great to see it work. He is still improving but we hope to use it constantly soon! With the beginning of december an other bad weather period passed through. The temperature droped to 5°C at night and we had to start using the heater. We passed that time of rain etc. mainly with reading or we went to one of the other boats we knew. Than when we were in Cadiz the weather changed back to summer and 24°C during the day. It was great. Cadiz is a great city set on an peninsula with old walls around and a lot of small streets inside. When westerly winds came up we left Cadiz to go through the Street of Gibraltar and to finally come into the Mediterranien Sea. We had to stop in Barbate for the right time but than we finally went to Gibraltar. It was a great trip with 2knots of currence with us, the sun out, delphins swimming around the boat and we even catched our first fish! We enjoyed Gibraltar very much. It was nice to chat to everybody in english again and to have some pub food! The apes on the rock were sweet and the view over the Street of Gibraltar, the bay, some of marrocco and some of Spain was fantastic. We were expecting post in Gibraltar but when it didn't get there by the 23rd we decided to sail to Ceuta for christmas. We had spaghetti for christmas dinner ;-) and since the post still hasn't arrived we will sail over to Spain tomorrow to wait there before we go on to Morrocco. We wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Adios Yvi & Bartek |
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October, 31st 2003 Lisbon / Portugal |
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| November is coming and we are still not on the south coast of Portugal.That is due to the weather and the sailing ground we found here. The Ria's of northwest spain have been great. No swell, plenty of anchorages, cheap food and a lot of other nice crews on their way. We stayed in Portosin for 10 days and beached our boat to put some new varnish on her hull and cleaned the underwatership. We also had a big BBQ with five other boats. With some of the other boats we are still in contact and one is also in Lisbon right now. It is very interessting to hear about all the different intentions and plans. Portugal is nice but different. A lot more peolpe speak english over here and it is easy to get along. The coast is nice with a lot of beaches but not as interessting as Spain. We are since 16 days in Lisbon now and had a lot of wind ever since. So we are stuck here ;-) The city is very nice with an old castle overlooking the town. The old part of town has narrow small streets with trams running through. The newer parts are busy as every capital with the usual shops that have their branches all over europe. Bartek is using the break ad works on a new self-steering for us. Hope you are well. Ciao Yvonne & Bartek |
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September, 11th 2003 La Coruña / Spain |
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| We came to La Coruña last night with the spinaker up and the full moon shining on us. It was great. Even though the north coast of spain is very pretty and has great nature we are not very sad to have passed it now. The coast annoyed us with mostly no wind and plenty of swell. We used our stern engine more often then we liked it. The scenery is very impressive though. The mountains of the Picos de Europa come very close to the shore and go as high as 2800m. The weather also was more like winter and we had several days of rain. In Coriño we stayed for four days with five other longterm sailing boats because the wind was blowing with up to 38 knots (8 beaufort) even in the harbour. Here in La Coruña the summer is back again. The city is pretty and has an excellent beach near by. We will use the days here to get you up to date and to buy some spare parts for the boat. We hope you are all fine! Hasta luego Yvi & Bartek |
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August, 22th 2003 Santoña / Spain |
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| After 47 hours and 190 Miles we came to Spain this morning. The coast is totally different from what we left behind in La Rochelle. It's steep and this hills in the back go up to 2600 m. On our way we had great weather and were lucky to see delphines right next to the boat and wales in some distance. Our days since Brest passed quickly and very pleasent. We had great weather most of the time even though about no wind for a week. The coast was crowded because of the summer holiday in France but not as bad as in the baltic at the same time. We went to Lorient for a couple of days. They had the international celtique music festival there and we stayed out till late walking along the streets and listing to the bands. Bartek had to go to the dentist. One of his inlays had fallen out. The dentist was nice but was totally embarresed because he had run out of cement that day. So he could only fix the inlay with some non permanent cement and wouldn't charge Bartek anything for it. In the Golf of Morbihan we stayed without wind for 4 days and enjoyed this "little ocean" with about 60 islands and pleanty of anchorages. Farther south were a lot of holiday resorts and we went on until we came to La Rochelle. It's a very old and nice town with great architecture and atmosphaere. In Les Sables d'Olonne we had met Brian with his Folkeboot (Hi Brian!). He is living on his boat in La Rochelle and so we saw him there again and had some very nice chats and evenings together. We were sad to leave but then we have to keep going to meet the mediteranien before winter starts. For Spain, we don't "feel" that we are here yet. We have to study the language after all the french and get used to the different scene and atmoshaere. As for us - we are both fine and we are getting used o living on the boat. It's by now hard to imagen that it had been different... Love Yvi & Bartek |
