So the full crew for this trip is on board. 







Jim and Olaf arrived Tuesday 16th September, 2012, and we worked all Wednesday and Thursday morning to have the boat ready. Not even time to do any sightseeing in Malta. So I won't bother you with Malta's rich history of the Turkish Invasions, the Knights, Napoleon and the 2nd World War . Only two people have left their mark on the Island. The Knights and the British. The first by creating an architectural bullwark of defences that are even today phenomenal, in their dimensions. The second left their mark by the traffic system ( left), the pubs and the ugly hotel scenery along the coast line. So let's move on.

It should have been a phantasitic sailig trip. We left on Thursday after lunch, having filled up with fuel, water and provisions, and the first real wind hit us when we came out of Valletta. It was not really the wind, more the sea, that stood against us. So we took a lot of water. Under the boat, over the boat, and finally in the boat ( through a leak in the forward hatch ). It took me all Wednesday morning to clean up. But the sailing fun ended here! At least for the time being.  

If it had continued blowing Force 5 , 6 or 7, we had been happy people. But the wind dropped. Already in the first night. And it didn't came back !!!!!!  At least for 3 full days. I have never seen anything like this. We continued under engine for hours and hours, bored up to our necks, watch after watch ( timing system for us to be on the guard in the cockpit , like a work shift in the factory ), hot and humid, until finally on Sunday the 23.september  even the moist air could not stand it anymore and released itself by turning moist air into thick fog. All along the Algerian Coast. In thick fog , with radar switched on, and pitch wet all around us .  And we were coming to the point to make a stop-over decisoion for re-fuelling. Having looked at the weather charts the bad news continued. No change in weather until Tuesday 25th, and on Wedesday a depression moving over Spain into the Strait of Gibraltar with SW winds of up to 40 knots . Thank you. No fuellling or refuge in Algeria either. The Pilot states clearly that if you want to stay out of trouble with the algerian Administration, stay out of Algeria all together. We followed this advise. So what was the option left ? Well, easy. 

Let's eat first before we make a decision , shall we ......

And that we started doing, as if Champagne was trying to get her first Michelin star . And the new Motto from that day is  :



DO COOKING,  NO SAILING

We ate and ate and ate, to the extend, that for the rest of our lives we might never feel hungry anymore. Cakes, Chicken wings, Pizzas, you name it, Fati cooked and baked and prepared it And all of this on the tiny ( 3 burner ) cooker we have. Plus an oven that would make Whirlpool, Electrolux , Miele and Gaggenau people laughing their guts out. But see for yourself what we did. Fantastic !

And then the kitchen turned into Hell. I mean we went from 'The naked Chef' concept all the way down into HELL'S KITCHEN.

AND WHY. WELL, WE FINALLY HAD WIND AGAIN. 

In fact we had more than we had ever wished for. 40 - 45 knots of wind, and full on the nose, ie we had to sail close to the wind direction, and that meant : Gibraltar became out of reach.The forecasted depression had arrived way too early.  And the quality of the kitchen suffered greatly. In fact to stand at the stove in these conditions became unbearable, although Fati really tried hard. And I will keep it a secret how many times she fell sick.

But where to go ? Algeria ? No way !
So what about the other side of the wind angle ? Where would that lead us to ? I recommend at this stage that you take a look on a simple chart/map of the Med. Because we sailed North/ North West on a Southwesterly and later westerly wind, strength BF 7-8 ( see above ) and ended up in ?????????????

MALLORCA !!!!!!

GHEE, LOOK AT THE MAP, LOOK AT IT. WE ARE IN MALLORCA BUT WANTED TO GO TO GIBRALTAR.

And this, dear reader is the story of Hell's kitchen. And because we are in a safe place now, actually in a very beautiful Marina of Mallorca called Cala Llonga on the South Easterly side of Mallorca, the first thing we did after having cleared up the forward cabin again ( we fixed the leak a day later , hopefully for good ), was .....to go for a fantastic dinner. And we celebrated Fati's birthday, which is in October , but who cares. And she even got flowers from Olaf. Now, as we know, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. 

