WORK ON WIZARD HAS BEEN FINISHED AND THE PLANNED DATE TO GO DOWN IS IN EARLY MAY. STILL UNCLEAR IF WE ARE TO TAKE RICHARDS BOAT BACK TO THE UK FIRST. IT SEEMS HE MAY HAVE SOMEBODY INTERESTED IN LADY JENNY SO TRAVEL PLANS ARE VERY FLUID AT THE MOMENT.

STOP PRESS. WENT DOWN TO MALTA FOR THREE DAYS AND RICHARD WAS THERE AT THE SAME TIME. LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE HE HAS A BUYER FOR LADY JANE AND IT IS NOW A QUESTION OF GETTING THE PAPERWORK DONE. SPENT A LITTLE TIME ON WIZARD AND SHE SEEMS TO HAVE HAD ALL THE JOBS DONE.LOOKS LIKE WE ARE READY TO GO IN MAY.

Left Malta on the 9th May and sailed overnight to Syracuse. Quite strong westerly winds during the night so Wizard and myself arrived far too early to enter Syracuse. Spent the rest of the night having  a quick sleep and sailing quietly around. Entered Syracuse around 11.00 am and went to anchor. No problems. Spent about three days thee before heading north up the east coast of Sicily.

2019 Sailing season - short version

Ipad has collapsed (in 2020) so I am writing this update in July 2020. Must have missed writing the whole 2019 season up and will now try to catch up. Evidently I did not take many pictures so here is a quick rundown with some photos to follow.

Malta

Syracuse

Messina Straits

Over to the Aeolian Islands which include Stromboli

From the Aeolian island back to the north coast of Sicily

Sailed west and picked up Daniella from Palmero airport.

Sailed further east and the down the west coast to Trapani

Stayed here a few days and hired a car. Drove Daniella to the airport.

Sailed for three days from Sicily to the south coast of Sardinia. Went to a marina and then went home for two weeks.

Sailed west on my return and anchored in a beautiful area for a few days.

Then on my way directy to Menorca.

Stayed in Menorca for two weeks visiting Richard and Gail.

Sailed then south to Mallorca and finally to Ibiza where there was a beautiful anchorage on the north coast.

Ibiza to the Spanish coast where I managed to get the last place in the marina to sit out a storm.

From there to Gibralter (Spanish side) with a stop in Cartagena. At this point in time there was nothing called Corona Virus around !

Aoelion Islands after the Messina Straits. Very deep water to anchor in and here my anchor fuse collapsed. Had to get some help from a local electrician guy. Spent the night on a mooring recovering from that episode! Very spooky islands with very limited anchoring and no real facilities.

 Arrived in CEFALÜ on the north coast after crossing overnight. Boat Hurah was anchored nearby and we sailed in tandem for two weeks west. Joe is the owner and captain of Hurah (picture bottom right).

After a week or so in Cefalü we left in Tandem  heading west and found a great anchoring place at a place just east of the Marina Beach resort near Balestrate. Here Joe dropped a crew member off and we hung around here for a week using Joe's fast tender to speed around in. We then headed into a basic marina at Balestrate where I also stayed for a while before heading west to near Bonagia. This was a very popular anchoring area but horribly exposed. Bad weather was forecast so we upped anchor and headed back to Balestrate for Joe to pick up a new crew member and for me go and pick up Daniella from the airport. We eat very well in Balestrate ! Good seafood meal for euro 9.00.

After getting Daniella on board and hiring  car for a day trip to see Stromboli we eventually left Balestrate, sail to Bonagia and stayed one night at anchor. Next  we sailed all day around to TRapino on the west coast. Hired a car again as the weather was very windy but hot and went around visiting. Daniella eventually went home and I dropped her at the Palmero airport.

After that I sailed over to the south coast of Sardinia

then sailed west to Menorca and stayed there for two weeks visiting Richard and Gale.

Off then to Mallorca for a short stay in a relatively sheltered by near a tow and shopping  but not protected well from a northerly wind - which of course appeared and Ileft then for Ibiza. Found a beautifull anchorage on the north coast for two days and then

sailed directly to mainland Spain. The weather was forecasted to be very bad and as the anchoring area at Dénia was very very poor I managed to get the very last place in the marina where I waited for the storm to pass.

After Dénia I basically sailed down the coast stopping at Cartagena for four days and then set off for the Alcaidesa Marina near Gibralter. Approaching Gibralter at about 04.00 I encountered thick for and the waited for the dawn. The plotter showed many tankers at anchor so i just waited. At this time there was a political fight going on about an oil tanker that the british had captured as it was on the way to Syria. Anyway whilst I was sailing quitely around waiting for the dawn I was being followed by a very large offshore tug which I could see on the chart plotter - and he could see me. When I turned he turned. This went on for several hours and when the fog lifted I motored through the tankers at anchor and there was the seized tanker as well !!

Arrived in Alcaidesa Marina with no real problems and started bedding the boat down for the winter. A guy called is now going to do quite a few jobs on Wizard and hopefully she will be ready by September 2020 !!