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July, 27th 2003 Brest / France |
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| So many things have happend in the last month and we saw so many new places that I find it hard to give you an update. Be sure to have a look at the pictures so that you can imagen how much we saw. After the Netherlands we had to stay in Nieuwpoort/Belgium for five days. The wind was to strong and we used the little brake for some repairs. When the wind finally calmed down ist was not long befor we hit the coast of France. Boulogne-sur-Mer was the first city we came to and we instantly felt more on vacation. France is so more relaxed and always seems to have a southern flair . There are window shutters on every window and nice iron balconys. In the morning we had our first french baguette and a Cafe au lait! Down to Dieppe we came through a thunderstorm that wasn't mentioned in the weather forcast. Our mainsail got a tear, because we couldn't get it down fast enough. So we stayed in Dieppe for a couple of days to have it repaired. On the same coast we sailed on to St. Valery-en-Caux and Fecamp before we came to the Bay of Seine where the Ally's had landed during WW2. There are plenty of museums and monuments there and one gets constanly reminded of what has happend. In Port-en-Bassin we dried out alongside the quay for the first time. It was exciting and went well. We also met some nice english fellows there (Hi Alec, Hi Rex) and had a great chat with them late into the night. Not far afterwards we've been in Cherbourg. It is the closest harbour to the south coast of England and a lot of english people go there to buy there liquor here because it is cheaper. We only made a big purchase of food to be prepared for the more expensive chanel islands. I was surprised to find at least the island Alderney very british. And again I was reminded of the WW2 because all the inhabitants had been evacuated fo six long years from the island and there had been labourcamps named after german island... From Alderney where we had great weather with swimming and sunbathing we went on to the island Sark. It is really beautiful. It was saturday when we got there and they had a sheep race going. We definitly were reminded of Newzealand! Since the 14th of july is the national holiday in France we went to St. Malo. It was a great atmosphaere in town and they had a big firework in front of the old citywall. We met a real nice couple from Jersey (Hi Mike, Hi Dee) and talked until late that night. We now had entered Brittany and went along the magnificent coast with pink granite rocks and to the beautiful Ile de Brehat with the small brettonic houses and those great bushes of ? (don't know the english word - Hortensien in german). Yesterday we finally made it around the northwest corner of France. We have had a lot of rain lately and the wind was always from the side we wanted to sail to. Beeing in the Biscay and the Atlantic now we hope to hit better weather again. After a lot of sailing the last two days (100 miles) Bartek is doing some repairs again and we rest before we will go into town tomorrow. Hope you are all well!! Love Yvi & Bartek |
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June, 12th 2003 Amsterdam / Netherland |
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After Glückstadt we sailed via Helgoland to the island Langeoog. There we stayed for five days to continue our work on the boat. Bartek installed the solar-cells and a lot of other things. I like Langeoog. It is a quiet island. There are only a few official electro-cars on the island. Everybody else uses bikes. We had great weather and I swam in the north-sea. |
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May, 25th 2003 Gückstadt / Germany |
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| We made it!!! After all the hassel with moving out of the appartment and all the hours we habve worked on the boat, we didn't believe that we would be able to leave Hamburg on the 25th. But we did leave and a lot many people came to say goodbye. It was very impressimg and surrly something we won't forget. On our way out on the Elbe they even played the national hymn for us. Now we are in Glückstadt and we enjoy the sun and the peace after all these ours of work in the last two month. We still have a lot of repairs to do but nothing that is essential for sailing. |
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May, 15th 2003 Hamburg / Germany |
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Our departure is coming closer and the list of to do's is getting smaller. |
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March, 8th 2003 Hamburg / Germany |
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On this side we want to keep you up top date on our "project". |
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