Which proves my point : Never give up on good habits. 

Best, Master Mike

Finally arrived in Sicily, and ahead of the bad weather. Actually after Otranto we sailed 2 days and one night through, managing a gale force BF 9 ( 45 kts ) wind during the night, just after Crotone, which is roughly at the beginning of the sole of the italian boot - so to speak. Anyway, burnt some flesh away on my hand, but Fati and boat all sound and ok. But it was a long trip that brought us into a marina called Riposto ( like : taking a brake). Not very exciting place though, very expensive marina, but honestly, 
it's the sicilian people that make the difference.
 They are warm people, open to foreigners who show any interest in them, and respond with an open heart that is incredible. And then there are these beautiful women. Whilst I recommended the Ladies to visit Brindisi, the Gentlemen of this world should come and see sicilian women. And they can ride ! Really ! I mean they ride their Vespas ( scooters ) in such a fashion that makes Casey Stoner on his Honda look old.

Anyway, Riposto lies straight under the vulcano Etna . 
The picture shows the old bugger in the morning fuming away his stink, and when you are on the receiving end of the wind, you think you have applied under your armpits a deodorant called 'Hot Magma' or something to that effect.

And outside the marina,  sicilian life starts immediately, and as in all other places of this world, society shows itself with all pros and cons.
 

Let me start with the cons first, in order I can finish later on a high note.

What I already saw and experienced in Naples and its surroundings, you also experience here: The rubbish 
( rifiuti ) on the streets or better along the streets.  Of course it is an administration problem, but isn't that too easy as an excuse ? I mean, the world has many poor areas, but it does not mean necessarily that is has to be dirty. Where has all the  money gone that was and still is being pumped into this region. The streets have as many potholes as a swiss cheese, can't they be fixed ? Can't the many unemployed that truly exist here, do a service for their community. Wouldn't it be good to be proud of having a clean place to show the world. To me even Cape Verde, which I visited some years ago on my first transatlantic adventure, made a cleaner impression than what I see here. And that was really 'Third World ". Come on, proud people of Sicily, take a broom and get going. Do you really want to be compared with Cape Verde ? This beautiful land of yours deserves your respect. Nothing more to be said, I guess.

And then there are the individuals, lovely peole, and funny as well :

and a doctor is always at hand, with spewing Etna close by, you definetly need a specialist for respiratory problems. Who needs Saatchi&Saatchi for advertising in Sicily !

                                   Well, I could go on and on, but there are other stories waiting. 

Like the most beautiful place I stumbled across by accident. called Isola Bella (beautful island ) close to Taormina, between here and Messina. I just saw a sign 'LaPlage Resort', turned the car and found an amazing place. I took a picture later from higher up, so you get a feeling for the place. The Director of this marvel is called Guiseepe Marchese, he is actually from Naples, and he knows a friend of mine, Michele Apichella from Vico Equense,which is close to Sorrento. Now didn't I tell you THE WORLD IS SMALL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can truly say, if you want to stay in a marvellous place, go there. Of course I will discuss with Mr Marchese a commission fee for all the thousands of people who will now come and visit the resort. But do I really want that ? Pls people, just go in 10's at a time, and pls organise yourselves in such a way, that you spread over the whole year., and not all just in August. So we avoid huge traffic jams on the ( of course bumpy ) road in front of the resort.



Anyway the rest of the trip is quickly told. On the 15th of September off to Syracuse, and then arriving on the 17th in Malta. This concluded the first leg of our journey, all together so far 628 nautical miles logged, some sleepless nights in between, and specifically at the end a lot of wind. A LOT OF WIND !

And before I forget it, I know you have been waiting for this : When we arrived in Malta Manoel Island Marina, the third person on the platoon I asked to explain me something, said that he had seen my boat. and when I looked at him I instantly recognised him as the nice chap who helped me last year in Hvar / Croatia on my return from the Ionian Islands with my ropes when leaving. Honestly I am not inventing these stories. He is Jason from CJ Marine Services, Malta (+356 7949 5356 , in case you should ever need any help in Malta ! ) , and was on board a large motor yacht as an engineer when he thought I might need some help. He will also help us tomorrow doing the provisions. What a nice chap. Now have I mentioned it before ? In case I haven't here it comes .........
THE WORLD IS SMALL, PEOPLE, THE WORLD IS SMALL !!!!!!
( it all depends on you though )
YOURS, MASTER MIKE

Right, we are in Otranto now, southern Italy. Haven't slept for 36 h. But let's go back and recap. 

We , that is Fati and I, left Sibenik on the 7th of September 2012 for our epic journey. Attached pictures should prove it. We could have stayed much longer, honestly . Every day we worked on a ' to do list ' , and in the evening we had a new one, longer than the one before. Finally I believe we all got tired, so we decided: Ok, we have no freezer working, we have not done this nor that, but what the heck, let's go. And Robert from Yachting 2000, actually it is Roberto from now on ! , said : Michele, you will either stay in the next bay and write all your blogs from there during the winter, or you will go ! Now ! And so I left, or better, we left .
But before we left, and whilst Pieter was still around, I got a new name. 'Einstein'. It can't be because of my general knowledge of Maths and Physics, so I assume it is because of my new hair style. Anyway, I thought I should not let the others outside my newly found fame, so Fatii became Zwei-Stein, Pieter is Drei-Stein, Jim we decided is Vier-Stein, and Ian should be Fuenf-Stein. Leaves us with Olaf, who then we will call Sex- Stein, sorry, wrong spelling, Sechs-Stein. It's late, I apologise.

Anyway, I hope everybdy is happy now and nobody will feel left outside. WE ARE THE 'X-STEIN-TEAM NOW !!!!!!

The rest is quickly told. Left Sibenik, quick stop in Hvar to say hello to Alain, Toma, and his beautiful daughter Ivana from the restaurant Luna, then to Cavtat, said hi to Ivo Bobic and his restaurant, checking out with customs ( they are really friendly in Cavtat, really !) , and  during the night to Brindisi/ Italy.

I called the Harbour Master 10x on approach around lunch time, but who works at lunchtime in southern Italy. So we went straight in, but the whole quay is closed due to gas works. Anyway, got a place just opposite the Harbour Master's office, checked in with Border Police, and waited at the HM office for something to happen. Now if you want to see 'red tape', here it is, walking in front of you, however in white ! All beautifuuly dressed in white marine uniforms, golden or silver braclet, golden necklace with cross, tanned, black hair, Ray Ban sunglasses, regardless of the fact that it was cool and dark in the building. Ladies of the world , forget the '50 shades of Grey' , but come to Brindisi and go for the 'White'. No shades here though, all immaculate white, and plenty of time to have a chat, coffee, going for a ride, or what else. 

Brindisi has surely seen its heydays. Under Rome the Appian Way ended here, at the quay in the harbour. Huge columns as markers can still be admired today. From here together with the more southern town of Otranto, most vessels started from here their journeys to Greece. But those days are long gone. Even 10 years ago, so the 'Commandante' I dealt with in the office told me, saw every day many ferries arriving from Greece or Albania for day visiting and shopping. But today it is more 10 boats a month. And you can see the depression in the eyes of the people.

Anyway, the aforementioned Commandante  helped me with the papers ( PAPER, FORMS , another FORM, another signature ), but at the end in good spirit, and finally done. I wish President Monti would arrive one day incognito with his boat in Brindisi and see how his maritime employees are struggling with 19th century technology. What an effort, what a waste. But surely done by nice people.

 When we were told to move the boat I had enough of Brindisi. Bad weather is moving in this week anyway, so although quite tired we left for Otranto further south, where we arrived late in the evening, and anchored next to two other boats.  Which reminds me of another 'out of the blue' encounter.

Last year in the Ionian see I met Jonathan, the owner of another Jeanneau 57. We met a couple of times in various ports, always by coincidence, as if we were following each other for no good reasons. On the last leg we left from Corfu home, him into Montenegro, me back to Sibenik/Croatia. During the winter I had sent him a couple of mails, challenging him for a race across the Atlantic, but he declined. So this Sunday, when we were about to leave Cavtat, I had sent him a mail saying we were on our way, and whether he was in the vicinity. And believe me , one day later I met him, or better saw him, him leaving, me arriving in Brindisi. And when we anchored in Otranto, there he was again. I couldn't believe it myself.

We had a chat, him going to the Iolian Islands, and therefore, Bye Bye, Jonathan, meet you surely again elsewhere.

Gosh, THE WORLD IS SMALL !


 Master Mike

 I wanted to write a blog ages ago. But what would have been the content ? 

Actually , only complaints ! Does it make sense to bore my readers with technical stuff, what went wrong with the boat, that all the preparation culminated by being back in Croatia since 26th of August, and progress was and still is slow ? Are you really interested in that we had to exchange all batteries ( boiling hot ! ), that we did a general service for engine and generator, with not the right belts at hand, that until yesterday ( 5th of September), the day we wanted to start our exciting journey, we are still in Sibenik, Croatia, and the freezer still doesn't work ! 
I guess you are not interested ! BUT I AM !!!!!!!!! HELP, HELP ME !!!!!!!!!!

Do I miss something here ? May be a fifth element that can save me from insanity ? Well you might know the film with Bruce Willis , and Mila Jovovich as the famous Lilo. Truly, I am such a great fan of that film that even our dog in London , a Cockapoo , is called Lilo. See above the picture to prove that the dog is as beautiful as Mila ! 

Yes, I even went one step further with my admiration for that film. Almost every year in the past 5 years we organised a party for our friends in London. Each time under a different scheme. We had a "Pirate Party ', an 'Arabian Nights Party', A '007 Party ( the ladies loved the milk tray and the Sean Connery lookalike ), and of course a 'The Fifth Element Party' . And you should have seen the guests. Fantastic costumes. And we even , through the help of my friend Christopher,  organised an opera singer - in this case a music teacher , Lucy Briginshaw , who sang the famous song from the film.

Now you might have been wondering for quite some time why do I tell you all this in my sailing blog. Well, don't get nervous , here comes the highlight of my opera life :

As said above, we arrived here in Croatia, in Marina Mandalina,Sibenik, last week Sunday, that is Fati, Pieter and I. On Wednesday night we celebrated our failures in getting anything done by going to the best restaurant in the marina , and ordered a lot of food, and I tell you it was a lot, and the best wine in Croatia, a Posip from Korcula. Actually 2 bottles ! Anyway, at the table behind us dined a couple from Albania, and whilst they were presented with their bill, I had this blink of a mad moment , which I have quite often, honestly , and saying across the table tongue in cheek : Thank you for paying our bill ! 

Of course this was the introduction to a little bit of chit chat, and it turned out that the Lady is a famous opera singer with the name of Inva Mula, and with her husband and little baby she had just arrived some hours earlier on her Motor Yacht. So, dear reader , now you might think : and where is the connection. You will be flabbergasted !!!!!

It was no other than Inva Mula who is singing the famous opera part of  „Lucia di Lammermoor“ by  Gaetano Donizetti in the film 'The Fifth Element '. It is her !!!!!!!! And she got the 'job' specifically because of the difficulty of the second part of this piece of music. Can you believe this ? Google on You Tube and you can hear why I am so excited about this part of the film. Of all the people in the world, I meet her in a small marina in Croatia in the middle of nowhere? You don't believe me , do you ?

Well, here is the proof  >  a picture ( below ) of her, her husband ( No 2 ) and me, but without the baby !  On the other side of the picture,  so to speak , was actually a piano. That tells you something about the size of the boat !

And before I forget it, when we wanted to pay our bill, it had been settled already by an unknown sponsor for poor sailors. Thank you Inva, the world can still be saved, as long as it is full of so nice people as you and your husband are. And of course like the people from S/Y Champagne, the world's most demanding sailing boat ! 

Best, Master Mike.